Name: Pineapple Cinnamon Custard Parfaits
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 220 min
Ingredients: 1 pineapple (skinned, core removed, fruit diced); 4 tbsp granulated sugar; 1 tbsp cinnamon; 1 ½ cups heavy cream; 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice; ⅔ cup granulated sugar; 4 egg yolks; 4 tbsp cornstarch; ¾ tsp sea salt; ¼ tsp cinnamon; 2 tbsp butter; 1 cup heavy cream; 2 tbsp powdered sugar; crumbled graham crackers (for layering)

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Apple pie may be the queen of fall desserts, but these Pineapple Cinnamon Custard Parfaits are definitely summer dessert royalty! The pineapple cinnamon custard is outstanding, and layering it with crumbled graham crackers, cinnamon sugar pineapple, and soft whipped cream gives it serious apple pie vibes but with a tropical fruity flair!

When you hear “pineapple cinnamon,” you may not automatically think that it’s a match made in foodie heaven, but we swear it is. Pineapple is a bright, sweet, and slightly tart fruit, and the warmth of cinnamon accentuates the tropical flavors.

Ingredients in the Cinnamon Sugar Pineapple

Cinnamon apple gets all the hype, but cinnamon pineapple is just as good, if not better. Tossing fresh pineapple with cinnamon sugar and then baking it creates the perfect topping for these parfaits. Here’s what you’ll need:

Pineapple – be sure to remove the outside skin, any eyes, and the core before dicing your pineapple.
Sugar – if your pineapple is very small, you could reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe.
Cinnamon – adding cinnamon to the baked pineapple will help bring out the cinnamon notes in the custard as well.

Pineapple Cinnamon Custard Ingredients

These parfaits are amazing as a cohesive dessert, but the star is really the custard. It’s honestly one of the best things we’ve ever eaten.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

Sugar – the amount of sugar in this recipe keeps this dessert sweet but not overwhelmingly so.
Cornstarch – cornstarch is a useful ingredient in custard and helps it to set. Using cornstarch instead of flour also keeps this recipe gluten free.
Salt – if you’ve looked at our dessert recipes before, you’ll know that we are STRONG advocates of salty-sweet desserts. With all of the sugar and cream and pineapple in this recipe, the salt won’t make your custard salty. It’ll just provide balance.
Cinnamon – people often think of it as a winter spice, but we believe that cinnamon can be used in all sorts of dishes. It provides a subtle warmth that’s really pleasant in this custard.
Heavy cream – all good custards use cream or whole milk. Because the other liquid we’re using is thin pineapple juice, we went with the richer option of heavy cream instead of milk.
Unsweetened 100% pineapple juice – it’s important that you don’t use pineapple juice with added sugar because this recipe already has sugar added to it.
Egg yolks – egg yolks help this custard set while making it silky, rich, and luxurious.
Butter – adding butter at the end of your custard-making process will give it a nice richness and shiny look.

Additional Ingredients

To us, a good parfait has a layer of cookies or cake and a topping of whipped cream. We used:

Whipped cream – we like to make our own whipped cream whenever possible. If you want to use store bought whipped cream instead, go for it.
Crumbled graham crackers – we prefer using cinnamon flavored graham crackers, but any kind, even gluten free, will do.

How to Make the Cinnamon Sugar Pineapple

To make the cinnamon sugar pineapple, first preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the pineapple with cinnamon sugar until it’s coated. Place the pineapple on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelize and the pineapple softens.

How to Make the Pineapple Cinnamon Custard

To make the custard, add your dry ingredients (sugar, salt, cornstarch, cinnamon) to a medium sized pot not set over heat. Whisk the ingredients together in the cold pot to combine.

Pour about ½ cup cream into the pot and whisk it with the dry ingredients. Combining a little liquid with the dry ingredients first will help prevent clumping. Once that’s fully combined, pour in the rest of the cream and the pineapple juice and whisk. Then whisk in the egg yolks.

Turn on the heat to slightly below medium and cook the custard, whisking constantly, for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the custard starts to thicken. Cook for another 30 seconds to a minute so that it starts to set. Be careful; once it starts to thicken, things move quickly and it can easily thicken too much too fast.

Remove the custard from the heat and pour it through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium sized bowl to remove any curds that may have formed. Whisk the butter into the custard, stirring for a couple minutes to fully emulsify. Undermixing the butter may cause a grainier texture once the custard sets.

Chill the custard in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours or until it’s set. Alternatively, you can eat it warm, right out of the bowl.

Preparing the Parfaits

To make the whipped cream, whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar, using a handheld mixer, until soft peaks form.

Assemble the parfaits in individual cups or jars in whatever order you want. We suggest starting with a layer of crumbled graham crackers on the bottom of the cup or jar, then spoon a generous layer of custard on top of the cookies. Pile on some cinnamon sugar pineapple and finish the parfaits with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Eat as is or garnish with more cookie crumbs on top.