Fruit

Pineapple nutrition, down to the gram.

On USDA figures, 1 cup of pineapple chunks works out at 83 calories and carries 0.9 g of protein. The source is the USDA entry “Pineapple, raw, all varieties”. What it supplies in quantity is vitamin C. Choose how much you are eating and the panel does the arithmetic from there.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Figures: USDA FoodData Central, record 169124. Calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Calories in pineapple, serving by serving

83 calories is the figure for 1 cup of pineapple chunks; 50 is the figure per 100 g. Below are the remaining portions USDA measured.

How much protein is in pineapple?

1 cup of pineapple chunks carries 0.9 g of protein, which is 2 percent of the 50 g Daily Value. Protein is close to absent in pineapple. Its calories come from carbohydrate instead.

Looked at as a share of calories: carbohydrate 94 percent, fat 2 percent, protein 4 percent.

Pineapple in the kitchen

This tropical bromeliad fruit is sold whole, canned in juice, or pre-sliced. Avoid specimens with dull bronze skin or soft, bruised bases. The leaves in the crown should look green and fresh, not withered. Sniff the base of the fruit; it must smell sweet and fragrant, not fermented or sour.

Raw pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down gelatin and curdles dairy. Heat deactivates this enzyme, allowing the fruit to be used in jellies. Cooked pineapple caramelises beautifully under a grill or on a barbecue. The commonest mistake is using raw fruit in marinades for too long, turning meat mushy.

Pineapple suits both sweet and savoury contexts. In Thai cuisine, cook it in red curries with duck. In Mexican cooking, pair it with pork for tacos al pastor. British cooks often bake it into upside-down cakes. It pairs naturally with chilli, coriander, rum, lime, and salty cheeses.

The complete pineapple breakdown

The figures worth noticing in 1 cup of pineapple chunks are 88 percent of a day’s vitamin C. The full list follows and tracks your selected portion.

9.9 g of the 13 g of carbohydrate in 100 g is sugar. Eaten whole, it comes packaged with water and fibre, which slows the whole thing down.

Putting pineapple into a day of eating

Against the standard 2,000 calorie reference, 1 cup of pineapple chunks takes up 4 percent of the energy and supplies 2 percent of the protein. For a figure that fits you, start with the TDEE calculator, then set grams with the macro calculator.

Three ways to use pineapple

From the Calorie Counter Team: three dishes built around pineapple, with per-serving nutrition calculated from the USDA data for every ingredient that goes in.

Dinner · Chinese

Pineapple and Pork Stir-Fry

A quick pork and vegetable stir-fry with fresh pineapple chunks cooked in a hot wok.

15 min · serves 2

375kcal

35gprotein

16gfat

23gcarbs

Ingredients

• Pork tenderloin, cut into cubes 300 g
• Fresh pineapple, chopped into chunks 250 g
• Red bell pepper, sliced 150 g
• Soy sauce 30 g
• Vegetable oil 15 g
• Fresh ginger root, grated 10 g

Method

1. Cut the pork, pineapple, and red pepper into 2-centimetre pieces.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat.
3. Add the pork and grated ginger to the pan and cook for 4 minutes until the meat browns.
4. Stir in the pineapple and red pepper chunks and cook for a further 3 minutes.
5. Pour in the soy sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly.

6 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Snack · British

Griddled Pineapple with Lime

Warm griddled pineapple rings glazed with lime juice and brown sugar, topped with fresh mint.

15 min · serves 2

186kcal

1.2gprotein

5.2gfat

37gcarbs

Ingredients

• Fresh pineapple, sliced into rings 400 g
• Lime juice 15 g
• Light brown sugar 20 g
• Fresh mint leaves, chopped 5 g
• Coconut oil 10 g

Method

1. Slice the pineapple into 1-centimetre thick rounds and remove the tough central core.
2. Mix the lime juice and light brown sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
3. Brush a griddle pan with the coconut oil and heat over medium-high heat.
4. Cook the pineapple slices for 3 minutes on each side until dark lines appear.
5. Transfer the pineapple to a plate, drizzle with the lime syrup, and scatter with the chopped mint.

Figures are per serving and come from 5 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Side · Mexican

Pineapple and Red Onion Salsa

A fresh, sharp salsa made with diced pineapple, red onion, chilli, and lime juice.

15 min · serves 4

47kcal

0.7gprotein

0.1gfat

12gcarbs

Ingredients

• Fresh pineapple, finely diced 300 g
• Red onion, finely diced 60 g
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 15 g
• Lime juice 20 g
• Red chilli, deseeded and minced 10 g
• Table salt 3 g

Method

1. Cut the pineapple and red onion into 5-millimetre pieces.
2. Finely chop the red chilli and the fresh coriander leaves.
3. Combine the pineapple, onion, chilli, and coriander in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Pour the lime juice over the mixture and season with the table salt.
5. Stir the ingredients thoroughly and leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Summed from 6 USDA records and divided by servings. Heat alters weight and a few nutrients, so read it as a close figure.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Pineapple as part of a meal

A worked example, every line from the same USDA data as the table above. Swap any of it; the arithmetic is the point, not the menu.

How pineapple compares with similar foods

Compared gram for gram, with the form of each food stated. Follow any link for that food’s full page.

Pineapple: common questions

What is the calorie count for 1 cup of pineapple chunks?

1 cup of pineapple chunks is 83 calories. That comes from the USDA record “Pineapple, raw, all varieties” (FDC 169124), which is 50 calories per 100 g.

How much protein is in pineapple?

0.9 g in 1 cup of pineapple chunks, or 0.5 g per 100 g. That is 2 percent of the 50 g Daily Value.

Does pineapple fit a calorie deficit?

Weight change comes from the whole week’s intake. 1 cup of pineapple chunks contributes 83 calories and 0.9 g of protein (4 percent of its energy), useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

How many carbs are in pineapple?

1 cup of pineapple chunks contains 22 g of carbohydrate. Fibre makes up 2.3 g of that and sugar 16 g.

How do you remove the tough core easily?

Slice the fruit into rounds after peeling. Lay each round flat on your board and use a metal pastry cutter to stamp out the woody centre. This leaves tidy rings with no wasted flesh.

Will a green pineapple ripen on the kitchen counter?

It will not become sweeter after harvest, as it cannot produce more sweetness after being cut. Standing the fruit upside down helps distribute the juices more evenly from the base to the leafy crown.

Sources

• Pineapple, raw, all varieties — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169124
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9