Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

A classic American cake! With this vegan pineapple upside down cake no one will realize it’s vegan! Caramelized pineapple, with a rich, moist cake will be the perfect summer staple!

Let me start by saying that if you’ve never had a pineapple upside down cake of any sort, then you need to run, not walk, to your local grocer and get all these ingredients ASAP. The second thing I’ll say is, you will be blown away by how close this vegan pineapple upside down cake tastes like the original.

Deliciously sweet cake with caramelized pineapples and a soft, rich, and moist cake. It’s literally everything you want in a cake!

It’s also a showstopper, so if you are trying to impress someone with a cake, but you or they, don’t care for frosting, a vegan pineapple upside down cake is the perfect option.

Never miss another post! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get them all delivered easily! Plus, 15 easy recipes delivered immediately!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

What ingredients do I need to make vegan pineapple upside down cake?

In order to make this vegan pineapple upside down cake recipe you need just 12 ingredients!

Full amounts of each ingredients is listed in the printable recipe card below.

The ingredients that you need for this vegan pineapple upside cake are:

vegan butter – vegan butter is rich and flavorful, but for this recipe, it’s reacting with the brown sugar to make a sauce that drizzles over the cake once inverted
brown sugar – Brown sugar is what we are using for moisture and sweetness. It also helps the caramelization of the pineapples. If you want to learn more about why your sugar may not be vegan, you can learn more by clicking on the link.
pineapple slices – it’s a pineapple cake, so we need pineapples. Canned pineapples are the traditional way to make them since they are more moist and all uniform size. However, you can use fresh as well.
maraschino cherries (no stems)– These cherries go in the middle of each slice of pineapple. More for color and appearance than anything else.
flour – All-purpose flour because we wanted this recipe to be as accessible as possible for everyone.
vegan sugar – In the actual cake part, we are using vegan granulated sugar for sweetness. This creams well together with the other ingredients
vegan shortening (usually labeled vegetarian or vegetable) – this is to create a more rich and decadent cake using the fat from the shortening without adding a lot of liquid
baking powder – added to cake for leavening purposes
salt – this helps enhance the flavor and while you may be tempted to reduce or omit, we encourage you not too
dairy free milk – Using milk instead of water adds more flavor into the recipe. Use either unsweetened plain or unsweetened vanilla flavored milk, but you don’t want any sweetened milk in this already sweet recipe.
vanilla – we are keeping it simple with extract for this recipe since it’s an ingredient that most people already have in their pantry
applesauce – what we are using for our egg replacer.

Variations and Substitutions:

brown sugar – coconut sugar or date sugar could work here
maraschino cherries (no stems)– Fresh cherries can also be used, but they need to be seeded and stems removed
flour – Gluten Free flour could also be used. You want a 1:1 gluten free flour blend
vegan shortening (usually labeled vegetarian or vegetable) – coconut oil (not melted) could be used here as well
applesauce – applesauce can be replaced with other fruit/veg puree like pear puree or sweet potatoes. Bananas would also work but alter the taste. Other options are flax egg, dairy free yogurt or coconut cream.

While these are all great substitutions, note that any changes from the original recipe will alter the taste and/or texture.

Frequently Asked Questions on how to make vegan pineapple upside down cake:

Should I use fresh or canned pineapple?

Canned pineapple are traditionally used because they have consistent shape and moisture levels. That being said, fresh pineapple can also be used. You may need to cut them as you may not be able to get three rows of three across here.

Can I use fresh cherries instead of jarred?

Yes. You will want to make sure that you remove the seed and stem from the fresh cherries if using.

Can I make this Top 8 Allergen friendly pineapple upside down cake?

You can swap out the flour for gluten free 1:1 blend.
For the butter, pick a soy free option.
You can also replace the shortening in the recipe with not melted coconut oil or the same soy free vegan butter.
Any non-dairy milk will work.

Can I prep vegan pineapple upside down cake ahead of time?

This cake is best served warmed right out of the oven within a few days; however it’s still possible to make ahead.
You can make this cake 3 days in advance. Beyond that, because this cake is so moist, you risk mold growth. So, I highly recommend, especially if serving guests, that you don’t make it more than that far in advance.
Just make the recipe as directed and once completely cooked and cooled, put in an air safe container and store at room temperature. Warm when serving.

Can you freeze vegan pineapple upside down cake?

Yes, you will want to let the recipe cool completely and then store in a freezer safe container. Eat within 3 months. To thaw, let sit at room temperature until completely thawed.

What other vegan cake recipes should I make?

Just because you have food allergies or preferences, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to have great tasting desserts. We’d even venture to say that these are better than their “normal” counterparts.

These are some other dairy free cake recipes that you should try:

Vegan Coconut Cake
Vegan Strawberry Cake
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
Vegan Carrot Cake
Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
Try these vegan vanilla cupcakes in a cake pan

Pin this vegan pineapple upside down cake for later:

Let’s see your creations!
Share to Instagram and tag us @makeitdairyfree so we can see and share it!

This video was originally published on 6/28/19 and updated on 9/24/19 to add a video.