Coconut rice is just as easy to make as plain rice. All we need to do is swap half of the water for full-fat coconut milk. See all of our tips and advice below. Jump to the Coconut Rice Recipe
How to Make Coconut Rice
For our favorite coconut rice recipe, you will need long-grain Jasmine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, and one scallion (optional).
Long-grain Jasmine rice produces the best results in this recipe. We have tried this coconut rice recipe with other rice varieties, but we find that long-grain Jasmine rice is best. It’s fragrant and cooks up to be light and fluffy. Using long-grain rice also saves us a little time since we don’t need to rinse it before cooking.
I know that might have been a shock — don’t we always need to rinse our rice before cooking? Of course, we usually do, but in this recipe, if you use long-grain Jasmine rice, you don’t need to. In fact, after testing rinsed and unrinsed rice in the recipe, we found that the unrinsed rice tasted more like coconut.
Making coconut rice is no different than regular rice. First, combine everything in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and then cover and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, and then leave the pot alone for 10 to 15 minutes, so the rice has the chance to steam and absorb any excess liquid.
More: You may also like our Cilantro Lime Rice.
Storing and Freezing Tips
- Store cooked coconut rice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Freeze cooked coconut rice in an air-tight container for up to one month.
What to Serve With Coconut Rice
This coconut rice is perfect for almost any dish you would have served with plain rice. It’s perfect in rice bowls, with curries, Thai dishes, stir-fries, and as a side to chicken and fish. Try one of these dishes:
Extra Easy Coconut Rice
- PREP
Coconut rice is just as easy to make as plain rice and it tastes fantastic! All we need to do is swap half of the water for full-fat coconut milk. This coconut rice is perfect for almost any dish you would have served with plain rice. It’s perfect in rice bowls, with curries, Thai dishes, stir-fries, and as a side to chicken and fish.
*Long-grain Jasmine rice works best in this recipe. Shorter grain rice tend to be more sticky.
Serves 4
You Will Need
1 cup long-grain Jasmine white rice
3/4 cup well-stirred full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 scallion, thinly sliced, optional, substitute chopped chives
Directions
Place the rice (we do not rinse the rice), coconut milk, water, and salt in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Stir once, turn the heat to low, cover the saucepan with its lid, and cook for 15 minutes.
Do not lift the lid. Turn off the heat, then leave the rice to steam for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve with sliced scallions.
Store cooked coconut rice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Freeze in an air-tight container for up to one month.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- When using long-grain Jasmine rice, we do not rinse the rice. We have made this recipe with rinsed and unrinsed rice and found the results to be similar. If anything, the unrinsed rice tasted more like coconut. If you have medium-grain or short-grain rice, you might consider rinsing your rice before following our recipe.
- While we prefer coconut rice without sugar, many authentic recipes call for adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar. Feel free to add this in step one.
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving: Serving Size 3/4 cup / Calories 253 / Total Fat 9.4g / Saturated Fat 8.1g / Cholesterol 0mg / Sodium 155.2mg / Carbohydrate 38.3g / Dietary Fiber 0.6g / Total Sugars 0.1g / Protein 4.2g