By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated August 30, 2026  |  ★ 5.0 (5 reviews) | 14 comments

This Sri Lankan pineapple curry is cooked the Sinhalese way.
The best Sri Lankan Pineapple curry I’ve cooked so far, better than my milder and creamier pineapple curry.
And I have to be honest, it’s one of those spicy vegetarian, vegan curries you might cook every week.
It’s that good!

★★★★★
If you try this, I’d love to know how it turned out. Just tap the stars in the recipe card; it helps other cooks find this recipe.

Why this recipe works

• This pineapple curry is seasoned with three curry powders for a few minutes and lets them absorb before cooking the curry.
• Tempering mustard seeds, curry leaves, and other aromatics adds Sri Lankan fragrance to the dish.
• Cooking the pineapple first lets the pineapple juice reduce and turn savoury. Adding the coconut milk adds creaminess to the dish. You have the option of having the pineapple curry dry or with a little gravy.

Ingredients for pineapple curry.

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

• Pineapple: one medium fresh pineapple, or canned pineapple in juice, drained.
• Curry powder: Sri Lankan unroasted curry powder; use a general curry powder available to you if the Sri Lankan version is not available to you.
• Turmeric powder
• Roasted curry powder: substitute with Jaffna curry powder; if you can’t find it, leave it out.
• Red chilli powder and green chilli split: adds spiciness to the dish; increase or reduce as needed.
• Tempering ingredients: oil, curry leaves (substitute with bay leaf), mustard seeds, minced garlic, sliced onion
• Aromatics: green cardamom lightly bruised, cinnamon
• Coconut milk: thick coconut milk.
• Sugar: adds a little sweetness to the dish
• Salt to season

Tips for the best pineapple curry

• How to clean and cut a Pineapple
  • You can follow visual instructions by watching this video.
  • You can read the instructions by reading this post.
• How to choose and pick a ripe Pineapple
  • The leaves of the Pineapple should be firm and green, not discoloured. 
  • Do not choose a Pineapple which is overly yellow, but choose one with a mix of light yellow and green.
  • The Pineapple should be firm to the touch and not give in.
  • If the Pineapple is too ripe, you’ll notice a very sweet smell on it. 
  • Check closer to the stem of the Pineapple, and avoid any fruit that has brownish, soft skin around the stem. 

What you will need in the kitchen

• Chopping board and knife
• Large bowl to marinate the pineapple cubes
• Cooking pan or clay pot with a lid
• Wooden spoon
• Spice grinder, if you grind your own curry powders

How to make pineapple curry

photo tutorial

Season the pineapple cubes

Add the cubed Pineapple to a large bowl. Season with curry powder, roasted curry powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Combine well, and let it for 5 minutes.

Temper the spices

Place a pan over medium-low heat and pour in the oil.
Once the oil is warm, reduce the heat to low and add curry leaves(a sprig) and mustard seeds. Cook until the mustard starts popping, which takes less than 2 minutes.

Once the mustard starts popping, add minced garlic, cardamom, cinnamon stick, sliced onions, and green chillies.
Fry the ingredients over low heat for a few minutes. Cook for 3 minutes or until onion slices are translucent.

Cooking the spicy pineapple curry

Add the marinated pineapple to the pan and cook over low-medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes.

As the pineapple changes colour and the natural juice of the Pineapple is reduced.
Add the sugar(1 teaspoon, optional if you want the curry to have a sweet element).

Reduce heat to low, cover and slow-simmer the curry for 12 to 15 minutes.
If you find that there is no moisture to cook the pineapples and they are still hard, then add 1/4 cup of water.

10 minutes into the cooking time, check the taste of the curry.
Season with salt and sugar. Add chilli powder if necessary.
Pour in the coconut milk.

If you want to have a little gravy, then remove the curry once the coconut milk gravy changes.

If you want a dry pineapple curry, then cook until the gravy thickens and coats the pineapple curry, then remove from the heat.
Serve warm with your favourite rice and curry recipe.

FAQ: Spicy Sri Lankan pineapple curry

• How do I cut pineapple cubes for the pineapple curry?
  • Cut the Pineapple into 1-inch pieces; this way, should you want to break the Pineapple pieces into smaller pieces, you can do it without any problems.
  • You do this by just cutting into the Pineapple while it’s cooking with your regular wooden spoon.
• Can I adjust the spiciness of this pineapple dish?
  • Yes, if you think this dish will be too spicy for your family, then reduce the amount of chilli powder mentioned, but I find that adding coconut milk removes most of the spiciness of this dish.
  • If you want a kid-friendly recipe, then I suggest you try the mildly spiced Pineapple curry, which I’ve provided the link to below.

What to serve with pineapple curry

• Serve with rice
  • How to cook rice on the stove
  • Sri Lankan Yellow Rice (turmeric rice)
  • Indian fragrant ghee rice (nei choru)
• Other vegetarian recipes to pair with pineapple curry
  • Green bean stir-fry
  • Sri Lankan spicy potato.
  • Gotu kola (pennywort salad)sambol
  • Sri Lankan spinach and coconut mallung (stir-fry)
• Chicken, meat, seafood curries.
  • Slow-cooked beef curry (like my grandmother makes)
  • Sri Lankan chicken curry
  • Sri Lankan red chilli fish curry (Thalapath malu mirisata)
  • Sri Lankan prawn curry cooked in Coconut milk

More Pineapple recipes

Fresh Pineapple Salsa
Sri Lankan mildly-spiced Pineapple curry
Summer salad with cucumber, melon, and pineapple
Spicy Pineapple Coleslaw
Sri Lankan Pineapple Chutney
Sri Lankan pineapple chicken curry
Fresh-pineapple-salsa

Watch more Sri Lankan recipes on my YouTube channel

Continue to Content

Pineapple Curry recipe (Spicy Sri Lankan style)

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A spicy Sri Lankan pineapple curry cooked the Sinhalese way.
Freshly cut pineapple cubes marinated in curry powder, added into a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leav and finished with coconut milk.

A vegetarian and vegan side dish for your rice and curry menus.

5.0 Stars (5 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• 1 whole medium-sized pineapple cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon of Sri Lankan curry powder (substitute with regular curry powder available to you)
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of chillie powder (substitute with cayenne pepper or kashmiri red chilli powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon of roasted curry powder (seubstitute with jaffna curry powder, if you are unable to find roasted curry powder skip this ingredient)
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil ( any regular, light oil)
• 1 teaspoon of mustard seed
• A sprig of curry leaves (6 to 8 leaves. you can also substitute with basil and lime zest as suggested by one reader who tried the recipe)
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic (3 garlic cloves)
• 2 green cardamom pods lightly bruised
• 1 green chillie split(optional for a spicier dish)
• 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 large onion sliced fine
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk
• Salt to season

Instructions

Season the pineapple cubes.

1. Add the cubed Pineapple into a large bowl.
2. Add curry powder (1 teaspoon), roasted curry powder (1/2 teaspoon), red chilli powder (1 and 1/2 teaspoons), turmeric powder (1/2 teaspoon) and salt (1/2 teaspoon)to the Pineapple.
3. Combine well, and let it marinate for 5 minutes.

Tempering

1. Place a pan over medium-low heat and pour in the oil (3 tablespoons).
2. Once the oil is warm, reduce heat to low and add curry leaves (a sprig, 5 to 8 leaves), mustard seeds (1 teaspoon).
3. Cook until the mustard starts popping. less than 2 minutes.
4. Once the mustard starts popping, add garlic (2 tablespoons minced, 3 cloves), cardamom (2), cinnamon stick (1″) and sliced onions (1 large), green chillies (1).
5. Continue frying the ingredients over low heat for a few minutes.
6. Cook for 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Cook the pineapple

1. Add the marinated pineapple to the pan and cook over low-medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. As the pineapple changes colour and the natural juice of the Pineapple is reduced, add the sugar (1 teaspoon, optional if you want the curry to have a sweet element).
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and slow simmer the curry for 12 to 15 minutes.
4. If you find that there is no moisture to cook the pineapples and they are still hard, then add 1/4 cup of water.
5. 10 minutes into cooking time, check the taste of the curry.
6. Season with salt, sugar, and add red chilli powder if necessary./
7. And pour in the coconut milk (1/2 a cup).
8. If you want to have a little gravy, then remove the curry once the coconut milk gravy changes.
9. If you want a pineapple curry that is dry, then cook until the gravy thickens and coats the pineapple curry, then remove from heat.
10. Serve warm with your favourite rice and curry recipe.

Made this devilled Spicy pineapple curry?
I'd love to know how it turned out.
Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and a comment; I read every one; it helps other visitors trust the recipe and helps them find me too.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Naturally Grown Curry Leaves (0.7 oz)
• 
  Sri Lankan Jaffna Curry Powder 500g (1.1lb)
• 
  McCormick Curry Powder, 1 lb
• 
  Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder 500g (1.1lbs)
• 
  Organic Turmeric Powder - 1LB Jar - 100% Raw w/Curcumin From India - by Jiva Organics
• 
  Spice Container - Masala Dabba - 7 Compartments, masala box,steel masala dabba,Spice container box,stainless steel spice box indian masala dabba with 7 spice containers with size 8 X 8 inches (1)
• 
  OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Wooden Spoon Set
• 
  Chef Knife PAUDIN N1 8 inch Kitchen Knife, German High Carbon Stainless Steel Sharp Knife, Professional Meat Knife with Ergonomic Handle and Gift Box for Family & Restaurant

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 152mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the same way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough that you can follow it too.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.