Rice Cooker Coconut Rice – tender, fragrant jasmine rice cooked in a rice cooker with creamy coconut milk, a touch of sugar and salt. Serve with toasted coconut, lime zest and chopped coriander (cilantro) for a luxurious side.
After years of perfecting stovetop rice, I bought a rice cooker and it’s made weeknight cooking easier. The keep-warm feature is especially handy when family members arrive home at different times.
Adding canned full-fat coconut milk gives the rice a rich, aromatic creaminess. The coconut oil helps the grains stay separate rather than clumping together.
Table of Contents
- Our rice cooker
- 📋 Ingredients
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Pro Tip
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- 🍲 More fantastic side dishes
- Rice Cooker Coconut Rice Recipe
Our rice cooker
We use a Zojirushi rice cooker that holds up to 10 cups of rice, which is ideal for batch cooking or feeding a crowd. Smaller, more affordable models also work well — most rice cookers, even budget ones, will deliver good results. Choose a model that fits your family size and budget.
I’ve used ours many times and the rice comes out perfectly each time.
📋 Ingredients
Jasmine Rice – choose jasmine rice for its subtle floral aroma and slightly sweet flavour, which pairs beautifully with coconut.
Coconut Milk – use full-fat coconut milk so the coconut flavour stays rich after mixing with water.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe and detailed steps are provided in the recipe card below.
- Rinse and drain the rice under cold water until the water is almost clear.
- Place the rice in the rice cooker with the coconut milk, water, sugar and salt, then start the cooker.
- When the cooker finishes, top the rice with toasted shredded coconut, chopped coriander and lime zest before serving.
Pro Tip
Make toasted shredded coconut in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Stir often until the coconut turns golden brown, then cool before using.
Finish with a little lime zest for a bright, tangy contrast to the sweet coconut notes.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
- This rice pairs wonderfully with chicken meatball curry and other fragrant curries.
- Good matches include Thai red chicken curry, Thai-style peanut pork, or a simple chicken curry.
This coconut rice is an elegant side that adds depth and aroma to a wide range of dishes.
🍲 More fantastic side dishes
Sides
Onion Fried Rice
Asian
Basic stir-fried noodles with beansprouts
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Simple Asian Slaw
Asian
Egg Fried Rice
Sides
Pilau Rice Recipe
Asian
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Yes. The rice is slightly less creamy after reheating but still delicious. Cool cooked rice quickly by spreading it in a large dish, then refrigerate or freeze. Don’t leave cooked rice at room temperature — bacteria multiply quickly. Refrigerate as soon as possible, do not store in the fridge for more than 24 hours, and reheat thoroughly.
To freeze, cool quickly, freeze, then defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat once only: place rice in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 tsp water per portion to help steam it, cover and heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between bursts until piping hot. It should take no more than about 2 minutes per portion.
Adjust the batch size to your rice cooker capacity. Double or halve the recipe but keep the ingredient ratios the same.
Yes. Use the stovetop coconut rice method to get the same flavours without a rice cooker.
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Rice Cooker Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 500 g (2 1/2 cups) jasmine rice
- 400 ml (14 oz) tin full-fat coconut milk
- 300 ml (11.5 floz) water
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
To Serve:
- toasted shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
- finely grated zest of 1 lime
Instructions
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Rinse the rice: place rice in the rice cooker pot, cover with cold water, swirl, let the grains settle, then pour off the water. Repeat 3–4 times until the water is almost clear. On the last rinse, drain as much water as possible.
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Add the coconut milk, water, sugar and salt to the rinsed rice.
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Stir once to combine, then start the rice cooker and run the white rice cycle.
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When the rice is cooked, fluff and serve topped with toasted shredded coconut, chopped coriander and lime zest.
Video
Notes
Why rinse the rice?
This removes excess starch that can make rice sticky. Rinsing helps keep the grains separate, especially when using coconut milk which can add stickiness.
I don’t have a rice cooker – can I make it on the stovetop instead?
Yes — use a stovetop coconut rice method to achieve similar results.
Nutritional information is approximate, per person (this recipe serves 8)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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