Fluffy coconut rice eluded me for years. And finally, I’ve cracked it! The trick is to use the oven rather than the stove. The coconut rice comes out super fluffy, not gluey and mushy. It’s just like you get at restaurants.
Coconut Rice
Truly fluffy coconut rice eluded me for years. I felt like I tried every variation possible, but when I lifted the lid, I’d stare at dismay at into a pot of mushy rice, thick with coconut milk scum. Usually with unevenly cooked rice grains – some hard, some overly soft – and almost always with a scorched base.
The making of my cookbook gave me the excuse I needed to commit to cracking coconut rice, once and for all. 30+ tests later, I’m so happy to say my team and I have cracked the secret code.
And every since then, I’ve never looked back. Fluffy coconut rice every. single. time WITHOUT FAIL!
The secret to fluffy coconut rice – BAKE IT
The trick to fuss-free fluffy coconut rice is to bake it rather than cook it on the stove. The coconut rice comes out perfectly fluffy every time, and no scorched pot!
How to make perfect coconut rice
Rinse the rice – this is a must to remove excess starch. I don’t do this when cooking normal white rice. 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 1 hour – this essentially gives the rice grains a bit of a head start in the water absorption phase. This is critical to ensure the rice cooks through evenly because coconut milk is thicker than water which makes it harder for the rice grains to absorb the liquid.
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 cup of water (just over 2 1/2 cups) for 2 cups of rice.
Bring coconut milk and water to boil first – This is quite key as well! We need to heat the liquid before adding into the rice in a baking pan to get the cooking process started as soon as the rice is in the oven.
If you just pour cold water and room temperature coconut milk over the rice, it takes a good 10 to 15 minutes for the liquid to heat up in the oven during which time the rice is just wallowing in lukewarm liquids which causes it to bloat and cook unevenly.
Bake, covered with foil, for 40 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan). By covering the rice, we are essentially making steam rice just like you do on the stove. Except, we don’t to worry about scorching the base of the pot and the heat distributes much more evenly through the rice so it cooks through evenly!
Rest 15 minutes – Take the pan out of the oven and rest, covered in foil, for 15 minutes. This step is essential so do not skip it or shortcut the resting time. During the resting time, the rice will finish cooking through evenly and the wetness on the surface of the rice grains will be absorbed, leaving the rice fluffy.
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. Just pop it in the oven and leave it to do its thing!
How to rinse rice
I find it easiest to rinse rice in a bowl. Just pour the rice in a bowl and fill with water, then swish it around. Drain (just pour the water out best you can, no need to use a colander), then fill with water again and repeat 4 to 5 times until the water is pretty clear.
The water will never be completely clear! My rule of thumb is 4 to 5 refills of the bowl.
BONUS coconut milk powder option: There’s another way to make fluffy coconut rice on the stove using coconut milk powder. The result is not quite as fluffy as using the oven and the coconut flavour is not quite as intense. But it’s still very good, much better than stove-top using coconut milk, and a good option for those times when you don’t have an oven.
I’ve popped that extra recipe below the coconut milk recipe (ie scroll to bottom of post). It’s an extra because coconut milk powder isn’t as common as coconut milk. While I always have coconut milk on hand, I don’t usually have powder!
How to make Thai / Asian Coconut Rice
To get a true Asian restaurant coconut rice, the secret is to add pandan leaves. If you can’t find pandan leaves, kaffir limes leaves also add a similar fragrance.
This is what pandan leaves looks like. It’s sold at some Harris Farms in Australia, as well as Asian stores.
To prepare them for use, just knot them – this breaks the leaves, releasing the flavour so it infuses into the rice.
What to serve with coconut rice
Coconut rice is a rice dish that is used in cuisines such as Caribbean, Tropical (Hawaiian!) as well as South East Asian foods such as Thai and Malaysian foods.
But don’t let “rules” restrict you. Use it as you wish – and I promise you, it’s so delish, you can even eat it plain, straight out of the pot!
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
Coconut Rice will go great with…
Everything Thai and Vietnamese
Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Jerk Fish
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Restaurant Style Coconut Rice (Coconut Milk)
Ingredients
Coconut Rice
- 2 cups jasmine rice (Note 1)
- 400 ml / 14 oz coconut milk , full fat or light (Note 2)
- 1 cup water
- 5 tsp white sugar (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
Asian Restaurant Style flavour – use ONE:
- 1 pandan leaves , knotted
- 2 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)
- Soak & drain – Drain rice then soak in water for 1 hour. Then drain in a colander and leave to drain well for 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
- Rice in pan – Place the rice in a 20cm / 8" square pan (metal or ceramic). Add pandam or kaffir, if using.
- Heat coconut milk – Heat coconut milk, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Bake 40 minutes – Working quickly (to minimise heat loss), pour hot liquid over rice, stir quickly to spread rice evenly. Cover with foil then bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Rest 15 minutes – Remove the pan from the oven. Take a quick peek to ensure the liquid has been absorbed (tilt pan to check). There will be coconut cream on the surface – that's normal. Rest rice, covered, for 15 minutes. Do not shortcut this!
- Fluff with rubber spatula. Garnish with toasted coconut, if using, then serve. Marvel at fluffy rice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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Fluffy Coconut Rice – Coconut POWDER
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 – OPTIONAL, for Asian restaurant style
- 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.
Hi Nagi, please update the coconut rice recipe using powder to include a serving size scale. If that isn’t possible, how many people does the recipe feed?
The recipe with milk is 2 cups rice for 4 people. The recipe with powder is 1 cup rice. So 2 people.
This is the best coconut rice I’ve ever eaten, and cooked. My husband loved it and said it saved his day. It turned a stressful day into a pleasant evening. The best recipe. I always cook using your recipes and now my kids start dancing when they see me on your page because they know something good is coming up
Ditto this comment from Shifa. This was the best coconut rice recipe and my 5 year old coconut rice connoisseur said my rice was better than the restaurants’. Had to stop her eating the whole pot! Love your recipes, Nagi! Have you made a cook book?
Can I make it in rice cooker? Nagi?
I made this in a fuzzy logic cooker (ten year old Zojirushi, no jasmine setting so I used white rice setting) using rinsed jasmine, coconut milk. I’ve never had restaurant coconut rice so I don’t know if the texture is as good as stove top or if mine came out “correctly, but it was good! Despite forgetting to soak after washing, it seemed fine. Not at all crunchy or mushy.
I’m so glad you loved it Shifa!
I made this rice today for lunch service at my cafe’. I used half coconut milk powder and half canned coconut milk. I omitted the sugar and toasted my desiccated coconut. I cooked it in my Vulcan Steamer oven.
I served the rice with Grilled Margarita Shrimp and Pineapple Slaw (we were celebrating Jimmy Buffett today!). 58 orders later within a 3 hour service window, and my patrons agreed it was the BEST coconut rice ever!
Thank you Nagi!
Wahoo!!! That’s great Carrie!!
Hands down the best rice I’ve ever made. My guests loved it too. So very glad you provided such great instructions
What can I say.. W O W.
I’ve only ever tried cooking rice in a rice cooker and failed miserably. Since then I’ve bought microwave rice packets whenever I’ve craved coconut rice. But damn is it expensive for such a small serving. Tonight though, I thought I’d give it a real go. Google lead me to this recipe. I was sceptical about my ability to cook rice on a stove. But I have to say, this recipe was A M A Z I N G. Super easy to make and to follow! And actually so much easier to clean up after than a damn rice cooker. No gluggy rice whatsoever, and I’ve frozen some of the left overs!
I had no idea I could make such fluffy, delicious rice!! I ended up adding a few kaffir lime leaves from a jar rather than fresh ones as I wasn’t sure where to buy them.
I can’t rave about this recipe enough! I’ll never be eating microwave rice again 😂
WAHOO!!! That’s awesome Brianna, you’ll never buy the rice packets again!
Hi! This looks great. I’m
Just going to try it. I only need a cup of rice. Does that change the cooking time?
OMG! Your recipe results in the most authentic coconut rice I’ve ever made. Your detailed instructions are so easy to follow and I love your explanations on why you recommend certain steps. This is the only recipe for coconut rice I’m ever going to use! Thank you Nagi!
Wahoo, thanks so much Giulianna!!
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.
Woah that’s awesome Magi!
Oops, forgot to say thank you for Charlie. He’s delicious.
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 ☺️