Coconut Fried Rice Recipe – This tasty, tropical rice always hits the spot. It’s easy to elevate a classic family favorite like fried rice to next-level deliciousness. 🤩
Fried rice is my all-time favorite dish. It’s so darn good that I never dreamed there was a way to zhuzh it up even more until I tried coconut fried rice. This dish is absolutely irresistible and incredibly easy. Two huge wins if you’re a busy home cook like me!
Quick note for all my health-conscious friends: Don’t let the word fried put you off. You can easily replace the vegetable oil with unrefined coconut or avocado oil for frying. 😉
Content…The Secret |
The Secret to Insanely Good Coconut Fried Rice
Between you and me, the number one secret to making mouthwatering coconut fried rice is to use fresh coconut milk. Just blend the flesh of a freshly cracked coconut in your blender with a little water. When it reaches a fine consistency, pour it out, liquid and all, into a cheesecloth and squeeze the milk into a bowl.
It only takes a few minutes, and the flavor is incredible. However, I also live in the real world and don’t always have the time or energy to make fresh coconut milk. So, if you use canned coconut milk, this dish is still highly addictive. 😋
What You Need
- Rice – Plain white rice, jasmine rice, or even brown rice will work, or whatever you have on hand.
- Coconut Milk – Fresh coconut milk is best, but canned is second best!
- Oil – Canola, vegetable, or coconut oil works great for this recipe.
- Eggs – Scrambled egg in fried rice is a must for me, but you can leave it out.
- Veggies – Onion, garlic, peas, and carrots are my fried rice vegetables of choice, but feel free to customize them to your taste buds.
- Seasonings – Soy and oyster sauce make a nice base. But salt, pepper, bouillon powder, and curry powder deliver great flavor layers. 🤤
How to Make Coconut Milk Fried Rice
Make the Coconut Rice
- Rinse rice in a saucepan thoroughly with water. Drain the excess water before moving on.
- Cook – Next, add the coconut milk, water, and salt. Set the saucepan on high heat, stir the rice, and bring it to a boil. Stir well, cover with the lid, lower the heat, and simmer, keeping the heat as low as possible for 15-18 minutes. (Photo 1)
- Cool – Remove the rice from the heat and let it cool, covered. Fluff it with a fork before making the fried rice.
Fry the Coconut Rice
- Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry the Rice – Add the rice and stir vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and about a tablespoon of water or stock as needed to moisten the rice and keep it from sticking. Remove from the pan and set aside. (Photo 2)
- Eggs – Quickly wipe the wok or skillet with a clean paper towel or cloth. Heat a tablespoon of oil, add the eggs, and quickly stir to scramble them. Remove the cooked eggs and add them to the rice. (Photo 3)
- Veggies – Continue stir-frying by pouring another tablespoon of oil into the wok. Add onions, peas, carrots, minced garlic, curry powder, and chicken bouillon powder. Stir until fragrant or for about 2 minutes. (Photos 4-5)
- Assemble – Return the rice and eggs to the wok and stir until everything combines. (Photo 6)
- Serve – Adjust seasoning salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with chopped scallion and serve.
Delicious Variations on the Recipe
- Add some protein. For a meal, instead of a side, add chicken, pork, or shrimp. All three taste great with the tropical coconut flavor. Coconut shrimp fried rice is the perfect one-dish meal.
- Make it vegan. Swap the chicken bouillon for vegetable bouillon, omit the egg, and toss in some tofu.
- Customize the veggies. Feel free to add any other vegetables you love to have in fried rice. Shredded cabbage, chopped green beans, or even some diced pineapple go well with this dish.
Recipe Notes
- Double the coconut rice when making it for a side dish. Having leftover coconut fried rice already on hand saves tons of time! 🥥
- High-temperature frying means you’ll need to stir vigorously and closely monitor the ingredients. This dish comes together quickly, so it’s not something you can walk away from.
- If you accidentally overcook the coconut rice a tad, put it in the fridge uncovered for an hour or two. That way, it dries out a bit before fluffing and frying.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make the coconut rice ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container for a day or two. You can also make the fried rice a day or two ahead and heat it when ready to enjoy. It also freezes fine for up to 3 months.
Refrigerate leftover coconut rice for 3-5 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave with a teaspoon or two of water to moisten it back up.
What Goes With Coconut Fried Rice
Try this tropical treat alongside pineapple chicken or coconut shrimp. Pineapple cucumber salad on the side makes a filling yet refreshing meal. 😄
More Crazy Delicious Coconut Recipes to Try
- Coconut Puff-Puff
- Grilled Coconut Shrimp
- Crunchy Coconut Coleslaw
- Braised Chicken in Coconut Milk
- Coconut Cream Pie
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”hgG6Qi0e” upload-date=”2019-11-20T11:25:26.000Z” name=”Coconut Fried Rice” description=” https://www.africanbites.com/coconut-fried-rice/” ]
This blog post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Coconut Fried Rice
Ingredients
Coconut Rice
- 1 cup (210g) rice (jasmine or any medium to long grain rice)
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk
Coconut Fried Rice
- ½ cup (120ml) canola oil (or vegetable oil)
- ½-1 tablespoon (7-15 ml) soy sauce
- ½-1 tablespoon (7-15 ml) oyster sauce
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ small onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
- 1 cup (135g) peas and carrots
- ½ tablespoon (5g) chicken bouillon powder
- ¼-½ teaspoon (.5-1g) curry powder
- 2-3 tablespoon (30-45ml) water or chicken stock optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the rice with water and strain twice. Add it to a saucepan with the water, coconut milk, and salt. Heat it over high heat and bring it to a boil.
- Stir the rice, lower the heat to a simmer (the heat should be very low), and cover the saucepan tightly with the lid. Continue cooking for 15-18 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool and covered. Then fluff with a fork. (You can do this the day before.)
- Break up the clumps before starting.
- Heat a large wok or skillet on medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil.
- Add the rice and stir vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Then add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a tablespoon or more of water or stock as needed to moisten the rice. Set aside. Quickly wipe the wok or skillet with a clean paper towel or cloth.
- Next, heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok, add the eggs, and quickly stir to break the egg yolks and lightly scramble them. Remove and add to the rice.
- Continue stir-frying by adding a tablespoon of oil to the wok, followed by onions, peas, carrots, minced garlic, curry powder, and chicken bouillon powder. Stir until fragrant for about 2 minutes.
- Finally, return the rice and eggs to the wok. Stir until fully combined. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with chopped scallion and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Double the coconut rice when making it for a side dish. Having leftover coconut fried rice already on hand saves time!
- High-temperature frying means you’ll need to stir vigorously and closely monitor the ingredients. This dish comes together quickly, so it’s not something you can walk away from.
- If you accidentally overcook the coconut rice a tad, put it in the fridge uncovered for an hour or two. That way, it dries out a bit before fluffing and frying.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Dan says
Just made this and it was delicious!
Imma says
Glad you loved it, Dan :)!
Jenn says
My whole family loved this recipe (kids ages 5 and 8). I will be making it again. Thank you!
Imma says
I love it when a recipe is a hit with kids! Thanks for stopping by, Jenn!
Biashka says
Incredible! Thank you! ❤️
Imma says
You are welcome, Biashka!
Favorite says
I love this recipe so much it is lovely
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks so much!!!
Chidori says
Delicious! But never stick your chopsticks up in your rice; that’s a sign you’re giving an offering to the dead. To eat it after that is extremely disrespectful. Figured you didn’t know. 🙂
Imma says
Sorry about that. No, I didn’t know. Thank you for explaining.
PremaKum says
what do you serve with the rice
Imma says
Grilled salmon is heavenly, and any Asian fusion protein is great, too.
Kasim says
I want to know how to cook different types of food
Immaculate Bites says
Hello Kasim! Welcome to Immaculate Bites. I hope you can learn how to cook different types of food from my recipes. Just search or check which ones you would like to try and follow the instructions. 🙂 Goodluck!
Ugochinyere Joseph says
Wow ! Prepared this for Christmas and everyone loves it. This is my first time preparing coconut fried rice, I have always prepared coconut jollof rice. I added green pepper, scotch bonnet and cayenne pepper for more heat and shredded chicken it was amazingly delicious , I also paired it with peppered beef.
The aroma is something else, my kitchen was enveloped with the smell of coconut.
Will be cooking it again and will also try other recipes. ❤️ Merry Christmas
ImmaculateBites says
So happy to hear it worked out well. Merry Christmas to you too!
Angie says
This is such a great recipe! I added just a touch of sesame oil, because we love it, but I did try a bite before and the recipe is fantastic as is. After the first bite, my 5 yo grandson informed us he would be having seconds. 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Am Soo thrilled!
Keri says
OMG this is amazing… jst finished cooking this recipe now and it’s the bomb, explosions of sapore (taste) yum yum and yummy.delicious meal , first time ever trying this and I have no regrets at all
ImmaculateBites says
AWESOME! And High-five on nailing it the first time. I am so glad you love this dish, Keri!
Christine says
Absolutely delicious as written! Made it for company without a trial run (brave right?!) and it was devoured. Thanks- I will check out you other recipes. So fresh tasting!!
ImmaculateBites says
High-five on nailing this first time, Christine!! I am so glad it was a huge hit. Thank you so much for the feedback :).
Bimbola says
Hi what type of rice did you use for this recipe?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello,
I used Basmati rice .
Lola says
Pls what brand of basmati did you use.. thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lola. I use Royal basmatic rice.
Reesha says
Omg! I made this today, and it was totally delicious. I can eat this every day. The whole family loved it. Thank you so much for sharing these amazing recipes ❤️
imma africanbites says
You’re welcome. Same here, I could totally just eat this every day. =)
Zarah says
Ohhh my God this look yummy I will definitely try it thank you
Deola says
Made this today. It was really yummy…thanks for the recipe
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Deola! So glad you love it :)! Thanks for stopping by!
Lilian Adamu says
Hello the best of the bests.
i am going to try this coconut fried rice. will definitely give you feed back. Am so excited .