Thai pineapple fried rice is very easy to do and it’s fun to serve it up in hollowed-out pineapples. It’s an easy dish you can make it home.
One of my favorite dishes to order at a Thai restaurant is the pineapple fried rice. I don’t know what I love most about it: the presentation, the use of cashew nuts, or the sauces that flavor the rice.
I’ve been wanting to make Thai-style pineapple fried rice for the longest time. Every time I see pineapples on sale, I’ll buy one with the intention of making the rice dish. And then I get lazy and the pineapple becomes really ripe, and we just end up cutting the pineapple and eating it.
But I finally did it. I made it! And it was quite easy. It makes me think that the restaurants charge far too much for it.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Minced garlic
- Cubed chicken
- Day-old rice
- Chopped fresh pineapple
- Diced onion
- Fish sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Whisked eggs
- Unsalted cashews
- Chopped scallions
- Red chili peppers (these are optional)
- Hollowed out pineapple shells
Some recipes I’ve seen also have curry powder, which I didn’t use. I think it would work really well, so you can also add it to the seasonings. I’ve listed the amounts in the recipe card.
Like Chinese fried rice, this Thai version is best with day-old rice instead of freshly cooked rice. Rice that has been chilled in the refrigerator dries out which makes it better for lightly frying in a pan. Using freshly cooked rice can result in the rice sticking together and getting too soft.
Recipe Tips
- You can use a large wok or pan to make this recipe.
- The cooking part is very fast, so it’s a good idea to prep all of the ingredients ahead of time so they are ready when you need them.
- First, you cook the chicken and garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Near the end of the cooking time, you can scramble the eggs in the pan by moving the other cooked ingredients to the sides to create space in the middle to cook the eggs.
- Serve the pineapple fried rice in the pineapples for a fun presentation.
You might also like my Thai peanut zucchini noodles and my sweet chili cauliflower.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup cubed chicken
- 2-3 cups rice day-old is best
- 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1/4 cup unsalted cashews
- 3 scallions finely chopped
- 3-4 red chili peppers if desired
- pineapple shell halved and hollowed out
Instructions
- In a large wok, add about half of the oil and garlic and cook on high heat until the aroma comes out from the garlic. Add in raw chicken and cook until chicken is almost completely cooked. Add in rice, onion and remaining oil and continue to cook. Then stir in pineapple chunks, fish sauce and oyster sauce. If desired, add in chili peppers. Stir in cashews.
- Shift the rice to the side of the wok, so that you have some empty space to cook your eggs. Add eggs into the empty space and stir them to scramble them as they begin to cook. Once all the eggs are finished cooking and are completely scrambled, add it back to the rice. Stir and cook a few more moments. Add in scallions and cook 1 more minute. Scoop rice into pineapple shells and serve.
Notes
- You can also add 1-2 tsp curry powder to the seasoning. I didn't have any when I made this so I didn't use any
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Made this tonight, though we didn’t have the oyster and fish sauces. It was still really quite yummy. I think next time I would add some veggies (maybe peas, peppers, carrots?) Good work on the recipe!
Glad you like it!
OMG. This looks amazing. Pineapple fried rice is one of my favorite dishes! I’ll have to try this out one time – even though I’m a horrible cook.
You should try it out! it’s not too hard to make
Very nice! I love the presentation!
hehe, thanks! I didn’t want to ruin it.
Wow that looks so good 😛 I bet you could give restaurants a run for their money! By the way, I’ve also added turmeric instead of curry powder to get a milder but still “curry-like” taste in the fried rice.
Oh I was wondering if turmeric powder would work. Thanks for the tip! I’ve never cooked with it before but found some when I was unpacking.
Yum – looks wonderful and love the ingredients! 🙂
thank you!