If you’re tired of eating leftover ham, use it to make this recipe instead. When you re-purpose the leftover ham it completely changes the original dish. There will be no complaints about having ham again when you make this fried rice.

This recipe costs approximately $8.07 to make. The recipe makes six servings and costs around $1.34 to make.

Hawaiian Fried Rice in three wooden bowls with chopsticks.

Don’t let the leftovers go to waste with this Hawaiian Rice!

When you spend money on a ham and have leftovers, don’t let them go to waste. Use the leftovers to make this fried rice. It is a cost-effective way to make another meal.

Using up leftover ham makes it that much easier to make this dish. This fried rice recipe comes together in just thirty minutes.

A skillet of Hawaiian Fried Rice along with it in a wooden bowl.

What is Hawaiian fried rice?

Hawaiian Fried Rice is your favorite fried rice dish with a tropical flair by adding pineapple and ham. The sweet and salty combination is delicious!

Ham Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients + Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $1.34

Recipe Cost: $8.07

  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce – $0.15
  • 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil – $0.20
  • 1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce – $0.14
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil – $0.04
  • 4 green onions – $0.32
  • 1 ½ cups chopped ham – $2.63
  • 1 large red bell pepper – $1.24
  • 3 large garlic cloves – $0.15
  • 1 medium yellow onion – $0.45
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger – $0.05
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten – $0.72
  • 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice – $1.32
  • 1 cup pineapple – $0.66

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The recipe cost is calculated by the amounts needed for the recipe. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have. I updated the pricing for this recipe in December 2023.

AN overhead picture of all of the ingredients needed to make Hawaiian Fried Rice.

Hawaiian Fried Rice Recipe Variations

  • Substitute chicken for the ham or steak bites.
  • Additional vegetables to add in include: green or yellow bell peppers, peas, broccoli, or celery.

How to make Ham Fried Rice

STEPS 1 AND 2: First, cook ham, bell pepper, green onion, whites, and yellow onion. Then, add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add egg and stir until combined and cook for about 3 minutes.

All of the veggies and ham cooking in a skillet.

STEPS 3 AND 4: Next, stir in rice and sauce. Cook until rice is heated through. Turn off heat and stir in pineapple and green onion. Finally, serve!

Rice and sauce added into the veggies mixture.

What to serve with Hawaiian Fried Rice

Two of my favorite recipes to make alongside this fried rice are Garlic Shrimp and Grilled Hawaiian Chicken.

How to store leftover Ham Fried Rice

How long is leftover ham good for?

Leftover cooked ham will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-5 days. It will remain fresh in the freezer for up to two months.

SERVE: You can keep the fried rice out for about two hours before it needs to be stored in the refrigerator. 

DEFROST: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. 

REHEAT: Place the Pineapple Fried Rice in a microwave-safe dish and re-heat on HIGH in the microwave for 1-minute. Stir and repeat until heated through. 

More Easy Main Dishes:

A close up picture of Hawaiian fried rice in a large skillet.
4.54 from 15 votes

Hawaiian Rice Recipe

Recipe Cost $ $8.07
Serving Cost $ $1.34
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
4 people
Put those holiday ham leftovers to good use by making this Hawaiian Fried Rice recipe. It’s quick, easy, and SO delicious!

Equipment

  • small bowl
  • 12-inch skillet or wok
  • wooden spoon
  • cutting board
  • chef's knife

Ingredients
 
 

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce

FOR THE FRIED RICE:

  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ cups chopped ham
  • 1 large red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 4 green onions white parts minced, green parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 large eggs lightly beaten
  • 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice cooled to room temperature
  • 1 cup fresh pineapple cut into ½-inch dice

Instructions

MAKE SAUCE:

  • Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and Sriracha in a small bowl and set aside.

MAKE FRIED RICE:

  • In a large 12-inch skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until just smoking.
  • Add ham, bell pepper, green onion whites, and yellow onion and cook, occasionally stirring until lightly browned, 7-9 minutes.
  • Add garlic and ginger, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add eggs to the skillet and stir them into the other ingredients.
  • Stir constantly until eggs are cooked, about 3 minutes.
  • Add rice and soy sauce mixture to skillet, stir until combined, and rice is heated through.

TO FINISH:

  • Turn off heat and stir in pineapple and remaining green onions.
  • Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

  • This recipe moves quickly, so prep all of the ingredients before beginning. 
  • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 1510mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1580IU | Vitamin C: 79.5mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2.1mg

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Leftover ham used to make fried rice served in a bowl with chopsticks.

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Recipe Rating




32 Comments

  1. Michelle @ Sunshine and Hurricanes.com says:

    This looks so delicious! I love pineapple and this is perfect for quick weeknight dinners!

  2. Healing Tomato says:

    Your pictures look amazing as usual. The rice looks so inviting. Love the idea.

    1. Aww, you’re the sweetest!

  3. Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says:

    This is my kind of dish! This is comfort food at its best for me.

      1. Made this today and it was delicious! I used carrots instead of the red pepper (hubby doesn’t like red pepper. He doesn’t understand what he is missing!) I also added some cashews at the end to see if it would taste like my favorite take-out fried rice and it did! Also fried the egg separately, chopped and added it in towards the end. I never have any luck cooking it in the same pan with the other ingredients. This was a great way to use up leftover ham. The ginger/garlic/sesame combo played really nice with the salty ham and the sweet pineapple!

        1. Shelly, I’m thrilled you loved this recipe! 🙂

  4. Theresa S. (@Reese22) says:

    This looks super YUM! My husband loves anything with Pineapples and Ham, so this should be a winner. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Nice tradition and great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Emily @ Love, Pasta and a Tool Belt says:

    I love fried rice and this recipe looks so delicious! Going to have to try this one out!

  7. kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says:

    Jillian– this is absolutely perfection…I love that you completely changed it up so it doesn’t feel like leftovers at all. YUM! #client

  8. This looks fantastic! I love fried rice. It’s one of my favorite dishes. I need to try this Hawaiian spin to it. Love it!

  9. Cami @ The Crafting Nook says:

    Yummmmm fried rice? yes please!!! Love fried rice and this one looks so good!!!
    XOXO

  10. Do you know how well this recipe would be if it was made ahead and then frozen? I have made it several times and it is my favorite Hawaiian fried rice recipe.

    1. Hi Andrea! I am SO glad you enjoyed this recipe, it’s a favorite at my house, too!
      To answer your question I’m not sure how well it will freeze because I’v never tried…there usually aren’t any leftovers when I make it! But thinking about all of the ingredients, I think only the green onions wouldn’t freeze then re-heat well as they tend to get slimy (I say just add them in once everything has been re-heated). I hope this helps! If you freeze it, let me know how it turns out!

      1. Sabrina suni says:

        can you get me the recipe

        1. Hi Sabrina, the recipe is up above in the post. 🙂

  11. I think this is the best stir fried rice I have ever made. Thank you! I did add the pineapple at the beginning to caramelize slightly but otherwise as you wrote. Yummy !

    1. i’m so glad you liked it. Caramelizing the pineapple is a fabulous idea, I’m going to try it the next time I make it!

  12. May Jennings says:

    Hi I plan on making this recipe later this week but I’m not certain how much I should make, how many servings would you say this recipe produces?

    1. This recipe serves 4-6. Enjoy!

  13. What a wonderful meal. Just make sure to prep all ingredients before starting. It goes quick and was a hit with both hubby and son.

    1. Great tip! So glad you liked the recipe. 🙂

  14. Charles Mayhew says:

    I’ve made this dish for several groups of people and has gotten rave reviews each time!
    Such wonderful explosion of flavor and texture!

    1. Charles,

      I am thrilled that this recipe has been such a hit for you! Thanks for stopping by to let me know! 🙂

  15. Michael Whaley says:

    I’m going to try this, looks good. I’ll dice a can of SPAM and then smoke it instead of ham. Smoked SPAM is good stuff.

  16. Rahul @samosastreet says:

    Wow this looks so tasty and easy to make, perfect for summer! I love hawaiian style food

  17. I made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. It was super easy to make. I will definitely make this again

    1. Nichole,
      I am thrilled that the recipe was a hit! Thank for stopping by to let me know!

  18. I think I messed up. I read four cups of rice so I made four cups of rice…which is really 12 cups of cooked rice. I’m assuming that was wrong. It has a good taste though….I ended up just adding more of everything else.

    1. Yeah, that’s ways too much rice. Glad you added more of everything else though!