Pineapple Rice
Tropical, sweet, savory, spicy, and absolutely delicious. That’s what this pineapple rice is all about. It’s the best combo of sweet and spicy!
Try pairing this delicious combo of flavors with Spicy Honey Chicken and Sweet Potato Kebabs for the ultimate summer meal!
Pineapple Rice
If you’re not a fan of rice wait till you try this Hawaiian rice. It’s packed with simple fresh ingredients of the summer that give old boring rice so much flavor with a nice spicy kick!
The combination of crushed pineapple combined with spicy red chili flakes and refreshing lime juice make this rice truly the best. Crushed pineapple adds sweetness and texture, while the red pepper flakes balance out the sweetness, and lime juice adds freshness.
Just like our shrimp pineapple fried rice, it’s very easy to make too! You literally add everything into a small saucepan and let it do its thing.
You can’t go wrong with this side dish.
Pineapple Rice Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Water: Cold tap water is fine here for cooking the rice.
- Crushed pineapple: It normally comes in 8-ounce and 20-ounce cans. You will need one 8-ounce can or 1 cup of crushed pineapple for this recipe.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar and cane sugar both work for this recipe. I personally love cane sugar since it’s minimally processed than granulated sugar.
- Butter: Butter adds richness and prevents the rice from clumping together. Go with unsalted butter.
- Kosher salt: You’ll need 1/2 teaspoon of salt for this recipe. Since salt varies, I recommend you taste the rice before serving and add more if desired.
- Red chili flakes: Chili flakes add the heat to the rice. You only need a little to taste it too. But if you like it spicier, add a little more.
- Rice: Basmati rice or jasmine rice both work. Just make sure it’s not quick-cooking rice.
- Lime: You’ll need the juice of half a lime, which is about 1 tablespoon.
- Cilantro: Chopped cilantro adds a burst of fresh flavor. It’s not complete without it. Use as much as you like!
How to Make Pineapple Rice Recipe
This Hawaiian rice recipe comes together pretty simple. I used basmati rice (jasmine works well too!) Both are aromatic varieties that make a great alternative to plain long-grain white rice.
Sometimes I rinse the basmati to wash off any dust and excess starch and sometimes I do not. Either way is fine. I do not notice a big difference.
- Step 1: To a small saucepan, add water, pineapple, sugar, butter, salt, and chili flakes. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, partially covered, until all of the water is absorbed. The rice will have a slight bite to it after 15 minutes and that’s what you want.
- Step 2: Remove the saucepan from heat and let the rice steam another 5 minutes, completely covered.
- Step 3: Fluff rice with a fork. Stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro, to taste.
Serve as a Side Dish
Pineapple rice is the perfect side dish. Here are some entrées that would go well:
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Balsamic Grilled Chicken
- Coconut Chicken with Cilantro Lime
- Easy Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Sliders
Video: How to Make Pineapple Rice
Love rice side dishes? Try our Mexican Beans and Rice, Cilantro Rice, Cauliflower Rice Pilaf, or Mexican White Rice.
PrintPineapple Rice
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tropical, sweet, savory, spicy, and absolutely delicious. That’s what this pineapple rice is all about. It’s the best combo of sweet and spicy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice (1 cup)
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 cup basmati or jasmine rice, not quick-cooking
- Juice 1/2 lime (about 1 Tbsp.)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine water, pineapple, sugar, butter, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in rice and bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. The rice will be almost done with a slight bite to it.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and let the rice steam another 5 minutes, covered. Fluff rice with a fork. Stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro. (I love cilantro so I usually go heavy but you can add as much as you like). Taste for salt and if needed add more.
Notes
- Pineapple: For best results, use canned crushed pineapple in pineapple juice. I do not recommend fresh pineapple.
- Sugar: Both granulated sugar and cane sugar work for this recipe. Cane sugar is minimally processed so I personally like to use that more.
- Leftovers: Leftover rice will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. It reheats very well too. To reheat the rice, add the rice to a non-stick skillet with little fat, such as butter or swirl of oil and heat, stirring occasionally, over medium heat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 6.2 g
- Sodium: 4.4 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.8 g
- Protein: 1.4 g
- Cholesterol: 7.6 mg
Keywords: seasonal, hawaiian, easy, tropical
Recipe published in June 2015. Updated in June 2020.
Oh my goodness … I’ve made this recipe 4 times now this year and every time it’s a hit!!! So good!!! ❤️❤️
★★★★★
That’s great! Thank you Susie.
It burned when I left it in simmer for 15 minutes. I think I would try it on my rice cooker next time… I think the recipe has potential but I would add more salt. It was bland with the recommend 1/2 tsp
★★
Could this be made in an instapot?
★★★★★
Hi: I’m sure it can but I can’t answer with certainty as I haven’t tested it out in an instapot.
Really tasty! Went perfectly with my marinated grille pork loin. I cut back the amount of red pepper flakes to just a sprinkle and believe they could be optional if you don’t like spicy foods. Will be making this again.
★★★★★
Perfect, so delicious! Used frozen golden pineapple defrosted and mashed with juices. Served with Kauai fried chicken and spiced roasted sweet potato fries. Serving leftovers with oil poached salmon. Thanks for a deelish new rice recipe.
★★★★★
you should always rinse your rice to remove any arsenic left behind after they harvest it. That is what i was told by a Chinese grocer.
★★★★
this was so helpful I could like to be receiving some recipes
Nice information
★★★★★
very good! love the flavors
★★★★
Thank you so much for a great recipe !! The rice dish is so good yum 🙂
★★★★★
Loved this recipe did it twice and it was a hit
I made this rice dish for a family dinner. Serving it with teriyaki chicken, shrimp skewers and fresh zucchini from the garden. I was unable to get basmati rice so substituted jasmine. Everyone loved the rice! It will definitely on the menu again!
★★★★★
Hello, I am planning to make this for a baby shower, to keep it warm do you think adding it to a crockpot (in warm setting) after it’s all cooked to keep it warm during the shower will not ruin it? Any other suggestions?
I don’t have a lot of experience with warm settings on crockpots so I can’t answer with certainty but I feel like it might turn mushy. I usually wrap the dish in something super dense like a towel or even a small blanket if I want to transfer it somewhere and keep it warm. Also, you can heat your oven on a low setting, turn it off, and place the dish inside as long as the oven is not too hot.
Hello. Have you ever used brown rice in this recipe? Do you think it would work?
I think it all comes down to personal preference. Brown rice is slightly earthy, nutty, and chewy – so it will definitely taste different.
So, my wife is one of those that says cilantro tastes like soap, so I decided to substitute, but not as a direct/typical substitute… I added 1/2 cup chopped ham, 1/4 cup chopped onions, 1/8 cup chopped carrots, and 1/2 tsp chopped garlic.
I suateed them together and added to the rice after it was cooked.
Was reminiscent of fried rice w/o the oil or crunch… Could have used the crunch, but didn’t miss the oil as the rice was very tasty and fresh.
The basic recipe is really good, but truth be told, had the left over ham, and needed to use the onion and carrots as we are heading out on a 2 week vacation.
All in all, was really good paired with Hawaiin chicken thighs and roasted broccoli.
Thanks for the recipe.
I was wondering……….would you possibly consider cooking the rice in chicken broth instead of water to add a bit of savory?
You can try it but the rice has plenty of savory flavor as is.
I made this delicious Pineapple Rice without making any changes! It was an amazing accompaniment with Barbecue Salmon, my husband was raving about it! Delicious and perfect recipe!
★★★★★
This was great! I made it as instructed, only omitting the red pepper flakes (wimpy family members can’t take any kind of heat). 🙂
I served it as an accompaniment to pulled Kalua pork, and we all dreamed we were in Hawaii! Thanks for such a simple, yet tasty recipe that will certainly become a part of our regular rotation!
★★★★★
Is it supposed to be sticky? I forgot to rinse my rice. Could this be the reason? Also, it took much longer for the water to evaporate.
Not too sticky! What type of rice did you use?
Mahatma Jasmine Thai fragrant long grain. I think my pineapple was in syrup, not juice.