Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai-style sweet and spicy pineapple fried rice with scrambled eggs and cashews. This is a healthy and quick weeknight dinner! So much better than take-out.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
I haven’t done any real cooking in our Austin kitchen yet, but this homemade Thai pineapple dish is looking pretty tempting after all the tacos I ate yesterday! I’m determined to eat all the tacos in Austin.
Back to Thai food. This pineapple fried rice recipe was inspired by a meal at Sweet Basil in Norman, Oklahoma over the holidays. I really loved the combination of sweet, caramelized pineapple with Thai spices.
I can’t claim that my version is traditional, but it does taste very close to my memories of that dish. I used some leftover bell pepper instead of tomato and thought it was pretty great that way.
The cooking method for this fried rice is a riff on my spicy kale and coconut fried rice. If you’re a fan of that recipe, I think you’ll love this one, too, as well as my veggie fried rice and the coconut fried rice in my cookbook. Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments!
Before you get started
A couple of quick notes:
- This meal comes together very quickly, so make sure your ingredients are ready to go before you get started.
- Chilled leftover rice works best in stir fries because it doesn’t clump together, so cook the rice in advance if time allows (see recipe notes).
How to Make Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai-style sweet and spicy pineapple fried rice with red bell pepper, cashews and cilantro. This is a healthy and quick, vegetarian weeknight dinner! This dish comes together very quickly, so be sure to have your ingredients (including chilled leftover rice) prepped in advance. Recipe yields 2 large, restaurant-sized portions or 4 more modest portions.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or quality vegetable oil, divided
- 2 eggs, beaten with a dash of salt
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh pineapple
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- ¾ cup chopped green onions (about ½ bunch)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ cup chopped raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice*, preferably long-grain brown jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or sriracha
- 1 small lime, halved
- Salt, to taste
- Handful of fresh cilantro leaves, torn into little pieces, for garnishing
Instructions
- Heat a large wok, cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and place an empty serving bowl nearby. Once the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact, add 1 teaspoon oil. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are scrambled and lightly set, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to the empty bowl. Wipe out the pan if necessary with a paper towel (be careful, it’s hot!).
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the pineapple and red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has evaporated and the pineapple is caramelized on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the green onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Pour in the cashews and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the rice is hot, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pan and stir to combine, breaking up the scrambled eggs with your spoon. Cook until the contents are warmed through, then remove the pan from heat. Add the tamari and chili garlic sauce, to taste. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the dish and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
- Slice the remaining ½ lime into 4 wedges. Transfer the stir-fry to individual serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a lime wedge and a light sprinkle of cilantro. Serve with bottles of tamari and chili garlic sauce or sriracha on the side, for those who might want to add more to their bowls.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my spicy kale and coconut fried rice.
*Rice notes: For 2 cups cooked rice, you’ll need to cook up about ⅔ cup dry rice. To cook the rice, rinse it well in a fine mesh colander, then bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rice and let it boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Drain off the remaining cooking water, then return the rice to the pot. Cover the pot and let the rice steam, off the heat, for 10 minutes. To chill the rice ASAP, spread it across a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet and let it cool in the refrigerator.
MAKE IT VEGAN/EGG FREE: Skip the eggs by heating the pan and then start cooking with step 2. This fried rice would be great with crispy baked tofu, which you could toss in during step 4.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Make sure to use a certified gluten-free soy sauce (tamari is usually gluten free, but check to be sure).
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: The dish tastes great the next day, whether reheated or served at room temperature.
If you love this recipe: Be sure to check out my other Thai-inspired recipes here!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Great recipe! Super quick and easy meal that I’ll definitely be making more than once. The lime is a good touch, not overpowering but compliments the pineapple quite nicely. 5/5 stars from me :)
Thanks, Chloe! I like that hint of citrus, too. :)
I’m so glad I found your blog (by googling “meatless meals”)! I can’t wait to try out some of these recipes for my family. :) This looks so yummy.
I hope you do, McKenzie!
This is such a fresh version of a fried rice. Bursting with flavours! Will definitely make it again. My daughter said it was “a bomb!”
So happy everyone enjoyed this, Janet!
Hi.
Do you have the calorie counts for your recipes? I love the thai-pineapple-fried-rice and curious about that particular one and some others you have. Unfortunately I’m little and have to count calories.
All look delish!
Thanks!
Hi, Kim! Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
I ❤️ this dish.
I made the following changes:
I started with some sautéed onions & a Thai chili pepper.
I omitted the egg & served with crunchy fried tofu!
I can’t wait for lunch today!!
Thank-you for sharing this amazing recipe!
That sounds delicious, Lindsay. Thanks so much for commenting!
Yum, thank you. This made a lovely dinner tonight that the whole family enjoyed!
Wonderful! Thanks, Leah. :)
I have a nut allergy, will this still be good with out the cashews?
Sure! You will lose some of the protein and crunch, but it will still work well without them.
I don’t know why I’m hesitant to make some of your recipes at times….but, like all of your others, this is absolutely delicious!!! I had a hard thinking of pineapple and cashews in fried rice but I figured I’d give it ago since I had so much pineapple in the fridge! The sweetness of the pineapple and the crunch of the cashews are perfect together! The husband loved it too- always a bonus :)
Oh, I’m so glad you tried it, Tricia! I love the sweet and salty combination of the two.
This was amazing! It came together really quickly and had the perfect balance of flavours and textures. I love how the juicy, caramelized pineapple blends with the sriracha and soy. Kate, your recipes are so detailed and easy to make. My only complaint is that I didn’t stumble upon your site sooner – I can tell that I’m going to be making a lot of your recipes over the coming weeks and that I’m going to find a lot of favourites to put in my rotation.
This is all so kind of you, Sarah, thank you! I’m so happy you found my blog.
This was delicious! I omitted the eggs, and I added a caramelized onion, baby spinache, and edamame for more veggies. So flavorful!
Yum! Sounds delicious.
This was not good.. no taste, didn’t like the tofu,hmm…
Sorry this was disappointing for you, Lisa.
Thanks for answering. To be fair I didn’t give a review on a recipe I loved- the pho soup! Was amazing.
And when I had the leftovers of this pineapple rice I first sautéed spinach and added it with the liquids and it tasted a lot better.
I will try more recipes!
Absolutely loved this!
Great! Thanks, Jillian.
Dear Kate,
This recipe is awesome! I made it few weeks ago and it was great and fill of flavour! This week I tried it again and I was not luck in buying a good pineapple. Plus, sometimes they are not available in the supermarkes. Fruits in Germany suck most of the time… In this aspect I miss Brazil so much! =/
So, I was wondering: do you think this recipe could work with canned pineapples?
One more time, thank you very much to bring and share delicious recipes. I can always trust that, if I follow the recipe, it will turn into something delicious!
You’re one of the responsibles to bring me much more to the vegetarian side. Thanks to your delicious recipes I drastically decreased my meat consumption!
Thanks, my dear Kate! :)
I think canned pineapples would be just fine, Graciely! Look out for ones with a ton of added sugar, though. Other than that, it should turn out well!
This dish is packed with flavor! So delicious and hearty – sure to win over the heart of vegetarians and meat-lovers alike :-D
Thank you, Tara!
This was so good! My family and I are going meatless 1 day a week and I’m so glad we found the delicious recipe!
I made this recipe, it was delicious. My hubby dislikes brown rice so I used white, but don’t recommend it since it is so sticky. The flavor of all the ingredients were awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Great! Thank you, Anna.
Another phenomenal recipe from Cookie & Kate! Can barely wait to get it out of the pan before I start devouring it!
I hope you loved it, Sarah!
Made this dish tonight, the texture & taste were great! My husband thought it was the best rice that he has eaten!
Perfect! Thanks, Zona. I’m so glad the two of you enjoyed it.
Loved this! It’s the perfect base for creating variations using your favorite vegetables, fruits, and even meat (for the non vegetarians). Thank you!
You’re welcome! This is a great whatever-you-have-on-hand type of meal!
So delish! I shared this with so many people at my work. Thanks!
Thanks, Nicki! And thank you for sharing it, too!
I totally ate this up, but I did need to add more sriracha and soy sauce. I feel like maybe adding some dry spices could give it more flavor instead of having to resort to sauces.
I say go for it! Let me know which spices you add.
Just made this – love it! Was so good.
What a delicious dish!! My mom surprised my boyfriend and with this when we moved to Edmonton from Toronto. I can’t have gluten or dairy and I’m vegetarian, and my boyfriend is vegan, so finding your blog has become an invaluable resource to our family! Trying your green Thai curry recipe tonight and I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thanks so much!!
Kate,
We love this recipe! I made it for dinner last night and it was a big hit. My husband and sons enjoy Thai food, so I knew this would be a good recipe to try. Thank you for sharing it. I will be trying out some of your other recipes, too, and keeping your website in my favorites.
MB
I enjoy hearing recipes are a hit for the whole family! Thank you, Marybeth!
This recipe has become a staple in our home — we absolutely love it exactly as it is. It’s a great option for Meatless Mondays; it always leaves us feeling satisfied!
Meatless Mondays! The vegetarian in me loves this campaign :) I love that this is now a staple for you. Thanks so much for sharing, Anna!
Just made this, sooo good! I added about 1 cup of snow peas for some extra green and crunch. Thanks Kate!
Sounds like a great addition! Thanks for sharing, Kaite, and for your review :)
Yum!!!
I made this and it was a hit with both my husband and me!! I made the recipe as it, but added in some tofu that I made in the Actifry with sesame oil.
This one’s definitely going in the rotation!
Win! Thank you for your comment and review, Sarah.
Good recipe – added fresh ginger, used small dice 1/2 Vidalia onion instead of going to store for green onion, and added a couple drops of fish sauce since I had it on hand. Used brown rice too. Doubled recipe. Everyone liked it. No leftovers.
No leftovers?! That’s great! Happy it was a hit, Mary. Thank you for your review and comment.
Quick and easy to prepare, and delicious!!!
Thank you, Selma!
Can you sub cashews for almonds or walnuts or pumpkin seeds? I have everything else recipe calls for except cashews
You can leave them out if you would like. Otherwise, I would recommend adding chopped almonds instead if you still want the crunch and additional protein.
Oh my this recipe is crazy good!! Thank you so
Much!
You’re very welcome, Cheryl!
This is the third recipe we made from your blog this week. Three for three- delicious!!!!
Third?! Well, thanks so much for the support! I’m glad you have been happy with them.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe!!! I have made it time and time again. I had friends from Philadelphia visit last week. They prefer vegetarian meals, so I pulled this recipe out. It was a hit with them. They are now hooked on your site as well.
Love to hear that, Kathy! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
This is the best fried rice I’ve ever made! It’s so flavorful and simple. I used sesame oil and added some snap peas I had on hand. Thank you for all your easy, healthy and delicious recipes!
My brother is allergic to nuts and soy. I am going to skip the nuts in this but what do you think I could use to replace the soy sauce? Would Worcestershire sauce work?
Coconut aminos can be a good soy-sauce substitute as well. Also rich in omegas!
Thanks Kate for this yummy inspiration! I just made this for lunch and substituted quinoa for the rice and mango for the pineapple. It was really good, easy and quick!
Thanks!!
You’re very welcome, Laura!
I love pineapple fried rice. I was so excited about making this, you have no idea. We just had it for lunch and we all agreed that it was missing something. There was hardly any actual rice in the dish, most of it consisted of pineapple and pepper chunks. Then there was the rice itself. It really lacked in flavor. And I even substituted toasted sesame oil for half the coconut oil. I followed the recipe EXACTLY, and once we had tried it, I added more soy sauce and sriracha to my bowl. This improved it, but it still needs something, as it is really lacking in flavor. The texture isn’t the best either, as it’s mostly vegetables with some rice added in.
I understand that this is a vegetarian recipe, but that doesn’t mean it should be a dish consisting of mostly vegetables, especially if this is meant to be eaten as a main dish. It’s more like “thai brown rice fried pineapple chunks.”
Overall, the flavor was OK, and I may make this again, with some serious changes. I made it in less than 20 minutes and I like that it’s made of “real” ingredients, not processed junk.
I’m sorry you were disappointed. If you prefer more rice, you can always adjust the ratio.
Made and loved! I couldn’t find cilantro and added some chicken for my carnivor fiancé. Definitely will keep making this recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping to comment and review.
I had a ripe pineapple and looked for a recipe. As I also had some minced lamb and mangetout I added those to the dish (mangetout with the red peppers and the meat before the cashews.)
Turned out amazing.
Wonderful!
Everyone assumes cause I look asian I can make fried rice but it has failed every time either being flavorless or only really tasting like soy sauce – this recipe is great! Worked out better than anything ive tried before and ill definitely be trying it again! I only had half a bell pepper so added about 2/3 of an onion and 2/3 cup frozen mixed vegies. Also I added chicken frying it first, followed by the egg making them in the same step. Soaking chicken in 1 egg white for 3-5 min keeps the chicken from getting dry. Scrambled remaining egg ontop once chicken had turned color. Success!!!! Definitely took around 40 min instead of 25 but well worth the wait
Great! Thank you, Jacqueline for sharing and for your review. I appreciate it!
Delicious!! thank you!
You’re welcome!
I came across this recipe looking for tofu recipes, and then got so excited when you mentioned Sweet Basil! I went to college at OU in Norman, and THIS was the dish I got there! Needless to say, I’ll be making it soon!
Great! Let me know what you think, Carley.
I prepared Thai Pineapple Fried Rice at our cabin and it was a huge hit!
I stumbled upon your recipe on Pinterest, fell in love with your blog and checked your cookbook out from the library last night. There were so many good recipes to try I ordered my very own copy this morning.
Fantastic, Sandy! Thanks so much for your review and support. :)
Hi Kate
I love this recipe and wondering if I can freeze portions for other days / nights during the week. Guessing the cashews need to be added during the cooking process each time.
Hi Natalie! I don’t freeze all my recipes, but you could look through comments to see if other readers have had success. And yes, if you do I would not add the cashews. Thanks so much for your review!
HI Natalie, I have frozen this in 1 cup portions, it freezes well, freeze in zip-lock baggies & take out any air. Tastes just as good re-heated
Thanks for sharing- I’m living in a multigenerational home this summer—a pregnant mom, two little boys, a vegetarian son and two old people (my husband and me) and one with heart disease—aargh! Always looking for something easy, healthy and delicious to cook that suits most of the crowd—your recipes look spot on and I, heading to the farmers market now:)
I hope this recipe and the blog are a good resource for you!
Super easy & delicious!
Great! Thanks for your review, Rod.
I loved this and it was a big hit with my family. Because I didn’t use eggs, I added some chopped roasted and salted macadamia nuts and dried coconut flakes. This recipe was a big hit. Looking forward to trying more of yours!
I’m happy it was a hit, Kim! Thanks for sharing your version. I appreciate the review.
Love it!
Thank you, Calvi!
I’ve made this recipe 5 times now and love it, even though there are so many dishes to wash afterward. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Just made this because I had a pineapple I needed to use and a broke college student always has rice on hand. It was absolutely incredible.
I used frozen yellow and red peppers and it still worked perfectly. Also I mixed soy sauce into the eggs and then poured it over the rice to scramble it in the pan (SUPER GOOD).
I was thinking ginger might be a good addition too!
Love it! Thanks, Anna for sharing and for your review.
Hey Kate….How did you know? All my secret favorite ingredients in one recipe. I use pineapple, cashews, and/or ginger to electrify so many recipes. Thank you for this great recipe idea.
In the future, consider adding whole black mustard seeds in step one.
Great minds! Thanks for sharing. :)
Loved this. I think it could also be made with rice noodles. Very easy too.
Thanks for sharing, Leslie!