There’s various versions of Pineapple Fried Rice around, but I think the best is Thai. The sweet, juicy pieces of pineapple goes so well with the savoury flavoured jasmine rice! Terrific side dish for tropical dishes, summer BBQ’s and of course, with all things Thai.
Pineapple Fried Rice
Pineapple Fried Rice is of Thai origin, though there’s iterations of it all around the world. While some recipes use little more than a dash of soy sauce, this is a recipe that stays true to the Thai way and will evoke memories of warm balmy evenings in Thailand, eating at beach shack diners with your toes squidging in the sand, sipping on fruit cocktails.
Or – at rickety tables at your cheerful local Thai restaurant. 😂
This is the rice dish that was spied on the side of the Honey Soy Chicken recipe I shared on Monday. Noticed and requested by a number of readers!
Here is the photo in question:
And here’s a nice close up of the pineapple rice so you can see it in all its glory! Fluffy grains of jasmine rice, colourful veggies, sweet juicy pieces of pineapple all tossed in a savoury, slightly sweet Thai fried rice sauce.
What goes in Pineapple Fried Rice
Here’s what you need to make Pineapple Fried Rice – the Thai way (the best way!). While it is of course best to make this with fresh pineapple when they’re ripe and at their prime, canned is perfectly acceptable (and a heck of a lot faster to prep!).
3 Thai Sauce Options
The right sauce is key to making a really tasty pineapple fried rice and this recipe offers 3 options, all of which are very tasty:
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Fish sauce + oyster sauce – truly authentic Thai, terrific caramelisation / depth of flavour. In fact, purists say it’s “illegal” to use soy sauce in Thai cooking. That if you do, it’s Chinese food not Thai!
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Soy sauce + oyster sauce – typically thought of as Thai homestyle.
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Soy sauce + Maggi seasoning* – commonly used by Thai restaurants outside of Thailand
* Thai Seasoning Sauce is a sauce with more flavour than soy sauce. Gold Mountain is the most common one in Australia. It is available in Asian stores and some grocery stores, and costs around $2 for a large bottle.
Feel free to use any cookable vegetables you want. I like using colourful veggies – on theme with this tropical dish!
How to make Pineapple Fried Rice
It’s nice and quick to make – everything is just fried up in a skillet or wok. Use a large one so you can toss enthusiastically because that’s the key to reducing the sauce down and making it almost “caramelise” the rice grains which = flavour!
What to serve it with
This is a Thai side dish, so obviously Thai foods are no–brainer companions! Thai Cashew Chicken Stir Fry or Thai Satay would be fantastic. If curry is on the brain, I have the favourites covered! Pick from Yellow, Red, Green or Massaman Curries. Meanwhile for a fresh contrast, a Green Papaya Salad is perfect.
Or even just Asian foods!! Still it would be criminal to limit our imaginations to just these cuisines. In fact, as mentioned above, this is the very side that was depicted in Monday’s grilled Honey Soy Chicken which, despite having soy sauce in it, is the only Asian thing about it.
It’s practically a mandatory side for tropical themed menus, it will pair beautifully with Caribbean foods (like Jerk Chicken), or use it to elevate simple mains such as pan seared fish.
I’d weep with happiness if I saw it alongside a pile of sticky BBQ Pork Ribs, slices of ultra tender Beef Brisket, Sticky Chicken or any seared, grilled or baked salmon, shrimp/prawns or fish.
Here’s a little preview of some of the above mentioned – plus a few extras:
Ideas for other dishes that go with pineapple fried rice
And one last thing – as with all fried rice dishes, while it’s best served straight out of the wok, this isn’t usually practical if you’re making multiple things on the stove or it’s part of a spread. So you’ll be pleased to know that it reheats very well in the microwave – or even covered in the oven! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Pineapple Fried Rice (Thai)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 1/2 red capsicum / bell peppers , diced (~ 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup peas , frozen
- 3 cups day old jasmine rice , cooked (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups pineapple pieces , fresh or canned drained (~ 220g) (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup green onion , sliced
Sauce Option 1 (Base version, recommended):
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Sauce Option 2:
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose (not dark soy)
Sauce Option 3:
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Thai Seasoning (Gold Mountain)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok or large non stick skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute.
- Add capsicum, cook for 1 minute.
- Add peas, stir for 30 seconds.
- Add rice and Sauce ingredients of choice. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until rice grains goes from being wet with sauce to sort of caramelised.
- Add pineapple, stir for just 30 seconds to warm through.
- Stir through green onions then serve!
Recipe Notes:
- Fish sauce + Oyster Sauce (base recipe) - the version that purists say is "real" Thai fried rice because if you use soy sauce, it makes it Chinese (or other Asian)
- Soy Sauce + Oyster Sauce - more akin to Thai home cooking
- Sauce with Thai Seasoning Sauce is commonly used by Thai restaurants in Australia.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
The local Pet-O is like Disneyland for dogs – they hoon around the warehouse in a tizzy of excitement over the smell of treats and dog food, not to mention toys, toys, everywhere…
But Dozer? He’s figured out the best place to be is behind the counter. That’s where the shop assistants reside who dole out the seemingly endless supply of dog treats. “It’s his payment for helping!” they declare.
Hmmph. He seems to be getting “paid” a LOT more than he’s helping (negative contribution, it seems to me!).
What do you think about making this with leftover *coconut* rice? The flavors would be great, but would it be too wet/gluey? I’ll probably give it a go later this week, making your coco rice tonight.
Maybe try spreading the rice out on a tray and letting it dry out a bit before frying?
Great go with for tonight’s Chicken Tonkatsu.. yum ❤️
I love this recipe. Hot tip for anyone who isn’t even planning far enough ahead to do the freezer trick; I buy the pre-cooked rice sachets (eg uncle bens) and that works perfectly!
Supermarket brand basmati is the basis for most of my emergency “too tired for proper cooking” rice creations. So easy and also very cheap.
Delicious! Family loves it
I make this often but as a special request I subbed out a bag of frozen cauliflower rice and it was seriously delicious. My friend who can’t eat rice raved about it!
I’d made your cauliflower fried rice for her before but this one is great too!
BIG YUM!!!! I absolutely loved this recipe! Perfect balance of salty and sweet. I topped mine with a fried egg and it was excellent. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Just like restaurant take-out even with my unskilled wok tossing!
Yum yum yum! Simple yet super tasty. I used sauce number 2 and it was perfect. Even fussy kids in the house enjoyed this one! Thank you Nagi 🙂
I have a question! This is very similar to a Thai restaurant that we LOVE! But they add spice at different levels, levels 1-5.
What is used for the spice? Do you know?
Delish! I added some chopped kaffir lime leaves too for extra pow.
I cooked this 2 days ago with the Thai satay chicken. This will be saved as one of our family favourite recipes.
My daughter loves pineapple so I used up the whole can. 🙂
In a word. … GORGEOUS 😍
I am a big fan of Thai rice and this mix, sweet and spicy is excelent! I have only used soy sauce and it was delicious! Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for the amazing Pineapple Fried Rice recipe! This recipe is perfect in every way. The seasonings are spot on, and the direction to use 3 DAY OLD Jasmine rice was so smart. I have made fried rice a number of times, and used “leftover” rice — maybe only 1 day old. The 3 day old rice makes the dish perfect — it just requires some planning. I now have 3 day old rice in my freezer stored in ziplock bags. That way I am ready to make this dish on a whim — which I know will be doing. I have also made this recipe with 3 day old brown rice. It is better with the Jasmine rice, but brown rice is much more “points friendly” on WW.
Woo hoo Donna! I am glad that you liked it!! N x
Made it last night, and it was delicious! Had it with grilled chicken, so we grilled the pineapple too! This is a keeper. Thanks so much – from Colorado!
That’s a great idea Alane!! I’m glad you liked it!! N x
This looks amazing. I’m useless at cooking rice and always have been! Would a packet of microwave rice be a useable substitute if opened straight into the wok?
I can help you with that!! N x https://www.recipetineats.com/how-to-cook-rice/
Such a great recipe when you have all the ingredients on hand, especially with all the rain and I don’t want to be out on the roads.
Stay safe Rayma!! N x
This is a keeper! I did add some eggs, a bit of cilantro, a chili and come cashews 🙂
This is a great side dish. I’ve made this a few times now and even eaten it as a main (I’m vego) and hubby just adds meat. Also made it once with the honey soy chicken and was a crowd pleaser. Thanks Nagi.
Hello, I too have a question about the amount if sugar added like Mary did which I did not see a response from you. The video shows a clearly overdose amount of sugar being added. Clearly much more than 1/ 2 teaspoon. Can you pkease clarify the exact amount of sugar to be added since the video appears to show at least twice or three times that amount. Please respond!!!
Hi Chucky, you can see the sugar in the ingredient shot on the post too – it’s only 1/2 teaspoon needed for this recipe, this is also the amount shown in the video. All my videos are accurate representations of the recipe itself. N x