Instant Pot Coconut Rice
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Making Instant Pot Coconut Rice has never been easier! We’ve nailed the ideal texture—light, fluffy, and infused with just the right amount of coconut flavor. Whether you’re serving it alongside your favorite stir-fry veggies, Coconut Curry Soup, or with our Asian Turkey Meatballs, this foolproof recipe delivers restaurant-quality results every time.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- The Instant Pot makes it so easy! (Which is also why we make brown rice in the Instant Pot.
- It’s freezer friendly. Yes, you can freeze cooked rice.
- It makes a filling side dish for Asian inspired recipes.
- It’s been well tested. As with all of our recipes, we tried this out multiple times in our own kitchens before sharing it.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
- Jasmine rice – You can substitute basmati rice.
- Unsweetened coconut milk – Get the full-fat version (and NOT sweetened). I like Thai Kitchen or A Taste of Thai brands. I’d avoid the off brands, because they often have weird ingredients in them.
- Sugar – This is optional but it enhances the coconut flavor. The rice will not taste sweet with this small amount.
Coconut Rice Recipe Tips
- Rinse the rice. Don’t skip this important step! This should be your first step whenever you cook rice. It removes starches that can cause the rice to clump together as it cooks.
- Coconut milk separated? No problem! When you open a can, especially if you don’t shake it first, you might notice a thick layer of solids on top with liquid underneath. This is completely normal! It will recombine as you heat it up and stir it in the pan.
- Have unsweetened coconut on hand? When testing this recipe, I sprinkled a little of this over my rice and loved it! Even better, try toasting the coconut flakes in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes–it adds a lot of flavor!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Note: You can find the full printable version of this recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Rinse Rice: Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water over it until the water runs clear (about 1-2 minutes). This prevents the rice from being too sticky.
- Add to Instant Pot: Add the coconut milk, water, salt, and optional sugar and whisk until combined. Stir in the rice.
- Pressure Cook: Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Then, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (don’t touch it), then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff & Serve: Fluff the rice with a fork. Taste and season with more salt, if desired. Optional garnish: Squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice and top with chopped cilantro and/or toasted unsweetened coconut.
How to Freeze Cooked Rice
While we have an entire post dedicated to answering the question, “Can you freeze rice?” we also want to give you the short and sweet answer. Yes! You can freeze cooked rice. I do it all the time.
Freezing Instructions
Whether it be cooked white rice, brown rice, cilantro lime rice, or Spanish rice, all can be frozen in the same way:
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- Cool the cooked rice. The key to maintaining a good texture with frozen rice is to make sure the rice is completely cool before freezing. We recommend spreading cooked rice on a large cookie sheet to help it cool quickly and evenly.
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- Divide into portions. Once the rice is cool, scoop portions into quart or gallon-size freezer bags. Be sure to squeeze all of the air out when sealing.
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- Label and freeze. Label your freezer bag with the type of rice, amount, and date. Stack your bags of rice on a flat surface in your freezer. And that’s it!
FAQs
I’m still testing this method. So far in my tests, it’s mushier and a less than ideal texture.
You can, but the addition of the sugar brings out the coconut flavor. Make sure the coconut milk doesn’t have sugar or sugar substitute in it.
Sometimes food can get stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot and cause a “burn notice”. Don’t panic–your meal isn’t ruined!
First, to avoid a burn notice, be sure that the coconut milk and water are whisked together and fully combined. Then when you stir in the rice, make sure it isn’t clumped up or sticking to the bottom.
If you get a burn notice, remove the lid, give everything a good stir and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom, and try again. (If the recipe has already been cooking for a bit, use your judgment but I’d probably decrease the cook time since it will take time to come to pressure again.)
Ways to Use Coconut Rice
There are so many great ways to use this recipe. Here are a few suggestions to serve it with:
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Instant Pot Coconut Rice
Making Instant Pot Coconut Rice has never been easier! We’ve nailed the ideal texture—light, fluffy, and infused with just the right amount of coconut flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups jasmine rice (sub: basmati rice)
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (1 3/4 cups; get the full-fat version)
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- Optional garnishes: fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, toasted unsweetened coconut
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Rinse Rice: Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water over it until the water runs clear (about 1-2 minutes). This prevents the rice from being too sticky.
- Add to Instant Pot: Add the coconut milk, water, salt, and optional sugar and whisk until combined. Stir in the rice. (Make sure the rice is very stirred in and not clumping or sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
- Pressure Cook: Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Then, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (don’t touch it), then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff & Serve: Fluff the rice with a fork. Taste and season with more salt, if desired. Optional garnish: Squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice and top with chopped cilantro and/or toasted unsweetened coconut.
Notes/Tips
- It takes 9-10 minutes to come to pressure.
- The addition of the sugar brings out the coconut flavor.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor and creaminess. Also, make sure it doesn’t have sugar or sugar substitute in it.
- Burn Notice: Sometimes food can get stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot and cause a “burn notice”. To avoid this, be sure that all the liquid and rice are stirred together well and that the rice isn’t clumped up or sticking to the bottom before cooking. If you get a burn notice, remove the lid, give everything a good stir and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom, and try again. (If it’s already been cooking for a bit, use your judgment but I’d probably decrease the cook time since it will take time to come to pressure again.)
New favorite way to make rice!!! The coconut rice paired perfect with Asian meatballs & stir fry veggies. The coconut is a very strong flavor, but my husband & kids loved it!!! Definitely making again.
Yay! It is a fun twist on regular rice for sure. Thanks for leaving a review Lindsey.
Perfectly cooked rice! Loved this recipe. Very tasty.
So glad you enjoyed this Janitzia! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.