Coconut Lime Rice

This Coconut Lime Rice is incredibly delicious and easy to make. It has a beautiful creamy texture and the addition of lime and coriander/cilantro adds a tasty fresh touch.

Jump to:

• Reasons to Love this Recipe
• Video
• Ingredient Information (with Alternative Suggestions)
• Step By Step Instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• More Rice Recipes
• Coconut and Lime Rice

Reasons to Love this Recipe

• Flavour: The coconut adds a lovely sweet taste and creamy texture while the lime provides a refreshing citrus flavour.
• Versatile: Coconut lime rice can complement a wide range of dishes from curries to grilled fish.
• Easy: With only a few basic ingredients and a straightforward cooking process this rice dish can be whipped up midweek in less than 30 mins.
• Freezer Friendly

Video

Ingredient Information (with Alternative Suggestions)

For the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Jasmine Rice - I use Jasmine rice in this recipe as I feel it adds the best flavour. However, you can substitute it with Basmati or long-grain rice.
  Do not use short-grain rice, such as risotto or sushi rice, as it is too sticky.
• Spring Onion - Also known as scallion, green onion, or salad onion. I add it for flavour but it can be skipped if preferred.
• Coconut Oil - Is used to cook the spring onion in and to coat the rice before cooking. You can substitute it with a neutral tasting oil.
• Coconut Milk - I prefer to use full-fat coconut milk as I feel it results in a more indulgent flavour. However, if you prefer a lighter option, you can substitute with light coconut milk. Just note that the resulting rice may not be as rich in flavour.
• Stock/broth - Coconut milk alone is too thick and needs diluting when cooking rice. I love the extra flavour that chicken stock or vegetable stock gives but it works just as well with water. 
• Lime - Lime juice is a great addition to coconut rice and really enhances the taste and texture. It provides a citrusy flavour that balances out the rich, creaminess of the rice.
• Coriander (cilantro) - Chopped coriander adds a fresh flavour that complements the creaminess of the dish. It also adds a pop of green which can make the dish more visually appealing (to some!). Can be omitted if preferred.

Step By Step Instructions

The first step to making coconut lime rice is to rinse the rice.

Although rinsing adds an extra step to the cooking process it is an important step to ensure your coconut rice turns out perfectly.

Rinsing rice removes excess starch and although it is not necessary when cooking regular white rice, it is crucial when making coconut rice because coconut milk is thicker than water and can make the rice sticky and gluey.

I recommend pouring your rice into a large bowl and filling it with water. Swish the rice around and then drain. Repeat this at least 4 times until the water is pretty clear.

While the water will not become entirely clear, I suggest erring on the side of over-rinsing rather than under-rinsing.

Once you have rinsed your rice you can start the cooking process.

1. Saute Onion - over gentle heat until soft.
2. Coat Rice in Oil - This helps to stop the rice from sticking as much when cooking and also adds to the coconut flavour. 
3. Cook-Bring to a boil, then give it a good stir to scrape up any grains from the bottom to help prevent sticking. Reduce the heat to low and cover allowing to simmer for ..... mins. Avoid the temptation to stir the rice and additionally, resit the urge to lift the lid too often and let the steam escape. After cooking, let the rice sit covered and off the heat for 5 minutes to allow the moisture to distribute evenly throughout the grains.
4. Add Lime (and Coriander/cilantro) - Use a fork to fluff the rice, and then squeeze the juice of a lime and some freshly chopped coriander. Stir through.

Serving Suggestions

Coconut rice makes a great accompaniment to a range of cuisines - Thai, Carribean and Indian to name a few. Try serving the rice with

• Curries such as fruity chicken curry, red lentil curry, slow cooker chicken curry, egg curry, sweet potato and chickpea curry or Thai green curry.
• Grilled meats - grilled chicken, chicken tikka kebabs, roasted pork or beef kebabs.
• Seafood - prawns (shrimp), grilled fish or fish stir fries/curries.

Alternatively, adapt the recipe to serve as a dish in its own right. In the past, I have added slow cooker shredded chicken, red pepper and chunks of mango to the rice and it has been devoured in seconds.

Recipe FAQs

More Rice Recipes