Pineapple Ham Fried Rice. This quick 30 minute dish is absolutely scrumptious and will hit the spot with it’s sweet and savoury flavour profile. The sweetness from the pineapple paired with the saltiness of the ham with rice and mixed frozen vegetables is very tasty! A great option for a weeknight meal or for lunch.
Great for the office!
This ham pineapple fried rice recipe is also great for office lunches too because it smells amazing! All your coworkers are going to be asking you what's smells so good as you stand proudly by the microwave. Additionally, it works well for meal prep if you want to make a large batch ahead.
This dish is also known as Hawaiian fried rice with ham because of the combination of pineapples with ham. Similar to a Hawaiian pizza! Sometimes people substitute the ham with spam as spam is a very popular canned meat used there.
I love this pineapple ham fried rice recipe thanks to it's flavors. The sweet and salty combination is so good! It is probably the easiest quick weeknight meal to make that is both satisfying and easy. And don't worry there is no pineapple juice!
It’s one of those old favorites that is great for using leftover cold rice along with other ingredients you may have. So it is one of those great leftover ham and pineapple recipes! Of course you can use other protein like chicken, spam, bacon, pork or hot dogs.
I remember growing up fried rice was a big staple. We would probably have it once a week and every time I think of fried rice, I think of my dad’s hamburger fried rice with diced potatoes and onions. I can still remember the distinct smell of it every time he made it and to this day, he still makes it for my mom. It is wonderful how food can trigger those warm family memories.
Easy to make!
This Hawaiian fried rice recipe is quite easy to make at home. You only need several ingredients to stir-fry together, a large skillet, and 30 minutes of your time if you have cooked rice.
What is the secret ingredient in fried rice?
The secret to make this Hawaiian fried rice amazing is not really an ingredient but it’s the technique to make a great fried rice which is the natural browning of the fried rice from a hot wok or pan.
Is it better to use cold rice for fried rice?
In most cases, yes and I think this also depends on the pan you’re working with. If you’re cooking with a wok then yes cold rice is necessary due to the high temperature that a wok can withstand as the heat can turn that cold rice soggy fast. But if you’re working with a non-stick pan that can only withstand medium heat, then cold rice isn’t always necessary and it’s just important to not overcook the rice in that pan.
What happens if you make fried rice with fresh rice?
As mentioned above, it depends on the pan you work with. If it’s a wok, I would recommend day old cold rice. If it’s a non-stick pan, you can use fresh rice but keep in mind that to only cook the rice until all the ingredients have mixed and you start to see steam rising from the rice.
What is the best oil for fried rice?
A lot of blogs say to use sesame, peanut or canola oil but I’ve found success in avocado oil which can withstand high temperatures of 450-500 degrees F and it’s neutral in taste.
Why does my fried rice turn out mushy?
There could be a couple reasons:
- When washing the rice before you steamed it, you didn’t wash out the excess starch enough. I usually give my rice at least 3 rinses or until the water is clear.
- Another cause is that you overcooked the rice for too long. You only want to fry it until it has mixed with the rest of your ingredients and it begins to steam. Any longer and it’ll turn to mush.
Can I use fresh pineapple instead?
Sure go for it!
May I add oyster sauce?
I wouldn't recommend it just because the ham and soy sauce mixture offer enough sodium to the dish already and it's quite flavourful without it.
Can I season this with some black pepper?
Of course!
Other recipes you may like!
THAI SPICY BASIL FRIED RICE
KIMCHI SAUSAGE FRIED RICE
SPAM FRIED RICE
CHINESE CHICKEN FRIED RICE
CHICKEN PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE
Other recipes you may like!
For this recipe
You will need the following ham and pineapple fried rice ingredients:
- 352 grams ham diced
- 1 ¾ cups frozen mixed veggies (containing carrots, peas, and corn)
- 297 grams canned pineapple, strained of liquids and diced (398 ml can)
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoon cooking oil (avocado or vegetable oil)
- 4.5 cups day old cooked rice, broken up
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Optional: 1 stalk green onion finely chopped for garnish
How to make Hawaiian Fried Rice
Below I will share instructions on how to make this dish:
- Prepare your ingredients as listed above.
- Then in a wok or non-stick pan set over medium high heat, add cooking oil followed by ham. Fry until the edges of the ham are browned, about 1 minute. Keep moving the ham around so it doesn’t burn.
- Next add diced onion and fry until onions are soft and translucent, about 45 seconds.
- Then add the diced pineapple and fry until all the liquids in the pan have evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
- Next add in your frozen mixed veggies and fry for about 1 minute until softened.
- Lastly add your broken up rice along with regular and dark soy sauce, butter, sugar and sesame oil. Quickly mix everything together and fry until the rice is steaming hot, about 5 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat to prevent rice from burning.
- Remove and transfer to a serving dish. Optional: garnish with chopped green onions.
Give it a try!
Well I hope you give my Pineapple Ham Fried Rice recipe a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed this recipe for ham and pineapple fried rice, please share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture if you've made my recipe and tag me on Instagram @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!
Made this recipe and loved it?
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Take care,
Christie
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Easy Pineapple Ham Fried Rice (30-min. Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4.5 cups cooked jasmine rice day old rice, broken up
- 352 grams ham diced
- 300 grams pineapple
- 1 ¾ cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¾ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients as listed above.
- Then in a wok or non-stick pan set over medium high heat, add cooking oil followed by ham. Fry until the edges of the ham are browned, about 1 minute. Keep moving the ham around so it doesn’t burn.
- Next add diced onion and fry until onions are soft and translucent, about 45 seconds.
- Then add the diced pineapple and fry until all the liquids in the pan have evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
- Next add in your frozen mixed veggies and fry for about 1 minute until softened.
- Lastly add your broken up rice along with regular and dark soy sauce, butter, sugar and sesame oil. Quickly mix everything together and fry until the rice is steaming hot, about 5 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat to prevent rice from burning.
- Remove and transfer to a serving dish. Optional: garnish with chopped green onions.
Rosemary
I'm literally transported right to Hawaii with this recipe!! Hopefully we can travel again soon hehe.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The pineapple and ham really do give your fried rice a fun, island style twist. This recipe of yours really makes me want to go to Hawaii again!