Pineapple Fried Rice

Do you love restaurant style fried rice? What if I told you that you can make the same at home!? Pineapple Fried Rice is right up your alley! 

Not challenging, nor sophisticated, homemade fried rice does require time. Not hands-on time, but time to have day old cooked rice. Or at the very least, cooked and then chilled.

My recipe also includes a carnival of festive and colorful veggies with a hint of sesame oil. Many recipes also use fish sauce, oyster sauce or even coconut oil, but I find my seasoned soy sauce mixture to be just the right amount of flavor. For even more robust flavor, consider adding a tablespoon or two of Huli Huli Sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Pineapple Fried Rice

An easy fried rice that you can make at home and tastes great- what’s not to love!

• Tropical flavor – Whether you’re craving a tropical vacation or just love pineapple, this rice will give it to you.
• Fun twist – If you’re already a fan of fried twist, this fun pineapple twist will make you fall even more in love.
• Simple ingredients – I’d be willing to bet you already have a lot of these ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator.

Ingredients

You can easily find all of these pineapple fried rice ingredients at your local grocery store.

• Coconut Lime Rice – Day-old rice is always best to use for fried rice. I like the coconut flavor of this rice, but you could use plain rice too.
• Vegetables – I like to use a combination of red onion, carrot and red bell pepper. But you could use any veggies you’d like to. I also use serrano peppers for heat and fresh garlic for flavor.
• Lime – We will be using both the lime juice and the lime zest. You can also serve this rice wit a lime wedge if you’d like.
• Sugar – In addition to the sweetness of the pineapple, we need a little more sugar for optimal sweetness.
• Eggs – Always assume a recipe is calling for large eggs. You want your eggs to be lightly whisked.
• Dark soy sauce – I like to use dark soy for a bolder flavor, but you could also use low sodium soy as well.
• Fresh ginger – Fresh ginger really adds the best flavor to this rice. I like to make sure mine is finely grated.
• Salt and pepper – I used a blend of fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for my pineapple fried rice.
• Ham – Ham is the protein of choice for my Pineapple Fried Rice, but it is typically seen in Polynesian culture made with SPAM.
• Fresh pineapple – I much prefer to use fresh pineapple. A great way to use up leftover pineapple from a fruit tray.
• Cashews -You can totally leave this out for nut allergies, but they add a nice crunch to the dish.

Variations

There are plenty of ways you can make this pineapple fried rice recipe your own. Here are a few suggestions.

• Pineapple – If you don’t have fresh pineapple, you can sure use canned pineapple chunks or pineapple slices cut into chunks. 
• Brown rice – Brown rice is perfectly good to be used in a fried rice recipe, just cook it well before using. It tends to be a little more gummy and taunt. 
• Nuts – You can omit the cashews for someone with a nut allergy or substitute with almonds or macadamia nuts. 
• Rice noodles – You can swap the rice for noodles instead. Just cook the noodles and continue with the recipe. 
• Vegetarian – You can easily make this a vegetarian fried rice by leaving out the ham completely. Tofu would also taste wonderful.
• Meat – You can also substitute the ham for shrimp, chicken or even another form of pork. Just make sure it is fully cooked before adding it. 
• Vegetables – You can really add any kind of veggie you want. Peas, carrots, broccoli and onion are some of my favorites.

How to Make Pineapple Fried Rice

Making this fried rice with ham and pineapple is so easy, you’ll want to make it every week!

1. Make vegetable mixture. In a small bowl, combine serrano pepper through sugar. Allow to sit.
2. Make soy mixture. In another small bowl, whisk together dark soy sauce through black pepper, set aside.
3. Cook veggies. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then add vegetable mixture to hot oil until it starts to soften.
4. Add eggs and ham. Add eggs, tossing like you would with scrambled eggs. When eggs are fully cooked, add ham, stirring for another minute.
5. Add rice. Add rice, breaking into pieces. Drizzle with sauce mixture, tossing instead of stirring (stirring will make rice mushy).
6. Top with pineapple and cashews. Lastly, add pineapple and cashews, heating and tossing for only one minute before serving immediately.

Also check out my tips on making Perfect Rice before getting started!

How to Serve Pineapple Fried Rice

You can garnish your finished dish with sliced green onions (scallions) or toasted sesame seeds. 

I like to serve this ham and pineapple fried rice with pretty much any takeout favorite I can dream up. Sweet and sour chicken and orange chicken are some of my favorites.

Storage and Freezing

How to Store Pineapple Fried Rice

Like most food, when kept chilled and covered in a airtight container, leftover fried rice is good for about five days. 

You can easily reheat it in the microwave or a saucepan. I would add a small amount of liquid, water will do, so it doesn’t get too dry. 

Can I Freeze Pineapple Fried Rice?

Yes, you can freeze leftover rice if packaged correctly. It will stay good for 3-4 months. Freezing items in airtight plastic bags works best since you can get the most amount of air out. 

Frequently Asked Questions

More Rice Recipes

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Cauliflower Fried Rice

If you've ever wondered how to make Cauliflower Fried Rice, look no further! This cauliflower fried rice recipe is the perfect way to cut down on carbs!

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Coconut Rice Recipe

Cilantro Lime Coconut Rice uses coconut milk, fresh lime and Thai coconut for the best sticky rice recipe ever! 

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Pineapple Fried Rice

4.84 from 12 votes

Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe – A quick and easy weeknight meal that’s so much cheaper, tastier and healthier than take-out! Make it a vegetarian meal or add ham.

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Large Cast Iron Skillet
• Whisk

Ingredients

• 3 cups Coconut Lime Rice cooked and day old, hold the cilantro
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 serrano pepper minced
• 1 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoons red onion minced
• 1/2 cup carrot minced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper minced
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs lightly whisked
• 1 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoons fresh ginger grated (about 1 inch nub)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoons black pepper freshly ground
• 1 cup ham cubed
• 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple cubed
• 1/2 cup cashews halved (optional)

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine serrano pepper through sugar. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
• In another small bowl, whisk together dark soy sauce through black pepper, set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add vegetable mixture to hot oil, stirring for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to soften. Add eggs, tossing like you wold with scrambled eggs. When eggs are fully cooked, add ham, stirring for another minute.
• Add rice, breaking into pieces. Drizzle with sauce mixture, tossing instead of stirring (stirring will make rice mushy).
• Lastly, add pineapple and cashews, heating and tossing for only one minute before serving immediately.
• If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was! 

Nutrition

Calories: 807 kcal, Carbohydrates: 129 g, Protein: 24 g, Fat: 20 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Cholesterol: 103 mg, Sodium: 1010 mg, Potassium: 544 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 10 g, Vitamin A: 3120 IU, Vitamin C: 44.1 mg, Calcium: 70 mg, Iron: 3.2 mg

Author: Chef Jessica Anne

Calories: 807

Course: Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: fried rice recipe, pineapple fried rice

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