The sweetness of coconut milk combined with bright flavors of zesty lime and cilantro transforms plain rice into delicious with this rice cooker coconut rice recipe.
"I love making this recipe because it is so tasty and versatile too! I've used it as a side or base to compliment everything from Asian, Mexican, Thai and Caribbean dishes. It's definitely one of the go-tos in my kitchen!" ★★★★★ -Arleen
The beauty of this rice cooker coconut rice is that you can literally throw it all together in the rice maker! YAY!
The rice cooker coconut rice comes out fluffy, flavorful, and delicious. It is a perfect side dish for any occasion.
I make it at home to spruce up dinner but I also make it for dinner parties to give my guests a little surprise. I hope you love it as much as we do! Enjoy! Xoxo -Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
To make this rice cooker coconut rice, you need the following simple ingredients.
- Basmati rice-Basmati rice will give you that beautiful fluffy rice texture and nutty flavor compared to regular white rice. You can substitute with Jasmine rice.
- coconut milk- For best results, use the full-fat coconut milk. You can use the fat free coconut milk, but it won't be as rich and flavorful. Do not use coconut cream! Coconut cream has a completely different texture and is loaded with sugar.
- cilantro
- lime juice- For a more intense flavor you can also add a little lime zest.
- chicken broth- You can use water if you are making it vegetarian. The chicken broth gives it an extra boost of flavor. Coconut water is also a good substitution
- salt and pepper to taste
Coconut milk tip
The fat and the milk will be separated in the canned coconut milk. Give it a good mix until it is blended before adding it to the rice. If it is too hard to blend, pulse it in the blender a few seconds and it will blend easy.
Watch how to make
Steps
Follow these easy steps to make coconut rice in the rice cooker.
- Rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain any access water.
- Add rinsed rice, coconut milk, and chicken broth rice cooker pot. Cook on quick setting or white rice setting.
- Open rice maker and allow to sit about 5 to 10 minutes for steam to fully release. Stir in lime juice.
- Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.
Tips to cook perfect rice in rice cooker
Follow these tips for cooking perfect rice in the rice cooker.
- Rinse your rice to help remove pesticides, herbicides, or contaminants. When your water runs clear, it is good to cook with.
- Rinsing also helps release the starches which prevents clumping.
- Allow your rice to rest after cooking for 5 to 10 minutes. Pop open the lid and let the steam out. Then leave it alone. This helps with the sticking.
- Once rested, fluff up the rice by mixing it up before serving.
About the recipe
One of my favorite restaurants in Wilmington, NC is a small Panamanian restaurant called Ceviche's. Their food is bright, colorful, fresh, and made from scratch. Their seasonal menu offers a variety of salsa, guacamole, ceviche, seafood, and Latin American dishes. They also have several tasty signature cocktails to keep the evening fun.
Their coconut rice is my favorite side dish. It is a bit creamy, sweet, and savory all at once. I was so in love with it, I had to go home and recreate their tropical flavored dish.
I think I did a pretty good job. We love it in our house and eat it with all kinds of dishes from Mexican to Asian. It also makes a great fish side dish!
Please leave me a comment below if you make this coconut rice and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your rice on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Rice Cooker Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked basmati rice
- 1½ cups coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse uncooked basmati rice until water runs clear. Drain any access water.2 cups uncooked basmati rice
- Add rice, coconut milk, and chicken broth rice cooker pot. Cook on quick setting or white rice setting.1½ cups coconut milk, 1 cup chicken broth
- Open rice maker and allow to sit about 5 to 10 minutes for steam to fully release. Stir in lime juice.1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.¼ cup cilantro, salt and pepper to taste
Arleen says
I love making this recipe because it is so tasty and versatile too! I've used it as a side or base to compliment everything from Asian, Mexican, Thai and Caribbean dishes. It's definitely one of the go-tos in my kitchen! 😇
Jenifer says
I came across your Coconut, Lime, and Cilantro Rice Cooker recipe
two days ago, and it sounded really tasty, easy, and quick. I got so excited when I realized that I had all of the ingredients already on hand! I decided to try it on some plain Jasmine rice that I was serving with Butter Chicken for dinner. We always have the same plain Jasmine rice, prepared in the rice cooker. We've been enjoying it just fine with Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala, and some other Indian dishes we serve it with, but the added flavors of your recipe sounded so fresh and wonderful for a change. It was super easy to throw together, smelled devine while it was cooking, and it looked so pretty with the fresh chopped cilantro! I couldn't wait to taste it, so I snuck a few spoonfuls and oh my goodness! It was amazing! It elevated the flavors and spices in the butter chicken and everyone, even the kids, gobbled it up! They loved it. Everyone had heavy second-servings of the rice, and it was gone in just one night! I usually have enough leftover rice for another full meal the next night, but this stuff was so irresistable and delicious all by itself. I had to run out the next day to get more coconut milk, lime, and cilantro, but I was happy to. The first batch I made exactly as written and it was perfect. But for the next day's batch, I got a little fancy and added a handful of coconut flakes to the rice as it cooked. Stirred it up well, and added an extra splash of the chicken stock just to moisten the coconut flakes better. It was fantastic... so good! No more plain ol' rice for this Indian-food-loving-family, ever again! Thank you so much for this recipe that I now can not live without! 🙂
Marylou says
It looks delicious, but I don't have a rice cooker. Can this recipe be made in a slow cooker such as a Crock Pot? If so, what changes need to be made? Thanks.
Katie Crenshaw says
I have never made rice in a crockpot.I only make it in my rice cooker. I can't give you any advice because I have no experience, sorry.
Jackie says
So delicious! My husband raved about this recipe as well. Wouldn't change a thing. It's a keeper!
Louise Zuleger says
Perfect with Shot Rib Rendang!
Kozy says
I instinctively made a few tweaks, but used the essence of the recipe, and it came out THE BOMB! people were freaking out and jumping out of windows it was so good!
I rinsed the rice 4 times (measure, put in bowl, add water, swish, drain, repeat wash/drain)
I used real coconut milk
I used the stalks of the cilantro, minced fine, before cooking, leaves added after
I added the zest of half a lime before rice cooking
I added about 1.5 tablespoon of good soy sauce (Org GF Tamari) to the rice before cooking
I just used water, not broth... the lime zest and cilantro stalks make up for the broth, saves you tons on $$ and less waste!
Suzanne Z says
Our dinner guests loved it. I used canned coconut milk plus water. I wish I had maxed out my rice cooker and used 4 cups of dry rice, as we actually ran out!
Madison | A Joyfully Mad Kitchen says
Mmm this looks SO good. We usually do rice on the stove top, but it tends to make a mess. A rice cooker would probably be a good investment.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Coconut and lime, there's no going wrong there! I've been on a real carb kick lately so this is calling my name! Perfect with some tacos 🙂 XO