Shrimp Pineapple Thai Fried Rice Recipe with Basil

With sweet, caramelized pineapple, succulent shrimp, crunchy cashews and plenty of fresh herbs- this Shrimp Pineapple Thai Fried Rice Recipe with Basil is way better than takeout, and comes together in just 20 minutes!

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Easy Shrimp Pineapple Thai Fried Rice Recipe with Basil

A weeknight meal that packs a serious flavor punch! Packed with caramelized pineapple, crunchy cashews, herbs, tender-crisp veggies and shrimp- this easy Thai Fried Rice recipe is sure to take your tastebuds to Flavortown. And with a cook time of only 20 minutes, it's a great weeknight dinner!

This Thai-inspired dish features white or brown rice (up to your preference), shrimp, pineapple, snap peas, green pepper, cashews and eggs, all tossed together with a simple sauce made with fish sauce and sweet chili sauce, and finished with fresh herbs, lime, scallion, and jalapeños or chilis.

This recipe is a good way to use up cold leftover rice, and has such a unique flavor in comparison to classic Chinese fried rice with all the herbs and sweetness of the pineapple! This classic thai fried rice is just like your favorite Thai restaurant, all in the comfort of your own home! 

Ingredients

If you love Thai food as much as I do, you're going to love this Thai fried rice! Just like one of your favorite Thai restaurants, this fried rice is loaded with fresh ingredients, scrambled eggs, fresh herbs, and succulent shrimp. Here's what you'll need to make this Thai style fried rice: 

• Canola oil, or another neutral oil, such as avocado oil or grape seed oil.
• Toasted sesame oil, for extra flavor.
• A few beaten eggs.
• Fresh pineapple.
• Bell pepper.
• Sugar snap peas.
• Scallions (aka spring onions or green onion). These will both go into the fried rice, as well as garnish the dish. 
• Fresh grated ginger. I love to keep this in the freezer, and use as needed. You can even grate from frozen!
• Medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined. Fresh or frozen/thawed are both perfect for this recipe!
• Cashews.
• Fresh garlic.
• White rice or brown rice, previously cooked and cooled. You can use leftover day old rice, or prepare the rice one day ahead, and refrigerate. Cold rice is ideal for this recipe so it can dry and easily be fried. Freshly cooked rice is too wet, and will not fry up nicely. 
• Fish sauce, for an umami boost and that classic Thai flavor.
• Sweet chili sauce. I like Mae Ploy.
• Sriracha sauce.
• Low sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos.
• Fresh chopped cilantro.
• Fresh chopped basil leaves.

How to make Shrimp Pineapple Thai Fried Rice Recipe with Basil

This easy rice stir fry is easy to make any night of the week, with a little prep beforehand. Here's how to make it: 

1. Set a large bowl close to your work area. In a large frying pan, wok, or large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil, and scrambled the eggs, until just set, about 2 minutes. Immediately transfer eggs to your bowl.

2. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil to the pan, and fry pineapple on high heat, until pineapple is caramelized- about 3-4 minutes a side. Remove pineapple to bowl with eggs.

3. Reduce heat to medium and fry the peppers, 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they take on a bit of color, but remain crisp-tender. Remove to bowl.

4. Add a dash of sesame oil and the shrimp to the pan, and cook until just opaque, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to bowl with eggs, pineapple, and peppers.

5. Add a dash more of sesame oil and the snap peas, ginger, scallion tops (reserve greens for garnish), garlic and cashews to the pan. Cook 2-3 mins, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and snap peas are crisp-tender. Remove all ingredients to the bowl with the eggs, pineapple, peppers and shrimp.

6. Increase heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil and a dash of sesame oil and press cooked rice down in an even layer, and cook- undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip, and cook 2 minutes more.

7. Turn off the heat and stir the contents of the bowl back in with the rice. Stir in the fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, soy sauce, and herbs.

Serving the fried rice

Serve with additional herbs, sriracha, scallion greens, jalapeño or chilis, and lime wedges/ lime juice. (see recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions).

Tips for making fried rice easy and stress-free

1. Make sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.

Once you get going with cooking the ingredients, you will have very little time for any prep without risking burning something. Make sure all ingredients are washed/chopped/peeled etc, before you even turn on the burner, and your fried rice will be smooth sailing

2. Make sure your pan is HOT, and your oil can handle the heat.

Fried rice cooks VERY quickly. To get your ingredients ready to go very fast, you'll need an ultra-hot pan and a neutral oil with a high smoke point. I use a combo of toasted sesame oil (for flavor) and canola oil for my fried rice. Avocado oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil are all great options as well.

3. Cook ingredients in batches, and have a big bowl handy.

Since you'll be cooking ingredients in stages, it's important to have somewhere to put things as they cook. I like the keep a large metal mixing bowl right beside the pan so I can easily transfer cooked ingredients to the bowl as I go.

4. Use leftover rice, or cook your rice in advance.

For fried rice, you'll want to use leftover rice, or rice cooked a few hours prior that has had time to chill in the fridge. Hot, fresh cooked rice will not crisp up as well when frying.

Substitutions and Additions

This Thai Fried Rice recipe is easily customized to work with your tastes, and what you have on hand in your fridge and pantry. Add any veggies you like, or swap them out this dish is very easy to customize! Here are are great swaps and additions:

• This fried rice tastes great with thinly sliced chicken breast subbed in for the shrimp!
• Try leftover cooked and cooled fragrant jasmine rice in place of plain white or brown rice.
• Leave the eggs out of the fried rice, and top with a fried egg instead!
• Use whatever bell peppers you like! Green peppers, red peppers, or yellow/orange peppers all work for this recipe!
• Top with thinly sliced thai chilis for a bit of heat!
• If you don't have green onion, yellow onions work well in the stir fry, too. 

Storing leftovers

Store and leftover fried rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

Love this Shrimp Pineapple Thai Fried Rice recipe with Basil? You'll love these tasty dishes, too!

• Spam Fried Rice
• Kimci Fried Rice with Bacon
• Vietnamese Style Pork Meatballs
• Thai Glass Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

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