How to Make Dried Pineapple Flowers

baking, In the kitchen by Roxy Bentsen Faulkner
Dried pineapple flowers are a unique and eye-catching garnish that can take your cake or cupcakes up a notch.  When I first saw them I thought they must be difficult to make but in reality, they couldn’t be much easier.  Essentially all you do is slice pineapple very thin and bake slowly at a low heat to dry them out.  

Here’s what you need:

  • Pineapple
  • Sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Small measuring spoon, paring knife, or veggie peeler
  • Muffin tins
  • Sheet trays lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper

Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple with a large sharp knife.

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Cut off the rind.

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Pop out any of the eyes or seeds that remain with

a small measuring spoon, paring knife, or veggie peeler.

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Lay the pineapple on its side, and get ready to cut with your sharp knife.

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Make extremely thin cuts through the pineapple. You should be able to see your knife through the slice (which is why you want it to be extremely sharp). Don’t worry about having mistakes. There are a lot of my slices that were too thick or I only got half a slice. The more you do it, the better you’ll get. Even my slices at the beginning were too thick but then better at the end of the pineapple.

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If your pineapple is really ripe and juicy, you’ll want to press the slices between towels before you place them on the baking sheets. What we’re doing is drying out the pineapple, so any moisture you can get rid of before you dry them in the oven will speed up the process.

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Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment paper.

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Bake them at 225 degrees to slowly dry them out. Baking times vary, but you’ll want to start with 30 minutes, then flip the slices over, and then bake for another 30 minutes. The slices should shrink and be almost completely dry. The little dots in the middle of the flower happen naturally when they dry.

Once the slices are shrunken and almost completely dried out, transfer them to a muffin tin so that the edges curve upward in the shape of a flower.  I find it best to let them sit overnight this way to retain the flower shape.

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Source: Annie’s Eats/Martha Stewart/She Makes and Bakes