Pineapple Fried Rice

Hawaiian Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice — A Hawaiian-inspired shrimp fried rice recipe that’s EASY, ready in minutes, and has so much authentic flavor!! A family favorite that’s better than takeout!!

Hawaiian Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe

Making fried rice at home that tastes just as good or even better-than-takeout is fast, easy, and comes together in minutes.

I have many other fried rice recipes on my website including Chicken, Shrimp, a Sheet Pan version, and even Fried Cauliflower Rice. They’re some of the most popular recipes on my site and have been for years!

This version has what I like to think of as a Hawaiian twist because of the shrimp and pineapple. The sweetness of the pineapple contrasted with the soy sauce is just perfect.

Also incorporated are pieces of red bell peppers, peas, carrots, corn, and scrambled eggs for lots of hidden gems of texture and flavor within every bite of this pineapple shrimp rice.

Ingredients in Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

To make this better-than-takeout shrimp and pineapple fried rice, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Canola or vegetable oil (olive oil may be substituted)
• Sesame oil
• Fresh shrimp
• Red bell pepper
• Peas and carrots, blend
• Corn
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Eggs
• Cooked rice
• Pineapple
• Green onions
• Reduced-sodium soy sauce
• Black pepper
• Red chili flakes, optional 

How to Make Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

Making shrimp fried rice with egg and pineapple couldn’t be simpler! I’ve given lots of tips and tricks in this blog post to ensure you have fried rice success, but here’s an overview of the cooking process: 

1. Add oils to a large skillet, add the shrimp, and cook them for about 3 minutes, or just until done. These are not particularly big shrimp and will cook through very quickly and you don’t want to overcook them.
2. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon leaving behind the oils and juices and set them on a plate.
3. To the skillet, add the red bell pepper, peas, carrots, corn, and cook them briefly before adding the garlic and ginger. (I used dried ground ginger but fresh is great if you have it on hand.)
4. Push everything to one side of the skillet, crack three eggs on the bare side, and scramble them. 
5. Add in cooked rice, the cooked shrimp, pineapple, green onions, drizzle everything with soy sauce, add a bit of black pepper, and red chili flakes if you want a bit of heat. I love heat so they’re a must for me, but of course optional.

What’s the Best Shrimp for Fried Rice? 

I recommend fresh U15-20 size shrimp. They’re a nice size for the fried rice — not too small and not too large. You want bite-sized shrimp.

As a second option, you could also use bagged frozen, uncooked shrimp that you thaw and drain first before beginning this recipe.

If all you have access to is previously cooked frozen shrimp, then I recommend thawing and draining them, and in the beginning step of the recipe, add them to the skillet for one minute tops, just enough to warm them through but you’re not actually cooking them, since they’ve already been cooked and you don’t want them to turn rubbery by cooking them more.

What’s the Best Rice for Fried Rice? 

To save time, I use two 8-ounce packets of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice that I cook for 90 seconds in my microwave before adding to the skillet.

If you want to prepare rice on your own first for this recipe, of course, be my guest. Use white, brown, long grain, etc. or whatever is your favorite rice. 

Some people say that cold, leftover rice works best for making fried rice but I never have cold rice sitting around in my fridge and use warm-from-the-microwave rice and it works just fine.

What Type of Pineapple Should I Use? 

I used fresh pineapple because it’s a star ingredient in this recipe. You could also use canned pineapple tidbits. As a last resort, frozen pineapple is okay if that’s all you have.

Can I Make This With Chicken or Tofu?

Yes! By all means you don’t have to use shrimp and can swap in chicken or tofu, or make a combination of any of the above.

I would follow the overall guideline for my Easy Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Fried Rice recipe if you’re using chicken or tofu, making sure you start with pressed extra-firm tofu.

When I have some leftover rotisserie chicken in my fridge, I’ve made this as a shrimp and chicken combo and it’s wonderful.

Tips for the Best Hawaiian Pineapple Fried Rice

I highly recommend using fresh pineapple chunks when making this shrimp and pineapple fried rice. Fresh pineapple tastes the best, and it doesn’t turn to mush in the skillet. 

Make sure to use reduced-sodium soy sauce. I have tried with regular soy sauce and find it to be overly salty.

When adding the soy sauce, start with less than the recipe calls for and add more as needed. You may like your pineapple shrimp fried rice more or less salty than I do, so adjust the seasonings accordingly. 

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4.59 from 36 votes

Hawaiian Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice

By Averie Sunshine

A Hawaiian-inspired shrimp fried rice recipe that's EASY, ready in minutes, and has so much authentic flavor!! A family favorite that's better-than-takeout!!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 3 to 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, olive oil may be substituted
• ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• ▢ 1 pound medium-large fresh shrimp*, cleaned (approximately 15-20 count shrimp)
• ▢ 1 medium red bell pepper, diced small
• ▢ 1 cup peas and diced carrots blend, frozen and thawed; or canned and drained
• ▢ ½ cup corn, frozen and thawed; or canned and drained
• ▢ 2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
• ▢ 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ▢ 4 cups cooked rice, I use white; long-grain, or brown may be substituted. To save time use two 8.8-ounce pouches cooked and ready-to-serve rice
• ▢ 1 to 1 ½ cups fresh diced pineapple, one 8-ounce can drained pineapple tidbits may be substituted
• ▢ 2 to 3 green onions, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds
• ▢ ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce*, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ red chili flakes, optional and to taste for a bit of heat

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Instructions 

• To a large non-stick skillet or wok, add the oils, shrimp, and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. Cooking time will vary based on size of shrimp; don’t overcook.
• Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon (allow oils and cooking juices to remain in skillet) and place shrimp on a plate; set aside.
• Add the red bell pepper, peas, carrots, corn, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften, stir intermittently.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and cook for 1 minute, stir intermittently.
• Push vegetables to one side of the skillet, add the eggs to the other side, and cook to scramble, stirring as necessary.
• Turn the heat to low, add the cooked rice, stir to combine, and allow it to warm through for a minute or two. Tip - If mixture seems at all dry, add additional oil to taste.
• Add the shrimp back in, the pineapple, green onions, evenly drizzle with soy sauce (use less at first if you're very sensitive to salt or soy sauce), evenly season with pepper, and optional red pepper flakes, and stir to combine.
• Taste and check for seasoning balance. If desired, add additional soy sauce to taste (I find it necessary to use about 1/3 cup in total for this recipe).
• Adapted from Easy Better-Than-Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice

Notes

Shrimp: Read blog post about working with frozen shrimp if you're not using fresh - either frozen raw shrimp or cooked and frozen - as well as making a combo fried rice with chicken and/or tofu.

Soy sauce: Make sure to use reduced-sodium soy sauce. I have tried with regular soy sauce and find it to be overly salty.

Storage: Recipe is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 356kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 427mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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