Juicy pineapple chunks are stir-fried with crispy rice, edamame and fresh basil in this peanut-topped pineapple fried rice! Better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight!
A while back I developed a little inflammation in my right hand which kept me in splint of for a few weeks. I’d wake up in the morning with my hand clenched up, and my middle finger wouldn’t unclench without a good deal of coaxing and pain. I found out from my dad that this is genetic. I found out from the internet that a splint holding the afflicted finger in an extended position was the fix.
Well I’m glad to say that my hand is feeling better, but the splint caused all kinds of problems when it came to planning my blog posts. I keep a little notebook on hand where I scribble down blog ideas when they pop into my head, which is frequently and can happen anytime, anywhere. I can’t read a single thing I wrote while I was wearing that splint.
Does this say “pineapple fried rice”? I have no idea, but that sounds delicious, and I could use a little pineapple anti-inflammatory action to help this hand issue along. Done.
So that’s how we ended up here, at pineapple fried rice. The basil and peanuts made their way in there just because they’re delicious, and they go great with pineapple, so why not? The best part: like many fried rice dishes, this comes together in under 30 minutes, which leaves plenty of time for me to puzzle through my incomprehensible dinner scribbles.
How to Make Pineapple Fried Rice
The first thing you’ll need to do is cook your pineapple. Pineapple needs a little bit more time to cook at a lower temperature than everything else, which is why we’ll be cooking it separately.
Coat the bottom of a large skillet with some high-heat oil and place it over medium heat. Add the pineapple and cook it for a few minutes on each side, until the pieces start to brown and soften up. Take it out of the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
Add some more oil and your aromatics: garlic, ginger and the white parts of some scallions. Cook them for just a minute, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
Now it’s time to crank the heat. Add your bell pepper and stir-fry it for a minute. It’ll just barely soften up in that time. Next, add your rice, soy sauce, and if you like, some sriracha.
Keep the heat turned up and stir-fry everything for a few minutes, until the rice starts to dry out and get crispy. This should take five minutes or so.
Add your cooked pineapple and edamame to the skillet. Cook everything for just about a minute more, to heat up the edamame.
Take your skillet off of the heat and add the green parts of your scallions, some basil and chopped peanuts.
Dig in!
FAQ & Pineapple Fried Rice Tips
- Fried rice works best with leftover rice that’s 1 to 2 days old. Rice that’s been in the fridge for a day or two has had some time to dry out, so it crisps up better than freshly cooked rice.
- I like to plan ahead any time I’m making rice for another dish and make some extra for frying later in the week.
- Is this recipe gluten-free? It is if you use gluten-free tamari.
- For some extra protein, add some pan-fried tofu to your fried rice.
- Leftover fried rice will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days (depending on how old your rice was to start with).
Need some more guidance on how to make this pineapple fried rice? Check out my video!
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Pineapple Fried Rice
Juicy pineapple chunks are stir-fried with crispy rice, edamame and fresh basil in this peanut-topped pineapple fried rice! Better than takeout and easy enough for a weeknight!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, or high-heat oil of choice, divided
- 2 cups diced pineapple (1-inch pieces, about 1/2 of a pineapple)
- 4 scallions, white and green parts separated and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cups cooked rice, preferably 1-2 days old and chilled
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, or to taste (optional)
- 1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
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Place a large skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
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When the oil is hot, add the pineapple in an even layer.
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Cook the pineapple for about 3 minutes, until the pieces begin to soften up and brown on the bottoms, flip and cook for about 3 minutes more.
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Remove the pineapple from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
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Add the remaining oil to the skillet.
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Give the oil a minute to heat up, and then add white parts of scallions, garlic and ginger.
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Sauté about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Raise the heat to high. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry it for about 1 minute.
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Add the rice, soy sauce and sriracha (if using) to the skillet. Continue to stir-fry everything for 4 to 5 minutes, until the rice begins to dry out and crisp up in spots.
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Return the pineapple to the skillet and add the edamame. Flip everything a few times to mix the ingredients.
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Cook everything for about 1 minute more, just to heat up the edamame.
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Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the green parts of scallions, basil and peanuts.
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Divide onto plates and serve.
Oh my goodness, this sounds incredible and looks even better! It looks very similar to the Khao Pad served at my favourite restaurant, which comes with a little wedge of lime and crushed peanuts – I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. I’ll definitely give this a go next week. I hope your hand feels better soon!
Poppy | http://poppyallanorma.com
Boo-hiss, it’s so disappointing when our bodies do janky-wierd things. Kudos to you for a little food healing! I have never tried pineapple and basil together, but you have sold me!
This looks really. Could the rice be replaced with qunoa
Thanks Linda! You might have to tweak the recipe a bit, but I think quinoa would work. I have a quinoa fried rice recipe here that might be useful for guidance. Good luck!
That’s an interesting combination of ingredients. Something I wouldn’t have tried before, but I am certainly tempted now. Especially edamame and pineapple. I like them separately, but together – interesting thought :) Thanks for sharing.
It really was a nice combination – my husband and I LOVED it! Hope you do too!
I’ m your friend from FBC. This looks delicious and I am glad that you are able to make this inspite if your painful hand ..
This is wonderful, great recipe! When I was in Vietnam I loved eating pineapple fried rice in a little place where they used half a pineapple as a bowl – maybe if I’m patient one day I’ll try that. :) Thanks for the recipe!
Fantastic rice dish. Very tasty and tongue watery to eat.
Awesome! Glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Made this last night for the hubs and I. Absolutely delicious! Enjoyed every bite, and will be enjoying again tonight as leftovers. This will definitely become a staple in my dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Robyn!
All that pineapple…………… heaven…………..
Can you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
I’m sure it would cook just fine with olive oil, but you might get a little bit of olive flavor in there.
I love thai food. I made this recipe and it is verey delicious, easy and fun making. I have used sticky rice, basmati rice, brown rice and qunoa. Any grain you use it is always delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Why would people would write comments without making the recipe? That does not help.
What accompaniment would you suggest just incase we need one.. although this alone is backed by full of flavour but just incase. Thanks
If you want to round out the meal some pan fried or smoked tofu would be nice. :)
Was really good, I’m gonna do it again:)
I’m glad you like it!
Delicious! I added some extra vegetables but I’m sure it would have been very good without them, too. Hanifia
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
This looks delicious! Gotta try this!
I just made this, but I sauteed 1 package of Trader Joe’s Super Firm Tofu (pressed & crumbled) along with the pineapple. Also, instead of the regular rice, I used 2 packages TJs frozen organic cauliflower rice. Delicious!
Sounds like a wonderful meal, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Brenda!!
Made this last Tuesday for the family, they all loved it. EVERYONE.
Making it again tonight.
Thank you for sharing this. It is going into our regular rotation.
Very welcome! I’m so glad it’s a hit!
Came out terrific!!
I’m glad to hear it!
Full of flavour and tastes way better that take out too!
Yay! Glad you think so!