Rice & Sizzle.
Rice cooker recipes

Coconut rice in a rice cooker

For fluffy coconut rice, measure 1 standard US cup jasmine rice, ¾ cup unsweetened canned coconut milk and ½ cup water with the same 240 ml cup. Cook on the permitted mixed-rice or white-rice cycle, then rest for 10 minutes. Do not mix the smaller supplied rice cup with standard liquid cups.

By Rice & Sizzle · September 24, 2026

Ingredients & method Cooking notesEquipment

Recipe draft · Not yet kitchen-tested. How we develop recipes.

Coconut rice in a rice cooker

Prep
10 min
Cook / rest
45 min
Total
55 min
Serves
3

Ingredients

Dry jasmine rice, unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, water and fine salt arranged in separate bowls and jugs — illustration
Ingredient illustration.

Use the listed quantities. This recipe uses a standard 240 ml US cup for rice and liquid. Spoon measurements are standard measuring spoons.

Method

  1. Read the rice cooker manual before starting. Use a model that permits flavored or mixed rice, and keep the batch within its mixed-rice capacity. Do not use a delayed-start timer with coconut milk. Measure the rice, coconut milk and water with the same standard 240 ml US cup.
  2. Rinse the jasmine rice in a sieve with cool water until the runoff is less cloudy. Drain for 5 minutes; water clinging to poorly drained rice can make the finished batch softer.
  3. Whisk the coconut milk and water together until smooth. Add the drained rice, coconut mixture and salt to the inner pot. Stir once, level the rice and wipe the outside of the pot dry.
  4. Close the lid and select the mixed-rice program, or the white-rice program only if the manual permits flavored rice on it. Let the cycle finish without opening the lid; machines vary, but the active cycle commonly takes about 25–35 minutes.
  5. When the cooker switches to warm, leave the lid closed for 10 minutes. Fluff gently from the edges toward the center. The grains should be tender and separate, with no pool of liquid. Serve promptly rather than holding coconut rice warm for an extended period.

Equipment that helps

A rice cooker whose manual permits flavored or mixed rice, a standard 240 ml US measuring cup, a fine-mesh sieve, a small whisk and a non-scratching rice paddle.

The Zojirushi NS-TSC10 rice cooker has a mixed-rice setting, which is the relevant feature for this coconut-milk method. Its 5.5-cup headline capacity describes uncooked white rice measured with the supplied cup, not every mixed recipe; check the manual’s smaller mixed-rice limit before scaling. A compatible cooker you already own is enough.

Compare rice cookers for sushi rice.

Fluffy white coconut jasmine rice with distinct grains in a shallow ceramic bowl — illustration
Serving illustration.

Cooking notes & substitutions

This savory coconut rice uses one measuring system for every ingredient: a standard 240 ml US cup. Do not measure the rice with the smaller cup supplied with many rice cookers while measuring the liquids with a US cup; that mismatch adds too much liquid for the rice. Diluting full-fat coconut milk with water helps the grains absorb the cooking liquid. The method has been reviewed for cooking logic but has not been kitchen-tested.

Food-safety references

Coconut milk, not coconut cream

Use unsweetened canned coconut milk and stir any separated fat back in before measuring. Refrigerated coconut beverage is much thinner; coconut cream is thicker; sweetened cream of coconut contains sugar. None is a one-for-one substitute in this method.

If the rice is mushy

First confirm that the rice and both liquids were measured with the same standard US cup. Drain rinsed rice well and count all coconut milk as cooking liquid. Do not fill to a cooker water line after adding the measured liquids. For the next batch in the same machine, reduce the water by 1 tablespoon rather than making a large change.

If the rice is firm

Add 1–2 tablespoons hot water, close the lid and finish only with a reheating or cooking method permitted by the manual. If the same brand of rice stays firm on a later batch, add 1 tablespoon water to the measured liquid before cooking. Cooker heat patterns and rice brands vary.

Scaling the recipe

For 2 standard US cups rice, use 1½ cups coconut milk, 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt, but only if that quantity is below the cooker’s mixed-rice limit. Scaling the ingredients does not reduce the headroom needed for foaming; make two batches when the manual requires it.

Rice substitutions

Basmati and brown rice need their own liquid level and program. Do not apply this jasmine-rice ratio to them. Light canned coconut milk may give less coconut flavor and a different texture; it is a suggested variation, not a tested substitution.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate the cooked rice promptly in shallow covered containers at 40°F / 4°C or colder and use within 3–4 days. Reheat only the portion needed to 165°F / 74°C throughout, adding a teaspoon of water if the rice seems dry. Do not leave cooked rice at room temperature beyond the limits in the food-safety section below.

Questions before you cook

Can I use the cup that came with my rice cooker?

Not with the quantities as written. This recipe uses a standard 240 ml US cup for the rice and both liquids. A supplied rice-cooker cup is commonly smaller, so mixing cup types changes the ratio.

Leftovers & food safety

Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C. Reheat leftovers to 165°F / 74°C. Follow package instructions and use a thermometer where appropriate. USDA leftover guidance.

Serve with or try next

Air fryer · 35 min

Crispy air fryer tofu

Golden tofu cubes with a light cornstarch crust. Learn when to add the sauce and how to avoid a crowded air fryer basket.