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Hawaiian pineapple fried rice with juicy pineapple chunks, spam, red bell peppers, carrots & peas. Stir fried with day old rice with a sweet & savory sauce!
This Hawaiian pineapple fried rice makes the perfect summer time meal when pineapples are in season! This dish is full of sweet, juicy pineapple chunks, colorful vegetables, and leftover cooked rice.
Add your choice of protein – chicken, shrimp, spam, or tofu. Serve it up in hollowed out pineapple bowls for a festive presentation!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Fast and easy – it’s ready in only 20 minutes!
- A perfect combination of sweet, juicy pineapples with salty ham and a savory fried rice sauce made of aloha shoyu.
- It’s a great way to use up leftover rice. It’s better to use cold pre-cooked rice since they separate easily and don’t get mushy during the stir fry.
- It’s versatile! Switch up the protein and vegetables to use what you have on hand. Easily turn this into a Thai pineapple fried rice by adding curry powder to give it its distinctive yellow color!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Pre-cooked rice – I used jasmine rice but any rice would work
- Pineapple – use fresh or canned. If using canned pineapples, buy the pineapple chunks and drain out the liquid.
- Soy sauce – I used aloha shoyu which is a milder, sweeter version of regular soy sauce.
- Vegetables – For added color, I used red bell peppers, green frozen peas, carrots, and onions.
Step by step instructions
- Scramble the eggs and set it aside. We’ll add this later to the fried rice.
- Cook your choice of protein until fully cooked through or until golden brown. You can use chicken, shrimp, spam, tofu, bacon, or even Portuguese sausage (which is common in Hawaiian cuisine). I used spam.
- Add the vegetables and stir fry them together until they start to get tender.
- Add the rice and fried rice sauce into the pan.
- Press the rice down with the flat side of your spoon or spatula to ensure each grain is coated with oil and the sauce. This is what makes a good fried rice.
- Next, add the egg, protein, and pineapples into the pan and toss it to combine.
- Finally, add the frozen peas and stir fry it together for one more minute.
- Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
- (Optional) Serve the pineapple fried rice in a hollowed out pineapple bowl.
Ingredient substitutions & variations
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice Variation
Easily turn this into a Thai style pineapple fried rice! The curry powder gives it the rice its signature yellow color.
- Add 2 teaspoons (or more to taste) of curry powder, 1/4 cup of raisins, and 1/4 cup of cashews
- use fish sauce instead of soy sauce
- Add cilantro leaves and fresh lime juice
Ingredient Substitutions
- substitute frozen mix of corn, peas, and carrots for the vegetables
- substitute teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce and oyster sauce
- Use any protein – chicken, shrimp, spam, ham, bacon, Portuguese sausage, pork, etc
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container and keep it frozen for up to 1 month. This makes a great make ahead meal.
What to serve with pineapple fried rice?
- Asian sesame broccoli salad
- Crunchy Asian cucumber salad
- Chinese style green beans
- Vegetarian summer rolls
- Watermelon balls with lime and mint syrup
More pineapple recipes:
More fried rice recipes:
Hawaiian Pineapple Fried Rice
Hawaiian pineapple fried rice with juicy pineapple chunks, spam, red bell peppers, carrots & peas. Stir fried with day old rice with a sweet & savory sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ Tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 cups pineapple chunks, – fresh or canned
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice, – use leftover cold rice for best results
- 6 oz choice of protein – chicken, shrimp, ham, tofu, – cut into bite sized pieces; about ¾ cup
- 2 large eggs , – beaten
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced onions
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 stalks scallions, – chopped
- 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds, – for garnish
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons aloha shoyu, – can substitute soy sauce (see Note 1)
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic , – minced
Instructions
- This recipe will cook fast so prepare the vegetables ahead of time. If you're using canned pineapple, be sure to drain out the liquid. Then, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over medium high heat and a teaspoon of the oil. Add the beaten eggs and scramble them. Then remove them from the pan and set it aside.
- Add another teaspoon of the cooking oil to the pan and add your choice of protein (spam, chicken, shrimp, tofu). When the protein is fully cooked, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
- Add the rest of the cooking oil to the pan and add the red bell peppers, onions, and carrots. Stir fry them together for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Next, add the cold pre-cooked rice and the sauce. Make sure to break apart any clumps of rice by pressing down with the flat side of your spatula or spoon. It's important to coat each grain of rice with the oil and sauce. Add in a teaspoon more oil if you find your rice is sticking together.
- Once your rice is fully separated and coated with the sauce, add the eggs, protein, and pineapple back into the pan. Toss everything together for 1 minute.
- Lastly add the frozen peas and toss it together until the peas turn bright green.
- Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds on top. Optional: serve it in pineapple bowls.
Notes
- Aloha shoyu is a slightly sweet, mild soy sauce without the acidity of regular soy sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 546kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 123mg, Sodium: 897mg, Potassium: 526mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 3510IU, Vitamin C: 38mg, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Looks amazing! Is there anything that can be substituted for the oyster sauce that isn’t fishy/seafood?
Thanks Kristina! You can try hoisin sauce or a stir fry sauce as a substitute. Oyster sauce is sweet and savory so anything that mirrors that would be fine. Hope that helps!
I saw I prematurely asked this question, as you already said in the article that you could use teriyaki sauce. Sorry about that. I did go with the teriyaki sauce, and it was delicious! Thank you!
We made this for dinner last night, and served with your crunchy cucumber salad. The best combination! We like things spicy, so we added a little extra chilli… and oh wow – the flavour is sensational! I highly recommend the combination of dishes, too!
We tried your pineapple chicken the other night, and had to try this next (we are huge pineapple fans!)
This is tasty- easy to prepare, and looks vibrant! We used a combination of chicken and bacon and soy sauce as we didn’t have the other sauce. Thanks!
Thank you Brianna! I’m a huge pineapple fan too! Pineapple bacon fried rice sounds fantastic!
Okay, so this is just delicious. Love the colours and that it is loaded with so many yummy things. I can’t wait to make it!
Made this for lunch with canned pineapple and it was so yummy! I’m going to start adding pineapple to all my fried rice.
Wow this looks so tasty and easy to make, perfect for summer! I have a fresh pineapple ripening on the counter and will make this fried rice when it’s ready! Saving!
Tasted better than any Chinese fried rice takeout we’ve gotten! We left in the large chunks of pineapple instead of cutting them small and we loved it!
I had some pineapple I needed to use, and was so excited to come across this recipe. My Mum is a huge fried rice fan, so I knew straight away this was the recipe to try. Delicious – Loved serving it in the pineapple too, it made it look superb!
Wow this pineapple fried rice was so delicious! It is just like the one we have at Thai restaurants. I can’t wait to make this recipe again!