Easy Coconut Rice Recipe

Coconut rice in the oven or the air fryer! Use my easy method to bake jasmine rice to fluffy perfection with coconut milk, pandan leaves and a buttery finish. The perfect side dish for curries, stir fries and more!

I have huuuge weakness for coconut rice – I literally can’t get enough of it! It’s just so comfortingly fragrant, with a subtly sweet flavor that literally hugs you. I used to always order it at our local Thai restaurant and I am so happy to have mastered making it at home. You want to know the secret to perfect coconut rice? Bake it, don’t boil it!

All you need is fragrant jasmine rice, coconut milk, a little sugar for sweetness, salt, and pandan or lime leaves so every grain turns out fluffy and gently perfumed — not sticky or stodgy.

The method is hands-off and ultra reliable: rinse, measure by ratio, cover tightly, then let steam do the work while you focus on the main. Finish some lime zest and a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and bask at the fluffy perfection!

Here’s What You’ll Need

Just a handful of ingredients and you can make coconut milk rice at home that rivals that of the best Asian restaurant!

• Jasmine rice – naturally tender, gently perfumed.
• Coconut milk – use good-quality full-fat canned coconut milk for best flavor.
• Sugar and salt – a little of sugar intensifies the coconut flavor, but you can skip it if you want; salt seasons the rice from within.
• Pandan leaves – these long, fragrant tropical leaves are used in Asian recipes to perfume sweets, rice, and curries. They have a very subtle vanilla-jasmine perfume which infuses the rice as it cooks. You can find frozen pandan leaves in most Asian grocers.
• Lime leaves – If pandan leaves are hard to source, use lime leaves instead (also known as kaffir lime or makrut leaves). You can purchase dried lime leaves fairly easily – or keep a potted Kaffir lime tree for fresh ones!
• Butter or coconut oil – keeps rice fluffy and glossy and adds extra flavor.
• Optional garnishes: toasted coconut flakes or shredded coconut, lime juice or lime zest. chopped cilantro.

How to Make Coconut Rice

1. Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Grease an 8-inch metal square pan with butter or coconut oil and prep two sheets of foil to cover it with.
2. Rinse the jasmine rice thoroughly to remove some of the excess starch. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Stir with your hands until the water turns cloudy. Drain and repeat once or twice until the water is clear. Drain thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer.
3. Empty the can of coconut milk in a saucepan. add water, sugar and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

1. Pour the heated coconut milk into the prepared pan and add the rice. Stir briefly then top with knotted pandan leaves (or lime leaves) and cubed butter. Cover the pan tightly with the foil and place in the oven or the air fryer basket.

1. Bake for 35-40 minutes then rest the pan for 10 minutes before removing the foil.
2. Discard the pandan or lime leaves. Fluff up the rice with a fork and serve garnished with a little lime zest and some toasted coconut.

Leftovers and Storage

• Make-ahead: Cook, cool quickly, then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Sprinkle 1–2 tbsp water or coconut milk per cup rice, cover and warm in microwave until piping hot; fluff and serve.