Hawaiian Fried Rice with Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce
Oh man, I can’t get enough of this Hawaiian Fried Rice with Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Hiya, Nicky here from Kitchen Sanctuary with a Friday night dinner recipe that the whole family will love!
It’s tangy, brimming with chunks of ham and pineapple, and loaded with hidden veggies—the ultimate mid-week meal that even kids can’t argue with.
In short, it’s a dream of a recipe!
I usually make this dish with bell peppers and mushrooms, but if you have fussy eaters in the house, peas, sweetcorn, tomatoes, and broccoli work equally well. If you’re feeling frisky, throw them all in the pot!
Look, I completely understand that the last thing you’ll want to do after a tough day at the office is slave over the stove trying to make the perfect sweet and sour sauce. So, I’ve crafted the ultimate microwave version that’s ready in a flash and tastes surprisingly authentic.
It won’t have that signature Chinese takeaway look (hello, bright orange sauce!), but it’ll taste just as good – you have my word!
I throw everything in a huge wok with rice whenever I cook this. This lets me serve the entire family while having tons of leftovers to chow down on throughout the week.
But if I’m being honest, the leftovers rarely survive as everyone is heading back for seconds. Yep – it’s just that good.
Whether you’re a complete master chef or are still trying to find your way around the kitchen, this quick and easy recipe will become one of your go-to dishes when you fancy a Friday night “fakeaway.”
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s made in one pot for minimal clean-up
- It makes enough for leftovers
- You can load it with hidden veggies to trick little ones into trying new things
- It’s a well-balanced meal with carbs, protein, and just a hint of fat
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
- Vegetable oil
- Onion
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Chestnut mushrooms (white button mushrooms)
- Cooked ham chunks (or shredded ham)
- Can of pineapple chunks in juice
- Cooked white long-grain rice
- Dark soy sauce
- Garlic salt
- Eggs
- Juice of ½ a lemon
Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Tomato ketchup
- Malt vinegar (it must be malt vinegar!)
- Dark brown muscovado sugar (dark brown sugar)
- Pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple above)
To Serve
- A small bunch of scallions
- Lemon wedges
How to Make Hawaiian Fried Rice with Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce
Follow along to learn how to make Hawaiian Fried Rice!
- Step One: Start with the sauce. Mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a small bowl and place in the microwave.
- Step Two: Cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce bubbles. Stir again, then put to one side (you can bring it to a boil in a small pan if you prefer).
- Step Three: Heat the oil in a large wok.
- Step Four: Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, on medium heat for 5 minutes until it softens.
- Step Five: Add the red and green bell peppers and the sliced mushrooms. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- Step Six: Add the ham chunks and pineapple pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Step Seven: Add the cooked rice and turn up the heat to high; toss everything together using a spatula.
- Step Eight: Add the soy sauce and garlic salt and continue to cook, moving everything around the pan regularly so it doesn’t stick until the rice is hot (takes about 5-6 minutes).
- Step Nine: Once the rice is hot, push it over to the side of the pan and crack the eggs into the space. Move the pan so that the bit with the eggs in is right over the heat. Move the eggs around slowly until they start to scramble. As they scramble, mix the eggs into the rice.
- Step Ten: Add the lemon juice, stir, and taste. Add more soy sauce if needed.
- Step Eleven: Divide between four bowls and top with chopped scallions and lemon wedges.
What to Serve with It
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Rinse your rice before cooking to remove the excess starch.
- Keep things hot while you’re cooking! This lets you get that signature fried rice flavor while decreasing cooking times.
- Spread your rice evenly on a baking tray to cool it as quickly as possible after cooking. This will help avoid bacteria buildup and keep your rice safe to eat.
- Cook your rice in advance for the best results. If you don’t plan on storing your rice for leftovers, you’ll get better results using pre-cooked rice, as it won’t be as sticky.
Variations and Substitutions
- Feel free to replace the ham with any other protein you like. Beef, chicken, pork – you name it, it’ll work!
- If you can’t use soy sauce, coconut aminos work well, too.
- Feel free to throw in any other vegetables to bulk things out. Carrots and peas are always great choices!
Storage Instructions
Once your rice has cooled, put it in an airtight container and place it in the fridge.
You shouldn’t keep the rice for longer than a day before reheating it and eating it.
You also cannot reheat the rice more than once!
Can I Freeze?
This dish freezes extremely well.
Place the leftovers in airtight containers and pop them in the fridge for up to 3 months. If you want to save space, you can use freezer bags!
When you’re ready to eat it, just leave it in the fridge to defrost overnight.
Rice Recipes
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Bowl
- Cabbage Roll Rice
- One-Pot Chicken Fajita Rice
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- One-Pot Chicken and Broccoli Rice
- Curried Lentil Rice
- Shrimp Fried Rice
You’ll also like this Hawaiian Chicken, Crockpot Pineapple Ham Balls, Yum Yum Sauce, and Waikiki Meatballs.
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
Hawaiian Fried Rice with Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper deseeded and chopped
- 4 chestnut mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup cooked ham chunks or shredded ham
- 1 can pineapple chunks in juice 400ml can, drained (reserve the juice)
- 6 cups cooked white long grain rice cooled
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- 2 large eggs
- juice of ½ a lemon
Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 9 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 3 tbsp malt vinegar it must be malt vinegar!
- 5 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
- 3 tbsp pineapple juice from the canned pineapple above
To Serve
- small bunch scallions chopped
- lemon wedges
Instructions
- Start with the sauce. Mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and place in the microwave. Cook for 1-2 minute until the sauce bubbles. Stir again then put to one side (you can bring to the boil in a small pan if you prefer).
- Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add in the red and green bell peppers, and the sliced mushrooms. Cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Add the ham chunks and pineapple pieces and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add in the cooked rice and turn up the heat to high, Toss everything together using a spatula. Add the soy sauce and garlic salt and continue to cook, moving everything around the pan regularly so it doesn’t stick, until the rice is hot (takes about 5-6 minutes). Once the rice is hot, push the rice over to the side of the pan and crack the eggs into the space. Move the pan so that the bit with the eggs in is right over the heat. Move the eggs round slowly until they start to scramble. As they scramble mix the eggs into the rice.
- Add the lemon juice, stir and taste. Add more soy sauce if needed. Divide between four bowls and top with chopped scallions and lemon wedges. Reheat the sauce for another 30 seconds, and serve it with the rice.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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After a hot, dry summer in which we were really pressed for time, I spent a glorious rainy day figuring out what to prepare for supper, given that we had not been to a grocery store to restock for a while. I came upon the Hawaiian Fried Rice recipe and thought I was close to having tie ingredients on hand, so I began. Cooking for two, I did use half measures for most ingredients. Only had one bell pepper on hand. Found I did not have the sauce ingredients so went with a thick Teriaki sauce. Did not have canned pineapple (How could I not have canned pineapple?) but wife had gotten some candied snack pineapple so I used some of that. I added a small amount of balsamic vinegar for the acidity, not having any malt vinegar.
My wok was not large enough, so that was . . . interesting.
So, after all this substitution and finagling, I served dinner.
And we enjoyed it.
I shall be sure to get all the appropriate ingredients on hand before preparing this again; I am advised that I will prepare this again.
Thank you for the recipe!
What is malt vinegar? And what is muscovado sugar and where can I find these items?
Malt vinegar is made from barley and I find it in the vinegar section in the grocery store. It has a tart flavor. For the sugar, use dark brown sugar.
This was delicious. The sauce was amazing!
C. I haven’t tried it yet. But I will.
Awesome recipe, have made it like 3 plus times! Do you think that I could add water crests to this recipe?
Yes, for sure!
Oh my word!! Yesterday I canned up some mock pineapple chunks using zucchini. I had some leftover cooked rice, some cooked chicken and a ton of fresh veggies from my garden. My husband and I had to go to the city for an appointment so I knew that I had to have something that I could whip together quickly when we got home. The difference was that I added celery, carrots, zucchini, ginger and some foraged, wild bolette mushrooms. It was so delicious!!! I immediately wrote the recipe onto a recipe card that’s reserved for only the best ones! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I made this for my family for dinner. Everyone loved it. My daughter even asked for some more for lunch the next day. Easy to prepare and was good enough to eat with out the sauce. My daughter asked me to send the recipe to her for a friend of hers.
This sounds fantastic! Just what I need! Thank you so much
Thanks for this delicious recipe. I found the malt vinegar but not the special sugar so I used brown sugar. It was great and will make it again soon!
I just made this for a Tiki party I’m having in a few days and froze it save time on party day. What’s the best way to reheat?
I would thaw it out overnight in the refrigerator. You can reheat in the microwave. Try 2 to 3 minutes on High heat and check it to see if it’s heated and needs more time. If it does, heat at 30 second increments until it’s heated through.
What I have is a 6qt. slow cooker, not the one your using. Can I till make this recipe in my crockpot.
It’s actually made in a wok, not a crockpot!
Can this be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Even though it says Malt vinegar is a must, could you still substitute with regular white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in case I can’t find the malt vinegar? Thank you.
Use apple cider vinegar if you can’t get malt vinegar.
Loved this Hawaiian fried rice.
Will surely make again.
could you please tell me what is muscovado sugar & where do i find it ? thank you
It’s similar to brown sugar. It’s more popular in the UK (this recipe was from one of my UK contributors). I would substitute dark brown sugar in its place.
I have started using this as one of my main dinner meals. I use chicken, shrimp, and steak instead of ham. It is so good. Thanks for sharing this with the rest of the world