Pineapple Fried Rice
A quick and easy weeknight meal that’s so much cheaper, tastier and healthier than take-out!
I am such a sucker for pineapple fried rice. It’s my absolute favorite of all fried rices, and there’s quite a bit of variations out there. But every time I order take-out or order pineapple fried rice from a restaurant, the pineapple chunks are always so huge! It’s my biggest pet peeve, so I just had to make a homemade version to share with you all.
Now this is a version that is conveniently loaded with bite-sized pineapple chunks, just bursting with all of their their juicy sweetness. It’s also super easy to whip up and it can easily be a clean-out-the-fridge meal with all those lingering veggies.
And feel free to use your favorite kind of protein – ham, chicken, or shrimp, or you can even keep it vegetarian with just the pineapple. Either way, once you drizzle on that Sriracha goodness, you’ll have the best combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Plus, this makes for awesome leftovers the next day!
Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups diced pineapple, canned or fresh
- ½ cup diced ham
- 2 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger powder and white pepper; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion to the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in carrots, corn and peas, and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in rice, pineapple, ham, green onions and soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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This pineapple fried rice recipe is amazing! I made it for dinner last night and it was a hit with my family. The combination of the sweet pineapple with the savory rice was perfect. I will definitely be making this again!
Delicious! I used SPAM instead of the ham
What can I use in place of sesame oil? My husband is deathly allergic but we LOVE fried rice!Â
I have made this recipe several times before and it’s delicious every time. It’s also delicious with chicken or ham as a variation. I love to cook and so I come here often for recipes.  They never disappoint!
Excellent recipe!Â
Thanks so much for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it tomorrow. Do you think it would freeze well? I’m wondering about doing a batch of pineapple chicken & pineapple chicken fried rice and freezing portions so I can have some nice lunches ready for work. Thanks x
This is the best fried rice I’ve ever made, and there have been quite a few varieties! I brought over some steps from my tried and true Yangzhou fried rice recipe for the sauce: 2 tbsp. Shaoxing wine; 2 tbsp. regular reduced sodium soy sauce and 1 tbsp. dark soy sauce; used 1 cup of mixed frozen peas & carrots (no corn); 1 tsp. sugar.
This proved to be a huge hit and will be my go-to fried rice recipe from here on out. Thanks, Chungah & team!
How much shrimp would you use?
I didn’t add ham but added huli huli chicken I made instead. It came out so good. I will be making this again,
I come back to this recipe often, especially when I have leftover ham. It’s delicious and pleases the entire family! Thank you for the wonderful recipe
I just finished making this tonight and getting ready to clean up the kitchen. This recipe was so easy to make and might I add, it was soooooo good. I didn’t have enough so I used some leftover white rice and I had some brown rice also. Mixed it together and in the finished dish, you couldn’t tell one rice from the other. Definitely making this again, but will add some red bell pepper for additional color.
I can’t digest brown rice or any corn, can I use white rice and green beans instead?
Very good recipe. Never tried pineapple fried rice in a restaurant, but it sounded good. My guests asked to take the left-overs home. Can’t get a much better endorsement than that.
I make this all the time and just sub tofu for the ham. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Very yummy and easy to cook.
We love this recipe exactly as is. Yum!
This was really good. I used basmati rice and then fried some bacon because I didn’t have ham on hand, and used the pan grease instead of olive oil. I divided the soy into 2 1/2 T light soy and 1/2 T dark soy for the total of 3 T. I ended up dividing this up into half for my husband and left the pineapple out of his half and added in some scrambled egg that I cooked and julienned into strips. I increased the ginger on my portion and this was such a great meal. It was easy to customize to suit my tastes as 1 whole onion is too much for me and I had a huge quarter of a Texas sweet onion in the fridge to use. This was really tasty and I am making it again right now. Thanks for the post as it’s given me a great base to work with and make this my own.
I am glad I made double because it was sooo good, there’s not a lot left. I also left out the ham because I served it with coconut shrimp and steamed broccoli. It makes a lot for my husband and I, although I know he went back for seconds, and probably thirds after I left the room! I’ll be making it a second meal tomorrow by frying pork cubes and adding the leftover pineapple rice to the skillet with the pork drippings.
Great recipe , this is delicious !
I made this tonight and LOVED it! It was easy and I’m a fan on pot meals. The next time I make this, which will be soon, I’m going to use cooked chicken breast and add some beat sprouts. And to think, I started following you because of your Corgis 🙂
Made it with less rice and a tad mor soy and sesame oil…was great!  Had fresh pineapple too. But only a bag of iced veggies, and fresh broccoli.  I had fresh  small sections of brocccoli and very thin sliced carrots and zapped (microwave) for about a 90 seconds and threw in rice with sauce. Great. Had pork skewers with it and will use leftover pork and rice for my starving adult daughters to have tomorrow.  I am wondering about fresh ginger ..I had some, but stuck with powder.
This was delicious. I doubled the recipe, it was worth all the prep work, I am glad I made double because it was sooo good, there’s not a lot left. I wasn’t sure about adding soo much pineapple, but it was perfect, not overly sweet, just right. Thanks for the awesome recipe. It was a hit : )
This was my second time using your amazing pineapple fried rice recipe with ingredients I had on hand. Frozen peas, frozen roasted corn and frozen pineapple plus a  few chopped fresh baby carrots made a beautifully delicious dish even though I used frozen fried rice and a package of ready rice. I found the frozen pineapple less sweet than the canned pineapple tidbits I used previously, and I missed the bit of extra sweetness. I also left out the ham because I served it with coconut shrimp and steamed broccoli. It makes a lot for my husband and I, although I know he went back for seconds, and probably thirds after I left the room!  I’ll be making it a second meal tomorrow by frying pork cubes and adding the leftover pineapple rice to the skillet with the pork drippings. I may make additional sauce as I read in another comment. I just hope there’s enough left. My husband has been known to have a snack in the middle of the night…
What is the nutritional numbers? Â Most interested in caloriesÂ
This was my first time making pineapple fried rice and it was Amazing! I used chicken instead of ham and it was a big hit. Will definitely make this again and I might try using tofu next time to make it vegetarian.
Delicious, easy recipe! Maybe because of the pineapple? I used what I happened to have in my frig, including some leftover rice, doubled the sauce, and threw in an extra squash. It tasted good, but after sitting for a bit was even more better, even though my amounts of some of the ingredients were not quite according to the recipe.
Always wanted to make a pineapple fried rice as we
Often order in restaurants!
Amazing recipe! It’s delicious and so easy.Â
Will definitely make again. Family loved it!
Great as a side or a whole meal
Ver beautiful dish. Definitely trying it this weekend with shrimp and more pepper cos I love spice
I’m excited to try this tonight. I’m going to substitute chicken thighs for the ham, but I was wondering what the nutrition information of this dish is. Does anyone know?
Haven’t made yet, but I looked at pictures and started to drool lol. I am wondering how this would be for a summer cold salad, and would you suggest a ‘dressing’ for it?
This is reeeaaaaally good as a side with Shoyu Chicken (done on the grill outside). I beat 3 eggs, heat them until firm, then chop ‘em up and toss into the rice. Yum-fest!Â
Very yummy and quick to make. I used canned corn instead of frozen and leftover carrots. My family enjoyed it. My one son said he would prefer a teriyaki sauce instead but I noticed still gobbled it up.
Thanks again. Love your recipes!Â
We made it without the ham and added some extra soy, ginger, and cayenne. It’s very good and so easy!
Went out and bought an electric skillet and the ingredients……result? damn delicious.
? Can you use crushed pineapple? Also, is there a different recipe for Thai Pineapple fried rice?
Once again…. so delicious! I added a jalapeno from my garden to make it spicy!
I used Spam for the ham for “hawaiian” fried rice. One question, how do you get to the end where you add the pineapple without eating half of it already? Thank you.
Hello, love your site, so many excellent recipes that we have tried.
quick question, how would the recipe change if I used white rice instead of brown?
Many Thanks
Janice
The recipe should not have to change with this substitution. 🙂
Wow, I don’t know who you are, but you’re a magician. This tastes EXACTLY like the way they make it in Thai restaurants. I make this recipe at least twice a week.
Thanks, buddy!
You never let me down! As I expected, this was fantastic. It was a nice side to your Thai salmon in foil.
It really makes for a great side dish!
A bit wet
I followed the directions to the letter and it turned out to be disappointing to say the least. The sesame oil is extremely overpowering, there were to many onions for comfort, and the overall dish just did not come together nicely. If you’re looking for a authentic-ish fried rice recipe, this isn’t the one.
You definitely didn’t follow the directions, Olivia. I can’t cook to save my life and I followed it to a “T” and it tastes like it came from a Thai restaurant.
I have two kinds of sesame oil in my kitchen. One is more of a cooking oil, and is lighter in colour and flavour, and the other is a darker and much stronger flavoured oil. At this quantity I feel like I would definitely be going with the lighter one…
Perhaps that’s the difference here?
No need to be so rude.
I made this tonight with grilled pork chops it was delicious. Thank you!
That sounds delicious!
Can you swap out quinoa for the rice? Thanks!
Yes, absolutely.
Fabulous dish, made it as an accompaniment to a baked ham, with FRESH pineapple. Added 1/2 chopped red pepper, and when finished, sprinkled toasted coconut and pine nuts over the top. Really made the already great recipe POP! Was looking forward to leftovers for lunch but there were NONE! Wish I had taken a picture.
Aaah-mazing. I sauteed canned pineapple tidbits before starting the onion to give a carmelized “wok” sweetness to it. I had to sub veggies, used red bell pepper and frozen snap peas. Tossed in a few hand fulls of frozen shrimp instead of ham. This recipe is endlessly customizable and super easy. Will be in constant rotation here.
Has anyone tried making this the night before and then reheating in the oven for an large size party? Would like to make this for a party but no time the day of? Sounds yummy
Yes, this reheats quite well!
Never had pineapple fried rice, but tried this dish. However, I substituted wild rice and no ham. It was very good. Will be trying this at our family get together, it’s perfect for the vegetarians and I’ll add the ham for the others.
Just made this with brown rice and stir-fry veggies, also a bunch more ham as a one-pot meal… I really loved the juicy pineapple in this dish, it was so filling and quick to make. Â Thanks for the recipe! Â
This is the best flavored rice, very easy to put together most of the work is cutting the veg and having it ready to go. I also added spam to this instead of ham very good. Always have on hand. Definite try!!!!
This looks super easy. I love sesame oil. I like to buy it from our Japanese market where it is much cheaper. One time I ordered pineapple fried rice at a Chinese market and the pineapple was not sweet. They said it was supposed to be that way? I don’t know about that, but I like it to add some sugar (and sometimes fresh pineapple!)
With my leftover brown rice, I like to make brown rice pudding for breakfast. http://oldworldtaste.com/brown-rice-pudding-with-dried-fruit-compote/
Thanks for the recipe. Love those frosty peas in the photo!
I tried this recipe and found it to be too bland, no flavor at all big let down since i asked for it for my birthday dinner.
This recipe was linked to an article about the benefits of brown rice over white rice yet the recipie’ picture shows white rice????
You can use brown or white rice. It’s up to you!
This is a dumb question, but do you cook the frozen vegetables before you add them? Â Do you thaw them? Â Dump them in frozen? Â Thank you!
You can dump them right in!
Soooooooooooooooooooooo good!!! My husband ate the leftovers, so I already need to make it again. Except, next time I will double it!
Just whipped this up for dinner and added cubed chicken breast in lieu of the ham. Â As usual, your recipes don’t disappoint – it was delicious! Â We will definitely be eating this meal again in the future! Â
I just made this. Yummy!
this was pretty good and very fast. thank you! little too much sesame oil for me but it was still great  5/5 also left out the ham to make it vegan
I made this tonight and it was not only pretty it was delicious! I added some curry powder and scrambled egg! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
With all the moisture from the pineapple and veggies will it make the rice kinda mushy?
Nope, not at all!
I was looking for a quick yet delicious recipe using pineapple and rice and found this little gem. I made it last night to have as a side item with the chicken katsu and it was perfect pairing! my husband loved the fried rice! Colorful, beautiful looking, and tasted as colorful too. Definitely a keeper! (Next time I will try this with shrimp.)
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I used jasmine rice instead. I also added bean sprouts because my hubby won’t have any kind of fried rice unless it has bean sprouts in it. Great recipe. Will definitely make it again. Very easy too.
This recipe, minus the ham, would be an excellent accompaniment for the Hawaiian chicken recipe recently posted. I would substitute snow peas or snap peas for the regular frozen peas, and maybe throw in some mini corn cobs for fun and additional colour.
What do you think about adding bok choy to this dish?
Thank you for your cooking inspirations.
Bok choy sounds like a great addition!
Mange tout finely sliced was perfect instead of maybe peas or sweet corn but I just wanted use my fridge veggiesÂ
Every time I look up recipes I see one I like – click on it to find out it is yours!
It is NO surprise since I am already a huge fan!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it tomorrow. Do you think it would freeze well? I’m wondering about doing a batch of pineapple chicken & pineapple chicken fried rice and freezing portions so I can have some nice lunches ready for work. Thanks x
I was psyched to try this recipe, but found that the white pepper absolutely ruined it– that’s all I could taste. I managed to salvage it with some hoisin sauce. I think it’s probably a good recipe, but I’ll omit the white pepper in future, thanks!
I cooked this for my nephews while babysitting, made the recipe exactly as is and I’m now officially the family chef! Thanks for scoring me points with the little dudes… fantastic recipe!
Wonder how it would be without the ham? A few weeks back I head a toxic ingredient was being added to ham and they had a petition to sign to get the chemical removed. Not sure what has happened about it. I have not bought any ham and will not until I hear it is safe.
Jan, please feel free to omit the ham as needed.
I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit. I used 1 T of olive oil and low sodium soy sauce because my husband is on a diet. It was easy to make and delicious AND I have some for lunch today too!
Are the onions spring onions or the white round onions? Also, do you drain the pineapple? ( I imagine so ) …
Excited to try this for dinner tonight.
Thank you! 🙂
If canned pineapple is used, it would be best to drain prior to using. Also, the recipe calls for both onions and green onions.
Do you refrigerate your rice first. I have found over the years that, especially if using regular white rice, that if the rice is freshly cooked the fried rice ends up gummy. If I use left over rice that has been refrigerated the fried rice turns out perfect.
BTW, never had pineapple fried rice but will try your recipe. Sounds yummy.
I tend to use day-old rice, but not refrigerated. I’m not a particular fan of refrigerated rice as it becomes very hard and clunky!
I put leftover rice in a gallon ziplock bag and press so that it is 1/2-1 inch. Store it flat in the fridge. It heats up fine in the fridg  I warmed it in the microwave (no water added). It was perfect! I had made broccoli and beef. Both were delish! Â
HI! So if you don’t refrigerate the cooked rice, how do you store until use? Â ThanksÂ
If it is cooked the same day, it can be set at room temperature until ready to use.
I wanted to say thanks for all of the delicious recipes! This recipe has become a family favorite. We live with multiple food allergies and sometimes finding yummy, easy & safe recipes are hard.
I also link to this recipe a lot from my blog because I menu plan (we can’t eat out due to the severity of my daughter’s food allergies.) This is a recipe I look forward to every time I make it!
So, again, I say thanks! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, so damn delish!!!! I subbed quinoa for rice because that is what I had on hand. It was really good. If I hadn’t needed to feed others I would have happily eaten it out of the pan over the stove 🙂
Pineapple rice are my favorite wherever I visit a local Chinese place! Specially the sweetness of pineapple make rice taste so gooood! try it soon!
This recipe looks really good and I can hardly wait to try it. I have recently developed a very severe allergy to sesame seeds and oil. I have been looking for a suitable substitute with more flavour than regular cooking oil. I was wondering if you would have any suggestions?
If you are allergic to sesame seeds and oil, I recommend omitting it entirely rather than finding a substitute.
As soon as I found this recipe I had to try it! I love the taste of the warm pineapple, and the sauce was just the right blend with ginger and sesame oil with the soya! very good!
Oh my goodness looks like such a good recipe, I literally can’t wait to make it. Ever since I went
to my favorite Chinese restaurant I’ve been craving this dish 🙂 😀
There is no mention of Sriracha in the list of ingredients although it is refered to above, could you clarify what this is please as I have never heard of it.
Sriracha is an Asian style hot sauce which can be used as an optional condiment for serving.
Thanks, I’m in the UK and have not heard of this but will try to find some.
This looks amazing! Love the addition of the pineapple! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I just made it for today’s dinner and it is pretty tasty, I didn’t have all the vegetables in hand so I used the few I had and it still came out good. It was very easy to prepare too.
if i use white rice, should i use jasmine rice or just regular sticky rice?
Elissa, that really depends on what you prefer – I personally like to use Japanese rice for my fried rice dishes.
Is there an advantage to making this with brown rice (other than that it’s more healthy)?
Substituting brown rice has many health benefits – it is rich in anti-oxidants and high in fiber. I’d say that that’s a very big advantage!
Wonderful recipe and damn delicious!
I made this a few weeks ago and it’s the best fried rice recipe that I’ve ever made. Better than takeout!
It is quite a popular dish in my country, Thailand. We add some roasted cashew nuts and sprinkle Chinese dried shredded pork on top. In restaurants, it is beautifully served in a pineapple boat.
Had this on my menu plan for the week, and just finished. I should be ashamed to say that I ate nearly half of the recipe all by myself. But I’m not ashamed. It was just. that. good. Great recipe, and I can’t wait for lunch time tomorrow to get to eat some leftovers!
There’s absolutely no shame in doing that!
Excellent. My daughter loved it and I like it a lot. We did a half version of this but will do a full one next time, and eat the leftovers for another meal. Thank you for sharing! We have eaten not less than a dozen of your recipes so far, some more than once.
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I made this tonight with grilled veggies as a side and it is amazing! Must admit I omitted the ham, but it was still delicious! Definitely will make again!
This is good. I have made it twice already, with drained bacon instead of ham. I always have ginger, so I always add grated ginger to your recipes that call for ginger powder. I used all white rice, but next time I may go with 2 cups white and 1 cup of brown.
I am making this right now for dinner!!
WOW! I made this last night for dinner along with some grilled corn on the cob and chicken and it was Amazing…thank you so much for all of the delectible dishes. Keep them coming 🙂
Anything Asian-inspired makes my mouth water. Add pineapple? Genius! Thanks for sharing.
yummiyum! pineapple is just the best ingredient, fits in everywhere:) and i love fried rice:D cant believe i didnt yet cook it with pineapple:P its about time;) i will try it with tiny diced and roasted smoked tofu to substitute the ham.
My problem with cooking this and most other oriental dishes is that my wife is allergic to any kind of onions. I use onion powder, which is ok for her, but I don’t believe I capture the correct flavor. Any suggestions?
Onion powder should work just fine as a substitute here.
You might also like to try Hing, also know Asafoetida which you can find in many Indian/Arabic grocery stores. It is a great replacement for onion/garlic, and is also healthy.
If she is like me, maybe leeks would be an ok substitute.
Not only are you an amazing cook but you are always a mind reader! 🙂 I was just online looking for a recipe for fried rice and wanting sweet pineapple in it. Love this Chung-Ah! I see Fried Rice in my future!
Would a good deli ham work here?
Yes, absolutely!
I can make a meal out of fried rice. I love this sweet and savory combo!
Looks fantastic. I always add pineapple (or mandarin oranges) to my stirfries. It adds just the right amount of tang or freshness to the rich dishes. Thanks
Chung-Ah: what a fabulous recipe! Love the colors, flavors, textures, and your use of brown rice. Will make soon.
Yum! I love pineapple fried rice, your recipe looks amazing!
This looks like the best pineapple fried rice ever!
I need this for dinner!
Nice recipe. Thank you.
I love fried rice! Throw in a little tangy-sweetness… Yum.
This could not have come at a better time–we have leftover rice in the fridge just waiting to become this for dinner tonight. I love the sweet and salty combo here of pineapple and ham. So excited to eat this!
I love putting pineapple in savory foods or in things like stir frys and salsas. Always such a bright little pop of flavor! You make rice look gorgeous 🙂
So delicious, I need this for lunch today!
This looks delicious – the pineapple looks like a wonderful flavor addition and I will make this on the weekend to try it.
Love your blog – have tried many of your recipes and they are just as you say: damn delicious!
This sound delicious! And I think it will be great dish for an upcoming BBQ party we are having for my Momma’s 86th birthday!
Can’t wait to try it out!
WOW- this looks incredible. I wouldn’t want to share.
Do you believe I’ve never had pineapple fried rice!! Thank you for sharing this, I’m excited to try it for dinner!
Oh yes! Now.. this just looks amazing. We cannot get enough fried rice in our home. Gotta try this version soon, yummy. 🙂
Pineapple fried rice is one of my favorite things ever! Whenever I see it on any menu, that’s always what I order! Can’t wait to try your recipe at home! 🙂
Great recipe – I love pineapple in everything! It adds that perfect sweet flavor and always looks nice too 🙂
Anisa – The Macadames. xx
http://www.themacadames.com
I adore fried rice (who doesn’t) but I have actually never tried it with pineapple! That sounds like a perfect, summer meal…that wants to get in my belly! Pinned!
What a great clean house recipe. I know I have pineapple chunks hanging out in the freezer and some veggies in the fridge that need to get used up before they spoil.
I have never tried pineapple fried rice before, but this looks wonderful! Adding fruit to dinner dishes usually adds that little bit of sunshine you need to brighten up you day 😀 Great recipe! x
I made this dish but used black rice instead of brown because I just wanted to use it. It was SOOO good!
Looks delicious! I love pineapple fried rice to take for lunch!
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