Pineapple Fried Rice is sweet and savory and a great way to use leftover rice and frozen vegetables. Add bacon on top for a crunchy finish!
Just because we stuffed all this goodness into a pineapple for the photo, this meal is not a bit stuffy. Fried rice is a weeknight go-to for us and this version fits right into the we-have-20-minutes-and-everyone-is-starving niche.
Frozen vegetables, leftover rice and canned pineapple make it fast (though fresh pineapple works too). Because the bacon and pineapple give the dish so much flavor, there’s barely a need for much more than a splash of soy sauce (or Tamari for gluten-free) to bring it all together.
Frank mentioned pineapple fried rice a few weeks ago early in the morning (which was when we often ate fried rice when we lived in Thailand). Try it for breakfast sometime – it’s shockingly satisfying! Once we started talking about it, neither of us could believe that we didn’t already have a pineapple fried rice recipe on the blog.
How to Make A Pineapple “Bowl”
In Thailand, serving pineapple fried rice inside a pineapple “bowl” is a bit cutesy but also quite practical. Pineapple shells are everywhere because pineapples are in glorious abundance. Sliced pineapple is served from fruit carts on nearly every street in Bangkok (evidence below). When I lived there, I would buy a bag of slices and eat it on my walk to work.
But making a pineapple bowl is actually quite easy. Slice the pineapple in half.
Then scoop out the flesh inside. Discard the tough core that runs down the center, but save everything else. I use a sturdy ice cream scoop for this part.
If you’re making these pineapple bowls, you’ll need about half of that pineapple to stir into the fried rice. The rest can be set aside for snacking. 😉
Pineapple rice in a pineapple bowl. Almost like being back in Thailand!
- 4 strips Bacon, chopped
- 2 cups Frozen Vegetables (I use diced carrots and peas)
- 3 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 4 cups Cooked Rice, White or Brown (see note)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (use Tamari for gluten-free)
- 1½ cup Diced Pineapple (fresh or drained and rinsed if using canned)
- ½ cup Cashews
- Chopped green onions or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
- Place a wok over medium heat. Add chopped back and cook until bacon is crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain off all but about 1 Tbsp of the bacon grease and return pan to heat.
- To heated pan add frozen vegetables (no need to defrost them first, but be careful - they will splatter in the hot oil!). Saute until the vegetables are warmed through, 2 minutes.
- Add garlic, cooked rice and soy sauce. Stir to combine everything. Let the rice sit, without stirring, for about 2 minutes to let the rice get a little brown and crisp on the bottom.
- Stir in the pineapple and cashews just until everything is hot.
- Taste the fried rice and add a pinch of salt if needed or some hot sauce if you'd like it spicy.
- Divide between serving bowls and top with crisp bacon and some green onions or cilantro.
We’re still recovering from the Halloween bonanza over here. Molly and Clara have requested to wear their costumes every day since Tuesday.
this turned out to be super delicious…i tried this and my hubby loves it a lot…Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love fried rice, and this version just plain out sounds so delicious! so creative carving out the pineapple to serve this rice in..bravo!!
Thanks so much Albert! This is always so fun to make and extra fun to photograph!
Delicious! I added some extra vegetables but I’m sure it would have been very good without them, too. Hanifia