Thai Pineapple Fried Rice (With or Without Shrimp)

Thai pineapple fried rice is an incredibly flavorful recipe that can double as a side dish or the main course! The flavor palate is a perfect balance of sweet and salty featuring crunchy cashews, pop of fresh pineapple, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, ginger, and flavorful That fried rice sauce! Enjoy it as is or top it with seared shrimp or chicken.
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top view of pineapple fried rice topped with shrimp

Why This Is A Great Fried Rice Recipe

If you’re a lover of classic fried rice, you’re going to love this fruity twist! While my favorite fried rice will always be the Khao Pad (Thai Fried Rice), this is a great variation of that signature dish.

  • Usually, fried rice is a completely savory dish, but this version takes it to a whole new level with the addition of sweet pineapple chunks, crunchy cashews, and a little touch of sweetness in the sauce.
  • It’s not a sweet dish at all! There is just a pop of juiciness and sweetness that is a perfect balance with savory and umami flavors. If you love sweet and salty, this is a perfect recipe for you.
  • You can keep this fried rice totally vegetarian, add some tofu, or add some meat! I included the recipe to add some shrimp on top but you can follow the same seasoning for chicken as well.
ingredients for pineapple fried rice on the board

Ingredient Tips and Substitutions

Pineapple – for best taste and texture results, use fresh pineapple chunks. (For the reference, use my instructions on How To Cut A Pineapple.) If that is not an option, you can get canned pineapple rings, pat some excess juices off, and chop.

Riceleftover, cold jasmine or long grain rice are ideal to use. The main reason to use cold rice from the day before it because it has dried out some of the moisture, so the grain is more separate. You can always cook and cool some rice quickly as well.

Nuts – cashews have a great mild flavor and are not too crunchy. You can omit them if needed to a nut allergy.

Gluten free notesuse gluten free oyster sauce if you need to make this recipe gluten free. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but double check the label!

collage of six images of cooking veggies, pineapple, rice and adding sauce to pineapple fried rice.

How to Make Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

  • If adding shrimp, mix them with the marinate first.
  • Toast the cashews first and set them aside.
  • Then, cook the veggies in some oil until soft, then sauté garlic and ginger, and then sauté the pineapple chunks.
  • Add the cooked rice, veggies, and cashews to the pan, toss in the green onions, and stir everything together with the sauce.
  • Mix and sauté for just a few more minutes.
pineapple fried rice served inside a pineapple half

Do I have to use leftover rice in fried rice?

As always, when it comes to fried rice, try to use day old cooked rice for the best results. Leftover rice rehydrates nicely when cooking and soaks some more of the sauce flavors.

If you do have to cook rice just for this dish, and I often forget to do it the day before, try to under-cook the rice slightly! Make sure the rice is cooked al dente, to have just a slight crunch in the center. Also, make sure to fluff it, take it out of the pot, and set it aside to cool completely before adding to fried rice.

scooping out some fried rice from the pineapple

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top view of pineapple fried rice topped with shrimp

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe

Thai pineapple fried rice is an incredibly flavorful recipe that can double as a side dish or the main course! The flavor palate is a perfect balance of sweet and salty featuring crunchy cashews, pop of fresh pineapple, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, ginger, and flavorful That fried rice sauce! Enjoy it as is or top it with seared shrimp or chicken.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Thai
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 469kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked cold jasmine rice
  • 1/2-3/4 cup halved cashews
  • 2-3 tbsp peanut oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger shaved or minced
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
  • 3 green onion stalks

Sauce:

  • 4 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce use gluten free if needed
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp white pepper
  • salt to taste

Shrimp (optional)

  • 1 lb shrimp
  • 1 lime – juice only
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce use gluten free if needed
  • 2 tsbp vegetable or peanut oil
  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • pinch white pepper
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Before Cooking:

  • Prepare your ingredients first since this is a fast recipe, you will need ingredients ready on hand. So dice the vegetables, mince garlic and ginger, and measure out ingredients for the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a measuring cut and mix them well.
  • For the shrimp, peel and devein them if needed and combine with the other ingredients for the shrimp in a bowl. Mix and set aside to marinade while you cook fried rice.

Cooking Fried Rice:

  • Preheat a large wok or a large cooking pan with tall sides over medium-high heat.
  • Once the pan is hot, toast the cashew and set them aside.
  • Add some oil and cook the diced onion, carrots, and bell peppers until softened. Once cooked and softened, make a little well in the middle of the pan and add garlic and ginger. Let them sauté for a few seconds, until aromatic, and mix it in with the veggies. Take the veggies out of the pan and set aside.
  • Add a little more oil to the pan and add pineapple chunks. Let pineapple chunks sauté until golden brown.
  • Add cooked rice to the pan and add back the vegetables and cashews. Add in green onion, lower the heat, and stir everything together.
  • Give the sauce another stir to mix and pour it all over the rice and you gently stir.
  • Mix everything well and sauté for just a couple of minute. Take off heat and serve.

For the shrimp (optional):

  • Preheat a cooking pan over medium-high heat and make sure that the pan is hot first, before adding the shrimp.
  • Add the shrimp (not the liquid or the shrimp will steam instead of searing) and let them cook until that aside turns opaque, just a minute or two.
  • Flip each shrimp and let them sear on the other aide until turns opaque, another minute or so. Take the shrimp out and serve over fried rice.

Video

Notes

How To Cool Rice Quickly: What I do if I don’t have any leftover rice is cook the rice first and as soon as it is done, I take it out of the pot and spread it in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Refrigerate while you gather or prepare the rest of the ingredients. It only needs about 20 minutes to cool down when it’s spread in a thin layer.
Storing: store your leftover fried rice in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for 3-4 days. 
Reheating: you can use microwave or stove-top to reheat it, but you will just need to add some moisture. Add a splash of chicken or vegetable broth when reheating the fried rice. 

Nutrition

Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 2090mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3618IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles or tag #willcookforsmiles!

Serving Suggestions

You can keep this dish vegetarian and serve it as a side dish or make it a main dish by adding some shrimp. I’ve provided the shrimp recipe that I love to serve on top of this rice. If you want to keep it as a side, these are some great dishes it will go with: Asian Baked Chicken Thighs, Teriyaki Salmon, Mango Chicken, Sweet Garlic Grilled Chicken, Coconut Lime Chicken Drumsticks, and so much more.

More Fried Rice and Other Rice Recipes To Try

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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

5 from 1 vote

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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    Yum! This recipe makes me feel like I am on vacation!

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