Pineapple and Ham Fried Rice
Fried rice with ham and pineapple is an easy weeknight recipe the whole family loves! Made with leftover ham, sweet pineapple, and fresh bell peppers, this flavorful sweet and savory meal is ready in 30 minutes!
This recipe goes fast at my house! I always think we will save leftovers for lunch the next day, and there are never, ever any leftovers.
Salty, sweet, loaded with colors and textures, this ham fried rice with pineapple is always a great weeknight meal!
My kids like to call this Hawaiian fried rice (because of the pineapple), but pineapple fried rice is actually a Thai recipe! This recipe, with the addition of leftover ham, isn’t tied to either region, but it is a delicious, easy, and flavorful meal that deserves a spot on your meal plan.
Other great rice recipes:
- Chimichurri Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
- Gallo Pinto Costa Rican Breakfast
- Mexican Turkey and Rice Casserole
How to make this stir fry
For the full set of directions, make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below. Here is a brief overview:
- Cook your rice, and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool while you prepare the stir fry.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
- Add the oil to the pan and allow to heat a moment before adding in the cubed ham and the pineapple. Sautee, allowing them to sear, for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the carrots, bell pepper, and onion. Saute until soft, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Use your spatula to move the ingredients to the side, creating a hole in the center. Add the eggs to this well and allow to cook for a minute to set before scrambling. Let the eggs cook to be just barely firm, and then mix in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Remove the ham, pineapple and veggies from the pan and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and add in the cooked rice. Stir occasionally and let the rice toast and warm up. This step helps evaporate extra moisture from the rice.
- Add in the sauce and stir to coat the rice.
- Mix in the ham, pineapple and veggies back into the rice.
- Serve with green onions, and sesame seeds.
Recipe Tips
Stir fried rice works best with leftover rice! However, we don’t often have enough leftover rice to make a stir fry. And sometimes we don’t have the time to cook rice ahead of time and allow it to cool down before making stir fry, either. In order to help rice cool off for fried rice, once its done cooking, spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet to speed cooling.
For this recipe, make sure you use a medium or long grain rice. A short grain or sushi rice won’t work for this recipe.
Prep Ahead information
This is a great meal to prepare ahead. To make this meal quicker, try:
- Dicing the veggies and ham and storing them in the fridge in airtight containers
- Cook the rice ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
Storage information
If you are lucky enough to get leftovers, store any remaining fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
You can reheat leftovers in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Other leftover ham recipes:
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Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
Stir Fry
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 1 cup diced ham
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup diced carrot
- ½ cup diced bell pepper
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups rice cooked and cooled
Toppings
- 3 green onions sliced
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- ¼ cup sliced cashews
Instructions
- Cook your rice, and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool while you prepare the stir fry.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
- Add the oil to the pan and allow to heat a moment before adding in the cubed ham and the pineapple. Sautee, allowing them to sear, for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the carrots, bell pepper, and onion. Saute until soft, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Use your spatula to move the ingredients to the side, creating a hole in the center. Add the eggs to this well and allow to cook for a minute to set before scrambling. Let the eggs cook to be just barely firm, and then mix in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Remove the ham, pineapple and veggies from the pan and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and add in the cooked rice. Stir occasionally and let the rice toast and warm up. This step helps evaporate extra moisture from the rice.
- Add in the sauce and stir to coat the rice.
- Mix in the ham, pineapple and veggies back into the rice.
- Serve with green onions, sesame seeds, and cashews.
