This Pineapple Dream Dessert Is a light, fluffy and delicious treat that is perfect for just about any occasion. It’s a SUPER easy dessert that takes just minutes to put together with a cream cheese layer, graham cracker crust and light whipped topping!
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Pineapple Desserts
I gotta be honest, I wasn’t ever a HUGE pineapple fan until I went to Maui a couple of years ago. While there, I toured the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm and discovered just how delicious a pineapple can be! We all received a fresh Pineapple to take home and spent the rest of our meals in the condo finding fun ways to utilize them in our recipes!
While Pineapple can be used in all sorts of dishes, we’ve really come to love them in dessert dishes here at Bubba Pie. Some of our favorites have been:
But our MOST POPULAR Pineapple Dessert Recipe has been this PINEAPPLE PRETZEL SALAD. And this Pineapple Dream Dessert reminds me a lot of that. Old fashioned summer days, with grandma taking baking you and your friends a tasty treat. Ya know? Those kind of memories!?!?
What Is A Pineapple Dream Dessert?
I just love the name of this recipe! It SOUNDS like an old fashioned 1060’s dessert! And, just like our Pretzel Salads, it features different layers of texture and flavor, one just as delicious as the next!
This particular dessert has a layer of homemade, baked graham cracker crust, on top of that is a creamy layer of pineapple and and softened cream cheese. Then on top, we put on a light layer of pineapple whipped topping with more graham cracker crumbs on it. Is you mouth watering yet? Ready to get started? This is such an easy dessert recipe, check out the recipe card below. But here’s all you’ll need to get started!
- 2 sleeves graham crackers
- 1/2 cup, 1 stick, butter, melted
- 1-1/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup, 1 stick, butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 small tub, 8 oz, whipped topping, thawed
- 1 can, 20 oz, crushed pineapple, drained well
Notes, Tips and Variations
While this is a super easy dessert to make. I’ve got some suggestions to make it even easier, or some fun ideas to change it up a little bit!
- SUB STRAWBERRIES– We haven’t made a Strawberry Dream Dessert yet to post on here (we will!). But, in the meantime, you can substitute all the pineapple for strawberries if you’d like!
- SUB MANDARIN ORANGES- Ditto on above with the Strawberries!
- CAN YOU USE HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM?- Yes, you can. But, honestly, I’ve heard that Cool Whip holds up better in dessert recipes like these. It has a stabilizing agent in it. So, I’d stay with store bought tubs of whipped cream.
- NO BAKE VERSION- You can make a No Bake Pineapple Dream Dessert by making the crust just a directed. But instead of baking in the oven, you can put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. The crust may not stay together quite as well, but it should be fine.
- SALTED OR UNSALTED BUTTER?- It doesn’t matter. Either works for this recipe!
- WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO CRUSH GRAHAM CRACKERS?- A lot of people use a food processor for this. But that gives you another dish to clean! Another (less environmentally friendly) option is to put them in a gallon ziplock baggie and crush them.
- WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO DRAIN PINEAPPLE?- I’d suggest putting your pineapple into a strainer and letting it sit over the drain while you are preparing your graham cracker crust. That way it will be all ready to for you when you are ready for it!
- MAKE SURE YOU USE A 9X9 BAKING PAN- We had to use an 8×8 pan for this and it really didn’t fit in the way we wanted it to. It still tasted delicious, but a 9×9 would have been better. This set of two 9X9 Baking Pans are super affordable. And they come with a lid so you can keep leftovers right in the pan without worrying about Saran wrap or aluminum foil!
We hope you enjoy this Pineapple Dream Dessert. It’s an easy, delicious and fun dessert that fits with any occasion! We’d love to hear how it works out for you in the comments section! Enjoy and Happy Eating!
Pineapple Dream Dessert
Ingredients
- 2 sleeves graham crackers
- 1/2 cup 1 stick, butter, melted
- 1-1/3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup 1 stick, butter, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 small tub 8 oz, whipped topping, thawed
- 1 can 20 oz, crushed pineapple, drained well
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Use a food processor to create fine crumbs of graham crackers. Set aside 1/4 cup crumbs.
- Mix remaining crumbs with melted butter.
- Press into a 9x9 baking pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Add softened butter and cream cheese together in a mixing bowl and beat well.
- Add powdered sugar and 2 heaping tablespoons of crushed pineapple into the cheese mixture.
- Beat well. Spread evenly over crust.
- Add remaining crushed pineapple and whipped topping together and mix well. Spread evenly over the pineapple topping.
- Top with reserved graham cracker crumbs.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Comments & Reviews
Daneast Hatchet says
Must try this desert for dinner today, love pineapple, cooking is a new passion since I retired!!
Kathy says
That is so great to hear! Happy retirement!
PATRICIA TORRES says
I love pineapple and coconut everything, so can’t wait to try this.
Kathy says
Let us know how it turns out for you!
Leigh says
Can you tell me what the cup measurement of 2 sleeves of graham crackers comes to once it’s crushed up? I need to substitute gluten free ones and the packaging is different so I want to get the measurement right. Thanks!
Kathy says
I’m so sorry. But I’m honestly not sure. I’d just keep adding crushed gluten free crackers to the melted butter until you get the consistency you like. It should be pretty firm and have soaked in most of the butter.
Dana says
Why did ya set oven to 350
Kathy says
To bake the graham cracker crust in step #4. 🙂
Rose Mazur says
Sounds wonderful, Cant wait to try it!
Kathy says
Let us know how it turns out!
Jessica says
This was really yummy we brought it to potluck. One thing I did change was adding a packet of unflavored gelatin to my homemade whipped cream (the tubs of whipped cream are so full of soy and often highfructose corn syrup) it set very well and had a lot of less preservatives and no added sugar.
Kathy says
Great suggestion! Thanks for the feedback!
Carolyn says
Can you put a Meringue on top .
Kathy says
We have not tried that.
Jett says
Can you use fresh pineapple in this recipe? I have a bunch leftover from a bbq and I don’t want to throw it away.
Kathy says
Yes. I think you probably could! But we haven’t tried it.
Nayeli says
I’ve got to
Try this!
If you don’t have powdered sugar can you use regular sugar?
Kathy says
We haven’t tried that, so I really can’t advise. Sorry. Let us know if you try it and how it works out!
J Halawani says
You can make your own with reg sugar by throwing it in the blender.
Nancy Ironside says
We made this in the 60’s but in a 9×13 glass dish. Do you have the recipe for 9×13? Thanks
Nancy
Kathy says
Sorry. We haven’t tried it in a 9 X 13…
Teresa Czaja says
Make 1 1/2 recipes for a 9.x13 pan.
Personally I would cut back on the butter in the crust, I bet 1/4 c. could work.
Diane says
I wouldn’t cut back on the butter for the crust because i don’t think there would be enough butter to keep the crust from being crumbly. I like them crunchy with kind of a toffee flavor. I don’t think cutting back on the butter would help achieve that.
Melted butter acts like a glue for your graham cracker crumbs, so don’t reduce the amount of butter in the recipe.Nov 21, 2021