Quick, easy, and adaptable. Those are my three favourite things when it comes to weeknight meals. This pineapple fried quinoa recipe is a fantastic way to use up leftover quinoa (or rice) and toss in whatever veggies you have on hand. The sauce packs a ton of flavour and is made up of our pantry staples that are easy to have on hand!
Peanut-y, Sweet, & Salty
Ready in less than 30 minutes
Super easy
Low mess
Freezes well
And the leftovers taste great!
Ingredients For Pineapple Fried Quinoa
This recipe can be easily adapted to suit your preferences and the ingredients you have on hand!
Some easy swaps:
- Substitute leftover brown rice for the quinoa. Alternatively, make some quick soba or rice noodles.
- Quinoa is a good source of protein so if you substitute rice or noodles for the quinoa consider adding in another protein source like tofu or tempeh.
- Use frozen beans, peas, or carrots for really quick preparation
- And use canned or frozen pineapple if you don't have fresh
- Have any leafy greens that are starting to wilt in your fridge? Add those in too!
For this pineapple fried quinoa recipe we use:
- Green beans
- 1-2 medium carrots
- Pineapple chunks
- Diced red onion
- 5 cups cooked quinoa
- And roasted peanuts to garnish!
The Sauce
I'm a big believer that peanut butter makes everything better! So this sauce is my go-to whenever I want something quick but super flavourful. Peanut butter and tamari (or soy sauce) have to be my two favourite flavour boosting ingredients!
This no fuss sauce can be whisked together in one bowl in just a couple of minutes and added to your stir-fry!
Simply stir together:
- Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) or regular soy sauce
- Peanut butter
- A touch of sesame oil
- Chilli garlic sauce
- Lime juice
- And a dash of maple syrup
*Depending on the thickness of your peanut butter you may need to add a bit of water to thin the sauce out.
How Timely Is This Pineapple Fried Quinoa
We love using quinoa for this recipe because even if you don't have any cooked in advance, quinoa typically takes only 12-15 minutes to cook. SO you can multitask a little and still have this recipe ready in:
25 minutes!
You can be a little fancy and take a few extra minutes to caramelize and grill your pineapple OR
- Simply saute the onion for 1-2 minutes,
- Add the sliced carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes,
- Make your sauce while the carrots soften,
- Add the green beans and cook for 1-2 minutes,
- Add in the quinoa, drizzle with the sauce, add the pineapple and the peanuts,
- And serve!
Recipe Cost
This one is pretty thrifty!
4 servings of this pineapple fried quinoa recipe costs us approximately: CAD $8.11
That's just over $2 a serving!
So enjoy a forkful of this easy weeknight pineapple fried quinoa recipe and even freeze some for easy lunches later on! Let us know how you adapt this recipe to include your favourite ingredients in the comments below!
If you still have leftover quinoa after making this recipe... try our PB & Chocolate Smoothie Bowl Surprise with cooked quinoa disguised in a refreshing chocolatey breakfast!
You might also like another one of our favourite Asian inspired dishes, our Simple Sweet Potato Glass Noodle - Japchae!
Print
Simple Weeknight Pineapple Quinoa Stir-Fry
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ready in less than 30 minutes this pineapple fried quinoa recipe makes a delicious weeknight meal & even freezes well for lunches!
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp neutral oil
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup carrots, diced (about 2 medium carrots)*
- 1 cup green beans, sliced in 2” slices*
- 5 cups cooked quinoa (usually 1 ½ cups raw)
- ½ cup roasted peanuts (75g, or cashews)
- 1-2 cups sliced pineapple (can use canned or frozen)
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chilli garlic sauce
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- dash of water to thin (if needed)
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
*If making quinoa specifically for this recipe, I like to undercook the quinoa by 2-3 minutes so it will stay firmer in the stir-fry. If the quinoa is overcooked it may get quite soft. Toasting the raw quinoa quickly in the dry pot before adding the water helps to boost the flavour!
- Heat a deep skillet or wok and add the pineapple pieces. Heat until the pieces are slightly caramelized (for a quicker meal you can skip this step and just add the pineapple pieces at the end).
- Remove the pineapple pieces and add ½ tablespoon oil (or water/broth) to the same skillet or wok. Add the onion and cook 1-2 minutes until softened. Add the carrots and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until slightly softened.
- Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Then, add the green beans to the carrots and onion and cook for 1-2 minutes until the beans turn bright green.
- Add the quinoa and mix it with the veggies. Then, drizzle the sauce overtop and stir to combine. Stir in the pineapple and heat through for just a minute. The quinoa will continue to soften so I like to not keep it on the heat very long after adding the quinoa so the stir-fry doesn’t get mushy).
- The peanuts tend to lose their crunch so you can add the peanuts just before serving.
- Best when fresh but this recipe keeps surprisingly well and also freezes really well!
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $8.11 ($2.03/serving).
This recipe can be made using frozen onion, vegetables, and pineapple for a really easy and convenient meal. Check out our pantry and freezer tips to see how we stock our freezer with versatile ingredients so making recipes like this one are possible when we are low on fresh fruit and vegetables! The sauce for this recipe is made entirely from our pantry staples. We’ve minimized our condiments to a few versatile and flavourful items!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Thai inspired
Jill B
This was so easy to make and delicious! I just used frozen pineapple because that was all I had and even with cooking the quinoa just for this recipe it was pretty quick. We had leftovers for lunches the next day too!
Kathryn Alexandre
Yay to leftovers! Thank you for letting me know you found this one easy to make and you enjoyed it! I most often use frozen pineapple with this one too.Thank you for the lovely star rating!
Suzanne Dailey
What is the nutritional value per serving???
Kathryn Alexandre
I haven't focused on calculating the macros for my recipes but I quickly punched this one into a free app I have called "cronometer" and it estimates 666 calories per serving. 24 grams protein, 68.3 grams carbs, 30 grams fat (and lots of fibre, vitamin c, iron, folate, vitamin a, potassium, calcium etc). I hope this helps!
Sally Tyson
I love pineapple on pizza so I tried this and THANK YOU! Even my husband loved it and he hates pineapple on pizza LOL this was really quick to make and we had leftovers the next day. Will def be making this again!
Kathryn Alexandre
haha awesome! I'm so glad you both loved it! I used to hate pineapple on pizza too but Bryan loves it and now I've gotten used to it! I'm glad this will be a repeat recipe for you. Thank you for letting me know and for the lovely star rating!
Kat
Looks, good, I will def. try this.
FYI, since the recipe calls for quinoa, you would suggest substituting rice for the quinoa, not substituting quinoa for rice.
Kathryn Alexandre
I'm glad you'll try it. Let me know what you think when you do. And yes I'll make that adjustment. I do love using quinoa because of the extra protein it provides so if you do substitute rice for the quinoa you could add another protein source to boost that up.
Kat
I love quinoa also, because of the protein and the taste, but hubby prefers rice, so I have to compromise sometimes 😉 Looking forward to trying it!
Kathryn Alexandre
haha well let me know how you two like it when you give it a try!
McKenna
This is such a great mix of flavors! I've been making this regularly since finding the recipe. My husband can tell it's what I'm cooking just based on the smell.
Kathryn Alexandre
haha that's so great! That sweetness from the pineapple mixed with the peanut is definitely a welcomed aroma here too! Thank you for letting me know. I'm so glad it's been a repeat recipe for you and I really appreciate you leaving a star review.
Kelsey
Absolutely delicious and plenty of protein! I personally ended up doubling the sauce since I like a bolder flavor. Crinkle cut frozen carrots work great as a time saver.
Kathryn Alexandre
That's a good tip! This is definitely one that you can throw in whatever frozen veg you have and it will work. I'm glad you doubled the sauce (can never go wrong with extra peanut sauce)! Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed this one. We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a star review!
Anonymous
Maria
I don’t know why I waited so long to try this recipe. Firstly, I fell in love with the smell! The aroma of the peanut butter in the sauce filled my kitchen and made my mouth water. Delicious, delicious, delicious recipe. I used fresh pineapple and did NOT skip the charring nor did I skip the toasting of the quinoa. These steps took a minimal amount of time and I am certain made a significant difference in the spectacular end result.
Kathryn Alexandre
Amazing!! Nothing beats a peanut sauce in my opinion😜 I'm so glad you loved it as soon as the aroma hit you! Thank you so much for giving this one a try and for such a lovely star review!
Steve Simonds
It's easy to understand why it's her go-to sauce whenever she wants something quick but super flavorful. I've been making it for leftovers since I tried it. Even dried out leftover quinoa comes to life.
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh great! I'm so glad you like this one Steve and it spruces up that leftover quinoa. Thank you so much for letting me know it has been a repeat recipe for you and for taking the time to come back and leave a review!