Imagine transforming your everyday meals into a tropical getaway with minimal effort. That’s the magic of Instant Pot coconut rice—a delightful side dish that combines buttery, nutty, and subtly sweet flavors to elevate any meal. This coconut jasmine rice is so enticing that you might find yourself planning entire dinners around it!
If you’re looking for a more traditional white rice option, we’ve got you covered! While coconut rice Instant Pot is slightly sweet and creamy, sometimes a simple, no-frills rice dish is what you need. If that sounds like you, check out our pressure cooker recipe for regular jasmine rice—it’s light, fluffy, and pairs well with any meal.
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Why We Love This Coconut Rice Instant Pot Recipe
- Versatility at its best
This creamy, fluffy rice pairs beautifully with a wide range of main courses, from spicy curries to simple grilled vegetables. - Quick and easy
Thanks to the Instant Pot, you can achieve perfect coconut rice in under 20 minutes, making it ideal for both busy weeknights and leisurely weekends. - Aromatic delight
The combination of jasmine rice and coconut milk fills your kitchen with an irresistible aroma that beckons everyone to the table.
New to Pressure Cooking?
Take a moment to check out our helpful tips, top recommended accessories, and favorite Instant Pot recipes for beginners!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Brown or white Jasmine: Jasmine gives you a light, fluffy texture and wonderful flavor! But any medium or long-grain variety is fine to use. If using brown rice, keep in mind that the cooking time is longer.
- Chicken broth: We use salt-free broth for coconut rice in Instant Pot. If using a broth with salt, leave out any salt called for in our recipe. Vegetable or mushroom broth can be used to make a vegetarian Instant Pot side dish!
- Unsweetened coconut milk: We recommend unsweetened canned coconut milk. This won’t be in the refrigerated section with the drinking milk at the store!
Recipe Variations
- Ultra-rich coconut: Swap out regular coconut milk for full-fat coconut milk or even coconut cream for an extra creamy and indulgent texture. This works especially well if you’re serving the rice in bowls alongside flavorful curries or spicy dishes.
- Light and fluffy basmati version: Prefer a different grain? Try making coconut rice Instant Pot with basmati rice instead of jasmine. Basmati has longer, more delicate grains that stay light and separate when cooked, giving the dish a different texture while still absorbing all that rich coconut flavor.
- Sweet: For a lightly sweetened version, stir in a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey after cooking. Top with toasted coconut flakes, chopped mango, or pineapple for a tropical twist that works beautifully as a breakfast or dessert-style rice.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Instant Pot – or any electric pressure cooker
- Mesh strainer
How to Make Coconut Rice in Instant Pot
- Rinse the grains.
To avoid a gluey consistency in your side dish, it’s important to remove as much starch from the grains as possible. Place the jasmine rice into a fine mesh strainer and rinse it with water until the water runs clear. - Don’t skip sauteing.
It only takes a few minutes, but toasting grains in butter or oil imparts a rich flavor to the dish. More importantly, it improves the texture, by preventing the grains from sticking to the pot.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Cooking at a higher altitude?
Add a few minutes to the overall cooking time. Why? Air at higher altitudes is dryer and has less atmospheric pressure overall. The decreased boiling point means all recipes take a bit longer to cook.
How to Boost the Flavor
You can highlight the tropical flavor by serving it with a bit of shredded or toasted coconut flakes. It will make the texture and flavor miles better!
Alternatively, combat the sweetness by including chopped onions or sliced shallots with the grains. A bit of sharp, oniony flavor adds a nice dimension that keeps coconut milk rice from being too cloyingly sweet.
Finally, a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom will make your side dish all the more tropical!
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot coconut rice is a flavorful side dish that pairs beautifully with a variety of meals. The creamy, slightly sweet coconut rice in Instant Pot balances the bold spices of Thai curries, making it a perfect companion for dishes like red curry, green curry, or even a spicy peanut sauce.
If you prefer a stovetop version, you can easily boil the ingredients together in a saucepan and then stir to ensure the rice absorbs all that rich coconut flavor. This rice also works well in rice bowls, topped with grilled shrimp, teriyaki chicken, or roasted vegetables. No matter how you serve it, this recipe adds an irresistible touch to any meal, transforming even the simplest dishes into something special!
Recipe FAQs
There are a couple of common culprits. The most common mistake is adding too much liquid. For coconut Jasmine rice, use 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of grains. Additionally, overcooking will also leave you with mushy Instant Pot rice.
Adding a bit more hot liquid can help. You don’t want to add cold water, as waiting for it to come to a temperature will make the already-cooked grains mushy. So add some warmed coconut milk, fluff all the rice with a fork, and cook for another few minutes.
You can also microwave with a bit more coconut milk to fix individual servings.
It shouldn’t. Taking care to properly deglaze the pot should prevent the milk from burning, and using the proper, full-fat, canned milk will prevent it from curdling.
This is ideal for meal prep! Store in individual containers so they can be reheated in portions for meals throughout the week.
Oh, and reheating may not even be necessary! Cold coconut rice is perfect for making Blackstone fried rice and other fried rice recipes.
Refrigerate leftovers for 4 days and reheat in the microwave or right on the stovetop. Add a bit of water to help the grains plump back up.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed in the fridge the night before you’d like to use it.
More Side Dishes To Love…
If you tried this Instant Pot coconut rice recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Instant Pot Coconut Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot - or any electric pressure cooker
- mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 2 cups Jasmine rice **see Notes for using brown rice
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup salt-free chicken broth or stock
- 8 ounces unsweetened coconut milk (canned variety) **see Notes
- ½ teaspoon salt omit if using regular broth or stock
Instructions
- Rinse rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear, then drain well and set aside.
- Set pressure cooker to sauté and add butter or oil to the pot. Once the pot is ready, sauté rice for 3 minutes. Press cancel to end sauté.
- Add broth, coconut milk, and salt to the pot, stirring to mix and deglaze the pot. Place lid on the pressure cooker, then turn or press the venting knob to seal. Set pot manually to cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- When the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow a natural pressure release (leaving the pot undisturbed) for 10 minutes. Then do a quick release of any remaining pressure by turning or pressing the pressure knob (refer to your pot's instructions).
- Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
Notes
- Cooking at a higher altitude?
Add a few minutes to the overall cooking time. Why? Air at higher altitudes is dryer and has less atmospheric pressure overall. The decreased boiling point means all recipes take a bit longer to cook.
- Ultra-rich coconut: Swap out regular coconut milk for full-fat coconut milk or even coconut cream for an extra creamy and indulgent texture. This works especially well if you’re serving the rice in bowls alongside flavorful curries or spicy dishes.
- Light and fluffy basmati version: Prefer a different grain? Try making coconut rice Instant Pot with basmati rice instead of jasmine. Basmati has longer, more delicate grains that stay light and separate when cooked, giving the dish a different texture while still absorbing all that rich coconut flavor.
- Savory: If you’d rather skip the slightly sweet flavor, omit the sugar and cook the rice with a mix of full-fat coconut milk and broth instead of water. This makes a fantastic base for grain bowls or as a side to grilled meats and veggies.
Nutrition
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Previous
Lori says
Sounds great! I will have to try this!
The recipe says for savory, to omit sugar & use broth instead of water. I’m not seeing sugar in the recipe? So for a sweeter version, how much sugar would be used? I’m wondering if it would taste like khir with sugar & some nutmeg/cardamom…just not as liquid-y…
Gianne - TFN Team Member says
We are so sorry about that error. Thanks for pointing that out. But if you want a sweet version, stir in a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey after cooking. Top with toasted coconut flakes, chopped mango, or pineapple for a tropical twist that works beautifully as a breakfast or dessert-style rice.
For a sweeter variation that gives gentle nods to kheer, stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar after cooking, along with a pinch of ground cardamom or nutmeg for a warm, aromatic touch. While the rice won’t be as creamy or pudding-like as traditional kheer, the coconut milk creates a naturally rich texture that still feels indulgent. You can also add a splash of extra coconut milk after cooking to enhance the creaminess. For a finishing touch, top the rice with sliced almonds, pistachios, or golden raisins to bring in a bit of texture and traditional flair.