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Once you try this easy coconut rice recipe you’ll never make plain rice again. This basmati coconut rice is the perfect pair to curries and stir fry!
We made it! The first week of back to school, behind us. It’s only going to get crazier from here I’m sure, but we’ll find our groove. Wally had his first day of pre-k yesterday and it was adorable. I forgot how far Oscar has come from when he first started!
Anyway, as school picks up, along with all of the activities I (stupidly) enrolled my children in, we’ll be going, going these next couple of months. I’m going to need A LOT of easy dinner wins, and we can’t have skillet linguine EVERY night. Or can we….!?
This particular recipe is one of those recipes that I have been making for years now and only just thought of sharing it with you all. Duh. Sorry. Once you try it you will be spoiled like us, and never want regular rice with your curries again! Making it coconut-y is sooo simple and soooo good. Like so simple.
What is coconut rice made of?
Well, THIS recipe is made from coconut milk, white rice, a bit of sweetener and salt.
So, how do you make coconut rice?
Basically, instead of water, you use coconut milk…
No, but for real. Replace half of the water that you would normally use for basmati rice with coconut milk (I use full fat) and add a bit of maple syrup and salt for flavor. You can totally use brown sugar too, if maple syrup is not your thing. I highly recommend that little bit of sweetness though!
Boil the mixture, add the rice and let it all simmer for 10-11 minutes. Allow it to settle, fluff it up and serve!
I’m not gonna lie, after making the coconut rice I have a hard time not just shoveling it into my face all on its own. BUT I urge you, try to resist! It goes so well with so many curries. One of my favorite dishes to serve this with is this Instant Pot butternut squash Thai curry from Oh She Glows.
I’ve listed a few of my other fave curry dishes from LIMO at the bottom of this post, too!
I can’t gush to you enough about how much I love this one You’ve got to try it, you’ll love it too!
As promised, here are my favorite curry dishes from the blog that pair PERFECTLY with this rice!
- Instant Pot chicken tikka masala
- Thai green chicken curry
- golden lentil curry
- Thai chicken peanut curry
Easy Coconut Rice
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups rice 1x
Description
Once you try this easy coconut rice recipe you’ll never make plain rice again. This basmati coconut rice is the perfect pair to curries and stir fry!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk*
- 1 tsp maple syrup**
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
Instructions
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine the water, coconut milk, maple syrup and salt. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until boiling. Add the rice, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 11 minutes. Place the lid on the rice after 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow it to sit for a few minutes before removing the lid and fluffing the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
*You can use light coconut milk, but the rice won’t be as creamy
**Feel free to substitute with 1 tsp brown sugar
***This recipe can easily be doubled, or tripled! Use the recipe card 🙂
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
I love coconut rice, but never make it at home. You’ve totally inspired me to try it!
You’ve got to try it, Marissa! We eat it at least weekly 🙂
Oh yum! I made coconut rice once and it turned out terrible but yours looks so sticky and fluffy and delicious. Pinned for later! Thanks!
Oh no!! You’ve got to try this method, Kelly. It’s practically foolproof! 🙂
We love coconut rice, and make it a lot, but I’ve never added any sweetener. I can’t wait to try that next time. It would be great with a spicy curry!
The sweet side of it is PERFECT with a spicy curry!! Thanks Colleen! I hope you love it!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe for Easy Coconut Rice, Katherine. It is always so nice to have recipes for variations on something we all make often. I never thought to elevate it to epic status with coconut milk as you have – I am looking forward to trying it. Many thanks for sharing.
Thanks Denise!! I hope you love it. The coconut milk makes it SO creamy.
I’ve never tried coconut rice before…. now that I see how easy (and yummy) it is, I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you try it! Let me know if you do. You’ll love it!!