Super fluffy coconut rice that tastes good and goes with everything! You won't believe how easy it is to make restaurant-quality coconut rice at home. This rice will quickly become your favorite side dish for your dinner rotation.
In this post, I will show you how to make coconut rice in easy steps. This coconut rice is perfectly cooked and flavored with coconut milk and aromatic herbs. It tastes good by itself and will make a stellar side dish for any meal.
This was inspired by my saffron rice recipe on this site, and pairs well with this pan-seared tilapia, telur balado, or air fryer tilapia recipe.
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What is Coconut Rice?
Coconut rice is a popular type of rice dish from Asia and the Caribbean. It's commonly found in Malaysian, Indonesian, Jamaican, or Thai cuisines, such as in Nasi Lemak, Nasi Uduk, and much more.
As someone who grew up eating coconut rice almost on a daily basis, I've tried many versions of coconut rice. For example, In Indonesia, coconut rice is usually infused with kaffir lime, pandan leaf, lemongrass, bay leaf, and with or without galangal. Some restaurants even grill the cooked coconut rice in banana leaves to add more fragrance before serving it.
Easy Coconut Rice Recipe
This fragrant rice is versatile and easy to make. It can be served with fish, meat, chicken, eggs, tofu, or vegetable dishes. It also goes well with stew or fried food.
My version of the coconut rice recipe below uses ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery. It doesn't require pandan leaves, galangal, or kaffir lime, but if you have access to these exotic ingredients, feel free to use them.
Ingredients
- White rice. Use long-grain white rice for maximum fluffiness. Stay away from instant white rice to avoid overcooking.
- Coconut milk. I used canned full-fat coconut milk to add richness to the rice. Canned coconut milk is available at any Asian or Western market.
- Lemongrass. It's one of the secret ingredients to make the rice aromatic and gives a slightly fresh citrusy flavor. You can find fresh lemongrass at any Asian grocer, Walmart, Ralphs/Kroger, Vons, or Albertsons. Be sure to check out the article on how to cook with lemongrass to learn more about this herb.
- Bay Leaf. It's used to add a light, minty flavor to the rice. You can use fresh or dried bay leaves.
- Salt and sugar. You just need to use a small amount of salt and sugar to enhance the flavor of the rice.
- Lime Zest. I use lime zest to add a citrusy flavor and scent to the rice.
How to Make Coconut Rice on the Stove
Below, I'll show you how to make coconut rice on the stove. Keep in mind it can also be done using a rice cooker or an instant pot.
Here are some steps to follow:
1. Wash the rice
It's very important to rinse the rice thoroughly to remove excess starch. This helps the grain separate during the cooking. As a result, the rice is perfectly cooked, fluffy, and not gluey.
Remember to rinse, drain, and repeat until the water runs clear.
- Place the rice in a large bowl and fill it with cold water.
- Swish the rice around, then drain the water through a mesh strainer.
- Repeat this process at least 3 times or until the water runs clear.
- Drain well.
2. Cook the Rice
- In a saucepan, add rice, coconut milk, water, bay leaf, lemongrass, salt, and sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the entire surface is bubbling, stir once.
- Continue boiling until you see the bubbles turn into little holes with steam coming through the rice and the water volume has reduced to the rice level.
- Turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pot.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, turn off the heat and let the rice sit (still covered) for 10 minutes.
How to Cook Coconut Rice in a Rice Cooker
To cook coconut rice in a rice cooker, you need to reduce the amount of water by half to prevent mushy rice. Here's how to do it.
- Wash the rice until the water runs clear as mentioned above.
- Place the rice, coconut milk, salt, sugar, lemongrass, and bay leaves, and use just ½ cup of water.
- Close the lid, choose the "white rice" setting, and let your rice cooker do the job.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, let it sit for 10-15 minutes before opening the lid.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Rice
- Let the hot coconut rice cools down to room temperature before refrigerating, no longer than 2 hours or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F.
- Place the rice in an airtight container. Properly stored, it can last 3-4 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer.
- You can microwave the rice for a minute or longer until warm throughout.
Check Out More Delicious Rice Recipes
- Indian-Style Rice
- Saffron Rice
- Instant Pot White Rice
- Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice
- Chicken and Chorizo Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Chinese Sausage Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Fried Rice
- Kimchi Fried Rice
- Nasi Goreng
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
Easy Coconut Rice Recipe
Equipment
- a heavy-bottom saucepan (2-quart or similar)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups raw long-grain rice
- 1½ cups full-fat coconut milk, canned, (unsweetened)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½-¾ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup water, (use ½ cup of water for rice cooker)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 fresh lemongrass, (cut into pieces then bruise it with a rolling pin or mallet)
- zest from one lime , (optional)
Instructions
- Using a fine mesh strainer and/or bowl, rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Drain it well. Set it aside.
- In a saucepan, stir in coconut milk, salt, and sugar. Add rice, bay leaves, and lemongrass.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the entire surface is bubbling, stir once.
- Continue boiling until you see the bubbles turn into little holes with steam coming through the rice and the water volume has reduced to the rice level. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover the pot. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, remove the pot from the heat and let the rice sit (still covered) for 10 minutes. Taste the rice and add more salt/sugar if necessary. Stir in the lime zest and serve.
Notes
- Wash the rice until the water runs clear as mentioned above.
- Place the rice, coconut milk, salt, sugar, lemongrass, and bay leaves, and use just ½ cup of water in a rice cooker pot.
- Close the lid, choose the "white rice" setting, and let your rice cooker do the job.
- Once the cooking cycle is done, let it sit for 10-15 minutes before opening the lid.
- Let the hot coconut rice cools down to room temperature before refrigerating, no longer than 2 hours or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F.
- Place the rice in an airtight container. Properly stored, it can last 3-4 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer.
- You can microwave the rice for a minute or longer until warm throughout.
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