Crisp at the edges and tender through the middle, Instant Pot Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice is a vegan, vegetarian Chinese side dish made with jasmine rice [312 grams], water, and sesame oil in about 30 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups jasmine rice [312 grams]
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3-4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 small onion (chopped)
  • 3 stalks spring onion (chopped, white and green parts separated)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup mix of carrots & peas [ I used frozen carrot & peas and put them in warm water for 5 minutes before using in the recipe]
  • 1.25 cups pineapple chunks (I used canned pineapple chunks)
  • 2.5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder (or to taste)
  • salt (to taste)

Method

  1. Rinse rice with cold water till the water is no longer cloudy and turns clear. This might take 60-90 seconds and is an extremely important step in order to get the perfect texture of rice.
  2. Drain the rice completely and then transfer it to the pot. Add water and stir.
  3. Close the lid of the IP, set valve to sealing.
  4. Press manual, and then use the (+/-) button to decrease the time to 3 minutes. The Instant Pot will turn "ON" and come to pressure before it counts down the 3 minutes.
  5. After the 3 minutes are up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure by moving the valve from sealing to venting position using a spatula.
  6. Open the lid and fluff the rice using a fork. Transfer rice to a bowl and set aside.
  7. Now press the saute button.
  8. Add oil to the pot (there's no need to clean it).
  9. Once oil is hot, add garlic and ginger and saute for few seconds.
  10. Add in chopped onion and spring onion whites. Saute for a minute.
  11. Then add carrot, green peas and pepper. Saute for another minute.
  12. Stir in the pineapple chunks and cook for 1 more minute.
  13. Push all the veggies to the side and add the soy sauce.
  14. Put the cooked rice back in the pot again. You may press "cancel/keep warm" button at this point.
  15. Stir till everything is well combined and all the rice is coated with the sauce.
  16. Add white pepper powder, salt and mix to combine.
  17. Garnish with spring onion greens and enjoy the pineapple fried rice!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.