Easy Pineapple Casserole with Bread (Classic Southern Recipe)
Southern pineapple casserole is one of those classic dishes that always gets people talking. With its perfect balance of sweet pineapple, buttery topping, and a touch of savory flavor, it’s a unique side dish that pairs perfectly with holiday meals, potlucks, and summer cookouts. If you’ve never tried it before, this easy recipe is a must.
This delicious recipe for pineapple casserole pairs wonderfully with other easy Southern Thanksgiving side dishes. It’s incredibly versatile and guaranteed to disappear quickly at any gathering, especially with these easy fall off the bone ribs. While it’s traditionally served as a side dish, the sweetness of the pineapple makes it feel like a dessert — perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth.
I’ve been making this easy pineapple casserole for over 30 years, and it’s always a hit. The combination of sweet pineapple, buttery goodness, and savory flavors may seem unusual, but it works beautifully. I originally started making it to pair with ham for Easter dinner, and now my family insists it’s a must-have for every holiday. They love it so much that I recently made it on a weeknight with this oven baked chicken tenders recipe, and not a single complaint was heard!
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💗 Why You’ll Love This Pineapple Bake
- Quick and Easy Prep: This casserole comes together in no time with just a few simple ingredients. Everything is mixed by hand—no mixer is required! Combine everything in one bowl, pour it into a casserole dish, and bake. Easy! Just like my veg-all casserole recipe with canned vegetables. Simple!
- Perfect for Any Occasion: This dish is a crowd-pleaser at church socials, holiday gatherings, or even as a weeknight side. It’s guaranteed to impress your family and guests.
- Budget-Friendly and Delicious: This simple yet flavorful casserole tastes like pineapple bread pudding. The bread soaks up the rich buttery flavor and sweet pineapple juices, making it an excellent pairing with Easter ham or any festive meal. One bite, and you’ll be hooked! Another budget-friendly dish is my cabbage casserole with cheese. Delish!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
This pineapple casserole recipe is made with simple ingredients and comes together fast.
- Bread Cubes: I use white bread for this recipe and prefer to cube or tear it by hand. The pieces don’t need to be uniform—rustic chunks work perfectly. I also leave the crust on for added texture. Day-old or slightly stale bread works best, soaking up the buttery pineapple mixture without becoming mushy.
- Milk: I always use whole milk for this casserole. It’s usually what I have on hand, but 2% milk will also work. The whole milk enhances the creamy texture.
- Eggs: Eggs bind the ingredients together, creating a custard-like texture. I recommend using medium to large eggs for the best results.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the tangy pineapple.
- Butter: I use one cup of salted butter for a rich, buttery flavor. The salted butter adds to the overall taste and balances the sweetness.
- Pineapple: I recommend using canned pineapple chunks or tidbits with the juice included. The juice adds moisture and sweetness, giving the casserole its flavor.
🔪 How to Make This Dish
This pineapple bread casserole is so simple; with just a few minutes of prep, you can have this in the oven, plus no mixer is required. For complete instructions, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cube the bread. No need to be precise — just tear it into bite-sized pieces. I like to leave the crust on for extra texture.
Step 2: Now grab a large mixing bowl. Pour in the milk and eggs, then add the sugar and softened butter. Give it a good stir until everything’s well combined.
Step 3: Time to add the pineapple! Pour in the pineapple chunks with the juice — that juice is key to flavor. Stir it all together so it’s nice and mixed.
Step 4: Toss in your cubed bread and stir again to ensure all those pieces get coated in that sweet, buttery mixture.
Step 5: Pour everything into your prepared baking dish and pop it in the oven. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Step 6: Once it’s out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes — if you can wait that long! Serve it warm and enjoy every sweet, buttery bite.
💭 Pro Tips
- Use a Large Bowl: Since the bread takes up quite a bit of space, a large mixing bowl is needed to combine everything well.
- Soften Your Butter: Softened butter blends more easily with the other ingredients, creating a smoother mixture.
- Prepare the Bread Properly: Cube or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces or smaller. Leaving the crusts on adds extra texture to the casserole.
- Don’t Drain the Pineapple: Use canned pineapple with the juice included. The juice adds to the sweetness and moisture of the dish. I prefer pineapple tidbits, but crushed pineapple can work in a pinch.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake until the top is lightly golden brown.
- Let It Rest: After removing the casserole from the oven, allow it to rest for a few minutes to help the flavors settle and make the serving easier.
🧺 How to Store Leftover Casserole
Store all leftovers in the refrigerator. Allow the pineapple casserole to cool to room temperature, wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, or place in a tightly covered bowl. Leftovers will usually last 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Although, they never last this long at my house.
Need a quick dessert for your holiday table? My Simple No Bake Pumpkin Pie is a winner every time! It’s light, fluffy, and comes together in minutes. Delish!
🥄 What Do I Serve With This Dish?
The options are endless, and honestly, it goes great with everything. This makes a unique and very tasty pineapple side dish.
- Best with Salty Ham: The sweet and savory combination of ham and this pineapple bake recipe is always a winning duo.
- Great with Grilled Foods: Perfect for summer cookouts alongside Onion Soup Mix Burgers and BBQ Grilled Chicken Drumsticks.
- Ideal for Holiday Meals: Serve it with this Thanksgiving Day Turkey Recipe, Sticky Chicken Thighs, or these Pork BBQ Ribs in the Oven.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether it’s a festive holiday gathering or a casual weeknight dinner, this dish is sure to impress.
If you are looking for side dishes to serve at holiday gatherings or during the week, be sure to try my Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar and Pecans and Southern Cornbread Salad with Bacon and Candied Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Butter. These always show up on my table for the holidays.
When to Serve Pineapple Casserole
- Easter and Holiday Meals
- Church Potlucks
- Summer BBQs and Cookouts
- Sunday Family Dinners
Serve this alongside my creamy chicken with potatoes, or my simple chicken and rice recipe, for a full family dinner. Add my pea salad with bacon for another easy holiday side dish, and end the meal with my banana pudding recipe.
❔ Recipe FAQ’s
I like to serve hot pineapple casserole as a side dish, but I have also eaten leftovers as a dessert. Basically, it depends on you! It is fantastic with a scoop of this no churn vanilla ice cream recipe.
Canned pineapple is usually sweeter and has more juice than fresh. However, I have not tested this recipe with fresh pineapple. Therefore, I can not recommend the outcome.
No. Do not drain the pineapple juice. You will need the juice in this recipe.
Yes, you can assemble the dish, cover it, and refrigerate until ready to bake, or bake it and reheat before serving.
For More Casserole Recipes:
If you tried this Pineapple Casserole recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please consider leaving a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📋 Recipe
The Best Pineapple Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 cups cubed bread
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 Eggs beaten
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits with juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a bowl, mix milk, eggs, sugar, and butter.
- Add pineapple and juice. Mix well
- Add cubed bread. Stir until all of the bread is coated.
- Spray a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with non stick spray. Pour the pineapple mixture into the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
-
- Use a Large Bowl: Since the bread takes up quite a bit of space, a large mixing bowl is needed to combine everything well.
-
- Soften Your Butter: Softened butter blends more easily with the other ingredients, creating a smoother mixture.
-
- Prepare the Bread Properly: Cube or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces or smaller. Leaving the crusts on adds extra texture to the casserole.
-
- Don’t Drain the Pineapple: Use canned pineapple with the juice included. The juice adds to the sweetness and moisture of the dish. I prefer pineapple tidbits, but crushed pineapple can work in a pinch.
-
- Bake to Perfection: Bake until the top is lightly golden brown.
-
- Let It Rest: After removing the casserole from the oven, allow it to rest for a few minutes to help the flavors settle and make the serving easier.
- Store all leftover pineapple casserole recipe in the refrigerator. Allow the baked casserole to cool to room temperature, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, or place in a tightly covered bowl. Leftovers will usually last 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
I had never heard of pineapple casserole before but I love bread pudding and I love pineapple so I thought I would give it a try for a unique dessert for our dinner last night. I was blown away! So delicious and incredibly easy too.
This looks incredible! The most indulgent casserole that was. Yum! We love pineapples, can’t wait to try this out.
This was so unique and flavorful! Will make again!
Saving for Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing.
Love pineapple desserts! This one was perfectly sweet and easy to make. So good!
What kind of bread did you use?
I use just regular sandwich bread for this recipe. Day old bread works great. Thanks for the question. This is a great tasting recipe and is always requested at out holiday gatherings. Enjoy!
wow what a tasty casserole. it goes so well with fatty meat dishes and so easy to make tOO! I love Pineapples!
This fabulous, savory and sweet pineapple casserole is going on my “must make” list right now! Can’t wait to dig into this deliciousness!
I’ve never had a pineapple casserole before. Reminds me of a bread pudding. Can’t wait to try! Looks delicious.
Beautiful casserole to pair with salty meats, like ham or smoked gammon joint! Will definitely keep this recipe in mind for an upcoming special family meal!
I love anything with pineapple and this was delicious. My kids loved it too.
Only 6 ingredients and incredibly tasty-sweet? Yes, please!
Pineapple casserole is something new to me. SOunds amazingly delicious. Thanks for sharing.
My kids loved it! Can’t wait to make again. Adding it to my Sunday menu
This reminds me of a bread pudding recipe but way easier to make and with one of my favorite fruits – pineapple!! Can’t wait to make this for my family – they will love it!
Wow, it’s like a British Bread and Butter pudding, but with pineapple. It’s quite unconventional to serve something sweet like this with savoury dishes where we live, but it makes me all the more excited to try this recipe! After all, I love ham and pineapple pizza, so I think I’d love this casserole with roast gammon!