Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe
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Pineapple Fried Rice
Having fresh tropical fruit available year round I like to make use of it in some savory dishes as well. Not to worry if you don’t happen to live in the Tropics you can most certainly pick up some frozen pineapple at the grocery store for this dish.
About the Rice
Most any plain leftover chilled rice can be used here. I prefer to use a nutritious whole grain brown rice, sometimes short grain sometimes long grain depending what I have in the pantry. Black and red rice is also nice, we avoid all white rice so I never even have any in the kitchen anyways. It’s best to cook it the night before ands it as needed throughout the week.
About the Pineapple
Fresh is best they say when it comes to pineapple but really frozen is just as good. Remember to thaw it out first of course and allow the juices to drain away so you can get a nice caramelization on the pineapple chunks while stir frying it.
About the Veggies
I love the combo of sweet bell peppers, red onion, purple cabbage and green peas. The flavors perfectly compliment the sweetness of the caramelized pineapple here, however there are many are delicious variations that will work here. Think broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, green string beans, whatever veggies rock your taste buds.
Stir-Fry Sauce
A simple mixture of tamari sauce, maple syrup, a touch of garlic and a little pinch of ginger. Add some heat with chili flakes or a little hot sauce, whichever you prefer.
Add In Ideas
- tofu scramble for an egg-free eggy flavor
- roasted broccoli or cauliflower wings
- crispy tofu nuggets
- peanut tofu
- mung beans or green beans
- smoky tempeh bits
- sweet and sour tofu
- soy curls carnitas
- chickpeas or mushrooms
- vegan chicken.
FAQ
- What is fried rice? A rice dish of Chinese origins where leftover rice is mixed with stir fried vegetables and sauce to create a brand new hearty dish.
- How do I make it oil-free WFPB and Plantricious compliant? Since we are using brown rice already (not white) all you need to adapt is to stir fry / sautee your veggies with a little drop of water or veggie broth instead of oil.
- Can I make it soy free? Definitely, simply replace the tamari sauce with equal parts of coco aminos and don’t add any tofu to the recipe. Alternatively you can use this peanut sauce or make for my peanut noodle salad.
how to make vegan pineapple fried rice
STEP 1: Start with a hot cast iron skillet that has been seasoned well, this way you won’t need to even use any oil. Quickly sir-fry / the pineapple chunks until little caramelization takes place. Once the desire color is achieved transfer to a bowl.
STEP 2: Add the bell pepper and onion to the hot skillet stirring quickly until they start to get some color. Work quickly and take good care not to burn anything. If you feel the pan is getting too hot and anything sticks just add a little splash of water to get things moving. Scoop put the onion and pepper and reserve together with the pineapple.
STEP 3: In the same skillet add the purple cabbage and stir fry just a minute or so until it starts to wilt. Move it to the side and add a little drop of oil (use water for WFPB & Plantricious diets) and add the garlic. Cook until just fragrant quickly stirring so it won’t burn.
STEP 4: Add the cooked rice to the skillet together with the green peas and pour in the sauce. Remove from heat and the reserve veggies gently mixing everything.
STEP 5: Sprinkle in some fresh cilantro, scallions and sesame seeds and enjoy!
Storage + Reheating
Rice dishes make really great leftovers that are easily stored up to 5 days in a lidded glass container. Can be reheated on the stove top on low heat adding a little bit of water or veggie stock to get things moving. A microwave works in a pinch as well, just don’t reheat in plastic.
Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups brown rice cooked and chilled
- 2 cups pineapple chunks fresh or frozen
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3/4 cup green peas (frozen & thawed in hot water)
- 1 cup purple cabbage shredded
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
Stir Fry Sauce
- 4 tbsp tamari
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp hot sauce or red chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger optional
Garnishes: scallions, sesame seeds, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, fresh chili peppers.
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together all the stir-fry sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Start with a hot cast iron skillet that has been seasoned well, this way you won’t need to even use any oil. Quickly sir-fry / the pineapple chunks until little caramelization takes place. Once the desire color is achieved transfer to a bowl. (If you don't have a seasoned cast iron skillet use whatever skillet you have available with a drizzle of sesame oil or a drop of water).
- Add the bell pepper and onion to the hot skillet stirring quickly until they start to get some color. Work quickly and take good care not to burn anything. If you feel the pan is getting too hot and anything sticks just add a little splash of water to get things moving. Scoop out the onion and pepper and reserve together with the pineapple.
- In the same skillet add the purple cabbage and stir fry just a minute or so until it starts to wilt. Move it to the side and add a little drop of oil (use water for WFPB & Plantricious diets) and add the garlic. Cook until just fragrant quickly stirring so it won’t burn.
- Add the cooked rice to the skillet together with the green peas and pour in the sauce. Remove from heat and add in the reserve veggies gently mixing everything.
- Sprinkle in some fresh cilantro, scallions and sesame seeds and enjoy with a fresh squeeze of lime!!
Video
Notes
- To make it oil-free WFPB and Plantricious compliant all you need to adapt the recipe is to stir fry / sautee your veggies with a little drop of water or veggie broth instead of oil. Make sure to use a whole grain rice like brown, black or red.
- Make it soy-free by replacing the tamari sauce with equal parts of coco aminos and don’t add any tofu to the recipe. Alternatively you can use this peanut sauce i make for my ramen noodle salad.
Nutrition
Beyond amazing, everyone including the kids loved this fried rice and there are no leftovers. Just like that the kids are eating brown rice so thank you, thank you so much!
I made this tonight. I was GREAT. Thank you!
This looks so good! What a great way to have a sweet, satisfying, gluten free dinner!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
I’d say up to 5 days in the fridge but for us it never makes it past day 1 😉
I made this last night, and it was truly delicious! Would it freeze well?
It freezes ok, you’ll lose some of the crunch of the veggies but that’s all, still super delicious.
Thanks for sharing the most awesome recipe! =^.^= Why is it so simple & yet so yummy?! The best pineapple rice ever!! :D~
p.s. I used overnight coconut rice since I didn’t have brown rice. It was cooked with fried garlic & coconut oil & little salt. 🙂
This recipe was amazingly flavorful and super easy! I used Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice to keep it as easy as possible, and I added mushrooms. My husband and I both had two platefuls and there was enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow. Thank you for sharing:)
This looks amazing! I’ll bet it would win any non-vegan over!
Delicious! I only added a couple of chopped mushrooms. Thank you!
My son said this was a winner! I added a few extra vegetables and it was a huge hit.
This was THE best stir fried rice I’ve ever made…so delicious and easy to make! I made a half batch to go with some leftover brown rice, thinking I’d get 2 meals out of it (hubby doesn’t usually eat “my food”). Well he ate half!! I think the key is doing the veggies separate as recipe states, normally I throw it all in together. This was exceptional and will be the one & only recipe from now on. Thank you 👍
it looks delicious, but is that 839 calories per serving?
This looks really good and I want to try it (WFPB) but how does it have 839kcal? Is that for the entire dish, not per serving? Still seems like a lot for the ingredients.
Thanks for the recipe and your reply.
If you divide the recipe by 4 then it is correct, however this can serve 6 people which brings down the calories to 557 / serving. They are whole food calories which is good energy our bodies need to function, I am not concerned even on double servings. Enjoy! ~ Florentina