How to Make the Tastiest Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice
Nigerian coconut Jollof rice (aka West African Coconut Jollof Rice) is flavorful, tasty, and satisfyingly delicious. This meal is a classic! It makes a superb side dish, add your choice of protein to make a whole meal! Learn how to cook Nigerian coconut Jollof rice like a pro with my step-by-step, easy to follow instructions. I am excited to show you how to make it happen without a sweat!
Easy Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice.
Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice is tasty, fragrant, and easy to make. It would be right to call this “Nigerian Coconut Jollof rice.” This recipe follows a simple Jollof rice method but with the addition of coconut milk. Follow my step-by-step instructions on how to make this simple rice recipe. You can easily make this recipe vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Also, this is gluten-free, dairy-free, and delicious. For most Africans, Jollof rice is a must-have during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, weddings, baby naming ceremonies, and anniversaries.
I do not like to overhype myself, but this very jollof coconut rice recipe is the epitome of excellent taste – rich, coconutty, and unique. It’s a crowd-pleaser! I do bake this recipe sometimes. See this video where I explained and showed how to make baked coconut Jollof rice! This is an oldie but a goodie recipe!
Watch How To Make The Tastiest Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice
Coconut Rice And Me Go Together
Growing up in Nigeria, Nigerian coconut rice was one of my best (rice) recipes. Even at a young age, I knew that the coconut milk in this recipe takes everything to another level! And that single ingredient addition simply enhances the taste and flavors beyond Jollof rice. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Nigerian fried rice, white rice, party Jollof rice, etc. But honestly, if you add coconut milk to the equation, it becomes even richer and more nutritious. The theory applies to my basmati coconut white rice. In my opinion, it tastes better than regular white rice! As a matter of fact, I am not the only one in my family that feel the same way about coconut rice. My husband and kids adore this deliciousness – it is that good!
Can I make Coconut Milk From Scratch?
In those days, my mother would ALWAYS make coconut milk from scratch. Before moving to America, I had never seen canned coconut milk in my local community in Nigeria. LOL, so, of course, we have always made it. You can find them now in most department stores in Lagos and Abuja. Though living in America, I love making coconut milk from scratch occasionally. It is easy, tastier, and more flavorful than canned cococnut milk. As you can imagine, I made the coconut milk that I used in this recipe from scratch. I have also, on several other occasions, used canned coconut milk. Whenever I use canned I coconut milk, I prefer these ones from Thai Kitchen. To answer the above question, yes you can absolutely make coconut milk from fresh coconut. Photo below is my fresh coconut milk made by me from fresh coconut! 🙂
Why You Will Love Nigerian Coconut Rice:
- It is easy to make
- Coconut rice is rich, fragrant, nutritious, and satisfyingly delicious!
- It is customizable; you can make it vegan, add mixed vegetables, or not.
- You can cook it on the stove top or bake it in the oven. Want to bake it in the oven? See this video.
- Makes a superb side dish; add your choice of protein to make a whole meal!
- Flavorful and delightful!
What To Know Before you Cook Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice.
Rice.
Rice is Central to this dish; though I used the long grain rice for this recipe, you can also use basmati or short grain. Having said that, I usually prefer long-grain rice for this recipe! Rice is an easy-to-cook carbohydrate you can make in many ways. The best thing is also that rice is naturally gluten-free. If you are gluten intolerant, you can enjoy rice by all means.
Coconut Milk.
Coconut milk. This recipe calls for coconut milk and not dairy milk. I don’t think almond or soy milk will cut it, either. As explained earlier, I occasionally enjoy making my coconut milk from scratch, but this store-bought brand is equally excellent!
Mixed Vegetables.
This recipe is versatile, forgiving, and customizable. You can add mixed veggies, which automatically adds more nutrition. It’s an excellent way to add veggies into the mix, and honestly, no one is gonna know. :).
Countless Jollof Rice Recipes.
There are plenty of ways to cook Jollof rice and this coconut Jollof rice is one of them, just like there are many ways to cook fried rice and white rice. This is one of the ways I make my coconut rice, and it the easiest. For this very recipe, I use tomatoes (mainly paste), fresh bell peppers, onions, garlic, curry, thyme, nutmeg and of course coconut milk. And I would generally finish up with some mixed veggies, which is optional. This Jollof rice recipe needs coconut milk and coconut oil to make it “coconut Jollof rice”, and you may just exclude them to make this a regular Jollof rice.🤷🏾♀️
How do I make A Healthy Coconut Rice?
Rice is naturally gluten-free and good for the body. To make a healthy coconut rice start with raw rice, alongside coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, and coconut oil. Plus of course herbs and spices. Uniquely, you can add some mixed vegetables to ramp up it if you wish. This recipe is coconut Jollof rice.
What can I serve with Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice?
This savory, sweet, fragrant, flavorful, and fabulous dish is the perfect side dish for any main dish at any occasion. You can serve it with some of the following main dishes:
- Oven-Baked Chicken Drumsticks
- Salmon or any other type of fish
- Smothered Turkey Wings
- Chicken thighs
- Or beans (Nigerians love pairing rice and beans). Also, fried plantains are amazing with rice.
More Ways to Serve Rice
To be honest, you can serve your Nigerian coconut rice with any choice of protein. As you can see on the plate below, I served it with chicken breast (chicken breast suya). ⤵️
Coconut Rice FAQs
Should I add Vegetables to Coconut Rice?
You decide whether or not to add vegetables to your coconut Jollof rice! I do both interchangeably. Also, this Nigerian coconut Jollof rice recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and insanely delicious, but, you once again decide your choice of protein.
Why does my coconut rice come out mushy?
There are many reasons why your Nigerian coconut rice may come out mushy. Suppose you add too much water/liquid to your rice; it may be mushy. Also, if you don’t rinse out the rice very well before cooking, it may turn out mushy because of the starch.
Where does coconut rice originate?
Coconut rice is said to have originated from African and Caribbean cuisines. To be honest, there are no clear/specifics on this information. On the other hand, people of African, Caribbean, and Spanish origins have long been linked with cooking with coconut milk for the longest time.
How Does Coconut Rice Taste?
This coconut jollof rice recipe is the epitome of excellent taste – fragrant, savory, coconutty, and unique. It’s undoubtedly a crowd-pleaser!
Recipe Card.
If you are ready for some flavorful coconut Jollof rice, here you go for the recipe.
Print
Tastiest Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 – 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hr 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 – 12 persons 1x
- Category: Entrees/Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Nigerian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice is tasty, fragrant, and easy to make. It would be right to call this “Nigerian Coconut Jollof rice.” This recipe follows a simple Jollof rice method but with the addition of coconut milk. Follow my step-by-step instructions on how to make this simple rice recipe. It makes a superb side dish, add your choice of protein to make a whole meal! I am excited to show you how to make it happen without a sweat!
Ingredients
- 3 cups of rice
- 1 whole big Red bell pepper
- 4 – 5 oz. Tomato paste;
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 bulb of onions (divide into 2; blend half & sauté half)
- 2 cups of fresh homemade coconut milk or 1 (13 oz.) Can of unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 – 1½ cups of broth
- 1½ cups of water
- 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon of grated fresh Nutmeg
- ½ of dry Thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
- 2-teaspoons of salt
- 3 Maggi or Knorr cubes (or 3 teaspoons of seasoning powder)
- Spring onions (sliced; for garnishing. Optional)
Instructions
- Parboil rice in boiling water for about 5 minutes, wash with cold water until the water becomes clear, then place in a colander and set aside.
- In a blender, add bell pepper, 1/2 onions bulb, tomato paste, and garlic, blend with a half cup of water, rinse the blender with half a cup of water, and set aside. Chop the other onions half and set aside.
- Set a clean pot on the stove, add coconut oil. Add a dash of salt as it heats, then chopped onions; cook/stir for 2 minutes or until it softens.
Add the tomato blend above. Stir, cover, and cook the mixture for at least 10 minutes (stirring every now and there) - Stir, cover, and cook for an additional 8 -10 until the water/liquid visibly reduces. Add salt and curry. Then pepper, dry thyme, seasoning powder (reserve one cube for later), add the half cup of water from rinsing the blender and allow to simmer.
- Give the pot a good stir, add the broth, and grate in fresh nutmeg. Then stir in the coconut milk, cover, and simmer. Taste the sauce, and adjust flavor.
- Add the rice. Make sure that the stove is on medium-low before adding the rice. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to ensure that the rice is evenly distributed, then crush in that last seasoning cube.
- Cover and cook for the next 30 – 35 minutes.
- 20 – 25 minutes into cooking, check the rice; stir very lightly (barely). Press one or two rice in between your fingers to check tenderness.
- Taste for flavor, and adjust accordingly. Cover and cook for the next 10 minutes or until the rice is tender and have absorbed all the liquid and smells divine.
- Enjoy warm, garnish with green onions, serve with avocado, beans, and your choice of protein.
Notes
Be sure to watch the video to see all the step in action (except parboiling rice)
Do not be tempted to add too much water to this coconut rice recipe. Remember that the steam cooks the rice, not the flame, so little water/liquid (and low heat) as recommended is enough. Too much water could make it mushy. Start by add 1 cup of liquid (water & broth), and then add a little if you need it.)
Any color of bell pepper would work but remember the colors you choose will affect the color of the rice. And this type of coconut rice needs to look a bit like Jollof or reddish or tomato-ish. I would use red or orange bell pepper for this purpose.
By the time you blend the onions, bell pepper, tomato paste, and garlic, you will have about 2½ cups of the blend.
Don’t worry if you do not have bell pepper on hand. Tomato paste would work just fine. I have done it over and over with only tomato paste, and it would end up fantastic as well.
I would use about one and a half cup of water to rinse the blender after blending (the bell pepper, onions, tomato paste, and garlic). That becomes the entire water that this recipe needs.
I like using long grain rice for this recipe am sure any other type of rice would work.
If you parboil the rice for a long time, it may shorten the cooking time of the rice, and if you are not careful, it might become mushy.
Don’t want “coconut rice”? Easy – do not use coconut milk substitute with more broth. And use olive oil instead of coconut oil. Easy Peasy!
If you like this Nigerian Coconut Jollof Rice, then be sure to check out my other healthy recipes.
More Nigerian Foods To Try.
- Party-Style Basmati Jollof Rice
- Easy Nigerian White Rice.
- Brown Rice Jollof Recipe.
- Nigerian Tomato Stew.
- Healthy Plantain and Eggs Frittata
- Nigerian Shrimp Coconut Fried Rice
- Black-eyed peas Fritters
- The Best Nigerian (West Africa Suya)
- Delicious Nigerian Moi-moi.
- Healthier Nigerian Buns with Pumpkin
Mediterranean healthy Lunches/Dinners:
- Chicken and Carrot Stir-fry.
- Easy to make Red/purple cabbage Taco Salad.
- Deconstructed Taco Bowl.
- Berry Spinach Salad.
- Salmon with Green Sauce.
- Mango Coconut Curry.
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THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! Stay well, safe and keep living your life to the fullest!
Ok, so I drool whenever I see your posts. I am definitely making this tonight to go with our ribs. But I will use coconut to make my own coconut milk. I cannot wait! Mmmm….
Yes, Kim, I can’t wait for you to make this!
It will definitely go well with ribs. If you can make your own coconut milk that is great but also an unsweetened can coconut milk will also work just fine, I like Thai Kitchen brand!
Anyways, keep me posted.
Have a great weekend 🙂
This coconut jollof rice recipe looks amazing! I’ve never heard of this dish, but I’m pinning it for later so the hubby and I can try it!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Genevieve! And I am glad you are hearing it for the first time from me; I hope you guys like it whenever you make it.
This rice looks delicious. It kinda remind me some Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian rice dish that I tried. I think I am going to make one.
Thank you so much, Saif! Yes, I agree; this dish has a Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian vibe for sure!
Love that it is so flavorful. Has all the perfect blend of spices. Quick and easy and unique and a must try perfect meal option.
Yes, Veenaazmanov, this is such a flavorful dish! Thanks for stopping by.🙏🏾
Now this is my kinda rice! Bursting with flavour and simple to make. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much, Chris!
I love anything with coconut, so this sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
Same here, Dannii, I love everything coconut.