Sticky-sweet pork, juicy pineapple, fresh herbs, jalapeño, and crispy onions all served over a bed of fluffy coconut rice. SO GOOD!
Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice
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This was so easy and delicious! Will 100% be adding this to my weekly rotation. Thanks so much for doing this series!
Jess
This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.
Let’s tuck right into this comforting, super-satisfying bowl of yum. Immediately. Get your fork. Hurry, hurry.
Watch How To Make This Recipe
I mean, sticky-sweet pork with that caramelized pan-fry goodness, the juicy chunks of pineapple, a handful of fresh herbs, slices of jalapeño, and crispy onions (yes, crispy onions! so underrated!) is all getting served over a hot pile of super luscious coconut rice (remember this rice from that delicious Ginger Peanut Chicken?), and WOW to the EEE. I hope you actually got your fork already because this is not a bad situation. Not at all.
The rich flavor, the caramelized texture, the totally indulgent and fragrant coconut rice… I mean, this is hands-down one of my favorite (easy! lifesaving! SOS!) meals of the season.
Why Pork and Pineapple Are a Match Made In Food Heaven
Nothing quite beats the sweet, tangy pop of fresh pineapple, really with anything…but it’s such a special flavor alongside pork in particular. It’s a sweet-salty combo that cannot be beat! And when you grill or sear the pineapple and all those natural sugars start caramelizing and turn into the most delicious sticky-saucy-sweet situation? HELLO WHAT A DREAM.
In fact, pineapple has a natural enzyme in it that tenderizes meat. That’s not so much at play here because you are not marinating in the pineapple juice itself, but just saying, even science wants them to be together!
So, if you are for some reason feeling weird about fruit and meat mixed together, please know that this is the absolute best and you will want to keep eating it forever. And then if you need other ways to love the pineapple pork combo, maybe you want to try these pork tacos with a little pineapple salsa.
Or get thee to some tacos al pastor! Or…do people still put pineapple rings on their holiday ham prep? See! It’s a thing!
This Pineapple Pork Comes with a Deliciously Short Ingredient List
Since this is part of our SOS series, I promised you a short, friendly ingredient list and this recipe will deliver. Here are your five major players for this bomb weeknight recipe:
- pork
- pineapple
- teriyaki sauce – store-bought, no guilt, SOS series FTW!
- coconut milk
- rice
Cilantro, jalapeños, and crunchy onions are also obviously encouraged in borderline inappropriate quantities, but not required.
This recipe honestly feels like a gift that someone gives you at dinnertime and you get to unwrap it bite by bite, dinner by dinner, the next 2-3 days, or sadly, less, depending on how long your leftovers last. Which, in our house, was not long at all. A double batch would not be a bad idea.
It’s sticky, caramelized, comforting, and just a lil crunchy. I can’t quit it.
How To Make This Pineapple Pork
Not much to bring this addicting little number together. There is a teeny little marinate step, but it is very low-key and low-stress. A few hours is ideal, but also if you forget altogether, just pop it in that sauce when you pull ingredients out of the fridge. NBD!
- Make your rice. Toss all the coconut milk, water, and rice in the Instant Pot and then beep-boop you’re done! (You can also do it on the stovetop/rice cooker if that’s your jam – see the FAQ below.)
- Caramelize your pork. Pull that pork out of the sauce and toss it in a hot pan. You want it to be able to sear and caramelize so make sure you don’t dump the sauce in too (then it will steam the pork, not as ideal!)
- Pineapple and finish. Once the pork has a nice sear, toss your pineapple chunks in to get it all nice and caramelized and saucy. You can also add a little more teriyaki at this point if your heart calls for it.
That’s it! Then top with some fresh jalapeño and cilantro and a truly embarrassing amount of crispy onions, if you’re doing it right.
Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t like pork. What can I use as a substitute?
Chicken would work well here or, for a vegetarian option, tofu would be great.
Is this spicy?
This dish has a lot of flavor, but it isn’t spicy. If you’re concerned about spice though, try omitting the jalapeños.
I have leftover crispy onions. What else can I use them for?
First, how? These underrated little things beg to be eaten by the handful! If you have extra crispy onions, please visit the Crunchy Roll Bowls next. SO YUMMY!
Where do I buy crispy onions?
You can find them at almost any grocery store near the canned green beans or some Asian markets sell them, too.
I don’t have an Instant Pot. How can I cook the rice?
Cooking the rice in a rice cooker (affiliate link) or just on the stove top should work well. To make it on the stove, you can add 2 cups of rice, 1.5 cups of water, and a 14-ounce can of coconut milk to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, you can reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook the rice for about 15-20 minutes.
Pineapple Pork with Coconut Rice
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Sticky-sweet pork, juicy pineapple, fresh herbs, jalapeño, and crispy onions all served over a bed of fluffy coconut rice. SO GOOD!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pork:
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I like the SoyVay brand!)
- 1 pound thinly sliced pork tenderloin (you can buy this pre-cut at a lot of stores, sometimes labeled as “stir fry”)
- 1–2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- olive oil for sautéing
Rice:
- one 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups jasmine rice
Toppings:
- lime zest
- cilantro
- thinly sliced jalapeño
- crunchy onions
Instructions
- Prep: Marinate the pork with 1/4 cup of the sauce for 2-3 hours, or a full day. This is low-key and low-stress. Just do it whenever you think of it.
- Rice: Add the rice ingredients to an Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release for 10-15 minutes (just let it sit there). Release the steam, fluff with a fork, season with a little salt, and attempt not to eat the whole thing.
- Pork: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Add *just* the pork, discarding the excess sauce – if you add all the sauce with it, it will steam the pork instead of caramelizing it. Leave the pork undisturbed in the hot pan for a few minutes at a time to get better caramelization. Throw the pineapple in there and let it get saucy and caramelized, too. Add a few additional tablespoons of sauce AFTER you’ve gotten it nice and brown.
- Serve: Top your luscious rice with a scoop of the saucy pineapple pork and finish with lime zest, cilantro, crunchy onions, and little slices of jalapeño.
Equipment
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Notes
Use more sauce if you need it – all the store bought sauces are a little different in their thickness and some might need more than 1/4 cup to marinate. We have one that is a sesame teriyaki and it’s SO good, but it’s really thick, almost like a hoisin sauce, so the amounts vary between that one and the SoyVay brand shown here which is a little more runny. The main thing is that you don’t want too much sauce to go into the pan when you brown the pork, otherwise it will steam instead of fry / caramelize.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pineapple pork, pork recipe, coconut rice
More Pork Favorites To Enjoy!
- Easy Crockpot Carnitas (juicy, flavorful, and perfectly browned pork – THE BEST!)
- 15-Minute Egg Roll in a Bowl (just 15 minutes? SOLD!)
- Caramelized Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa (a quick and easy fav meal)
- Ang’s Creamy Tortellini Soup (creamy, cozy, and oh-so good)
Time To Show You Off!
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of delicious rice recipes. Check it out!
Filed Under: 5 Ingredients All Recipes Bowls Dinner Healthy Jalapeño Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Quick and Easy Rice SOS Series Spring Stovetop Sugar-Free
September 14, 2022
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Are the crunchy onions store bought? This looks delish?
Yes! I went back and looked for a link or note to make the crunchy onions, too.
Same question? Is the a recipe for crunchy onions?
I was looking for that item exactly. What are they?
they are the ones that come in a can, the same ones you use on a green bean casserole I think??
You’re right, Kathy!
Yes, store bought!
I mean..WOW! I haven’t tried this but it looks already amazing!!!
We hope you love it, Sharon!
Thank you for this recipe. It sounds very flavourful.
I have a question regarding the teriyaki sauce; the ingredients call for a 1/2 cup and the only mention I found in the instructions were for 1/4 for marinade and then “add a few additional tablespoons of sauce.” Did I get this right?
I was wondering the same thing. Directions aren’t always clear on some of these recipes. Plus, the pic of the pork in the “sauce”(and I’m assuming by sauce, it’s just the teryaki), looks red, not brown and pink like teriyaki looks when pork is marinating. I just did my own thing, and winged it.
That’s correct, Janet!
I’m so excited about this series! This looks sooo good, I’m making it for dinner tomorrow! 🙂
We hope you like it, Ashley!
OMG – this looks delicious and so easy! I am making this tonight. Thanks Lindsay…and family…and crew for the great recipe ideas.
How come the finished product doesn’t look anything like the pictures of finished product?? Pork has grill marks as does pineapple in pictures. Where does this recipe originate from???
Instructions say to use a non-stick skillet OR grill pan, so my guess is she used a grill pan. 🤷♀️
We used a grill pan on the stove, which is why you’re seeing the grill marks!
Well that makes sense!
Is there a stove top recipe for the coconut rice? I don’t have an instapot and my rice making skills…well.
Nevermind…just found the stove top recipe. Thanks!! 😉
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, can you just make the rice on the stovetop? Do you have to do anything different?
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! Even my husband who swears he doesn’t like pork tenderloin loved this! Thanks, Lindsay!!
Was out of SoyVay (my fave, too), so made homemade teriyaki. Super quick to do (under 5 min). Also, fried my own super thinly sliced onions earlier in the day til crispy, to avoid trip to the store for those beauties in a canister. They seem to be seasonal around here anyway.
Poured water, coconut milk in sauce pan (seriously, with my instant pot out already! Sheesh!), so continued by bringing liquids to a boil, added jasmine rice, stirred a minute till back to boil, placed lid on, lowered heat and let simmer for 15-20 min until liquid was absorbed. Otherwise, followed the recipe and so happy I did!
All those flavors worked beautifully together! Yum!
Definitely a keeper😁
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your stovetop rice instructions!
We haven’t tried making the rice on the stovetop, but another reader shared how she did it:
“Poured water, coconut milk in sauce pan, continued by bringing liquids to a boil, added jasmine rice, stirred a minute till back to boil, placed lid on, lowered heat and let simmer for 15-20 min until liquid was absorbed.”
Someone else wondering what the heck are crunchy onions? Otherwise looks delish.
Crunchy onions: Think those cans of delicious you put on a green bean casserole! French’s is our family favorite.
They’re store-bought crunchy onions that you typically use on green bean casserole!
I’m such a huge POY but this ended up being a major fail for us 😫. Maybe it was the type of teriyaki we used but the flavour was completely lackluster. We even tried to salvage it with all the suggested toppings and miscellaneous condiments we had on hand but we ended up tossing out the rest after we ate.
Edit: I’m such a huge POY *fan*
So sorry to hear this, Kait! Thanks for the feedback!
I’m so excited for this series! We eat barely any meat, but I think this would be equally delicious if you crispified some tofu and tossed it with teriyaki sauce 😊
Forgot to also ask about directions for making coconut rice without a insta pot, I’m one of the few who does not own one.
We haven’t tried making this in the stovetop, but another reader shared how she did it:
“Poured water, coconut milk in sauce pan, continued by bringing liquids to a boil, added jasmine rice, stirred a minute till back to boil, placed lid on, lowered heat and let simmer for 15-20 min until liquid was absorbed.”
Agreed, Nicole!
Can you substitute frozen or canned pineapple?
I used canned. Not spending a lot of time or energy on this one. Also, used a bag of Vigo coconut rice. Easy peasy.
Yes, either will work!
How do I prepare rice without an instant pot?
We haven’t tested the rice on the stove top, but another reader shared how she did it:
“Poured water, coconut milk in sauce pan, continued by bringing liquids to a boil, added jasmine rice, stirred a minute till back to boil, placed lid on, lowered heat and let simmer for 15-20 min until liquid was absorbed.”
Delicious! I didn’t even marinate the meat (bc…well, three young kids and SOS), I used chicken breasts, and didn’t have jalapeño or crispy onions. Even so, it was still so flavorful. The coconut rice? MMM. I did like the lime juice and cilantro for a punch of freshness.
Way to go in making this recipe work for you! So glad you enjoyed it, Brittany!
Thank you for this helpful comment. I have 4 kids and know all about difficulty of pre-marinating! Haha!! Also, no pork, but do have the chicken defrosted! Will try it your style!
My whole family Loved this – Thank you, Pinch of Yum!
So glad it was a hit, Courtney!
Any suggestions on how to freezer meal prep this? Giving birth in a few weeks and trying to stock the freezer…
Yes! We’d suggest freezing the pork, pineapple, and teriyaki sauce together. Defrost, then cook per recipe instructions. Enjoy!
I’ve got the tried and true rice cooker. I really don’t want soggy rice, so any tips on how to tweak this for a rice cooker? Thanks!
Great question, Christine. We’ve only tested this rice in the Instant Pot, so it’s hard to say. We think that adding the rice and liquids to the cooker is all you’d need to do!
This recipe looks amazing and so simple to recreate! I love anything pineapple 🙂
Enjoy, Kartheek!
This was SO good! We did not have this on an SOS night but since they’re frequent around our home, I doubled the meat and froze half along with the remainder of the sauce. Frozen pineapple worked great as a sub for fresh, and all the toppings made it extra delicious. All three of my kids loved it and will definitely make again- thank you!!
Great idea to freeze the extras for another night! Thanks so much for the comment, Emily!
So quick and yummy! The pork tenderloin I bought from Aldi was already marinated in teriyaki, which made it even more simple 🙂
Love that shortcut! So glad you enjoyed it, Kate!
Very good , no instant pot, so stove top and worked at well.
My husband really enjoued.
Glad to hear it, Lou!
This was so easy and delicious! Will 100% be adding this to my weekly rotation. Thanks so much for doing this series!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jess!
I made this tonight and my normally picky son loved it! We all did!
Awesome, Becca! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Made this tonight, and it was delicious! Everyone voted to have this again! The coconut rice was so good.
Awesome, Susan! So glad to hear it!
Just wanted to say this was awesome. Made it for supper tonight and throughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately we didn’t have any of the toppings for the finishing touches but I will make sure I have some for the next time. I missed not having any veggies with it but can see adding broccoli or snow peas to it easily.
Made this last night, had leftovers in my lunch today and I’m already planning on making it again next week.
I used a can of pineapple chunks instead of fresh. I’d do it again.
Got a burn message on my IP trying to make the rice and will
Probably just do stove top method next time. So delish!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ashley!
Making this for Sunday dinner and SO excited 🙂 do you have any suggestions for making this deliciousness with brown rice and on the stovetop opposed to an InstaPot?
So hard to say since we haven’t tested with brown rice. It’d probably be best to follow the package directions for cook time and use the can of coconut milk plus additional water or broth if more liquid is needed. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear back!