Coconut Pineapple Delight is a sweet and tangy tropical dessert that is loved by all as an easy Summer dessert. The buttery crushed Graham Cracker crust is layered with a cream cheese and pineapple filling, followed by a whipped topping with toasted shredded coconut and extra Graham cracker crumbs!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Apart from the Graham cracker crust, this coconut pineapple delight is a no-bake dessert - perfect for Summer!
- This tropical dessert is a great make-ahead recipe since it’s best left to set in the refrigerator overnight.
- Easily adapt this recipe to make a different but equally delicious fruity dessert. I will show you how!
Coconut pineapple delight is a dessert that most of us have grown up with. It’s a special summer treat that can be enjoyed at backyard BBQs or taken to potlucks.
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this Coconut Pineapple Dessert recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- Graham Crackers Crumbs
- Sugar
- Butter
- Confectioners' Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Clear Vanilla Extract
- Cool Whip
- Crushed Pineapple in heavy syrup
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a small bowl combine the crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar.
- Add the cracker crust mixture to a baking dish, pressing the mixture down firmly.
- While the crust bakes, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla, adding the powdered sugar gradually.
- Spread the smooth cream cheese filling evenly over the cooled cracker crust.
- Add the crushed pineapple and whipped topping into the same bowl previously used.
- Gently fold the crushed pineapple into the whipped topping.
- Dollop the pineapple topping over the cream cheese filling.
- Gently spread the whipped topping evenly over the filling.
- Add the remaining crushed graham crackers over the top of the dessert.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top.
- Place the baking dish in the refrigerator for 4 hours for the dessert to set properly.
- Cut the coconut-pineapple delight into square slices and serve.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making Pineapple Cream Cheese Dessert recipe.
Yes, you can! Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap to store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving.
Yes! I’ve used an 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip for the crushed pineapple topping but you could use freshly whipped cream instead. You’ll need 1 cup of freshly whipped cream to replace the Cool Whip.
Of course! You can easily use other fruit instead of pineapple. Consider pears, peaches, or strawberries. You would simply use another fruit with the same quantity as the pineapples.
Yes. Only instead of baking in the oven, put the pan with the graham cracker crust layer in the fridge for about 30 minutes. The crust may not stay together quite as well, but it should be fine.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- You could purchase Graham cracker crumbs for this dessert recipe or add some whole Graham crackers to a Ziploc bag and crush them yourself with a rolling pin. Otherwise, add the crackers to a food processor - this will yield a fine cracker crust which is ideal.
- It’s a good idea to allow this dessert sufficient time to chill and thicken in the refrigerator which will make it much easier to cut it into serving slices. It’s ideal then to make it the night before or a day in advance.
- The baked Graham cracker crust must be completely cool before you add the cream cheese filling and the whipped topping layers so that they are all set properly.
- I always ensure that my butter and cream cheese are at room temperature before mixing them so that no lumps form in the dessert layer.
- To prevent the cream cheese and pineapple filling layer from becoming soggy, make sure that you adequately drain any excess syrup before combining the filling ingredients.
📚 Variations
- Instead of making a coconut pineapple delight, consider using different fruit such as strawberries, peaches, or pears.
- For a spiked version of this tropical dessert, add some coconut rum into the whipped topping. You’ll end up with a Pina Colada version of this pineapple delight!
- In addition to the crushed Graham crackers and toasted shredded coconut, you could add some toasted sliced almonds to the top of the dessert too as an extra crunch.
🥫 Storage
Leftover coconut-pineapple delight should be covered with plastic wrap and will last in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Make sure that the dessert is always stored in the fridge when not being served.
📗 Related Recipes
If you love desserts with a creamy consistency, then be sure to bookmark my Panna Cotta With Strawberry Sauce, Creamy Blueberry Bottom Pie, or Lemon Tart With Almond Biscotti Crust. Just thinking about these gets my mouth watering!
🍽 Serve with
While this coconut pineapple delight is truly delicious served as is, you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. After dessert, you can follow up this tropical treat with Piña Colada Biscotti and coffee.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
This coconut pineapple delight dessert recipe is one that’s been in the family for many years. I’m sure if you ask around, you’ll discover that most have memories of their moms and grandmothers making this same (or very similar) tropical treat.
Whenever summer rolls around, this coconut pineapple delight has to make an appearance, whether it’s with family and friends at a backyard BBQ or one of the desserts I take to potlucks. Either way, that baking dish is coming back completely cleaned out!
Next time you're looking for an impressive dessert to serve for a special occasion, make our tropical flavored classic Hummingbird Cake Recipe.
If you're a coconut lover, next time try our Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons recipe. It's delicious and so quick and easy to make.
And if you're looking for a quick bread to give as a gift try our Macadamia Coconut Bread recipe. The bread is moist and flavorful with just the right amount of sweetness.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
Tropical coconut-pineapple delight is a very easy dessert made with a crushed Graham cracker crust, cream cheese, and pineapple filling, then covered with a whipped topping with toasted coconut and crushed Graham crackers as garnish.
While this is technically still a baked dessert (given that the crust is first baked), the rest of the pineapple delight only involves some blending and chilling time in the refrigerator.
Make it the night before and allow the sweet and tangy flavors infuse while the layers set to an irresistible thick consistency.
Next time your craving something deliciously tropical, try The Best Ambrosia Salad brimming with fruit and nuts. So Good!!
And if you're into peaches, you must try our delicious Peaches and Cream Pie that has a touch of almondine flavoring to it. So good!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Toasted Coconut Pineapple Cream Cheese Delight
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups Graham Crackers Crushed plus 1 Tablespoon for garnish
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 9 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 1¾ cups Powdered sugar
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese softened
- 8 Tablespoons Butter softened
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract clear
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- 20 ounces Pineapple Crushed in heavy syrup and drained
- 1 cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut toasted (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325℉.
- Lightly spray an 8X8 inch baking dish (metal or glass is okay).
- In a small bowl combine the 1¾ cups of crushed graham crackers, 8 Tablespoons of melted butter, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. *see notes on how to make graham cracker crumbs and how many full sheets you'll need.
- Transfer the graham cracker crust mixture to the baking dish. Firmly press the crackers to the bottom of the baking dish. Bake 10 minutes. Allow the crust to completely cool.
- Using either a stand mixer or a hand held one, cream together the softened butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. Mix until the cream cheese mixture is smooth.
- Evenly spread the cream cheese filling over the cooled crust.
- Using the same bowl as the one you used for the filling, gently fold the crushed pineapple into the whipped topping.
- Dollop the topping over the cream cheese filling and gently spread the whipped topping evenly over the layer.
- Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon crushed graham crackers over the top.
- Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top. **see notes on toasting coconut.
- Place the baking dish in the refrigerator for 4 hours to insure the dessert is firm and set.
- Keep the dessert refrigerated until time to serve.
