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.
Made it this evening. Excellent. Added diced chicken and a little more sriracha for extra heat. Made 3X. There was enough for four so we, 2 of us, have lots left.
thanks
Hello! What if I want to add in fish sauce? Just curious, because most Thai food has it. What would you do with it? Thanks!
Hi, I don’t use fish sauce so I can’t speak to that, sorry!
I love this recipe and make it frequently when I have people over. My mom, my dad and my best friend all love it and have started making it regularly themselves. (My mom mostly makes me do it when I visit her, though). Thank you for providing a staple dish to my and three other people’s mental cookbook!
I like adding both bell pepper and tomatoes (tomatoes only at the very end), a large can of pineapple chunks (fresh is unaffordable here), some ginger, and some spices I feel like when roasting the cashews. And I tend to make way more than I think I need because people ALWAYS want a full second serving :) I never get the leftovers for lunch I hope for… Thanks again!
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to review, Siem.
I cannot even begin to say how much we lovvvvvvvvve this recipe. I’ve always enjoyed fried rice but not that it’s a couple veggies and lots of rice. This is fried rice the right way. My husband likes meat usually and he doesn’t miss it with this! For the win! The sweet thai chili sauce for us is perfect. And this is an easy recipe to prep beforehand or make ahead of time. We (my husband and I) always make it 2x because we like it so much. We also hve shared it with multiple friends who also have added it into their meal rotation. And we like it because it’s vegetarian and dairy free
Sometimes I will add a grated zucchini. I love pineapple so I add extra into the meal (cooked) and I usually will add fresh, cold pineapple ontop when eating. YUMMMM
Wonderful, Liza! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
i made this and it was great but i just threw it all together.. and cooked it.. the rice of course was cooked.. already
Super yummy and easy! Made with drained canned pineapple. Kids enjoyed it!
Does this go well with thai fish curry (red)?
Hi! I’m not sure, sorry.
I’ve lived in Thailand over 25 years. No one in Thailand would use red bell peppers; the common ingredient is tomatoes. Also, no Thai cook would first make a Thai omelette; it is made in the wok with one egg added. Cashews are also not used in real Thai fried rice; it is a “farang” food. Also, the pineapple is not cooked so much and its water adds a delightful taste to the rice. This is a recipe for foreigners.
Thank you so much for sharing your notes. I’ve only been to Thailand once. I would love to model this dish off of a local Thai restruant dish I really enjoy, my next opportunity to visit Thailand. You are correct that it is an interpretation of a Thai dish and will revisit the recipe so that it says so.
This recipe looks yummy, but we are allergic to nuts and pumpkin seeds. Any suggestions to sub for the cashews?
Hi! You could omit if you like.
This is delish! Tried it as written – why change what’s not broken? Might add shrimp next time. Thank you!
Come home soon – Kansas City misses you.
Susan from Lawrence
I made this for dinner tonight and it was positively amazing! My husband, who is a very light eater, even had a second helping. I’m trying to prove to him that a vegetarian diet is not bland and and tasteless and this went a very long way in drive home my point!!! Definitely going on the faves list! Thanks so much for putting it out there.
I’m happy to hear he went back for more and this has made your favorites list!
This was an amazing recipe!!! Added soybeans and carrots to make into a main dish! My kids and I LOVED it! Thank you for sharing with us!!!
Great to hear, Mika! I appreciate your review.
This is an awesome recipe to add to your repertoire. My husband and I love Thai food, specifically Thai curries. I served the fried rice with red curry chicken, and the sweet flavors of the pineapple paired really well with the heat of the red curry. Would definitely recommend!
Turned out so great! I doubled it, added chicken, and added some leftover frozen peas and carrots. I read the sriracha amount wrong and did 3 T– if you like it spicy, I honestly really liked it! Great recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Emily!
This is one of my favorite recipes. Ever since I’ve made it I’ve made it so much. It’s also so versatile so you can add or substitute as much as you want. I’ve added chicken, carrots, onion and many more spices and of course extra garlic and it’s so delicious every time.
I’m glad you enjoy it, Han! Thank you for your review.
So delicious! With winter over I had some vacuum sealed chashu pork belly and thought this would be an amazing combo! I didn’t have coconut oil so I swapped in some ghee and it turned out amazing! Will definitely make again.
Made this for the family and everyone loved it! Combination of flavors is fantastic. I added chicken (marinated in sesame ginger), cooked before the veggies. Next time I would take the suggestion to add edamame and pea pods since my kids like these better than bell peppers. Also agree that it would be better to use day old rice. Thanks for this great recipe!
You’re welcome, Julie! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Yum! This dish turned out so good. I added a little roasted sesame oil at the end and the lime squeeze rounded the whole flavor profile (not to get too foody on ya.) I served with BBQ Korean Pork Tenderloin and a cool cucumber salad.
Delicious!
Would this be yummy with leftover coconut rice? It seems like all these flavors would go well with it!
Hi, I haven’t tried it. But, that could be interesting! Let me know if you try it.
Hey ya, I actually threw in chopped boneless skinless chicken thighs and increased the eggs to 4. This recipe is my wife’s favorite rice dish.
Made this for my family and they all loved it! Delicious!
Great recipe, thanks! Really easy too. Can’t wait to make it again!
Loved this recipe. I didn’t have any chili sauce so I took a Thai chili pepper from my garden and chopped it up in there. And I used tofu instead of egg. Delish!
I’m glad you loved it, Patricia.
This was excellent! We will be adding this to our rotation!
That’s great, Leah!
This recipe is super delicious. It’s one that I will make regularly. I make it vegan and added scrambled tofu made with turmeric and black salt to give it and eggy look and taste. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this, Kate! I am at the beach for the week with my family. I doubled the recipe to feed everyone and got rave reviews from the toddlers to the grandparents. It’s a great meal that will satisfy a lot of people and comes together quickly!
That’s great, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
Wow- another perfect Cookie and Kate Recipe!! This was so, so good, way less greasy than restaurant Thai food, easy to make and great for using up leftover farmshare veggies.
I just want you to know that I really love this recipe. I have already made it lots of times. I make half just for me because I live alone, & find it really hard to save half of that for the next night’s dinner. It’s just too good.
I’m glad you love it, Jan! Thank you for sharing.
I made this for the 2nd time tonight & it’s incredible! It’s delicious and pretty quick to get on the table for supper. My husband orders this for take out whenever we do Thai, and THIS version that you came up with is his favorite! Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, Erika!
Thanks Kate for this really fun and cool recipe! I added fresh Thai basil and Thai chilies I had growing in the garden instead of the cilantro/ chili sauce and liked how it came out. In case any one else wants to try. Love your healthy vegetarian recipes, inspiring as always!
You’re welcome! I’m happy you enjoy it.
Your timing is spot on! I literally just posted a question to Kate about subbing Thai basil for the cilantro and adding fresh peppers that are growing in my garden. When I scrolled down to see her response yours is just immediately before mine. Glad to hear your positive review!
This looks tremendous! I am eager to try it out. I am one of “those” people who can not tolerate cilantro. Since this is a Thai recipe, what would you think about my substituting some Thai Basil that grows in my garden? I also tend to like things a little on the spicy side. I have multiple peppers growing and thought I’d throw a couple of those diced up as well (in addition to the Sriracha sauce).
Hi! Sure, that sounds like a great idea. I hope you love it!
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times (just discovered it about two months ago) and have switched up the veggies each time, just using what I had on hand and man oh man, it has been delicious every single time!
Our family just recently switched over to a vegetarian diet (aside from one of my kiddos who just cannot give up chicken nuggets, lol) and this recipe is a staple in our house now. We absolutely love it.
THANK YOU for sharing your genius with us Kate! I will be looking over your other recipes because I’m sure there’s much more to love!
Best wishes and yummy dishes!
Jen
I love that you are making this one more than once already! Thank you for sharing, Jen.
The dish was delicious for our meat less Monday. This will be a repeat.
Super delicious and simple… sautéed some spicy shrimp marinated in Thai sweet chili sauce and added to rice.. absolutely delicious whole family loved! Sprinkled in some Gochugaru at the end!
Great to hear, Annmaire! I appreciate your review.
Top notch recipe, no complaints here in this house, side of steamed dimmies, beautiful
Thank you, Bookers!
Outstanding. Was loved by all ages 3 and up in my household. We added. Dash of salt at the end and a little extra Tamari. We left out the chile and It was still excellent.
This was amazing. You’re recipes never fail. Since you said you made yours with bbq chicken, I swapped that and made a quick batch of bbq cauliflower wings. It was a perfect cold weeknight dinner.
Outstanding recipe
Loved the recipe! I added more soy sauce, sriracha and garlic, and used less rice (about a cup and a half) so the flavors were stronger.
Printed and saved to my quick recipe book!
Thank you for sharing, Ell!
Forgetting curry powder. It’s essential
Late to the party, but made this last night as written and it was delicious for dinner and lunch today.
I’m happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for your review, Karen!
Delicious! I made this for Thai inspired picnic to celebrate a friend’s birthday and it was a huge hit! I was a little skeptical about pineapple in my fried rice, but wow! I will be making this again and again and again and…
Thanks, Kate! Great recipe!
That’s great to hear, Stephanie! Thank you or sharing.
How is this Thai pineapple fried rice? It doesn’t have curry powder or fish sauce?
Hi Rachel, This is my interpretation on the recipe. I hope you try it!
Excellent! Just as it is! Will be making it again. My pineapple was on the tart side and for us, that is best. Don’t think we would like it so much if the pineapple was very ripe.
Oh my, the cashew did this justice. SO good and I found a new way to finish up my cashew! Thanks so much
Really wonderful! I had to use up canned pineapple, so included that instead of fresh and threw in some cooked quinoa in addition to the brown rice. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written and it was delish.
Thank you for sharing, Jenny! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This was delicious and so easy to make! I’m amazed how the sprinkling of cilantro really kicks up the dish.
Thank you for sharing, G!
Had some extra rice sitting in the fridge and a new pineapple looking at me on the counter. Found this recipe and just made it tonight. Wow, very delicious and super easy to make. Thank you for posting.
You’re welcome, Joseph! I appreciate your review.
Hey there
I just tried this pineapple fried rice and fell instantly in love with it
I skipped the eggs and added some extra veggies like carrots, beans, corn, paneer and peas
Added a little bit of cumin powder
It was super delicious
Thank you for a delicious recipe