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Pineapple Tepache

By 18 Comments

Sweet, light, refreshing, juicy Pineapple Tepache recipe. Forget about having margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Have this bubbly, probiotic drink instead.

All I can say is… WOW… this drink is AMAZING! Sweet, light, refreshing, juicy Pineapple Tepache recipe. Forget about having margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Have this bubbly, probiotic drink instead.

Pineapple Tepache is a fermented pineapple drink popular in Mexico. I learned to make it from my husband’s grandmother, Queta. Pineapple, brown sugar, water and cloves are placed in a glass jar or pitcher and allowed to ferment for 3 days.

I couldn’t tell, but there may be trace amounts of alcohol in this drink. Probably as much as secondary fermented kombucha. You won’t notice it and all ages drink it in Mexico. On the flip-side, If you want an alcoholic drink, you can let it ferment longer or mix it with some light beer when it’s ready.

Although, if you let it ferment for too long, you’ll end up with pineapple vinegar.

The picture below is what it looks like on Day 1.

Sweet, light, refreshing, juicy Pineapple Tepache recipe. Forget about having margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Have this bubbly, probiotic drink instead.

 

Pineapple Tepache will become cloudy in 2-3 days and white foam will form on the surface like the picture below. Scoop out the white foam before drinking. It’s totally harmless.

Sweet, light, refreshing, juicy Pineapple Tepache recipe. Forget about having margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Have this bubbly, probiotic drink instead.

 

Strain out the pineapple chunks and serve over ice. The pineapple chunks are delicious to eat too. Enjoy!

Sweet, light, refreshing, juicy Pineapple Tepache recipe. Forget about having margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Have this bubbly, probiotic drink instead.

Pineapple Tepache
 
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Prep time
Total time
 
Serves 4 people. You can double the recipe if you want more.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Wash the pineapple and then cut into chunks.
  2. Mix the brown sugar and water until sugar dissolves.
  3. Add the pineapple chunks, sugar water and cloves to a large glass jar or pitcher.
  4. Cover with a cotton cloth or towel and let sit on the counter in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight for 3 days.
  5. Tepache will become cloudy in 2-3 days and white foam will form on the surface.
  6. Scoop out the white foam that forms.
  7. Serve Pineapple Tepache over ice.
Notes
The pineapple chunks are delicious to eat too.

Make this sweet, refreshing, probiotic Pineapple Tepache for your next party.

Happy Fermenting!

-Danielle

 

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  • Margot Weening

    I don’t think the ones I get here are organic, does it work without skin on?

    • Traditionally the skin is needed for the bacteria that lives on it. This helps fermentation. Fermentation will still take place without the skins, but the result may be different or take a little longer. I haven’t tried it without the skins.

      • Margot Weening

        Thank you, that’s what I thought.

  • allison

    I got some white fuzz on top of my batch on day 3, which I am sure is mold; it is a tiny amount, but from what I understand, I should discard the whole batch. How can I keep this from happening?

    • Prevent mold by keeping the pineapple submerged under the water. OR stir it everyday keeps mold away too.

  • Lynne Curry

    This looks terrific. I loved discovering aguas frescas when I traveled for the first time to Mexico. This is a wonderful spin.

    One question: I’m trying to avoid added sugars. Do you think it would be possible to make from the sugars in the fruit (or added juice) itself?

    • I haven’t tried it myself, but I heard you can ferment without sugar for a drier tepache. Maybe adding a little juice would be better.

  • Stuart Saunders

    Been a week now, no obvious fermentation going on. I am assuming it’s been too cold in the house, with the A/C running on hot days, and nothing happening on cold days, like today; Is this drink safe to keep, or have I risked the pineapple going bad. No sign of mold and last time I tasted it, yesterday, it was just very sweet pineapple and pineapple juice.

    • Yes, it needs to be warm for fermentation to happen. Around 72-80 degrees is ideal. If there is no mold than it hasn’t gone bad.

  • Vali Urban

    2 whole cloves of WHAT?

    • It’s just two whole cloves. Cloves is a spice, kind of like cinnamon.

    • RichyDigitized

      Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, Syzygium aromaticum. They are native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice.

  • Julie Harper जुली हार्पर

    OH MY GOSH THIS IS SOOOO GOOD! I didnt have any foamy bubbles the first two days so I moved to a warmer spot, and voila! My new favorite thing! I also did half this recipe and half water kefir. That was good too but not as good as this.

  • Larry Carbone

    After fermentation, how long will this last in the fridge?

  • I have bubbling action but it looks different than yours….It’s big bubbles and it has a white kind of powdered look to it. Could that be mold, or harmless yeast? It’s not fuzzy, just a powdered look. Thanks for your help.

    • It sounds like harmless yeast. Scrape it off the top. Everything under the brine is fine.

  • Jason Baker

    I have some pineapple that I bought at Walmart it is already chopped and has the skin cut off can this be used