Learn how to make coconut rice in the Instant Pot with this easy recipe. Chopped fruit and peppers give it major tropical vibes – perfect when paired with a bold protein.
Have you ever tried coconut rice?
It’s typically made with Jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk. The result is delicious savory, fluffy rice.
For the ultimate convenience, we like to make it in the Instant Pot. If you haven’t made rice in the IP yet, you’re going to fall in love! It’s a super quick and easy dump and go situation.
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We like to add chopped pineapple, chopped red bell pepper, and chopped jalapeños to our coconut rice. This adds a bit of sweetness and spiciness that makes this rice packed full of flavor in every bite.
You can serve it without these, if you’d prefer.
Ingredients
- Rice – Jasmine rice is traditionally used to make coconut rice.
- Coconut Milk – Be sure to use full fat canned coconut milk, not the refrigerated carton kind.
- Vegetable Broth – You can substitute another broth or even water.
- Pineapple – I prefer to use fresh pineapple, but you can also use canned pineapple if you’d prefer.
- Pineapple Juice – Reserve some pineapple juice from your fresh or canned pineapple to use in the liquid.
- Red Bell Pepper – Red bell pepper is ideal, but you can substitute yellow or orange bell pepper instead.
- Jalapeños – Spicy peppers help balance out the sweetness from the pineapple. Use jalapeños for less heat or Serranos for more.
- Green Onion – These add a little zip to the rice. I wouldn’t substitute them or leave them out.
- Cilantro – If you dislike cilantro you can leave it out.
- Salt – I used sea salt. If you use table salt (like Morton), you’ll want to reduce the amount to about a 1/4 teaspoon.
Tips
- If you’re using a fresh pineapple, the easiest way to peel and remove the fruit is with this inexpensive pineapple tool. It gets the job done in less than a minute!
- Be sure to rinse your rice well. This removes the surface starch from the rice that can make it gummy when it cooks. The easiest way is to place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water over it until the water is clear.
- Adding a squeeze of lime over the top of this rice adds a bit of extra acidity and helps bring all the flavors together.
What To Serve It With
We like this coconut rice best served with bold proteins like blackened chicken or blackened fish, chipotle chicken, and spicy shrimp.
It’s also great with crispy tofu and hibachi shrimp.
How To Store & Reheat
Storage
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat
You can serve the leftovers cold, or reheat it in a skillet on the stove top over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. I recommend adding a tablespoon or so of water.
You can also place the rice in a microwave safe bowl, then add 1 tablespoon of water and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Crab Legs
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Wendy’s Chili
- Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
Instant Pot Coconut Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Jasmine Rice (rinsed well)
- 1 cup Full-fat Coconut Milk
- 3/4 Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1-2 Jalapeños (thinly sliced)
- 1 1/2 Cups Pineapple (chopped)
- 1/4 Cup Green Onion (chopped)
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro (minced)
Instructions
- Add the rice, coconut milk, broth, pineapple juice, and sea salt to your Instant Pot. Place the lid on and set it to cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- When the time has elapsed, allow to natural release for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and set aside for a few minutes to cool.
- Once the rice has cooled, fold in the chopped bell pepper, jalapeños, pineapple, green onion, and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Luca says
This recipe brought back memories of tropical rice I used to eat with my grandfather. Thank you for sharing it.