This tropical Thai Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice will transport you to Thailand instantly! Make this dish using leftover rice, shrimp veggies and serve it on a gorgeous homemade pineapple plate.
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Brighten your dinner table with this beautiful, vibrant, Thai-inspired pineapple fried rice dish! In Thailand, pineapple fried rice is known as khao phat sapparot and is one of Thailand's many familiar fried rice dishes. Some people claim that pineapple fried rice originates from Thailand, while others believe it was made by Chinese people who lived in Thailand. Nevertheless, this dish is a showstopper and will become a new favorite on your menu!
The secret ingredient in this recipe is curry powder! Curry powder gives the fried rice a delightful golden-yellow color and a tasty curry flavor. Curry powder is a popular ingredient in Southern Thai dishes as this region has a strong Malaysian influence.
You can serve this dish on plates or get creative and make some pineapple bowls! All you need to do is remove the flesh, and you are good to go. Add some cashew nuts to this dish to make authentic pineapple fried rice with shrimp.
You'll also enjoy this Vietnamese Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls, Thai Shrimp Coconut Curry and Simple Prawn Fried Rice Recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
- The combination of rice, shrimp, pineapples and Asian flavors work well together to make a flavorful dish with satisfying flavors and textures.
- This Thai shrimp pineapple fried rice is delicious and served in creative pineapple bowls, offering a fun, restaurant-style experience.
- You can also serve Thai shrimp pineapple fried rice on plates.
- It is an easy dish that can be made with leftovers.
Thai Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Shrimp: Large fresh or frozen shrimp are an excellent choice for this dish. If you are using frozen shrimp, defrost and devein them before use.
- Eggs: Add freshly cooked eggs to the fried rice.
- Garlic powder: For taste and flavor
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic is best for this recipe, but you can also use powdered garlic if you don't have fresh garlic cloves.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds delicious sweet and smokey flavors to this dish, but you can use store-bought ginger paste if you don’t have fresh ginger.
- Rice: Traditionally, East Asian fried rice dishes are made with cooked white rice that is at least one day old. This prevents the rice from being too soggy and soft when fried. However, if you are desperate and don't have any old rice, use freshly cooked rice that is not too soft or moist. You can also use brown rice.
- Soy sauce: This recipe can use dark soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- White pepper: To taste.
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce gives this recipe a wonderful savory flavor and can be easy to find in most supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
- Oyster sauce: Is a popular savory liquid ingredient used in Asian cooking and it can be found in most supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
- Honey: This adds a sweet flavor to the rice, and you can adjust the amount depending on how sweet your dish tastes.
- Curry powder: This is the secret ingredient in this recipe and should not be left out or substituted for the best results.
- Peas: Add frozen or fresh peas.
- Red bell pepper: Feel free to swap with green or yellow bell peppers or mix the three peppers.
- Pineapples: Fresh pineapples are best for this recipe.
- Chilies: This is optional but useful if you want some heat in your rice.
- Scallions: For garnishing.
- Vegetable oil: For the stirfry.
- Cashew nuts (optional): Add them to make this dish authentic and add some crunch.
Tips and Substitutions
- Cooked rice: For best results, use cooked rice that is 1-2 days old. This type of rice has the best texture for stir-frying.
- Soy sauce mixture: Taste and alter the soy sauce mixture according to your personal taste. For example, add more pepper for spicier rice, more honey for a sweeter taste etc.
- Vegetables: I used peas and red bell peppers as my vegetables but you can also add carrots or skip the veggies entirely if you are not a fan.
- Chilies: Adding chilies to this Thai shrimp pineapple fried rice recipe is optional.
How to Make Thai Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice
- First, marinate the shrimp in soy sauce and white pepper. Pop this into the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Next, prepare the sauce for the pineapple fried rice by mixing soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, white pepper and curry powder in a clean bowl. Set this aside for later.
- Prepare your pineapple by cutting one large pineapple in half.
- Use a knife to cut a rectangle along the pineapple flesh.
- Cut the pineapple flesh into cubes.
- Use a spoon to remove the pineapple flesh and set aside for later. Now, you should have two empty pineapple plates.
- Heat oil in a large wok. Pour your eggs into the wok and cook for 2-3 minutes or until set.
- Remove from the pan, chop roughly, and set aside.
- Then add a bit more oil if necessary. Add shrimp and cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes and remove from the pan.
- Add your garlic and ginger to the wok and cook until fragrant.
- Add cooked rice and stir.
- Then add peas and peppers and stir.
- Then, pour in the soy sauce mixture.
- Stir the rice until combined.
- Finally, add shrimp, chopped egg pieces, pineapple chunks, and chilies.
- Stir the pineapple fried rice until done.
17. Finally, scoop the Thai shrimp pineapple fried rice into the pineapple plates, garnish with scallions and cilantro, and serve! For an Asian style buffet serve it with this quick Chinese beef stir fry.
Recipe FAQs
Pineapple fried rice is a Thai-inspired dish made with common Thai ingredients such as Jasmine rice, peas, shrimp, bell peppers and curry powder. It is often served in pineapple shells and is normally served as a side dish.
You can serve your fried rice with dumplings, hot and sour soup, egg rolls, gyoza and chicken teriyaki.
Day-old rice (1-2 days old) is normally best for fried rice. This is because it is dry and holds its shape really well.
Fried rice can become soggy if you use too much oil or if your rice has a lot of liquid. For the best results, use rice that is at least a day old and use a little oil for your fried rice.
More Delicious East Asian Recipes
Thai Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Large wok or pan
- 1 Chefs knife
Ingredients
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 cup of shrimp
- A pinch of garlic powder
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1.5 teaspoon of ginger
- 4 cups of rice cooked
- 1 teaspoon and 2.5 tablespoon of soy sauce
- ⅓ teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 2 teaspoon of curry powder
- ¼ cup of peas
- ¼ cup of chopped red bell pepper
- 1.5 cups of pineapples
- 3 red chilies chopped
- 2-3 scallions
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Marinate shrimp with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, white pepper to taste and a pinch of garlic powder. Refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Prepare sauce for pineapple fried rice. Add soy sauce, white pepper, fish sauce, oyster sauce, honey and curry powder to a medium sized bowl and stir until well combined. Set aside for later.
- Cut 1 large pineapple in half and use a knife to carve a large rectangular outline along the flesh of the pineapple pieces. Cut the pineapple into cubes and use a spoon to remove the chunks. Remove the pineapple cubes and save them for later. Once the pineapple flesh has been removed you should have a pineapple plate.
- Heat a few drops of oil in a large wok. Pour in eggs and cook for 2-3 minutes or until done. Remove eggs from the pan, roughly chop and set aside for later.
- Add more oil if necessary and cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from the wok and set aside for later.
- Add chopped garlic and ginger to wok and cook until fragrant. Then add cooked rice and stir.
- Next, add peas, red bell peppers and stir. Pour in soy sauce mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add shrimp, chopped egg pieces, pineapple chunks, chilies and stir until done.
- Finally, scoop the pineapple fried rice into the pineapple plates, garnish with scallions, cilantro and serve.
Marta
This was a great dish for dinner last night. Perfectly balanced flavors. Your presentation on the hollowed pineapple is gorgeous.
Robin
Shrimp Fried Rice is one of our favorite take- out dishes, so to be able to make this at home was terrific and tasty too.
Dee Moore
The sweetness from pineapple and savory shrimp was absolutely perfect combination for a week night meal!
Jeri
Loved this easy-to-follow recipe! We paired this with our grilled eats and it was so delicious! Thank you for the step-by-step photos–super helpful!
Jen Sim
You're welcome, Jeri. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Mila
When I put this on the table, everyone was stunned. It was so delicious and beautiful. Wonderful flavors and a great balance of sweet and savory.
Shanna Jones
This recipe was fun to make and served as the perfect centerpiece for my family gathering. Everyone loved the presentation, but they loved the taste even more! I'll be making this again!
Britney Brown
i made this for my friends at our end of summer bash and they could not get enough of it! The pineapple and spices made this rice super flavorful! I was also shocked at how easy it was to make. Thanks for making me look like a master chef with this recipe, we loved it!!
Jazz
Had such fun making this pineapple fried rice for lunch with my sister and we have already agreed to make it again in two weeks. Delicious!
Lilly
My family LOVED this shrimp pineapple fried rice! They thought it was so fancy that it was served in the pineapple! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Chenée
I always thought it was so cool to serve fried rice in a pineapple oh, so this was my chance! The recipe was so easy to follow and came out delicious! And it was such a fun way to have dinner!