Pineapple Fried Rice is an easy and delicious dish that your whole family will love! I like this recipe better than almost any takeout.
Pineapple Fried Rice
I know pineapple can be a controversial ingredient (where are my pineapple pizza fans at??), but trust me, you are going to love fresh pineapple in this fried rice. Fried rice is a very savory and salty dish and I just love the little bursts of sweet and tart pineapple flavor to balance everything out. I find when I am cooking or eating at a restaurant, the best stir fries have a little taste of everything – sweet, savory or umami, salty, bitter, and sour.
Avoid plain, boring rice forever with some of these flavorful rice recipes. Our Salmon Rice Bowl makes a tasty lunch. This Coconut Rice and our Cilantro Lime Rice are delicious and easy to make too!
Ingredients in Pineapple Fried Rice
This rice recipe tastes like you spent hours and dozens of ingredients but in reality it’s super easy to throw together and with items you probably already have in your refrigerator. Here’s all you need:
- Long grain white rice – Jasmine rice works great too! I prefer using leftover rice or day-old rice. It just seems to add more of a “fried rice” texture. So you could make your batch of rice, store it in an airtight container overnight, and then use the cooled rice to assemble your fried rice.
- Sesame oil – this oil adds so much deep flavor to this dish! You can find it next to the vegetable oils in the grocery store. A little goes a long way, so a small bottle can last a long time.
- Vegetable oil – a tablespoon oil or more added to a large skillet will give your rice the perfect place to fry up and get golden brown.
- Green onions or regular onions – I love the color that green onions give this pineapple fried rice, but if you don’t have any on hand, a diced yellow onion works great too.
- Minced garlic – a clove or two does the trick. But if you like extra garlic flavor, by all means, toss it in!
- Carrots and peas – dice your carrots so they’re about the same size as a pea so they cook evenly.
- Pineapple – Tidbits, pineapple chunks, fresh pineapple, anything you have in your fridge or pantry.
- Eggs – You’ll want to scramble them up a bit, according to the directions below, then mix in with the rice.
- Soy sauce – use to taste. I like to control the sodium intake by using a low-sodium soy sauce mixture. For extra flavor, toss in a dash or two of fish sauce to the mixture.
Additional Ingredients
- Add shrimp, chicken or beef to turn this fried rice into a one bowl meal.
- Make it vegan by adding diced tofu.
- For more of a Thai pineapple fried rice, add a bit of curry powder or ginger to the recipe.
- Dice in some green bell peppers, red bell pepper, or cashews for extra crunch and color.
- Garnish with some fresh cilantro on top.
How to Make Pineapple Fried Rice
- Start by cooking your rice. I like to cook the rice in my rice cooker and get everything else ready while it is in there.
- Next, heat your oil and sauté the onions and garlic. The onions should be tender and translucent and the garlic should be slightly browned. When you can smell the garlic cooking, that’s when you know it’s ready to add more ingredients.
- After the onions and garlic are cooked, add the peas and carrots, and pineapple. If your peas and carrots are frozen they might pop in the hot oil, so be careful when adding them. Cook until the veggies are tender and heated through.
- Next, add in the beaten eggs. I like to make a hole in the middle of the pan by pushing all the veggies to the side and then pouring the eggs into the middle. That way it doesn’t coat everything in egg. Give the eggs time to scramble separately before mixing in with the rest of the recipe.
- After the eggs are cooked, add in your rice and soy sauce. Add the soy sauce a little bit at a time, making sure to taste it so you don’t make it too salty. Serve immediately.
What to Serve with Pineapple Fried Rice
When we make Asian food we love to put out a big spread with lots of options. Try some of our other favorite Asian-inspired dishes!
- Crock Pot General Tso’s Chicken
- Pork and Veggie Potstickers
- Copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Copycat P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
- One-Pot Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain white rice uncooked
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion or green onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots and peas
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits fresh or canned
- 3 eggs beaten
- soy sauce to taste
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- Heat vegetable or sesame oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to the hot oil and stir until clear and light brown. Stir in garlic and cook until slightly browned.
- Add veggies and pineapple and cook until veggies are tender.
- Stir in beaten eggs. Cook until eggs are scrambled and firm.
- When rice is done, add to skillet and mix in thoroughly. Stir in soy sauce, a little at a time. (you can always add more so don't overdo it). Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
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Um…this was the best fried rice I have ever had. I love the sweet and savory flavor. My kids even had seconds!
I have been making fried rice these days and this one with pineapple sounds so yummy. Definitely giving this a try.
Yum! This looks amazing and so delicious! My daughter is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to make this!
I’m a pineapple pizza fan — and definitely a pineapple fried rice fan! Game on!
Yumm!! Love how simple and tasty this recipe looks, thanks for sharing!