• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Follow Us

Chicken Created with Sketch.
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • Start Here
    • About WWL
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • Top Rated
    • Baked Goods
    • Beef
    • Breakfast Meal Preps
    • College Friendly
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Gluten-Free
    • Kid-Friendly
    • No Reheat Meals
    • One Pot Meals
    • Pantry Meals
    • Poultry
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Snacks
    • Soup
    • Under 30 Minutes
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Wraps & Sandwiches
  • Blog
    • Meal Prep Pro Tips
    • Cooking For Two (Or More)
    • Intuitive Eating
    • Healthy Habits
    • Kitchen & Meal Prep Essentials
    • Recipe Roundups
    • Save Money
    • Save Time
    • Sustainable Meal Prep
  • Member’s Area
  • Join The Team
    • WWL Program Recipe Submission!
    • The WWL Team

Pineapple Fried Rice with Peas, Red Pepper and Tofu

March 26, 2021 by Talia Koren 1 Comment

jump to recipe
print recipe

Craving takeout? Pineapple fried rice is so easy to make at home! All you need is five main affordable, easy-to-find ingredients and basic equipment for this recipe. 

Get more recipes like this in the Workweek Lunch Meal Prep Program with access to our meal planning tools, grocery list generator and more. Start a free trial today!

What's In This Post

  • What to know about Chinese vs Thai Pineapple Fried Rice 
  • Tips for customizing pineapple fried rice
  • Making Chicken or Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice 
  • How to Get Crispy Tofu
  • How To Make Pineapple Fried Rice (Cooking Tips)
  • Will Fried Rice Work For Meal Prep?
  • Storing and reheating Veggie Pineapple Fried Rice
  • Authentic Fried Rice Recipes
  • Other Free WWL recipes to try out!
  • Pineapple Fried Rice with Peas, Red Pepper and Tofu

What to know about Chinese vs Thai Pineapple Fried Rice 

Do you know the main difference between Thai fried rice and Chinese fried rice? It’s the fish sauce!

Fish sauce is a common ingredient in Thai cooking, while Chinese fried rice utilizes soy sauce for that familiar umami flavor. 

In our recipe, we’re using soy sauce since it’s vegan, but if you have fish sauce (and you’re not vegan) go for it! Another veggie-friendly option would be using Yondu, the best vegan umami sauce out there.  

The recipe below is not meant to be authentic Thai or Chinese fried rice whatsoever. We instead are focusing on recreating these familiar flavors we love with common ingredients and cooking utensils. 

If you’re looking for a more authentic recipe for fried rice, keep reading/scrolling for the ones we recommend from Asian chefs! 

Tips for customizing pineapple fried rice

  1. The type of rice or grain is up to you. While it’s less traditional, quinoa or even couscous would work in this simple recipe.
  2. Have frozen or leftover rice? That’s even better for this recipe.
  3. You don’t have to use tofu! You can edamame, tempeh or tofu if you’re vegan/vegetarian. When in doubt, you can also add more veggies. See the next section if you’d like to make this a chicken or shrimp pineapple fried rice.
  4. Veggies are also up to you. In the version above, I used just broccoli and pineapple. The recipe below calls for frozen mixed veggies. You can use bell pepper, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, celery, bok choy, eggplant, greens, squash – basically anything except tomatoes in this meal.
  5. Hate pineapple or can’t find any? Try mango instead. You can also ditch it and still make a very tasty fried rice dish for meal prep! Keep reading for other easy fried rice ideas.
  6. Switch up the sauce. You can make your own sauce (recipe below) OR use a store-bought stir-fry or teriyaki sauce!

It really doesn’t get more versatile than this! Fried rice is one of the best meals to use up leftover veggies or produce on its last legs, so make sure to do some fridge scavenging before making it! 

I want to note that the first time I made this, I bought pre-cut pineapple chunks which were more expensive but it was all I could find. The second time, I bought a whole pineapple and chopped it up, but had a lot left over for freezing. You can totally use canned or frozen pineapple for this fried rice recipe too. 

Making Chicken or Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice 

If you eat meat, using chicken or shrimp in our fried rice recipe is a great swap! 

Instead of cooking tofu in step 4, simply cook the chicken or shrimp in your skillet (or wok if you have one!) with a little oil and maybe a tablespoon of soy sauce and a pinch of sugar or dash of honey. Since you’re mixing everything up later in the sauce, you don’t need to worry about marinating the chicken or shrimp too much. 

If you’re new to cooking chicken perfectly on the stove, watch this video. This same method works for making fried rice, you’re just chopping your chicken into smaller pieces. It’s all about getting that sear! More color = more flavor when it comes to cooking protein. Another tip is to make sure you’re not crowding the pan, otherwise, you’ll get no sear on your shrimp or chicken. 

Once your protein is cooked, remove it from the pan and cook your vegetables and egg if using. 

How to Get Crispy Tofu

Watch the beginning of this video to learn how to drain your tofu to make sure it gets nice and crispy! 

How To Make Pineapple Fried Rice (Cooking Tips)

Here’s a general step-by-step approach to making awesome fried rice at home.

  1. Heat up your pan and cook the protein.
  2. Add vegetables to the pan.
  3. Cook the scrambled egg (in a separate pan, or push the contents of your current pan to the side)
  4. Add rice and sauce ingredients.
  5. Mix. 

If your pan is big enough, it could be a one-pan meal! 

You need a big pan for this since you are adding all the different ingredients together at the end! I used my 5.5 quart Cuisinart pan (it has high sides which also help). Pineapple fried rice and other varieties are typically cooked in a wok. Here’s our favorite wok option! 

Do you need to use day-old rice?

While fried rice might taste a little better with day-old rice, you can totally use freshly cooked rice.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually have leftover rice and I’m not going to remember to make it the day before I want to make fried rice. This recipe includes instructions for fresh rice, but if you have some frozen or day-old rice lying around, use it!

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid when making fried rice is adding the egg at the wrong time, or cooking it the wrong way. The first time I ever made fried rice at home, I added the egg with the veggies and rice and made this somewhat gross egg veggie scramble. That’s NOT what we’re going for here!

If using an egg, you want to cook it in the pan on its own, preferably with a little soy sauce. You can also push the veggies to one side while you do this, but if you’re making it for the first time, it’s easier to just whip out a nonstick skillet and quickly scramble the egg to add later. 

Will Fried Rice Work For Meal Prep?

You can absolutely meal prep fried rice. This pineapple fried rice recipe will last in the fridge for up to four days making it an awesome meal-prepped lunch or dinner option. 

To successfully reheat rice recipes, I suggest partially covering the container (leaving the lid on a bit) when reheating in the microwave. This allows the rice to steam back to life.

Adding a few drops of water into the meal prep container to your fried rice also helps rice soften when reheating. 

The same applies to reheating meal prep fried rice on the stove, just cover the pan in the process and it won’t be crunchy and hard! 

Storing and reheating Veggie Pineapple Fried Rice

This recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. While I did not test it in the freezer, I think it would be freezer-friendly. It reheats best in the microwave or on the stove. Add a few drops of soy sauce before reheating if your rice sticks.

Happy prepping!

Authentic Fried Rice Recipes

Egg Fried Rice from Recipe Tin Eats

Chicken Fried Rice from Omnivores Cookbook

Chinese Fried Rice from Rasa Malaysia

Pork Fried Rice from The Woks of Life

Another Chicken Fried Rice recipe from Seonkyoung Longest

Other Free WWL recipes to try out!

Vegetarian Meatballs Made With Chickpeas and Miso

Veggie Meal Prep Ramen With Tofu and Marinated Eggs

Orange Baked Chicken (Copycat Trader Joe’s Recipe)

Bourbon-Ish Chicken With Quick Veggie Rice

Beginner

Pineapple Fried Rice with Peas, Red Pepper and Tofu

Rating
3.56 from 9 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 3 meals

Ingredients

  • cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup rice or grain of your choice
  • 14 oz package of firm tofu firm
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 TBSP olive oil divided
  • 1 1/2 cup pineapple chopped (fresh frozen or canned)
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 red bell pepper chopped into small pieces
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional if you like heat
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 TBSP agave, maple syrup or honey
  • 1 TBSP ginger minced, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 425 F and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Press your tofu to drain it a little by placing it on a plate with a paper towel, then placing something heavy on top (there's a video above to see how I do it!) for 10-20 minutes.
  • Cook the rice according to the package.
  • On a cutting board, chop the tofu into cubes - size is up to you. Add the cubed tofu to the greased baking sheet. Generously top with salt and pepper. Throw on other spices you like at this point if you want! Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 minutes longer for crispier tofu - optional.
  • Add 1 TBSP oil to a large skillet over medium heat. After a minute, add the peas, chopped pepper and pineapple with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper if using. Cook on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cooked pineapple will start to smell sooo good!
  • Meanwhile, add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sweetener and minced ginger if using to a bowl. Mix, taste and adjust ingredients to taste if desired.
  • Remove the tofu from the oven and add it to the pan with the veggies (the heat should still be on medium-low). Add the cooked rice to the pan as well. Then pour the sauce on top and mix well. The tofu might break a little and that's ok! Cook for 5 more minutes, then turn off the heat. That's it!
  • To assemble: divide your pineapple fried rice between three meal prep containers.
Filed Under: Beginner, College Friendly, Low Budget, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: asian inspired, fried rice, tofu

Comments

  1. Mayte A Diaz Marquez

    March 9, 2020 at 2:37 am

    My all time favorite recipe from this program!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Get weekly meal prep tips from me!

workweeklunch

Workweek Lunch | Talia Koren
KNIFE SHARPENING BASICS. So excited to share some KNIFE SHARPENING BASICS. So excited to share some basic knife sharpening skills with this gorgeous @nakanoknives whetstone! #sponsored 
.
I’m definitely not a pro at this, but I’ve been able to successfully sharpen my knives with this method.  Sharpening knives with a whetstone is something you only need to do a few times per year. Honing a knife (using the long steel rod) is something you can do weekly or even daily to keep knives in shape.
.
There are a lot of ways to use a whetstone, this is just the way I feel most comfortable. It takes awhile to get the hang of, but it’s super effective!
.
The Nakano whetstone can be found at nakano-knives.com. It comes with the beautiful stand and angle guide!
.
Hope this video helps you keep your quality knives sharper for longer.
👋🏼If you’re new to my page, you might noti 👋🏼If you’re new to my page, you might notice something is missing: nutrition and weight loss info.👇🏼
.
🤘🏼At WWL we don’t talk about what’s “healthy” and what’s not. Who am I to say what’s healthy for you anyway? We don’t talk about ways to optimize nutrition at every meal. It’s not because it doesn’t matter (of course health matters) but more because these food facts and “healthy swaps” get put on a pedestal over actual enjoyment, practicality and accessibility. To me, a healthy relationship with food is more important in the long run than what’s actually on your plate. And I refuse to be part of the conversation around encouraging people to lose weight, because we all have bigger fish to fry.
.
👉🏼Instead of placing all the focus on health, I’d rather help you make meals you’ll actually enjoy (which by the way doesn’t mean they’re void of nutrition!!), make meals that fit with your budget, cooking skill and accessibility to kitchen equipment. I’d rather help you figure out a food system that reduces stress around food, allowing space to improve your relationship with food too.
.
🤯It drives me nuts when people on Instagram go on and on about antioxidants in food (and desserts! Really??) or “immune boosting” nutrients etc. as if that’s the ONLY reason to eat something: nutrition. Or if it’s not nutritious, it’s immediately not worth it or “bad.”
.
✌🏼I’m not saying it’s not important! If you look at my meals, you’ll see they’re ALL pretty balanced in their own way with a variety of ingredients and macro/micro nutrients. But I don’t overthink it. I don’t scrutinize every meal for its nutritional value. And I want to help you get there too. If you’ve just started to follow me, know that you can expect to never ever see any posts relating to weight loss, calorie counting or healthy swaps etc from me.
.
🙏🏼Thank you for being here and thank you for being a part of a community that knows there’s more to food than health!
.
Image disclaimer: this is not necessarily an accurate depiction of what I actually eat in a day and it is not meant as a guideline to what you should be eating.
And how can we help? 👇🏼👇🏽 . 🍳We’r And how can we help? 👇🏼👇🏽
.
🍳We’re all about meeting you where you’re at and making sure our posts are actually helpful, practical and motivating. So let’s hear it! Where are you getting stuck when it comes to food and getting organized around meals?
.
😍Thanks for helping us help you!
We just updated our FREE $25 meal plan complete wi We just updated our FREE $25 meal plan complete with a shopping list and recipes (featuring these recipes pictured and more)! 🥞
.
🔗Head to: workweeklunch.com/budget-meal-prep to get the vegan, vegetarian and omnivore versions of the 1-week plan. No need to put your email in or anything, just download the PDFs right in the post.
.
😍I’m so excited for you to try this out if you’re not a member of the WWL Program! This will give you a taste of the power of meal planning and how you can save money while eating delicious home cooked veggie-packed meals that are easy to make. Bonus, most of these recipes are freezer friendly and only one of the 10 recipes requires an oven. So if you only have a stove or hot plate, you can do this plan!
.
🍌The plan includes breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5-6 days for 1 person. Double everything for 2. The $25 included some sauces and smaller ingredients except spices which you can skip if you’re on a super tight budget and don’t have them already.
.
🙏🏼Hope you enjoy it! And we’d so appreciate it if you’d share this guide with a friend who might need some help in the kitchen on a budget 🙌🏼
Swipe for the 9 tips that make the biggest impact Swipe for the 9 tips that make the biggest impact on my grocery bill and food costs each week! Some may surprise you 👈🏼 and that last tip is 🔑
.
🤘🏼I’ve never been a coupon clipper. I have too much going on to track when the sales are. So these tips are what have been realistic and easy for me to do!
.
💸I’m so excited to get into this topic more this week... we have an amazing free resource coming your way tomorrow!
.
And in the WWL Program we’re sharing a week of budget-friendly meals! They’re all around $2/serving 🤑head over to my bio link to sign up on a free trial!
.
❓Which of these tips help you/will help you the most? What did I leave out that works for you?
Calling all sweet tooth snackers! This one’s for Calling all sweet tooth snackers! This one’s for you. Which box featuring @naturesbakery NEW Baked-Ins would you love to enjoy throughout the workday?🍫🍌 #sponsored
.
😍Nature’s Bakery #BakedIns are an amazing sweet on-the-go snack! They don’t melt or crumble and they’re made with organic whole grains, fruits and veggies. They're plant-based, dairy-free and nut-free. Most importantly, they taste #SeriouslyGood! 
.
👍🏼You can grab Nature’s Bakery Baked-Ins (the Chocolate Oat and Banana Chocolate Chip) on naturesbakery.com as well as at Target! #NaturesBakery
Holiday or not if you feel like you ate “too muc Holiday or not if you feel like you ate “too much” over the weekend, I have 5 words for you:
.
🙏🏼Your body will figure it out.
.
You don’t need to detox or compensate with exercise or changing your eating to “balance out” whatever you ate on the weekend. This is how we fall into the restrict/binge cycle! Trust your body. Trust that you need food today no matter how much you ate over the weekend.
.
👇🏼MEALS PICTURED:
.
🫐Berry baked oatmeal: coming soon to WWL!
.
🍍Tropical smoothie (not blended yet) with mango, pineapple, spinach, yogurt and banana
.
🥑Chickpea avo wraps - I have a free similar recipe on workweeklunch.con
.
🍅Chicken tortilla soup - recipe in the WWL Program
.
@theochocolate 🍫courtesy of my neighbor who works for them and Apple + PB as a snack
.
I eat dessert every day, multiple times a day sometimes. Even after a holiday weekend. If you normally eat dessert too, I hope you have some today even if you ate more sweets than usual over the weekend.
.
FOOD DIARY DISCLAIMER: this is not an example of what you should eat in a day (you’re a total stranger and only you can decide what’s best for you to eat). This photo is not an accurate depiction of what Exactly I eat in a day. This is just me pulling out meals in my fridge and arranging them for the photo. I might eat all of this today.. or I might decide to have something else for dinner/lunch etc.
Not sure who needs to hear this today but you have Not sure who needs to hear this today but you have so much to offer the world that has nothing to do with the way you look 🌞
.
🪞I grew up believing I wouldn’t get anywhere in life unless I was the smallest version of myself (with perfectly straight hair and perfect skin). The way I ate from high school through age 23 was always about losing weight, even when I told myself I was just trying to “eat healthy.” It was always about eating less.
.
👉🏼While I have thin privilege (which is why I don’t post my body here - not trying to take up space in the body posi movement!) rejecting the pursuit of thinness has been scary and tough at times. But it was one of the best choices I’ve ever made for my health and lifestyle.
.
✨Everything changed for me when I realized I could be putting all the time and energy and money I put into my looks into something I REALLY cared about- what fires me up, what makes me tick, what I’m passionate about. It was like I woke up and realized pouring so much in to aesthetics was holding me back from what I really wanted In life. That’s been my experience. I know I’m not alone!
.
👌🏼Also want to say that it’s ok to care a lot about how you look. For me, my mental, physical and financial health were in terrible shape when I was so focused on my looks. So I took that as a sign to adjust something in my life, and it worked out. This message (this post) isn’t for everyone!
What’s your go-to smoothie? After 6 months of be What’s your go-to smoothie? After 6 months of being blender-less I finally found a @vitamix blender on FB marketplace, brand new and unopened for a great deal.💸
.
👈🏼👈🏼Swipe left for storage tips for these jars for the fridge and freezer!
.
♻️Reusable straw is from @stojo
.
🔬So this week I experimented with smoothies and prepping them in jars like this. Here’s how it turned out:
.
🍌PROS:
.
-I was able to use up and repurpose produce on its last legs, like berries, bananas, avocado, cucumber and spinach
-after blending I just cleaned out the jar and enjoyed the smoothie right in the jar, cutting down on clean up
-I didn’t get bored because I had a few different flavors (not pictured but I also made an orange and banana smoothie)
-having these prepared made them so easy to blend up with milk! It was such a nice change up from my usual breakfast options.
-I eat a lot of fruits and veggies normally but I definitely feel like I got more fiber in this week for sure.
-oh! And I had a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer for months and it’s all gone now! Love using stuff up.
.
🍓CONS
.
-smoothies are just hard for me to eat in the morning. They’re both too filling and not satisfying long term at the same time. I don’t like protein powder (I’ve tried many and I just want to leave it in my diet/restrictive eating past for now). So I ate a few as a snack instead and that was better for me
-I get so cold when I eat (drink?) a smoothie 😂
.
🥑That’s it. That was the only thing I figured out about having smoothies this week that I didn’t like.
.
👀Looking forward to trying new combos that you share in the comments!
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Fork-Knife Created with Sketch.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Privacy Policy

Workweek Lunch. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior permission of Workweek Lunch.