A pink pineapple is exactly what it sounds like: a pineapple with rosy, blush-pink flesh instead of the usual golden yellow. The fruit you see in stores and unboxing videos is a single branded product, the Del Monte Pinkglow, a genetically engineered pineapple that was approved by the FDA in 2016 and released to shoppers in October 2020. It is sweeter, juicier, and less acidic than an ordinary pineapple, it costs several times more, and despite what a lot of seed listings imply, you cannot grow one at home. Here is the full story of what it is, why it is pink, how it tastes, where to find one, what it costs, and the honest answer to whether you can ever grow your own.
What a pink pineapple actually is
The pink pineapple sold today is not a wild variety, a hybrid you can cross at home, or a naturally occurring mutation. It is a patented, bioengineered cultivar of Ananas comosus called Pinkglow, developed by Fresh Del Monte Produce. The company conceived the project around 2005 and spent roughly fifteen to sixteen years moving it through development and regulatory approval before it reached consumers.
Visually, a Pinkglow is small to medium, oval to cylindrical, with a firm, waxy, textured shell in mixed yellow, orange, and green tones. The most telling feature is what is missing: it has no leafy crown on top. Del Monte removes the crown before the fruit ships, and that detail matters for more than looks, as you will see further down.
Inside, the flesh is pale pink, soft, juicy, and semi-fibrous with a small central core, much like any pineapple. It is marketed as a luxury item, the “Jewel of the Jungle,” and the premium versions arrive in an ornate gift box with a certificate of authenticity.
Why the flesh is pink, not yellow
Every pineapple already contains the pigment that makes a Pinkglow pink. The color comes from lycopene, the same natural red-pink pigment found in tomatoes, watermelon, and red peppers. Lycopene is present in ordinary pineapples too, especially before the fruit fully ripens.
In a normal pineapple, an enzyme converts that lycopene into beta-carotene, a yellow-orange pigment, as the fruit matures. That conversion is why a ripe supermarket pineapple turns golden inside. Del Monte’s scientists used genetic engineering to suppress that enzyme. With the enzyme turned down, the lycopene is never converted, so it stays in the flesh and the pineapple ripens pink instead of yellow.
That is the entire trick: the pineapple is not dyed, and the pink is not painted on or injected. It is the fruit’s own lycopene, simply left in place. Because lycopene is widely and safely eaten in other produce, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviewed the Pinkglow and concluded it is as safe and nutritious as conventional pineapple. Health Canada reached the same conclusion, which is why the two countries were the first markets to carry it.
Is a pink pineapple a GMO
Yes, and Del Monte does not hide it. The label openly states the fruit is a product of bioengineering. This is a genetically modified organism in the technical sense: a gene-level change was made to alter which pigment the ripe fruit displays. Nothing was added from an unrelated species to make it taste or look toxic; the engineering simply silences the plant’s own pigment-converting enzyme.
It is worth being clear-eyed about this because a lot of marketing around the fruit leans on words like “naturally pink.” The pink color is produced by a naturally occurring pigment, but the variety that keeps that pigment is the result of laboratory genetic engineering, not selective breeding or a chance mutation in a field. Both things are true at once, and knowing the difference helps you decide whether the novelty is worth the price.
How it tastes compared to a regular pineapple
This is where the Pinkglow earns most of its fans. Reviewers and Del Monte agree on the same flavor profile: noticeably sweeter, juicier, and less sour than a standard yellow pineapple, with a soft, candy-like or “cotton candy” finish and a faint floral note. The acidity is low, so it reads as dessert-sweet rather than sharp.
There is a second, less obvious difference that people with sensitive mouths will appreciate. Pineapple contains bromelain, a group of protein-digesting enzymes responsible for the tingling, burning sensation you sometimes get on your tongue and lips after eating fresh pineapple. The Pinkglow contains less bromelain, so many people report none of that “fruit that bites back” feeling, even without soaking the slices in salt water first. If pineapple usually irritates your mouth, this is a genuine, tangible advantage rather than a marketing line.
In every other respect it behaves like an ordinary pineapple in the kitchen. It substitutes one-for-one in any recipe, and the pink juice keeps its rosy tint, which makes a striking color in smoothies, sparkling water, pina coladas, and margaritas.
Pink pineapple vs regular pineapple at a glance
| Feature | Pink pineapple (Pinkglow) | Regular yellow pineapple |
|---|---|---|
| Flesh color | Pale pink (retained lycopene) | Golden yellow (lycopene converted to beta-carotene) |
| Origin | One Del Monte farm in South-Central Costa Rica | Many growers worldwide |
| How it was made | Genetically engineered cultivar | Conventional varieties |
| Crown | Removed before sale | Usually intact |
| Flavor | Sweeter, juicier, low acid, candy finish | Sweet-tart, more acidic |
| Bromelain (“mouth tingle”) | Lower | Higher |
| Typical price | About $10 to $40 each | About $3 to $5 each |
| Can you grow it from the fruit | No | Yes, from the crown |
Where to buy a pink pineapple and what it costs
Availability is limited by design. For most of its life the Pinkglow could only be ordered online from Del Monte’s partner sellers, primarily Melissa’s Produce and Tropical Fruit Box, where a single gift-boxed pineapple runs roughly $30 to $40 once you account for the packaging and shipping. That premium covers more than the fruit: it reflects the long research investment, a growing cycle of up to about 24 months per pineapple, hand harvesting on a small farm, and the certificate-of-authenticity presentation.
Over time the fruit has spread into brick-and-mortar grocery stores, where it is far cheaper because you skip the gift packaging and shipping. Shoppers have found Pinkglow pineapples at chains including Costco, Kroger, Wegmans, Albertsons, ShopRite, Food Lion, Hy-Vee, Vons, and Giant, as well as at independent produce markets. In stores the price is much more reasonable, frequently in the $7 to $12 range and occasionally lower on sale; warehouse and discount locations have sold them for around $5 to $11 against $3 to $5 for an ordinary pineapple sitting right next to them.
A few practical notes on buying:
– It is currently available only in the United States and Canada, because every new market requires its own food-safety approval.
– Supply is described as ultra-limited and somewhat seasonal in practice, so sightings come and go even at stores that have carried it before.
– A grocery-store Pinkglow and a gift-boxed online one are the same fruit. If you only want to taste it, the store version is the value play; the boxed version is really a gift or centerpiece.
How to store a pink pineapple
Because each fruit is expensive and harvested at peak ripeness, it pays to store it well. A whole Pinkglow keeps about 2 to 3 days on the counter out of direct sunlight, up to 2 days in the refrigerator, and a bit longer in a cool wine cellar. For the longest life, chill the whole fruit for several hours, then peel, core, and cut it into spears or chunks: cut pieces hold for up to about a week in a sealed container in the fridge, or 1 to 3 months frozen. Frozen pink pineapple is ideal for smoothies, where the color is part of the appeal.
Can you grow a pink pineapple at home
This is the question that sends people searching, and the honest answer is no, not the real Pinkglow.
You normally propagate a pineapple by twisting the leafy crown off the fruit, drying it for a day or two, and planting it; the crown roots and eventually produces a new plant. Del Monte blocks that path on purpose. The Pinkglow’s crown is removed before the fruit ever reaches you, specifically so you cannot root it. The company replants those crowns itself to grow the next crop. On top of the physical barrier, Pinkglow is a trademarked, patented variety, and propagating the plant or its fruit for sale is restricted by law. Del Monte is the only licensed grower, on one farm in Costa Rica, and it has not granted agricultural licenses to anyone else.
That also means you should be skeptical of “pink pineapple seeds” sold online. Pineapples in general rarely produce viable seeds, and the genuine Pinkglow cannot legitimately be sold as seed to home growers at all. Listings promising you can grow a Pinkglow, or a pink-fleshed pineapple, from a packet of seeds are at best selling ordinary pineapple stock and at worst selling nothing that will ever turn pink. The pink color is a patented genetic trait, not something that travels reliably in seeds you can buy.
What you can grow instead
You can absolutely grow a regular pineapple at home, and it is a satisfying, low-maintenance project that produces the same kind of plant Del Monte uses, minus the pink trait. The method is simple and the plant is compact enough for a large pot on a patio or sunny windowsill.
Start with the crown of any fresh, healthy yellow pineapple. Twist or cut it off, strip the lowest leaves to expose an inch of stem, and let the crown dry for one to two days so the cut callouses over and resists rot. Plant it in a well-draining mix, a cactus or succulent blend or sandy loam works well, in a pot at least five gallons with drainage holes. Keep the soil lightly moist but never soggy, since pineapple roots rot easily.
From there the plant wants:
– Sun: full sun, six to eight hours a day; near a south-facing window or under grow lights indoors.
– Warmth: temperatures between about 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 29 Celsius), and absolutely no frost, as pineapple is very cold-sensitive.
– Soil: slightly acidic, pH about 4.5 to 6.5, well-draining.
– Water: roughly every 7 to 10 days, letting the surface dry between waterings.
– Feeding: a balanced liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks in the growing season; a lower-nitrogen, higher-potassium feed once the plant is established helps it set fruit.
– Patience: a homegrown pineapple takes about 18 to 24 months to produce its first fruit, the same long cycle the commercial growers face.
Watch for mealybugs, scale, and spider mites, which you can treat with neem oil or insecticidal soap, and avoid overwatering to keep root rot and fungal issues away. The result will be a golden pineapple, not a pink one, but it is the closest you will get to growing this fruit yourself, and it is genuinely rewarding.
The pink pineapple is one of the few cases where the hype, the science, and the price tag all line up: a real bioengineered novelty that tastes better than the original, costs a lot more, and stays firmly in Del Monte’s hands. Taste one if you find it in a store at a fair price, give a gift-boxed one if you want the wow factor, and grow a regular pineapple from a crown if you want the gardening fun, just go in knowing the pink is something you buy, not something you can plant.