This deliciously rich and savory Coconut Rice Recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients including jasmine rice, full-fat coconut milk, and fresh aromatics like ginger and garlic. Vegan, gluten-free, and ready in just 30 minutes, serve this delicious coconut rice with all your favorite Asian-inspired curries and stir-frys!
Coconut Rice Recipe
Have you ever tried coconut rice? Fluffy, aromatic, and delicious served with all your favorite recipes including this Jamaican jerk cod with mango avocado salsa or this classic chicken curry – you’ll never want plain old white rice again.
Made with simple pantry ingredients including long-grain white rice and canned coconut milk, this coconut rice recipe is also:
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- And ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the full list and amounts of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
You only need a few simple ingredients to make out-of-this-world coconut rice.
- Thai Jasmine Rice – Admittedly, most rice varieties will work in this recipe. Long-grain white rice, however, will generate the best results, with jasmine rice being the best of the best. You can buy Thai jasmine rice on Amazon here.
- Coconut Oil (or Canola Oil) – Since we’re making coconut rice, I feel that it only makes sense to use coconut oil to sauté the aromatics and toast the rice before cooking. Of course, any oil (or even butter) will also work.
- Aromatics – To add more flavor, I cooked minced garlic, grated ginger, and the white parts of green onions in oil before adding the rice. This is absolutely optional. If you prefer simpler coconut rice, skip one or all of the aromatics.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk – To make the very best coconut rice, you need a full can of full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream). I do not have a preferred brand, just make sure you’re using coconut milk that isn’t sweetened or flavored or reduced-fat.
- Water – Each can of coconut milk (13.5 ounces) contains 1.625 cups of coconut milk. To cook two cups of dry rice, I added an additional cup of water, bringing the total liquid amount to 2.625 cups.
- Salt – I always add a little salt to my rice to help bring out the flavors from the aromatics and coconut milk. Always start with less, and add more after the rice has been cooked.
How to Make Coconut Rice
One of the best parts about this coconut rice recipe is how simple it is to make. You’ll need a heavy-bottomed stainless steel shallow saucepan or regular saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and just 25-30 minutes to prepare, start to finish.
1. Always wash your rice first. It is super important to wash your rice under running cold water before cooking, not just to help clean it, but also to remove additional starches. These extra starches, when left to cook with the rice, ultimately leads to mushier rice. Once your rice has been washed, allow it to dry as much as possible. If I’m in a hurry, sometimes I’ll lay out a couple of paper towels and pat it dry before toasting in oil.
2. Cook the aromatics first. Add the oil to your saucepan over medium heat and add your aromatics. Cook, stirring continuously, for 30-60 seconds. Ginger and garlic like to stick, so don’t leave it alone to cook – it will burn.
3. Toast your rice. Toasting the rice with the aromatics and the coconut oil is an easy way to add more flavor. You don’t need to stir the rice continuously (as you did with the aromatics), but stir often to prevent anything from burning.
4. Add the coconut milk and water, mixing well to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Leave your rice to cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes. By this time, the liquid should be absorbed and the rice should be tender.
5. Remove from heat and gently fluff with a fork. Immediately place the cover back on the saucepan and allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff again, this time more thoroughly, though still gently. Season with salt, to taste, and garnish with sesame seeds and the green parts of your green onions, if desired.
Can You Use Light Coconut Milk?
I do not recommend using low-fat coconut milk. Diluted with water, low-fat canned coconut milk will not give you the same fragrant, flavorful, or delicious coconut rice (trust me, I’ve tried).
What to Serve with Coconut Rice
Coconut rice pairs well with a variety of dishes. Some of my favorite recipes to serve with this rice include:
Thai Basil Chicken (Pad Kra Pao Gai)
Pineapple Coconut Thai Fish Curry
Leftovers? Use them to make Thai Fried Rice (Khao Phat Kaphrao).
More Rice Recipes:
One-Pot Mushroom Rice Pilaf Recipe
Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf with Sweet Potatoes
If you try making this Coconut Rice Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Coconut Rice Recipe (How to Make Coconut Rice)
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 green onions - chopped with white and green parts divided
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk - (or coconut cream)
- 1 cup water
- Fresh lime juice - for serving, optional
Instructions
- Transfer the uncooked rice to a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until water runs clean. Tap the sides of the strainer against the side of the sink a couple of times before setting aside to drain.
- Meanwhile, place the oil in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Swirl to coat the bottom surface of your saucepan and add the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the green onions. Sauté for 30-60 seconds, mixing continuously, to prevent the ginger and garlic from sticking to the bottom of your pan.
- Add the rice and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, mix to combine with the aromatics. Continue to toast the rice for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, to prevent burning.
- Add the coconut milk and water to the rice. Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, immediately cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
- Remove from heat, gently fluff with a fork, recover, and allow the rice to rest for approximately 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff again, this time more thoroughly. Season with salt, to taste, and garnish with sesame seeds and the green parts of your green onions, if desired.
Jessica's Notes
- 1 (13.5 fl oz) can of coconut milk or coconut cream contains 26 tablespoons or 1.625 cups.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Very flavourful coconut rice! We LOVED this! I’ve tried various coconut rice recipes – this will be my new ‘go to’ recipe! The aromatics make the difference! I used brown basmati rice, and used about 1/2 c of homemade turkey stock from Thanksgiving (Canadian). Delicious!
I made this tonight,but is absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. Five stars
Thanks for the kind feedback Deborah 🙂