I’m not kidding when I say this coconut rice is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. There’s something about it that literally just makes my body melt upon the first bite. It’s rich, savory, carby, and just insanely delicious. It’s pretty simple to make, too, which is always a plus. Whether you like to make rice on the stovetop or in a rice cooker, you can make this incredible savory coconut rice with very little effort.
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What’s in Coconut Rice?
This incredible rice is deceptively simple. It’s just long-grain white jasmine rice cooked in a mixture of coconut milk and water, with a little minced garlic and salt for depth. THAT’S IT. It sounds so plain, but you’ll be blown away on first bite.
What Kind of Coconut Milk?
For this recipe you’ll need canned coconut milk, not the kind that is meant to be used as a substitute for dairy milk–that’s just too watery. As far as canned coconut milk goes, I’ve used both full fat and light and it turns out great with both. Full-fat coconut milk creates an ultra-rich rice (because it has so much more fat), while lite coconut milk has a slightly more mild coconut flavor and the rice will have a lighter, fluffier texture (less fat weighing it down).
What is Jasmine Rice?
Jasmine rice is a fragrant variety of rice grown in Southeast Asia. Using jasmine rice in this recipe really takes the flavor over the top, so definitely get it if you can! Jasmine rice is becoming more popular in the U.S. so you can find it at most grocery stores these days. Check the bottom shelf of the rice aisle for large 5 lb. bags to get the best deal. While jasmine rice is more expensive than plain white rice, it is totally worth the price. Plus, since it’s shelf-stable, it won’t go to waste! You can use long grain jasmine rice in place of plain white rice in most recipes for an extra flavor boost.
Can I Use a Rice Cooker?
Yes, you can make this coconut rice with a rice cooker instead of in a pot on the stovetop, as directed below. Simply add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and press go!
What to Serve with Coconut Rice
This super delish rice is a great side dish to any Asian or tropical-inspired meal. Use it as a bed for Honey Sriracha Tofu, Teriyaki Chicken, Baked Ginger Salmon, or Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry Bowls. Or serve it as a side with these Chicken Lettuce Wraps!
Coconut Rice
Servings 6 about ¾ cup eachIngredients
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain jasmine rice ($0.48)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($2.29)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Rinse the jasmine rice using a wire mesh strainer or a bowl, making sure to pour off as much excess water as possible. Add the rinsed rice to a pot along with the minced garlic and salt.
- Add the coconut milk and water to the pot. Give the rice a brief stir.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and allow the liquid to come up to a full boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low. Allow the rice to simmer over low for 15 minutes. Make sure the pot maintains a simmer. Do not stir or lift the lid as the rice simmers.
- After simmering for 15 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let the rice rest an additional 5 minutes without lifting the lid. Finally, after the rice has rested, you lift the lid and fluff with a fork. Serve hot.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Coconut Rice – Step By Step Photos
Rinse 1.5 cups long grain white jasmine rice, making sure to pour off as much excess water as possible. Add the rinsed rice to a pot along with one clove of minced garlic and ¾ tsp salt.
Add one 13.5oz. can of coconut milk to the saucepot with the rice.
Add an additional cup of water. Give the rice a brief stir. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and allow the liquid to come up to a full boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low. Allow the rice to simmer over low for 15 minutes. Make sure the pot maintains a simmer. Do not stir or lift the lid as the rice simmers.
After simmering for 15 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let the rice rest an additional 5 minutes without lifting the lid. Finally, after the rice has rested, you may lift the lid.
Fluff the rice with a fork and then serve.
I garnished my rice with sliced green onion and toasted coconut, but neither is needed to make this rice taste amazing! It’s mind-blowing on its own!
Can you use jarred minced garlic instead of fresh garlic?
Yes, use about a teaspoon.
ok so I made this yesterday with your jerk chicken & pineapple black bean salsa and let me just say it was delicious. I only had basmati rice but it still turned out great. I had to physically stop myself from eating straight out of the pot.
Hahaha, I usually have to restrain myself from eating it right out of the pot, too. :)
I tried making this rice in my little inexpensive rice cooker. I dumped all the ingredients in, gave it a good stir, and pressed the cook button. When it was finished, the coconut milk was still sitting on the top which was a bit scary, but after fluffing the rice, I thankfully discovered it was cooked throughout though on the wet side. I let the rice air out for about 5 minutes inside the pot and closed the lid with it on the warm setting while waiting for the main dish to cook, and when everything was ready, the rice was perfect and ready.
I might tone down the water a bit for the next batch, but will definitely make this again with your Thai Peanut Chicken recipe.
can this be made with regular long grain white rice instead of jasmine? i have that on hand already and would like to make this this week, but dont want to buy something if i dont have to
Yes it can, but it is SO much better with jasmine rice. :) Jasmine rice is very flavorful and adds a lot to the recipe.
Made this in my instant Pot, I got small curdles throughout from the coconut milk but the flavor was still wonderful and i dont mind “ugly food” when I modify a recipe. I think next time I’ll heat the milk and water with the saute function before adding the rice and pressurizing to hopefully cut back on the curdling.
did you ever try this again? This rice recipe is our go to in my house, but I just bought an instant pot and would love to use it on this! Did you have to modify anything else?
I love rice and can’t wait to fix the coconut rice. I also want the recipe for lime cilantro rice please. I just love all the recipes.
Here you go: Cilantro Lime Rice
Used this as a bed for my grilled sesame soy chicken with a watermelon salsa. What a transformation from straight jasmine rice. Than you
The recipe calls for a 15 oz can of coconut milk. If such an animal exists, I couldn’t find it! All brands at my local grocery store are roughly 13.5 oz. I didn’t add any additional water to make up the difference and it came out just right. I really LOVE this rice! I probably tripled the garlic, decreased the salt to 1/2 tsp and used a non-stick sauce pan. I’ve made this recipe four times now and find that it does come out more fluffy when pre-rinsed as instructed. I load it up with the green onions as well. This is soooo good!
Oops. I used regular extra long grain canilla rice instead and the goya coconut milk. There was weird coconut milk curdles in it when I was done. Does anyone else’s have visible curdles? Was it because I used the wrong type of rice?
Kinda late to the party, but: Coconut milk separates out at room temperature. I didn’t know that and went to dump the can straight in the pot and it came out in a a big chunk like cranberry sauce, and about half a can of coconut water. I stirred it to break it up into small chunks, and then stirred some more while it was on the stove until it melted back together. Your “curdles” were probably little bits of coconut cream that didn’t get all the way melted into the cooking water before the rice soaked it up. Next time I make it, I’m going to heat it with the rest of the cooking water or something to get it all smooth before I add it to the rice.
Any suggestions for transitioning this to a pressure cooker? I use 1 cup of rice to like 1 and an eighth cup of water.
And it cooks for 3 minutes, with a 10 to 15-minute natural pressure release.
Hmm, not sure. I haven’t used my IP for rice much, so I’m not well versed in the differences between the IP and stove top versions.
Are the steps the same for using a rice cooker?
You should be able to just add everything to the cooker and follow the same method used to make plain rice. :)
This. Recipe. ROCKS! This was as big of a hit as the sesame seed chicken recipe and pairs so nicely with it. Thank you for posting these recipes. This was quick and easy. The coconut milk kicked up the flavor of the Jasmine rice.
Wondering if this recipe can be made with brown jasmine rice?
You probably could, but brown rice generally needs more liquid and a longer cooking time than white rice.
Does this recipe double well? I’m making it for about 20 people.
It should, although I’ve never tried it. I think having a really good quality, heavy-bottomed pot will be key to cooking a larger batch. You really need it to heat evenly. Or, you can do it in a large rice cooker.
Does not rinsing the rice beforehand make a difference?
I’ve actually done it both ways and the texture is the same, but a lot of people prefer to rinse the rice just to remove that starchy coating or any dust that may be on the rice.