With sweet, caramelized pineapple, succulent shrimp, crunchy cashews and plenty of fresh herbs- this Shrimp and Pineapple Thai Fried Rice is way better than takeout, and comes together in just 20 minutes!
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A weeknight meal that packs a serious flavor punch
Packed with caramelized pineapple, crunchy cashews, herbs, tender-crisp veggies and shrimp- this fried rice 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.
Add any veggies you like, or swap them out this dish is very easy to customize! It also tastes great with thinly sliced chicken breast subbed in for the shrimp.
Tips for making fried rice easy and stress-free: How I make my Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice
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.
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If you make my Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!
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Shrimp and Pineapple Thai Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon canola oil, plus one tsp
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, plus a few dashes
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 whole pineapple, cubed into ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium green, red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup frozen (thawed), or fresh snap peas
- 6 scallions, slices thinly (reserve greens for garnish)*
- 2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 lb medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¾ cup roughly chopped cashews
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 3 cups white or brown rice, previously cooked and cooled
- 2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ½ teaspoon low sodium soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup chopped basil
For serving:
- additional cilantro and basil leaves
- reserved scallion greens
- thinly sliced jalapeños
- sriracha
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Set a large bowl close to your work area. In a large frying pan 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. 8. Serve with additional herbs, sriracha, scallion greens, jalapeño or chilis, and lime wedges.
Notes/Substitutions:
½ small onion or 1 large shallot can be substituted for the scallions for this recipe.
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b says
Great fried rice! Didn't have Pineapple so left it out.
Subbed oyster sauce for fish sauce, didn't have that either.
But otherwise followed as written.
Loved it and all the flavors. Quick and easy meal for a hot day.
Sharon Farnell says
Thanks so much, I am so glad you enjoyed! Sounds great with those subs 🙂