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.
Vicky says
I intended to make a rice pilaf to accompany shrimp curry for dinner tonight. Somehow, I ran into this recipe instead, and I’m so glad I did!
The only change I made was that I used brown jasmine rice, as I already had it soaking for use in the pilaf. OMG! Cooking it in coconut milk instead of broth/water made a huge difference. The somewhat cardboard-y taste so common to brown rice was completely gone. It was the perfect side for the (yellow) curry shrimp.
I’ve subscribed and I have been scouring your site, marking soooo many new recipes to try! I love island-type food, and you make it so easy to do. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your site!
imma africanbites says
Thanks for sharing your insights, Vicky! What a sumptuous meal you have there. And welcome to the site. Have a lovely day!
Brianna says
I got confused with the water rinse? So u rinse with 2 cups of water… Not add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of coconut milk..messed my whole recipe up
ImmaculateBites says
So sorry about this ! You only needed 2 cups of liquid.
ImmaculateBites says
Just omit it and adjust with salt. Happy Cooking!!!
TLM says
This was absolutely amazing! I have used your recipe to make coconut rice on a number of occasions (with the intent to make this recipe), but my family usually eats all the rice before I am able to fry it.
I fried the rice and veggies in coconut oil. I also used snow peas instead of peas to which my hubby used the description of “candied snow peas” to get our children to eat them — they then proceeded to hunt for all the snow peas. I paired this with a vegetarian version of your African Black Bean stew to make a complete protein. Both are wonderful!! Your site will now be my “go to” for meal planning. All very effortless, easy, economical and enjoyable!!
ImmaculateBites says
Hahaha! we have to be creative to get the kids to eat veggies…. I do the same with my son. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Happy Cooking!!!
Cindy says
Before I try this recipe, I have a question: why does the list of ingredients start with “coconut rice”?
ImmaculateBites says
Because you have to make coconut rice in order to use to make the fried rice . Check out coconut fried rice here.https://www.africanbites.com/savory-coconut-rice/
Mariane says
Very tasteful and favourful. My husband couldn’t stop asking for more. He is not only a lover of rice but coconut. Thanks a million for this recipe. You made my day. Will be trying your accra banana recipe tomorrow
mariaphil says
I really don’t get d procedures do hw do I get d coconut milk out nd do I perboil d rice first or cook it direct? Bcos I really luv d outcome of d food nd I’ll like to try it for my family.
ImmaculateBites says
Take a look at this post it provides steps on how to make coconut milk.http://africanbites.com/?p=3056
Vee says
I made this today and throughly enjoyed it! my husband did not stop saying how good it was!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the feedback Vee!!!
Karen says
Incredibly delicious — and so fast and easy to make! I made it just as you described, and served it with your recipe for Creamy and Spicy Baked Chicken Legs. Absolutely fantastic. Wow! Thank you for sharing your recipes with us. I look forward to trying more (I’m eyeing your raspberry fool recipe right now, lol!).
Amara says
Um.. THIS WAS THE BOMB! Literally just left my stovetop. I don’t usually leave reviews but I just had to for this one.
I’ve always wanted to master coconut rice, not to think of coconut FRIED rice! Simmering the rice incoconut cream and water was brilliant, and might I say beautiful! I tried to follow the recipe to a T but I had some minor differences (and it still turned out AMAZING):
While the rice cooled I put about a tablespoon of olive oil in an extra pan and heated it on med. I placed thinly cut chicken pieces and I added a dash of salt, Knorr cube (3/4 of one), and some cameroon pepper (I wanted a slight kick) to the pan and stirred everything together, then let it fry for maybe 2 minutes (the pieces face-down were already turning white). I then reduced the heat to Lo and covered it. It made a delicious broth/sauce, which I then added to the coconut rice once it was time to stir-fry.
Instead of carrots and peas I used the veggies I had: two handfuls of broccoli cutlets, red onions, 3 small bell peppers (2 red, 1 orange, all sliced long. They definitely added a pop of color and texture), and a handful of diced white mushrooms.
I added a bit more curry on accident, but the aroma of all the seasonings in the vegetable portion of the stir fry was perfect!
Overall, I absolutely loved this recipe and will definitely be using it again and again. Thanks so much for sharing!
ImmaculateBites says
Amara, Wow! just the way you describe making this coconut fried makes me want to have a plate right now and the Cameroon pepper definitely adds a kick. Thanks for the detailed feedback.
Dora says
Tripled the recipe , made it for a house party – it was gone before , I could have my own share . Thanks !
kelsey says
Very tasty and flavouful . This is one of the best fried rice so far.
Michele Scott-Akanbi says
Awesome made today but used broccoli, sweet peppers, baby sweetcorn, red onions, carrots and spring onions with three eggs, garlic, ginger, sweet chili sauce instead and used coconut oil. Will make again with tiger prawns.
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
Hi, Immaculate!!! What a delicious rice. I love everything coconut as welll so I would be thrilled to try this coconut fried rice as well as your coconut puff puff and shrimp. Wishing you a great week!
ImmaculateBites says
Do let me know which one you liked best. Can’t wait to try your recipes. They sure look Delicious!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Philo , let me know how it works for you.
Philo says
I’m definitely making this one. No doubt. I eat rice alot and this recipe looks good. ..