Pork and Pineapple Stir Fry

This is THE most delicious way to serve the classic combo of Pork and Pineapple!

Tender slices of pork drenched in a sweet, sticky and tangy pineapple sauce and loaded with extra goodies. If this doesn’t end up on your regular dinner rotations I’m not sure what will! Follow me…

Pork Pineapple Sauce

The sauce for this stir fry is nothing short of drinkable. Better still, you only need 6 ingredients!

• Pineapple Juice – For this recipe I opt for canned pineapple and use the juice from the can to make the sauce. That way it’s more efficient than buying a fresh pineapple alongside fresh pineapple juice. However you can do the latter if you fancy!
• Hoisin Sauce – This makes up a big part of the sauce and compliments both the pineapple and pork beautifully.
• Honey – Helps the sauce go sticky and brings out the sweet tones in the pineapple.
• Soy Sauce – Balances out the sweet flavours with a gentle salty flavour.
• Vinegar – Cuts through the sweetness/saltiness. I usually go for rice white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar works well too.
• Cornstarch/Cornflour – Helps thicken the sauce.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yep, to get ahead of the game you can easily whip up the sauce and tightly cover in the fridge until needed. Just leave out the cornstarch/cornflour and whisk in just before needed.

Pork Tenderloin

Aka pork fillet, is the perfect cut for a dish like this. It’s fairly lean, meaning you can cook it quickly without having to render down the fat. It’s also, as the name suggests, quite tender.

How do I stop pork from drying out?

A common issue when working with pork is that it easily drys out if it’s not prepped/cooked properly. Here’s a few tips to help avoid that:

• Room Temp – I recommend bringing your pork close to room temp before frying it. Frying meat straight out the fridge also causes it to seize up and go chewy.
• Slicing – Slice it into thin strips and preferably against the natural grain of the meat. This will help prevent long chewy strands of meat.
• Quick – Because the strips will be nice and thin, you only need to flash fry it until lightly golden and just about cooked in the centre.
• Remove – You’ll want to remove the pork from the pan and let it rest as you get on with the stir fry. This will avoid the pork over cooking whilst being in the pan and it’ll also give chance for the meat to relax as it rests.

Can I substitute chicken?

If I haven’t convinced you with the pork, you can absolutely trade in chicken and it works just as well! More on that in the recipe card notes below.

Process shots: lay pork tenderloin on chopping board (photo 1), slice into thin strips (photo 2), pat dry then season (photo 3).

Pineapple Pork Stir Fry

Once you’ve made the sauce and prepped the pork, we’re actually going to start off the stir fry by frying cashews. Because all great things that with golden crunchy cashews, right? From there you’ve then got some nutty infused oil to start frying up the pork.

I recommend frying the pork up in two batches, just so you don’t overcrowd the pan and cause the pork to steam. Again, this should only take a few mins. You only need the pork just about cooked through the centre and lightly golden on the outside.

Process shots: add cashews to oil (photo 1), fry until golden then remove (photo 2), add pork in batches (photo 3), fry then remove (photo 4), fry peppers (photo 5), fry ginger, garlic and chilli flakes (photo 6), stir in pineapple and spring onion (photo 7), stir in sauce then add back in pork/cashews (photo 8).

Serving Pork and Pineapple

I love serving this with rice, just so it can soak up all that gorgeous sauce. I also like a sprinkling of spring onion and a pinch of chilli flakes to finish. Totally optional though!

If you’re after another delicious stir fry recipe check out my Cashew Chicken Stir Fry!

For more fruity recipes check out my Pomegranate Chicken, Apricot Chicken and Salmon & Mango Salsa!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this pork and pineapple stir fry shall we?!

How to make Pork and Pineapple (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 3 votes

Pork and Pineapple Stir Fry

By: Chris Collins

This is THE most delicious way to serve the classic combo of Pork and Pineapple!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Small Mixing Bowl & Whisk
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Large Pan or Wok with Wooden Spoon
• Paper Towels

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Pork Stir Fry

• ▢ 1lb / 500g Pork Tenderloin, brought close to room temp
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 70g Raw Unsalted Cashews
• ▢ 1x 15oz / 425g can of Pineapple Slices in Juice, diced & juice saved for sauce below (or sub 9oz/250g fresh pineapple)
• ▢ 2 small Peppers, diced into large chunks
• ▢ 2 Spring Onions, finely sliced
• ▢ 1 finely diced tsp EACH: Garlic, Ginger
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to taste
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp Vegetable Oil, or as needed
• ▢ Salt & Pepper, to taste

Sauce

• ▢ 3/4 cup / 180ml Pineapple Juice (should be exact measurement of juice from the can)
• ▢ 1/3 cup / 80ml Hoisin Sauce
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 70g Honey
• ▢ 2 tbsp Light/All Purpose Soy Sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp Rice White Vinegar, (can sub Apple Cider Vinegar)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Cornstarch/Cornflour

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Sauce: In a small mixing bowl whisk together pineapple juice, hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and cornstarch/cornflour. Place to one side and whisk again just before needed.
• Pork: Slice tenderloin into thin strips. Pat dry with paper towels then season both sides with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Place to one side.
• Cook Cashews: Heat up 1.5 tbsp oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add cashews and fry until deep golden and crunchy, stirring frequently. Careful - they'll go from perfect to burnt very quickly! Remove and leave oil behind.
• Cook Pork: Turn heat up to medium high and add in pork slices (you may need to do this in two batches). Cook for around 1-2mins each sides, or until lightly golden and just about cooked through. Remove from pan.
• Stir Fry: Add a dash more oil if needed, then add in your peppers and fry for a few mins until they just begin to pick up colour. Add in garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and fry for 1-2mins longer. Turn heat back down to medium, stir in spring onion and pineapple then pour in sauce.
• Simmer & Serve: Allow the sauce to simmer for a few mins until it starts to thicken, then stir in the cooked pork and cashews. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Pineapple - I like to use canned pineapple because it gives you the perfect amount of juice for the sauce. However you can use fresh pineapple and buy the juice separately if you wish!

b) What other cuts of pork can I use? - Any sort of fillet/loin will do the trick. Just make sure you slice into thin strips and preferably against the natural grain of the meat. Allowing the meat to come close to room temp and only flash frying for a minute or so each side will help prevent the pork from drying out/going chewy.

c) Can I sub Chicken? - I have tried this with chicken thigh and it works great! Just dice 1lb/500g boneless/skinless chicken thigh into bite sized pieces and fry in batches until golden all over and cooked right through the centre. This will take longer to cook than the pork so just be vigilant.

d) Calories - whole recipe divided by 4 with no rice.

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Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.08g | Protein: 29.4g | Fat: 16.24g | Saturated Fat: 6.456g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.319g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.87g | Trans Fat: 0.024g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 664mg | Potassium: 867mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 37.32g | Vitamin A: 1276IU | Vitamin C: 85.9mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3.31mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’