Thai Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe - Choosing Chia (2024)

This colourful Thai Pineapple Fried Rice recipe is loaded with vibrantly-flavoured vegetables, pineapple and cashews. This recipe is easy to make and comes together in just 20-minutes for an irresistible dish your whole family will love!

Pineapple Fried Rice

You may be familiar with traditional Chinese Fried Rice, but if you’ve never had Thai Pineapple Fried Rice before, you are in for a treat my friend!

This Thai-inspired dish is a take on traditional Thai Fried Rice that is made vegetarian and vegan friendly. Traditionally, Thai fried rice is made with shrimp and often has fish sauce in it. For this version, we’re keeping things simple with just vegetables, pineapple and cashews.

If you wanted to make this recipe higher in protein to serve as a complete meal, you can add in some egg or crumbled tofu to scramble. (Add this in after adding the vegetables to the pan, then sauteé for 2 minutes and continue with the recipe.)

What makes Thai fried rice different?

There are a few main differences between Chinese Fried Rice and Thai Fried Rice that make them taste different. Traditionally, Thai Fried Rice is made with fish sauce, a common ingredient in most Thai cuisine. (for this vegetarian version, we use soy sauce instead of fish sauce.)

Another distinction that makes Thai Fried Rice taste different is the addition of ginger, lime juice and pineapple. This gives the fried rice that classic Thai flavour of sweet, salty, tangy and savoury.

What type of rice is best for fried rice?

Typically, fried rice is made with any long-grain white rice like basmati rice. This is because it holds its shape well and won’t become mushy when being stir-fried.

For this recipe, we’re using Jasmine rice, which is Thai long-grain rice. I’ve also tested this recipe with both long-grain and short-grain brown rice, which both come out well too.

Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients

• Jasmine rice
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Red bell pepper
• Frozen peas
• Fresh pineapple
• Soy sauce
• Dark Soy sauce
• Lime juice
• Chili flakes
• Cashews
• Green onions
• Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

How to tell if a pineapple is ripe

It’s important to use a ripe pineapple in this recipe for the best flavour and taste. There are a few key ways to tell if you have a sweet and ripe pineapple.

1. Check the colour of the skin. The more yellow it is, the riper the pineapple is. If the skin is very green, the pineapple isn’t ripe.
2. Gently squeeze the pineapple. If it’s very slightly soft, it’s ripe. If the solid, the pineapple isn’t ripe.
3. Smell the bottom of the pineapple. If it smells sweet, it’s ripe. If it has no smell, it’s not ripe.

How to cut a pineapple bowl

Start by cutting the pineapple in half, lengthwise. Be gentle when cutting the crown so the leaves stay intact. Next, take a sharp knife and make four deep vertical cuts in the pineapple, two on each end, and two on each side of the pineapple core as shown in the photo below.

Now it’s time to make horizontal cuts in the pineapple. Cut four deep horizontal cuts across the pineapple as shown in the photo below. Grab a spoon and use the spoon to gently scoop out and separate the fruit from the skin. You may need to shimmy the spoon into the pineapple to get the fruit to come out. If your knife cuts aren’t deep enough, you may also need to grab your knife again to cut slightly deeper towards the skin of the pineapple.

Repeat this process until all the fruit has been scooped out. Drain out any liquid from the pineapple and give yourself a high five, you just turned a pineapple into a bowl!

How to Make Pineapple Fried Rice

Step 1

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat, then add the onions, garlic and ginger and sauteé for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Then add the red bell pepper and peas continue to sauteé for another 2 minutes.

Step 2

Add the pineapple, rice and sauces to the pan and stir everything together. You want the rice to get slightly toasted and crispy on the bottom, let the rice sit for 1-2 minutes without stirring it.

Step 3

Add the roasted cashews and mix together. Serve right away while the Pineapple Fried Rice is hot!

Tip: adding the cashews to the rice at the last minute will ensure that you end up with crunchy cashews in your fried rice! You can add the cashews in with the rest of the ingredients in step 2, however, they will cook and absorb some of the sauce so they will be softer, rather than crunchy.

What goes with Thai pineapple fried rice?

Fried rice makes a delicious Thai side dish that can be served in so many different ways. Traditionally Thai food is served family-style, with a variety of Thai dishes to enjoy together and pass around the table. Here are some of my favourite recipes to enjoy alongside this Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

• Thai Green Curry Tofu
• Tofu Satay With Peanut Sauce
• Thai Mango Salad
• Vegan Pad Thai
• Thai Red Curry Noodles
• Pad See Ew

Storing and Reheating Pineapple Fried Rice

Store leftover Thai Pineapple Fried Rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat the rice, add it to a heated pan on the stovetop with a touch of vegetable oil and lightly sauteé until warmed through. You can also reheat the rice in a bowl in the microwave until warm.

I don’t recommend freezing fried rice, as I find it makes the rice very mushy and doesn’t taste great.

More Thai recipes to try

• Northern-Style Thai Coconut Soup
• Thai Drunken Noodles
• Thai Crunch Salad
• Thai Coconut Curry Tofu

If you tried thisThai Pineapple Fried Riceor any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along onPinterest,InstagramandFacebookfor even more deliciousness!

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