Two Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars on a piece of parchment paper on a white surface with the glass dish of bars in the background (with logo overlay)

Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars

Make a coconut crust filled with a pineapple topping and crumble for a perfect summer tropical dessert.

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When we host our monthly Dinner Club, everyone brings food to share. Typically, Justin and I try to come up with the main dish and a dessert for the evening. I was the yearbook photographer/designer/editor for my son’s elementary school, so there were a couple of months that I was at the school all day taking photos for events. This left Justin in charge of getting food ready, and he came up with the idea of these Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars.

My entire family loves pineapple. It’s one of our favorite fruits so we love cooking with it, too. And since it’s such a tropical fruit, coconut pairs very well with it. We have a friend with a dairy allergy, so we are always on the lookout for dairy-free recipes that are also meatless since another friend is a vegetarian. For the recipe, Justin used dairy-free butter, but if you don’t have that restriction, regular butter will work, too.

Justin used a base similar to the Lemon Bars we’ve made in the past. The pineapple needed to be cooked a bit ahead of time to make it a better consistency to bake.

Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars Step by Step

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup coconut (shredded)

Filling

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 14 oz pineapple (crushed, with juice)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 glass baking dish.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, 1/2 cup of softened butter, and the coconut. A pastry blender works great for combining the crumble together.

Coconut crust with a pastry blender in a stainless steel bowl next to a greased white casserole dish on a wooden surface

Use your hands to press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the greased dish. Save the remaining mixture for later.

Coconut crust pressed into a white casserole dish next to a stainless steel bowl with more coconut mixture on a wooden surface

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, lemon juice, pineapple, and one tablespoon of butter. Bing it to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the mixture has started to thicken.

Cooked pineapple with a nylon whisk in a saucepan on a wooden surface

Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly, then spread the pineapple mixture over the base in the baking dish.

Cooked pineapple in a white casserole dish on a wooden surface

Sprinkle evenly with the remaining crumble mixture. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.

Coconut topping on cooked pineapple in a white casserole dish on a wooden surface

After the bars bake, immediately cut the bars. Once the Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars cool completely, remove the dessert bars and serve.

Two Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars on a piece of parchment paper on a white surface with the glass dish of bars in the background (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: April 22, 2020

Last Updated On: July 27, 2023

One Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bar on a piece of parchment paper on a white surface with the glass dish of bars in the background

Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars

Make a coconut crust filled with a pineapple topping and crumble for a perfect summer tropical dessert.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
coconut
|
pineapple
Servings: 12
5 from 5 votes

Ingredients

Crust
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup coconut (shredded)
Filling
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 14 oz pineapple (crushed, with juice)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F
  • Grease an 8×8 baking dish
  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine all crust ingredients, using a pastry blender
  • Press 2/3 of the crust mixture into the greased dish
  • In a medium saucepan, whisk all of the filling ingredients
  • Bring to a boil, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn
  • Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until it starts to thicken
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly
  • Pour the pineapple mixture over the crust
  • Sprinkle with the remaining crumble
  • Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown
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Nutrition Facts
Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars
Amount Per Serving
Calories 280 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 22mg7%
Sodium 83mg3%
Potassium 95mg3%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 285IU6%
Vitamin C 16.5mg20%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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34 thoughts on “Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars”

  1. These totally scream SUMMER TREAT in my mind. And I know my husband and I will be throwing a lot of summer parties this year so I am going to need to whip up a few batches of these to serve to our guests!

  2. 5 stars
    A bar with my two favorite things: coconut and pineapple. I am so going to make them next weekend. I am going to see my older daughter, if I could I would have made them to bring for her in NJ, but I will not have time tomorrow. Once I come back, you will see my pictures after I make them.

  3. Yummm🤤😋 To be honest, I don’t like Pineapple as a fruit alone but when it’s served as a topping on a pizza or mixed with any dish like Pineapple fried rice, I somehow like that😜 Hubby will definitely love this dessert 🤗 I have bookmarked this recipe for future reference ☺☺

    1. Pineapple is my favorite fruit, but I know a few people who are the same and only like it as an ingredient, not on its own. I hope you enjoy when you get a chance to make these!

  4. I love pineapples! And this reminds me of a favourite dessert from childhood. Thanks for reminding me of it. Cannot wait to bake this 🙂

  5. Melanie williams

    One word WOW these look amazing. We love coconut and pineapple too so these are the kind of thing we love to try and bake x

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