Name: Instant Pot Coconut Rice
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 23 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups jasmine rice; ¾ cup coconut milk; ¾ cup water; 1 teaspoon sugar (optional); ½ teaspoon kosher salt

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Instant Pot Coconut Rice is the best side dish for the spicy Asian foods I love. It’s like regular rice, only better! Creamy coconut milk adds flavor and richness. Add a touch of sugar, which is optional, to take it over the top.

overhead shot of instant pot coconut rice

I’ve always loved coconut rice when I’ve had it at my favorite Burmese restaurant. It’s just… better than regular rice. It’s full of delicate coconut flavor with a hint of sweetness and just so good! It’s my favorite side dish to round out many Asian meals.

Why make coconut rice in the Instant Pot?

Coconut Rice is simple enough to cook on the stove top using the traditional method of cooking rice, but it takes a while and you have to babysit it to make sure to cook it just the right amount of time and makes sure it doesn’t boil over.

Instant Pot Coconut Rice, though, is a set it or forget it situation. You just put everything in the electric pressure cooker, set it, and you’re free to cook the other dishes your serving without worry. After 10 minutes of cooking time, you’ll have perfect fluffy coconut rice.

To make Instant Pot Coconut Rice, the pot-in-pot technique is my preferred method. When I’ve tried making it directly in the Instant Pot, I get frequent burn messages. This easy recipe using the pot-in-pot method solves that problem and makes perfect coconut rice every time.

overhead shot of the ingredients needed to make instant pot coconut rice

What ingredients do you need to make coconut rice?

This easy instant pot coconut rice recipe only uses 4 ingredients to make coconut rice in the Instant Pot:

Jasmine rice
Unsweetened coconut milk (you can use light coconut milk, but I think full fat is better)
Sugar (you can make it without added sugar if you like, but I like the balance of a little bit of sugar)
Salt

An air fryer with a metal basket preparing instant pot coconut rice. — put a rack in the pot with water

A close-up of a bowl with a white coconut liquid in it. — put a rack in the pot with water

How to make coconut rice in the instant pot

The best way to make Coconut Rice in a pressure cooker without getting a burn notice is to use the pot-in-pot technique. Other than using a rack and a heat-safe bowl to cook the rice in rather than the main pot, this is an easy dump-and-go method.

Place a rack in the Insant Pot and add 1 ½ cups of cold water to the bottom of the pot.
In a heat-safe bowl, combine the rice, coconut milk, water, sugar, if using, and salt.
Place the bowl on top of the rack in the Instant Pot
Cover and seal the pressure cooker and set it to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
When the cooking cycle is done, quick release the pressure and then remove the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot.

What kind of rice is best?

I like to use Jasmine Rice for my Coconut Rice. But you can really use any white rice you like including basmati or long-grain white rice.

What do you serve it with?

Instant Pot Coconut Rice makes a great simple side dish for Indian curries, Thai curries, Chinese stir fries, and other Asian dishes.

I love to serve this flavorful side dish with Crispy Chilli Beef, Chicken 65, Palak Paneer, Instant Pot Palak Paneer, Tandoori Chicken, Thai Chicken Curry, Instant Pot Ribs, and Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken.

If you want to dress up the rice itself, you can garnish it with crispy fried shallots (click the link to see how I make them in the microwave!) or unsweetened coconut flakes.

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