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.
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.
Strain out the pineapple chunks and serve over ice. The pineapple chunks are delicious to eat too. Enjoy!
- ½ pineapple cut into chunks (leave skins on)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 cups of water
- 2 whole cloves
- 1/2 gallon size glass jar
- Wash the pineapple and then cut into chunks.
- Mix the brown sugar and water until sugar dissolves.
- Add the pineapple chunks, sugar water and cloves to a large glass jar or pitcher.
- 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.
- Tepache will become cloudy in 2-3 days and white foam will form on the surface.
- Scoop out the white foam that forms.
- Serve Pineapple Tepache over ice.
Make this sweet, refreshing, probiotic Pineapple Tepache for your next party.
Happy Fermenting!
-Danielle
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.
Thank you, that’s what I thought.
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.
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.
The sugar is needed for fermentation. After fermentation, depending on how long you leave it, there will be significantly less sugar remaining, down to none if left long enough. It will likely be quite sour at that point, however.
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.
2 whole cloves of WHAT?
It’s just two whole cloves. Cloves is a spice, kind of like cinnamon.
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.
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.
After fermentation, how long will this last in the fridge?
Drink within 2 weeks.
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.
I have some pineapple that I bought at Walmart it is already chopped and has the skin cut off can this be used
I made a version of this with a cinnamon stick instead of the cloves. Let it ferment for a month. It is delicious.
Do you think Stevia would work in place of the sugar? I’m on a sugar free kick.
No, it won’t work. The bacteria need sugar to feed on.
Thanks! I enjoyed this drink in a very authentic Mexican restaurant in Playa Del Carmen and it was amazing! I can’t wait to try it. There they just used the skins and the core.
Do you think it’d be possible to use the pineapple chunks for a tepache first, and after the fermentation is over, to re-use them for a batch of pineapple vinegar?
It will probably work if you add sugar to it.
Thanks! I already made a batch of tepache with a whole pineapple, it’s absolutely delicious, and I’ve left the fruit chunks in its container with a good cup of brown sugar in it, ready for a month of fermentation.
I do have one last question though. I have in my pantry this old Modena balsamic vinegar with a sizeable mother in it, Would it help the fermentation process to put some of that mother in the pineapple mix, or would that be counter-indicated in some way?
For the vinegar, or course
can you use cane white sugar