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Hawaiian Pineapple Coconut Fluff

Light, fluffy, tropical dessert that tastes like you're on a beach somewhere instead of your kitchen on a Tuesday. Takes ten minutes, no baking, no mess. Just whipped cream, pineapple, and coconut coming together into something that looks way more impressive than it should.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Base
  • 1 can (20 oz) Crushed pineapple Drained really well — this is key, don't skip it. Canned is fine, actually better because the juice is already drained.
  • 1 cup Heavy whipping cream Cold, right from the fridge. Take it out just before you use it.
  • 3 tablespoons Powdered sugar Or regular sugar if that's what you have, but powdered dissolves smoother.
  • 0.5 cup Sweetened shredded coconut Get the regular kind from the baking aisle. Toast it for a couple minutes if you're feeling fancy, but not required.
Flavoring
  • 0.25 teaspoon Vanilla extract Small but it matters. Skip it if you don't have it.
  • 1 pinch Sea salt Trust me, it makes everything taste better.
  • optional Lime zest Fresh lime if you have it — brings out all the tropical flavors. One lime, thirty seconds with a microplane.

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk or electric mixer
  • Fine Mesh Strainer
  • Rubber spatula
  • Microplane zester (optional)

Method
 

  1. Drain that pineapple like your life depends on it. Open the can, put it in a fine mesh strainer, and let it sit for a minute. Then squeeze it a little with the back of a spoon to get the extra juice out. Wet pineapple makes soggy fluff, and nobody wants that.
  2. Whip your cream until it's fluffy. Pour your cold heavy cream into a bowl (metal is better, keeps it colder), add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Use a mixer or just grab a whisk. It should go from liquid to fluffy clouds in like three minutes. Stop before it turns to butter — you want soft peaks, not whipped butter.
  3. Fold in the pineapple real gentle. You're not stirring, you're gently turning the mixture over itself. Add your drained pineapple and use a spatula to fold it in. This keeps all those air bubbles you just worked for. Should take like a minute.
  4. Add the coconut and taste it. Sprinkle in your shredded coconut (save some for topping) and fold once more. Taste a tiny bit. Too sweet? Add more salt or a squeeze of lime. Not sweet enough? Add another tablespoon of powdered sugar.
  5. Chill it if you have time, serve it when you don't. You can throw this in the fridge for an hour if you want it extra cold, or just serve it right away. Either way is fine. Serve it within a couple hours because it starts to weep a little after that.

Notes

Drain your pineapple thoroughly — squeeze it. Wet fluff is sad fluff. Use cold cream straight from the fridge. Don't overwhip — once it gets fluffy, stop. One more minute and you're making butter. Fold gently, don't stir, to keep all those air bubbles. Toast your coconut in a dry skillet for two minutes if you want it crunchier and more flavorful, but it's optional. Add a tiny bit of lime zest on top right before serving — brings out all the tropical flavors. Make it fresh and eat it the same day — this gets watery the next day. For dairy-free, use coconut cream instead of heavy cream.