Fluffy coconut rice alluded me for years. And finally, I’ve cracked it. This is super fluffy, none of the gluey coconut milk scum on the surface. Just like you get at restaurants!
Coconut Rice
Truly fluffy coconut rice alluded me for years. I felt like I tried every variation possible, but when I lifted the lid, I’d stare at dismay at a layer of coconut fat scum on the surface of the rice which ended up coating all the grains when I fluffed the rice.
Finally, I feel like I’ve cracked the secret code. And every since then, I’ve never looked back. Fluffy coconut rice every. single. time WITHOUT FAIL!
Here’s the secret to fluffy coconut rice using coconut milk
- Rinse the rice – this is a must to remove excess starch. Most rice recipes on my site don’t require this. It’s essential for coconut rice because coconut milk is thicker than water so it can make the rice a gluey mess. Just rinse the rice until the water is pretty clear. It will never be 100% clear.
- Soak rice for 20 minutes – this essentially gives the rice grains a bit of a head start in the water absorption phase which is critical to ensure the rice is fully cooked because we cook the rice in LESS liquid than usual…. explained further in the next step!
- LESS liquid than usual! Normally, I religiously follow the 1 : 1.5 ratio to cook rice. That is, 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water. But every time I did this for coconut rice, using a combination of water and coconut milk (increase / decreasing in my many iterations!!), my rice always came out gluey! I was astonished to discover that for coconut rice, 1:1 is the perfect ratio. That is, 1 cup of rice for 1 cups of coconut milk + water combo!
- Can’t just use coconut milk – it’s just too thick, the rice can’t absorb it properly. It needs to be diluted with some water. I find the perfect flavour / rice texture is achieved by using 1 can (400ml/14oz) coconut milk with 1/2 cup of water (just over 2 cups) for 2 cups of rice.
- Bring to boil, stir ONCE, THEN lower heat and cover – This is quite key as well! I do not understand the science behind this, but suffice to say that bring to a boil before covering results in clean, fluffy rice grains. On the other hand, if you cover and keep the stove at a low temperature the whole time, you end up with a thick layer of coconut milk “scum” on the surface of the rice.
And that, my friends, is the secret to fluffy coconut rice.
It’s a lot of words. But don’t worry, actually cooking it is super duper simple!
BONUS: There’s an even EASIER way to make fluffy coconut rice using coconut milk powder. I’ve popped that extra recipe below. It’s an extra because I coconut milk powder isn’t as common as coconut milk. While I always have coconut milk on hand, I don’t usually have powder!
The base coconut rice recipe is one that will work for a broad range of cuisines, from Asian to Caribbean, tropical to Indian.
To get a true Asian restaurant coconut rice, the secret is to add Pandam leaves. If you can’t find Pandam leaves, kaffir limes leaves also add a similar fragrance.
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
Coconut Rice will go great with…
- Chickpea Potato Curry or Vegetable Curry
- Jerk Chicken
- Beef Rendang
- Thai Marinated Chicken (Gai Yang) or Southern Thai Chicken
- Thai Chilli Basil Chicken Stir Fry
- Pineapple Coconut Hawaiian Chicken Skewers
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Restaurant Style Coconut Rice (Coconut Milk)
Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 17 mins
Rice, Side
Asian
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
This is a recipe for exceptionally fluffy, coconut rice! No gluggy coconut milk scum left on the surface, each grain is clean and fluffy. Make it Asian-restaurant style by adding pandam leaves OR kaffir lime leaves. Or finish with a sprinkle of toasted coconuts. Serve with: tropical, Caribbean, Indian and Asian foods. See recipe card below for COCONUT POWDER version (no rice rinse, no soak).
Ingredients
Coconut Rice
- 2 cups (360g) jasmin or long grain white rice (Note 1)
- 400 ml / 14 oz coconut milk , full fat or light (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- 1 tbsp white sugar (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Asian Restaurant Style - use ONE:
- 3 pandam leaves , knotted
- 3 kaffir lime leaves , crushed in hand
Optional Garnish:
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut , toasted, to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse rice in water until the water runs pretty clear. (Note 1)
- Drain rice then soak in water for 15 minutes. Then drain.
- Add rice, coconut milk, water, sugar and salt into a small pot or large saucepan over medium high heat. Add pandam or kaffir lime leaf if making Asian restaurant style option.
- Bring it to a simmer so the entire surface of the liquid is rippling (not just the edges), give it ONE stir (not more!), place lid on and immediately turn heat down to LOW.
- Leave for 14 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and rest, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
- Fluff with rubber spatula. Garnish with toasted coconut, if using, then serve.
Recipe Notes:
1. Rinsing rice - essential for this recipe as the rich coconut milk will otherwise make the rice gluey.
This rice is best made with jasmine or long grain rice. Medium and short grain rice are too sticky which is made even stickier by cooking it in coconut. Basmati is also a good substitute. This recipe is not suitable for risotto or paella rice. It will also work with brown rice.
2. Coconut flavour is mostly in the fat so you get better coconut flavour using full fat rather than low fat.
3. Sugar - some restaurants make the coconut rice a touch sweet with the addition of sugar. Also, higher quality coconut milk is sweeter and richer than cheaper ones. So this is optional. It doesn't make the rice super sweet, it just adds a subtle touch of sweetness. I almost always include it.
2. Coconut milk powder is available in the Asian section or next to canned coconut milk in the canned vegetables of supermarkets. They typically come in packs of 3 sachets which are 50g / 1.75 oz each. In Australia, a box of 3 sachets costs $3.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 148gCalories: 192kcal (10%)
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Restaurant Style Coconut Rice - Coconut POWDER
Tap or hover to scale
This coconut rice is like what you get a posh modern Asian restaurants. The rice is fluffy and light and has a special aroma from the kaffir lime leaves or pandam leaves. Coconut milk powder works even better than coconut milk because it's in powder form and has less fat, so the rice absorbs the liquid more evenly whilst still having that lovely coconut flavour. It also means you don't need to rinse and soak the rice, like you do for the coconut milk version (recipe above). This rice goes very well with most South East Asian dishes (in particular Thai and Malaysian) as well as tropical dishes (Hawaiian, Caribbean, Jamaican).
Ingredients
- 1 cup jasmine rice (or long grain) (see notes)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 packet coconut milk powder (1.75 oz / 50 g) (see notes)
- 2 kaffir lime leaves , crumpled in your hand OR 3 pandam leaves, knotted
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut , toasted, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Place lid on.
- When it comes to the boil (watch it, you don't want it to boil over), turn down the heat to low / medium low so it is simmering gently.
- Leave it to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove from heat and rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Fluff with fork. Garnish with toasted coconut, if using, then serve.
Recipe Notes:
1. Rice - This rice is best made with jasmine or long grain rice. Medium and short grain rice are too sticky which is made even stickier by cooking it in coconut. Basmati is also a good substitute. This recipe is not suitable for risotto or paella rice. It will also work with brown rice.
No need to rinse or soak rice when using this coconut powder method (with coconut milk - see recipe above - rinsing and soaking is necessary for fluffy rice).
2. Coconut milk powder is available in the Asian section or next to canned coconut milk in the canned vegetables of supermarkets. They typically come in packs of 3 sachets which are 50g / 1.75 oz each. In Australia, a box of 3 sachets costs $3.
Many recipe sites are just plain poor, some are good but your recipes dealing with coconut rice provide exceptional detail. This is the first time I have ever provided a comment. Thanks. I have not looked at your other recipes yet.
Thanks so so much David!
I have just cooked this (coconut milk version, basmati rice, stovetop). I confess that I was pretty skeptical when I’d when I’d added the coconut milk/water to the rice – how could this not end up as a glutinous mess? But it worked perfectly! The rice was still a bit al dente after the 14 min cook, but the 10min rest sorted that out.
Thanks Nagi, I’ll definitely be making this again.
Wahoo, you nailed it Robin! – N x
Hey Nagi.
I cooked a few of your recipes today (This one, the Asian Slaw, and Thai Chicken satay with peanut sauce). They were all absolutely DELICIOUS, except for the coconut rice, unfortunately. It barely cooked. I followed the instructions to a T, but substituted basmati rice for jasmine rice.
I had to add more liquid to it a few times after the initial cooking attempt, to try and get the rice to cook, but it just wasn’t cooperating. I cooked it on the stovetop, as I don’t have a rice cooker.
I’m a chef, but don’t have much experience in Asian cooking, so have been trying to expand my repertoire lately. I’m surprised how it turned out (because the recipe made sense and sounded quite accurate for cooking rice), and that I couldn’t save it/get it to a nice consistency despite repeated attempts to fix it.
Just curious if anyone else has had any issues with this recipe? I really can’t see where it could of gone wrong, and I see that this recipe has many positive reviews. Please let me know if you have any ideas on what could have gone wrong.
Thank you for the absolutely amazing recipes for the Asian slaw and chicken satay. I have been raving about them! 😉
Hi Jessica, sorry you had issues here, but that doesn’t sound right at all.. Did you soak the rice first?
Hi Tin, can I use this method in a rice cooker?
I haven’t tried Lina, But I have heard that it does work!
You weren’t kidding when you said you cracked it! Cooked it tonight, stovetop style, to accompany a red curry and It was the bomb! No leftovers tonight
WOOT! Sounds like you nailed it!
This turned out perfectly! I used the rice cooker as previous comments have mentioned and this was still a winner. This is the only recipe I’ve tried that hasn’t turned out gluggy. Don’t skip the 15-20min soak! Thanks Nagi x
That’s great to know Amanda!!!
Would you recommend Ayam brand coconut milk for this coconut rice recipe?
Hi Sam, Yes Ayam will be fine – N x
Made this rice tonight for the first time and it was great
I followed the instructions for rinsing and soaking, popped it all in the rice cooker and it came out nice and fluffy!
I forgot to addd sugar and salt but very tasty without too!
Making this again for sure!
I’m so glad you loved it Carolyn!
Having never cooked with coconut milk before I was a little unsure of what to expect, but made this precisely by your instructions with the toasted coconut garnish. It turned out beautifully & was excellent! I had the great good fortune to find fresh makrut lime leaves at our local Asian grocer & am now looking for more recipes to use them in.
A big “thank you!” for broadening my cooking horizons & inspiring confidence to tackle new things. All the work you put in on this blog is very much appreciated 🙂 My family is not going to forget this coconut rice, lol!
Thank you so much Trish, that’s so nice to hear!!
We followed this recipe to a T and it’s come out gluggy
Hi Laura – I’m sorry to hear that. The key to avoid gluey coconut rice is to rinse the rice and bring the rice to a simmer so the whole surface is rippling, not just the edges?? This is key! N x
Did it in the rice cooker just now, and it turned out exactly like you said it would. Perfect.
Oops, forgot to say thank you for Charlie. He’s delicious.
Woah that’s awesome Magi!
Turned out perfect!
That’s great Kris!
Hello! I absolutely love your site. I love your recipes and I especially love that I can open a recipe on my phone and check off ingredients while I’m in the grocery store. It makes it so easy when I forget to make a list! And I love that your site helps me make absolutely fabulous meals FROM the grocery store, not some expensive store that I probably don’t even have in my small town.
I made this in my Instant Pot. I did high pressure for 3 minutes with natural release (about 12 minutes total). Fantastic! Went great with your Thai chicken (Gai Yang). Thanks again and I’m so excited to explore more of your recipes!
That’s great to know about the Insta Pot Lisa! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes – N x
Hi Nagi,
Love your recipes…
A question for you: can I used dried kaffir leaves in lieu of fresh for the rice?
If I’m lucky enough to find ‘fresh’, can I freeze them?
Math wasn’t my strong-suit in school…
r/
Marcel
Hi Marcel, yes you could use dried, I always freeze my fresh ones so I have them on hand when I need ☺️
Just made your beef rendang and coconut rice. Both were amazingly delicious and so simple. I can never cook rice but the recipe you shared gave perfect fluffy grains. The beef was gently aromatic and sweet with a lovely heat. Everyone who ate these loved them. Thanks a million.
That’s so great to hear Michael!