Pineapple and Bread Casserole is a sweet, soft-centered bake with golden bread on top, made for a holiday table or a meal with ham. Crushed pineapple runs through the bread-and-egg mixture, so you get fruit in every scoop rather than a separate topping. It has the familiar comfort of a baked casserole, but its sweetness makes it a side dish worth pointing out before everyone fills their plates.
How to make pineapple and bread casserole: Cream the butter and sugar, mix in the eggs and drained pineapple, then fold in the bread. Bake in a greased dish at 350°F for 1 hour, until set and golden and the center reaches 165°F.
Why You’ll Love It
- A short ingredient list: You need butter, sugar, eggs, crushed pineapple, and white bread—nothing to make for a topping.
- Simple prep: The mixture comes together in a mixing bowl before you transfer it to the baking dish.
- Two textures in one scoop: The bread on top turns golden while the pineapple-and-egg mixture beneath stays soft.
- Easy to put beside ham: Its sweet pineapple flavor gives you a distinct side dish without adding another pan to the stovetop.
Ingredient Notes
Butter and sugar: Start with softened butter so you can cream it with the sugar. I like to get that mixture together before reaching for the eggs; it gives me a clear place to pause and scrape down the bowl if any butter is still clinging to it.
Eggs: You’ll use them in the bread-and-pineapple mixture, adding each one separately. Don’t pour them all into the bowl at once. Take a look at the mixture as you stir: it should be smooth before you move on to the fruit.
Crushed pineapple: Buy a 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple, not pineapple pieces you would need to chop. The crushed fruit can be stirred through the mixture as it is. Drain it before it goes in.
White bread: Use 5 slices and tear them into small pieces. I reach for a mixing bowl big enough to fold the pieces in gently without chasing them over the rim.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
- 5 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
How to Make Pineapple and Bread Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Have the dish ready before you finish mixing so you can transfer the bread mixture straight into it.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Put the softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream them together. If you see butter still stuck to the side, scrape it back into the mixture and keep working until the butter and sugar are combined.
3. Add the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth. Give each egg a chance to disappear into the mixture before adding the next; this is the stage when you can still see and work out any streaks.
4. Fold in the pineapple and bread. Mix in the drained crushed pineapple. Tear the white bread into small pieces, then gently fold them into the mixture so the pieces are spread through it rather than sitting in a pile.
5. Bake. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish and bake for 1 hour. Look for a set mixture and golden-brown bread, then check the center with a food thermometer; it needs to reach 165°F. I use the thermometer as well as the color cue, because a golden top cannot tell you the temperature at the center.
Should You Drain the Pineapple?
Yes. Drain the 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple before you mix the fruit into this casserole. You need the crushed fruit for its sweet pineapple flavor and soft pieces, but the can’s liquid is not part of the ingredient list. If you have already opened the can, set aside the liquid and add the drained fruit to your mixing bowl.
I’d check the can before starting the butter and sugar. Once your hands are busy tearing bread, it’s much nicer to have the pineapple ready to add. There’s no need to change the eggs or bread to account for the drained fruit; follow the ingredient amounts as written.
Tips for Success
What if the butter and sugar won’t come together?
If you still see firm pieces of butter moving around the bowl, stop and let the butter soften before you continue creaming. Don’t add the eggs just to loosen the mixture. You want the butter and sugar combined first, so you can see what you’re mixing when the eggs go in.
What if the top is golden but the center still looks loose?
Leave the casserole in the oven and check it again rather than taking it out on the strength of its color alone. The bread on the surface is easier to see than the mixture underneath. Use the set center and thermometer reading to decide when it’s ready.
Variations
- Add citrus: Cream a little grated orange peel with the butter and sugar, then add a splash of lemon juice with the pineapple for a brighter bake.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers; keep them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen leftovers in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Reheat portions in the oven or microwave until a food thermometer reads 165°F; don’t use a slow cooker to reheat them.
What to Serve With It
Put this sweet casserole alongside ham, or build a spread with scalloped potato casserole and slow cooker potato casserole. For a savory baked option, look at Ritz cracker chicken casserole or tater tot and sausage breakfast casserole. If pineapple is what brought you here, save Hawaiian banana bread or slow cooker pineapple cream cake for another meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pineapple and bread casserole a side dish or a dessert?
Serve this casserole as a sweet side dish; ham is a particularly fitting companion. It contains sugar and pineapple, so let anyone sharing the meal know to expect sweetness rather than a savory bread casserole.
Do I need to add a topping before it goes into the oven?
No additional topping is in the recipe. The bread in the mixture becomes golden brown as the casserole bakes, so you can transfer everything to the prepared dish without another ingredient to scatter over it.
Final Notes
Keep the prepared baking dish close to your mixing bowl so the folded bread mixture is easy to transfer. If you have a question or make this casserole, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Pineapple and Bread Casserole
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 can crushed pineapple 20 ounces; drained
- 5 slices white bread torn into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Cream the softened butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth.
- Mix in the drained crushed pineapple. Tear the bread into small pieces and gently fold it into the mixture.
- Transfer to the prepared dish and bake for 1 hour, until the mixture is set, the bread is golden brown, and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
