Favorite Coconut Rice
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Coconut rice is so easy to make and the perfect side dish to all your Asian-influenced recipes. This recipe is a sugar-free version of your favorite Thai restaurant rice.
When I cook rice, 90% of the time I reach for my basmati rice recipe. But every now and then, I want something that feels a little more special—and that’s where this coconut rice comes in. It has a gentle coconut flavor that’s perfect alongside curries, but it’s mild enough to pair well with all kinds of mains, making it a surprisingly versatile side dish.
One extra thing I love about this recipe: I don’t add any sugar. Coconut milk already brings enough natural richness and flavor, and there’s really no reason to sweeten rice beyond that.
What kind of rice is best for this recipe?
For this recipe, we love to use jasmine rice. While it’s technically long-grain rice, it is much shorter and thicker than the basmati rice you’re probably used to. It has a soft and slightly sticky texture when you cook it and smells a little like freshly popped popcorn, which wins it its other name: Thai Fragrant Rice.
Store and reheat
Coconut rice will keep for up to 5 days in your fridge. To reheat it, warm it over medium-low heat with a splash of water added to the pan.
What to serve with coconut rice
This is a great recipe to pair with a coconut curry. Try my Thai fish curry, Thai peanut curry, or my mango chicken curry. But there’s no reason to limit your options to only curry. Here are a few other mains that go great with Thai coconut rice:
Coconut Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 14 ounce can coconut milk (can be light)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well and then add the rice to a small pot.1 cup jasmine rice
- Pour the can of coconut milk into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to make 2 cups. Pour the coconut milk/water and salt into the pot and stir.14 ounce can coconut milk, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Bring the pot to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring several times while the coconut milk is warming to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- When the pot starts to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook for 12 minutes then remove the pot from the heat and set it aside for 8 minutes.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Oooh, this looks yummy! Do you think I would need to cook it longer if doubling the recipe?
Thanks! I’m so glad it caught your eye! If you’re doubling the recipe, the cook time might be just a little longer—mainly when heating the custard base. Just keep an eye on it and stir often until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. A thermometer reading around 170°F is a good guide. Enjoy making it!
I’ve made this recipe a few times and really like it. Once I made it with light coconut milk and it was pretty good. The other two times I made it with regular coconut milk and I liked it even better.
What is the green vegetable we see mixed into the rice? Nori? Scallions?
Cilantro!