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Pineapple Fried Rice

When you want the convenience of a make-ahead meal, rice is a solid choice. Whether you freeze it or refrigerate it, rice reheats beautifully and tastes as good as if you made it fresh. Our pineapple fried rice recipe is full of flavor, ready in about fifteen minutes, and can easily be adapted to fit your family.

The top half of the image shows the ingredients for the recipe in a freezer-quality plastic bag. The bottom half of the image shows the dish, close up in a bowl with chopsticks. In the middle, the text states, "freezer meal pineapple fried rice".

I love how simple this is. Take cooked rice and mix it with seasoning, pineapple chunks, and some veggies. Put it all in a bag and freeze it until you are hungry for a quick meal. A quick toss in the skillet, and you have a hot, filling meal on your table. That’s the beauty of our fried rice recipe and all of the other meals in our Freezer Meal 101 club, though not all of them are a fifteen-minute gig. I’m in love.

Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked rice, cooled
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. ginger, minced (squeezy tube)
  • ½ cup onion, minced
  • ½ red pepper, diced
  • ½ cup peas, frozen
  • 398 ml pineapple chunks, drained
  • ½ cup green onions, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
  • ½ cup. raw, unsalted cashews
  • 1-2 tsp. Chili garlic sauce or sriracha sauce

How to Make Pineapple Fried Rice

Assembly Instructions

  1. Place all of the ingredients in a large freezer bag.
  2. Squish gently to mix.
  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.
This close up image shows all of the colorful ingredients for pineapple fried rice in a freezer-quality plastic bag.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Place the bag in the fridge overnight to thaw.
  2. Cook on the stovetop with a bit of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat until hot throughout and onions and peppers have softened – about 15 minutes. 
  3. Alternatively, you can bake the rice in the oven at 350°F for 1 hour, covered. 
This collage shows four pictures, all equally sized. The first shows the contents of the dish in a plastic bag. The second shows the contents of the dish in a skillet. The third, is a close up of the cooked dish. The final image is a picture of a serving of pineapple fried rice in a colorful bowl with chopsticks.

What is Chinese Five Spice?

The most common spices used for this mixture include Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, cloves, and fennel seeds, but turmeric, ginger, nutmeg, or licorice may also be used depending on the region and the cook.

What kind of rice should I use for Pineapple Fried Rice?

Jasmine rice is a guaranteed hit, but you can also use plain white rice, basmati rice, brown rice, or even parboiled rice, and it will work perfectly fine. Though not traditional, you could even use cooked quinoa.

Do I have to freeze the Pineapple Fried Rice?

No. If you want to make the recipe to serve tonight, that works, too. You can also make up three bags to freeze and cook the fourth for dinner. Batch cooking is so helpful!

Can I use green bell pepper instead?

Yes. You can use any bell peppers you like. Green bell peppers are a bit more tart than red bell peppers. They also stay more firm. Red are the sweetest. Orange and yellow range between the two. You can use some of each for a more colorful dish, or just use whatever you have leftover in the fridge because you only need a half.

Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe Ideas

It’s so easy to change this recipe up. Swap out veggies at will to use what you have or fit your family’s taste. If your kids aren’t a huge fan of peas, just use frozen carrots instead, or leave that out altogether. You can also use fresh, diced squash, zucchini, mushrooms, shredded carrots or cabbage and all of those would work with the pineapple fried rice flavors.

The recipe calls for canned pineapple chunks. If you really want the extra work of dicing up a pineapple, you can definitely use fresh. I like smaller pieces of pineapple, so I might be tempted to swap this out with canned diced pineapple instead of pineapple chunks. Or, I could dice the chunks up on my own.

If you don’t love cashews, a quick switch with slivered almonds will make the dish more palatable. It doesn’t have to have nuts at all, so leaving them out is fine too.

If the rice seems a little dry coming out of the freezer, you can always add a little chicken broth or water to your hot skillet after everything is cooked, and give it a stir to rehydrate the rice. Try a little at a time until you get the consistency you like.

Don’t be afraid to add protein! Pineapple fried rice is delicious when served with grilled chicken, salmon, pork, or steak. You can also dice the protein up, sauté it, and then mix it right into the rice.

Close up image of pineapple fried rice in a blue and white bowl with chopsticks.

How do I store Pineapple Fried Rice?

Leftover pineapple fried rice can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days. As you reheat it, you may need to add more water or chicken broth to hydrate the rice. You cannot re-freeze this rice dish once thawed.

What to Serve with Pineapple Fried Rice

Serve this as a side dish with protein or as a main dish. Add wontons, dumplings, veggie spring rolls, and crispy sesame bread to round out your meal. You can add pineapple fried rice as a side to almost any grilled meat. For instance, it would be especially yummy and served as the base for teriyaki salmon.

Pineapple Fried Rice
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 416 kcal
Ingredients
  • 3 cups cooked rice, cooled
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, minced. I used the kind in a the squeeze tube.
  • ½ cup onion, minced
  • ½ red pepper, diced
  • ½ peas, frozen
  • 398 ml pineapple chunks, drained
  • ½ cup green onions, sliced
  • 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
  • ½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
  • tsp Chili garlic sauce or sriracha sauce
Instructions
Assembly Instructions
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a large freezer bag.

  2. Squish gently to mix.

  3. Remove excess air, seal, and freeze.

Cooking Instructions
  1. Place the bag in the fridge overnight to thaw.

  2. Cook on the stovetop with a bit of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat until hot throughout and onions and peppers have softened – about 15 minutes. 

  3. Alternatively, you can bake the rice in the oven at 350°F for 1 hour, covered.