This sweet and savory Hawaiian Fried Rice is loaded with diced ham and juicy pineapple. If you want an easy and flavorful meal, this is one that you should add to your dinner rotation.
Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice
Ham and pineapple go so well together. This is why Hawaiian pizza is so popular! This Hawaiian fried rice recipe captures that wonderful combo but with a tasty twist on a classic pizza dish. I love traditional pork fried rice and I have enjoyed several proteins with pineapple so I was very excited about this recipe. It’s not overly salty or sweet but every bite just makes you want to keep eating. I like to serve this as a quick dinner after a long day of work and school. It’s a great way to use some leftovers or ingredients in your refrigerator you may have forgotten about.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Hawaiian Fried Rice
- Ready in less than 30 minutes. In about 20 minutes you will have a delicious meal or side dish ready to enjoy.
- Minimal prep is needed. There’s not a lot to do to get the ingredients ready for this meal, reducing your cooking time.
- Great use of leftover rice. Leftover cold rice from Chinese takeout or a previous dinner worlds perfectly in this Hawaiian fried rice.
Recipe Ingredients
Here are all of the ingredients needed to make this Hawaiian fried rice recipe. It’s customizable so you can remove the bell peppers, soy sauce, etc, and make it your own.
- Ham: You can purchase ham already diced or a ham steak and dice it yourself. It’s also a great opportunity to use leftover ham in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Bell peppers: Use any color of bell pepper that you prefer. I like to use a mixture of sweet red bell pepper and green. The green is less sweet but helps balance the dish.
- Scallions: Reserve some of the scallions for garnishing at the end. Don’t be afraid to use the green and white parts of the onion — it all tastes great!
- Pineapple: As a shortcut, I go for canned pineapple tidbits. They are the perfect size. If you have fresh pineapple you need to use, go with that instead.
- Eggs: All good fried rice recipes include scrambled eggs. Leave it out if you don’t enjoy it.
- Butter: This is used to help crisp the rice (which is where fried rice comes from) before it’s mixed with the other ingredients.
- Sesame oil: A little goes a long way and the sesame oil gives you that recognizable “Chinese food flavor.”
- Soy sauce: Not only does soy sauce add salt, but it also adds an umami flavor that plays well with the rest of the dish.
- Rice: Any cooked rice will do. You can also make it specifically for this recipe as well.
How to Make Hawaiian Rice
This is the perfect one-pan meal that saves you time and energy but still allows you to enjoy a tasty, balanced meal.
- Saute ham and veggies. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the diced ham, peppers, and the white parts of the scallions. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the ham starts to brown and the veggies are soft.
- Add pineapple. Stir in the pineapple bits and cook for an additional 2 minutes to soften the pineapple.
- Scramble the eggs. Push all of the ingredients to one side and add the eggs. Reduce the heat to medium-low and scramble the eggs until cooked through.
- Transfer the ingredients to a plate. Remove all of the cooked ingredients from the skillet and set aside.
- Add butter and sesame oil. Turn the heat to medium-high to melt the butter and add sesame oil.
- Add rice and soy sauce. Pour in the rice and drizzle the soy sauce on top.
- Stir everything together. Transfer the ham and pineapple mixture back into the skillet and stir until any clumps of the rice mixture are combined. Remove it from the heat.
- Garnish and serve. Add the chopped green scallions on top and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Looking for a protein to serve with this fried rice? Try Firecracker Chicken or Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli the next time you make this recipe.
Tips for Success
- Chop uniformly. Make sure all of the veggies, ham, and pineapple are chopped in similar size pieces so they all cook at the same pace.
- Don’t overcook it. The rice is already cooked so don’t cook it too long in the skillet or it can make the fried rice dry.
- Try with Spam. A traditional Hawaiian staple is Spam, a type of canned ham. This would be great in this recipe in place of the diced ham. It caramelizes well when sauteed and has a nice salty flavor.
Storage Directions
Place leftover Hawaiian rice in an airtight container. Store it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel. Heat for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
More Rice Recipes to Try
Hawaiian Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 12 ounces diced ham
- 1 cup bell peppers any color, chopped
- 1 bunch scallions green and white diced and separated
- 2 cups pineapple tidbits drained
- 3 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
- 3 cups cooked rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat add your ham, chopped bell pepper and white parts of the scallions.
- Saute for about 5-8 minutes until the pepper soften a bit and the ham browns.
- Next add your pineapple and let it cook with the ham and veggies for about 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium low and push everything to one side of the pan.
- Scramble your 3 eggs and add them to the cleared spot of the pan.
- Scramble the eggs until cooked through.
- Remove everything from the pan and set aside.
- Return the pan to medium high heat and add the butter and sesame oil.
- Add the cooked rice to the pan and pour over the soy sauce.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Video
Nutrition
Leave a Review!
We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here.
Your email address will not be published.
8 comments on “Hawaiian Fried Rice”
Made it tonight and it was delicious. It’s now one of my husbands new favourites
So glad he liked it Claire! Thanks!
Made it this evening. My husband was quite skeptical, but ended up having two helpings.
Glad to hear that Shirley! Thanks!
Yummy!
Thank you KJ!
I tried this recipe this evening. OMG! It was just awesome.
Thank you Remona!