One-Pot Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice (GF)

Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - June 18, 2018 By Rhian Williams 2 Comments

This Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice is fruity and tangy, full of flavour and made in one pot! The perfect healthy and satisfying plant-based dinner.

Why you'll love this Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice:

it's fruity and tangy
it's packed with veggies
it's savoury and flavourful
it's nutritious and healthy
it's filling and satisfying
it's easily customisable
it's easy to make
it's made in one pot!

How to make this Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice

First, let's discuss the pineapple. You can use tinned pineapple, or fresh ready-chopped pineapple, but if you want to use a whole fresh pineapple, the preparation can seem intimidating. So, let me show you how!

How to prepare and cut up a fresh pineapple in 5 simple steps:

Cut off the spiky top
Stand it on its bottom and use a knife to vertically cut off the skin on all sides

Use a slightly smaller knife to carve out the brown holes that will still be on the surface

Lay the peeled pineapple on its side and cut thick slices
Cut each circular slice of pineapple into sixths - cut in half first, then each half into thirds. You can cut off the slightly hard 'core' in the middle if you like.

Now we've sorted out the pineapple, let's talk about how to make the recipe.

Whilst my Peanut Butter Fried Rice is a proper fried rice recipe where the rice is cooked first and then fried, I decided to make this Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice a super easy recipe by making it in one pot, in the way that a Biryani would be made.

There are a few different reasons why I decided to make this fried rice in one pot:

It's so much quicker and easier
You'll need to use less oil, which makes it healthier
The juices that come out of the pineapple as it cooks get absorbed into the rice, which means the sweet, tangy, aromatic pineapple flavours get distributed throughout the dish
The rice also soaks up all the other flavours much better this way!

So here's how to make it:

Start by frying the spring onions, garlic, ginger, carrot and pineapple
Add the rice and fry for a couple of minutes until translucent
Add all the other ingredients like cashew nuts and green peas (which provide a good source of protein and fibre) and water
Bring to the boil, keep a lid over it and cook for 15 minutes until all water is absorbed
Turn off the heat and leave with the lid on for a further 5 minutes
Fluff up the rice with a fork before serving

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (including ingredient measurements).

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS VEGAN PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

Whilst I usually recommend Thai Jasmine rice for fried rice, for this one-pot fried rice I recommend using Basmati rice, or any other long-grain rice. This is because long-grain rice such as Basmati stays supple and the grains remain separated even when cooked in this way without a lot of oil, whilst short-grain rice will become sticky and clump together in a way that won't resemble fried rice.
Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure the amount of water exactly – too much and the rice will be uncooked and hard, too much and it will be watery and soupy.
Cook in a deep frying pan or a pot with a lid until all the water has been absorbed.
Once you’ve turned off the heat, leave the cooked rice in the pan with the lid on for a further 5 minutes.

How long does this Pineapple Fried Rice keep for?

This fried rice does taste best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. Reheat it in the microwave or in a dry frying pan on the hob (stove) until piping hot.

More similar recipes:

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.