Hawaiian Fried Rice

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Hawaiian Fried Rice is neither Hawaiian nor Chinese, but itโ€™s definitely delicious! Salty ham and sweet pineapple make an addictive combination, and dinner is done in 20 minutes or less.

A skillet full of Hawaiian fried rice.


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Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for Hawaiian Fried Rice.

Ingredient notes

  • Sriracha: Add more for spicy fried rice or omit entirely.
  • Ginger: To peel fresh ginger, use the tip of a spoon to scrape off the peel. You can store any extra ginger in the freezer. Whenever you need some, grate the amount you need and return the rest to the freezer.
  • Rice: Put your leftover rice to use (cold rice works best).

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha to taste (I like 1 tablespoon). Set aside.
Stir-fry sauce for Hawaiian fried rice.
  1. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until just smoking. Add ham, bell pepper, onion, and scallion whites, and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Vegetables cooking in a skillet.
  1. In the same skillet, Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, breaking up clumps with spoon, until heated through, about 3 minutes.
Cooked rice being fried in a skillet.
  1. Push rice to one side of skillet and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the empty side of skillet. Heat oil until shimmering. Add eggs to the oiled side of skillet and cook until set, about 30 seconds, while stirring occasionally.ย ย 
Cooked rice and eggs being cooked in a skillet.
  1. Stir eggs and reserved ham mixture into rice. Add soy sauce mixture and stir together until evenly coated. Remove from heat, stir in pineapple and garnish with scallion greens.
A skillet full of Hawaiian fried rice.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 8 generous servings (about 1 cup each, maybe more depending on the size of your vegetables).
  • Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance (store covered in the refrigerator). The ham and vegetables can be chopped the day before. And, cold leftover rice works best.
  • Chicken: Substitute leftover chicken for the ham if thatโ€™s what you have.
  • Teriyaki sauce: For a teriyaki twist on this non-classic dish, try my homemade teriyaki sauce recipe (itโ€™s ready in about 15 minutes).
Two bowls full of Hawaiian fried rice.

Oven Baked Rice

Making Oven Baked Rice in the oven is fast, foolproof, and fluffy. This easy 3-ingredient recipe is great for meal prep and freezer friendly, too, and you can use either butter or olive oil.

40 minutes
View Recipe

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A skillet full of Hawaiian fried rice.

Hawaiian Fried Rice

Hawaiian Fried Rice is neither Hawaiian nor Chinese, but it's definitely delicious! Salty ham and sweet pineapple make an addictive combination, and dinner is done in 20 minutes or less.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings (1 cup each)
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Calories 279
5 from 5 votes

Ingredientsย 

For the sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • Sriracha to taste (see note 1)

For the fried rice:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 cup ham chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 small onion peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
  • 6 scallions thinly sliced, white and green parts divided
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated (see note 2)
  • 4 cups cooked rice cold (see note 3)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructionsย 

  • To make the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha to taste (I like 1 tablespoon). Set aside.
  • In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until just smoking. Add ham, bell pepper, onion, and scallion whites, and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
  • In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, breaking up clumps with spoon, until heated through, about 3 minutes.
  • Push rice to one side of skillet and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the empty side of skillet. Heat oil until shimmering. Add eggs to the oiled side of skillet and cook until set, about 30 seconds, while stirring occasionally.
  • Stir eggs and reserved ham mixture into rice. Add soy sauce mixture and stir together until evenly coated. Remove from heat, stir in pineapple and garnish with scallion greens.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Sriracha: Add more for spicy fried rice or omit entirely.
  2. Ginger: To peel fresh ginger, use the tip of a spoon to scrape off the peel. You can store any extra ginger in the freezer. Whenever you need some, grate the amount you need and return the rest to the freezer.
  3. Rice: Put your leftover rice to use (cold rice works best).
  4. Yield: This recipe makes 8 generous servings (about 1 c. each, maybe more depending on the size of your vegetables).
  5. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 279kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 9gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 649mgPotassium: 234mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 650IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
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5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. The only non stick skillet I have thatโ€™s big enough is a wok. Can that work?
    Thanks
    Stacy
    I love your website

    1. Hi Stacy, yes! It should work well. Thank you for your lovely comment, take care! โ€“ Meggan

  2. You hit it out of the park with your Hawaiian fried rice! I used my left over Easter ham as you suggested, and the fresh pineapple was spot on! My wife loved it .Thank you!5 stars

  3. Made for dinner tonight.Tasted really good,but next time will use only one tablespoon sesame oil,was a little overwhelming.We also added a drizzle of lime juice.Thank you so much for this recipe.With social lock down right now,all our local Chinese restaurants have all closed and I miss the food. I did use two cups chopped ham also.5 stars

  4. Wow is this awesome. I am not normally a fan of sriracha, but itโ€™s so amazing in this recipe to give it zip! What a great use of leftover ham. Thanks Meggan.5 stars

  5. This is not a Hawaiian Dish. Just because thereโ€™s pineapple doesnโ€™t make it Hawaiian. This is just pineapple Fried Riceโ€ฆ

    1. Yes, I know. Itโ€™s also not Chinese even though itโ€™s fried rice. Thing is, people who are looking for pineapple fried rice tend to google โ€œHawaiian Fried Riceโ€ for whatever reason. People tend to NOT look for โ€œpineapple fried rice.โ€ So if I want to help the people of Google find what they are looking for, I have the title recipe according to that. Sorry for the confusion. -Meggan