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    My Colombian Recipes » Recipes » Side Dishes » Arroz Con Coco Blanco (coconut Rice)

    Arroz con Coco Blanco (Coconut Rice)

    Mar 2, 2023 by Erica Dinho · 48 Comments

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    Arroz con Coco Blanco is a traditional Colombian rice dish from the coasts of the country. This coconut rice is an easy and simple side dish and it goes well with seafood.

    Coconut Rice RecipePin

    This Arroz con Coco Blanco or Coconut Rice is a typical dish from the coast of Colombia and is simply delicious! It's creamy, soft and with amazing coconut flavor.

    I remember having arroz con titoté and this recipe in Cartagena as a side dish with every meal and felt in love it with them. This quick and easy coconut rice recipe is delicious. It's made with just 4 ingredients and under 30 minutes. Serve it as a side dish with seafood, stuff it into a burrito, or use it as the base of a rice bowl just add beans, corn, salsa, and guacamole.

    Arroz con CocoPin

    If you are a fan of rice recipes and want to try a different recipe than your traditional white rice, this coconut rice recipe is a must-try.

    Arroz con Coco Blanco (Coconut Rice) |mycolombianrecipes.comPin

    Coconut Rice Recipe

    Erica Dinho
    4.98 from 47 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Colombian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 806 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 Cups long grain rice
    • 4 Cups coconut milk
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Instructions
     

    • Place the rice in a small pot, add the coconut milk, sugar and salt.
    • Bring to a boil over medium high-heat. Stir once, cover and reduce heat to low, cook for 20 minutes
    • Do not remove the cover. Remove the pot from the heat and let it seat for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice using a fork and serve immediately.

    Notes

    Keep in the fridge up to 3 days in a air tight container.
    You can use fresh or canned coconut milk for this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 806kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 11gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 43gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 615mgPotassium: 604mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 8mg
    Keyword arroz con coco, arroz con coco colombiano, Colombian Food, Colombian recipes
    Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @mycolombianrecipes and tag #mycolombianrecipes!
    arroz  con cocoPin

    What to Serve with this Dish

    Rice with coconut pairs nicely with seafood dishes. Some of my favorite main dishes are grilled salmon, fried whole fish and battered fish.

    Receta de Arroz con Coco Blanco Pin

    More Side Dishes to Try:

    Roasted Potatoes with Avocado Sauce

    Rice with Carrots

    Rice with Heart of Palms

    Cilantro Rice

    More Side Dishes Recipes

    Ensalada De Repollo Con Tomate (Cabbage And Tomato Salad)Asparagus With Serry Vinegar And Manchego CheesePapas Chorreadas (Potatoes With Cream And Cheese Sauce)Arroz Con Cilantro (Cilantro Rice)Pegao De Arroz O Pega (Crispy White Rice)
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    About Erica Dinho

    My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    Author Page →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maggie

      March 17, 2009 at 10:29 am

      5 stars
      This sounds wonderful! I bet the bit of sweetness is great with spicy dishes.

      Reply
    2. soupmaker

      March 20, 2009 at 6:30 am

      5 stars
      Have all the ingredients in the cupboard and cant wait to try this one. Thanks.

      Reply
    3. Erica

      March 20, 2009 at 2:35 pm

      5 stars
      Maggie, The coconut milk adds a wonderful flavor to the rice,perfect with spicy dishes.

      Reply
    4. Raquel77

      July 12, 2009 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      I cut the recipe in half and it served 4. I also went a tad shy on the sugar and it was still sweet enough. It went great with our steak and aji. Definately the type of rice to have with a spicy dish.

      Reply
    5. Erica

      July 12, 2009 at 6:37 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Raquel,
      Thank you for the feedback!

      Reply
    6. colombiatraveler

      November 01, 2009 at 5:59 am

      5 stars
      I'm not trying to be rude or anything. I just want to be clear about this. But from my many travels to colombia..in fact i just got back from an excursion going to Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, and Tayarona....your recipe is nothing like colombian coconut rice. It looks more like asian coconut rice which is totally different. Colombian coconut rice is always dirty brown in color (and sometimes has raisins) and never white.

      Reply
      • Erica

        November 01, 2009 at 7:30 am

        5 stars
        Colombia Traveler,
        If you read my recipe list well, you will notice the brown coconut rice with raisins too. My sister lives in Cartagena and this is one of the every day side dishes in her house and you can find this rice recipe in some Colombian traditional recipe books.This rice is popular in both coasts the Pacific and Caribbean. If you read the book "Secrets of Colombian cooking" by Patricia McCausland-Gallo a Colombia chef, born in the Caribbean coast of Colombia , you can find this rice dish in her book. It is a great book with traditional Colombian recipes in English.

        Thank you for your comment!

        Reply
        • Julie

          June 01, 2020 at 1:54 pm

          5 stars
          I love this recipe! I actually don't like the other rice with the raisins. thank you so much!

          Reply
        • Siana

          February 12, 2021 at 7:35 pm

          5 stars
          Funny how someone that has just travelled Colombia and hasn't even lived there, thinks they know more than you that are actually Colombian. It's absolutely ridiculous. I had a good laugh reading that absurd comment lol.

          Also, love your recipes! My Aussie husband cooks all of these Colombian recipes because of you! So thank you!

          Reply
          • Siana

            February 12, 2021 at 7:36 pm

            5 stars
            Oh and I also wanted to add that White coconut rice was a staple as I was growing up in Cartagena.

            Reply
      • Maria♥

        February 24, 2012 at 9:36 am

        5 stars
        so true,

        Reply
      • Mike

        November 06, 2014 at 12:01 pm

        5 stars
        2 Colombianraveler ....Colombians serve more white arroz de coco than brown, may I suggest don't comment until your sure..........I live in Colombia and have for the last 17 years always seen far more white arroz de coco and not the brown arroz de panela con coco.....

        Reply
      • Deborah

        April 07, 2018 at 3:10 pm

        5 stars
        My Columbian mother in law is from Cali.... and only cooks the white, and sometimes she still adds raisins.

        Reply
      • Anonymous

        April 07, 2019 at 4:09 pm

        5 stars
        "Never White"? You are definitely wrong on that! My mother and grandmother are from the coast from all the places you mentioned near and far and we most certainly had white coconut rice with fish just about every Friday growing -up. On one trip alone how can you be so sure?

        Reply
    7. Sonia

      January 20, 2010 at 10:22 pm

      5 stars
      Looks delicious and cooking it right now. I'd rather take recipes from local then people that have just visited a country. So ignore Columbiantraveler.

      Reply
    8. Brian

      April 25, 2010 at 11:22 am

      5 stars
      I just spent a wonderful week near Tayrona staying with some local families, and all my dishes were served with coconut rice that was white. Being Korean and enjoying lots of southeast asian cuisine, it was a bit more subtle than Asian coconut rice. In addition, it seemed like they added a few bits of color - perhaps a few grains of brown rice and maybe a few shreds of carrots to give a nice look. It was a good compliment to Polla Sudado.

      Reply
    9. Vero

      June 01, 2010 at 4:01 pm

      5 stars
      I just recently found this recipe, and it sounds great! I just have a question regarding the coconut milk...is that different from coconut water? And where can I find it? I scoured a local grocery store and had no luck. Any help you can offer would be great!

      Reply
      • Erica

        June 01, 2010 at 4:43 pm

        5 stars
        Vero- You can find canned coconut at your local market (Latin aisle or Asian aisle).

        Reply
    10. Andrea

      June 20, 2010 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      You can also make coconut milk which is preferable with this dish. Its very simple just search it

      Reply
    11. Samara

      August 17, 2010 at 9:18 am

      5 stars
      @colombian traveller and @Erica: This white coconut rice is an everyday dish indeed. I agree with Erica as in Monteria my hometown we have it every single day and it is also very popular in the countryside. The brownish one is also a coconut rice but because is more elaborated we mostly do it for special ocasions or when in the mood! :). The brownish one is made in a different way. Best regards.

      Reply
    12. Diane

      October 20, 2010 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      For an amuse bouche, I like to place a sauteed sea scallop on a small lump of coconut rice (I use jasmine rice) then drizzle w/ saffron-scented fresh lemon juice.

      Reply
    13. Erica (not author)

      November 03, 2010 at 5:51 pm

      5 stars
      Hi! I just found this recipe and I wanted to thank you for it. We needed a traditional Colombian dish to bring in for school and this will help so much with preparing it. Can't wait to try it. 🙂

      Reply
    14. doric

      February 25, 2011 at 2:03 pm

      5 stars
      this recipe helped me ace a spanish culture and food assignment thanks

      Reply
    15. ana

      April 24, 2011 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      Samara I'd. Like to talk to you, I lived in. Monteria myself, is rare to find someone from there, making arroz con coco as we speak

      Reply
    16. MiMayo

      September 09, 2011 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      The brown in real colombian coconut rice is from the carmalization of the coconutsolids in the coconut oil that seperates. This recipe without the right method is not the colombian way.

      Reply
      • Erica

        September 10, 2011 at 8:46 am

        5 stars
        MiMayo- We have two kinds of coconut rice in Colombia "White Coconut Rice" and "Brown Coconut Rice" Here is the recipe from my site: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/rice-with-coconut-and-raisins-arroz-con-coco-y-pasas./ White coconut rice is serve all over the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts of Colombia!

        Reply
    17. wacka-doo

      September 17, 2011 at 9:58 am

      5 stars
      My family is from barranquilla, and as far as I know the white style is how its done in cartagena, although we've found both styles in cartagena from vacationing there. In barranquilla I only know the brown style never the white. Also inthe browned coconut recipe u need to fry up ur rice a little more, it usually looks chalk colored withbits of black/dark brown.

      Reply
    18. Fiorella

      September 17, 2011 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      I am from Cartagena and my mom makes white coconut rice all the time. It is very popular. I grew up eating this rice as a side dish for our seafood dishes.

      Reply
    19. Carolina

      October 23, 2011 at 1:03 pm

      5 stars
      Hi dear! I am colombian from the caribbean coast, and the actual recepy for coconut rice is a little bit diferent than the one you offer here.
      Ingredients are ok but make sure if is possible to get the cocunut milk directly from a coconut (The flavor is better ). once you do that, you start frying the milk till it becomes thick (add brown sugar so you can give the rice itcharacteristic golden color). After the coconut mil is thick add more cocunut milk and a water, the you add the rice and the salt (For each 2 spoons of sugar add a small one with salt). You wait until its dry and voila! you got the original recepy.

      Besos.

      Reply
    20. Liliana Maria

      October 23, 2011 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      I am from the Pacific coast of Colombia and this is the way my mom and my grandmother make the" arroz coco blanco". I think that every family has a different way to make it around the country.

      Reply
    21. Doris

      October 24, 2011 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      My name is Doris and I am from Cartagena de Indias. I made this rice yesterday and it was the same rice my nana used to make for my family. She used fresh coconut milk, but the flavor was very similar. Thank you.

      Reply
    22. Natalia

      November 23, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      Hi I'm from Bogota Colombia and we make the Coconut Rice with raisins

      Reply
    23. Luz Gudgel

      May 07, 2012 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      Hi I'm from Bogota Colombia we made smoke salmon and the coconut rice and fried plantain. It was superb !

      Reply
    24. Jaqui

      May 23, 2014 at 3:53 pm

      5 stars
      Almost all countries in south & central America, and Caribbean serve a version coconut rice with a main meal. I think the 'color of the rice' being debated here is just based on a few variables like if you use white or brown sugar, 'burning' the sugar, and the 'pegao/con-con' at the bottom of the pan. Adding guandules, raisins and carrots are personal preferences & variations and could very well change the 'color'. Pointless debate on here if you as me. Anyways Erica, I am so glad I found your website. Your recipes look fabulous and I can't wait to try them. I'm a big fan of Colombian food and I always wanted to learn to make a few of my favs. Thanks for sharing! -Jaqui

      Reply
    25. Ana

      April 22, 2015 at 11:09 am

      5 stars
      I made this arroz con coco for dinner last night . It was absolutely delicious , I served it with salmon.

      Reply
    26. Nicole

      April 30, 2016 at 10:34 pm

      5 stars
      would be great plain. For my one yr old I decided to add a little corn sizzled it in a little coconut oil then added the rice/ milk also cut the recipe in half followed your directions and the texture was perfect . Went yummy with some salmon I made. I love coconut flavor and it is strongly present in this yummy side dish one can to one cup rice will make sure I always have some coco milk in my pantry for this lol

      Reply
    27. Nicole

      April 30, 2016 at 10:40 pm

      5 stars
      Look forward to trying your other rice dishes. I'm a 24 y/o mom of 2 babies.. At 18 my mom a polish immigrant passed away so I am learning on my own to imitate cuisines I love. Living in queens ny, it's a melting pot so I crave everything from across the globe. I bought 2 calderos small and medium . My rice game is still inconsistent . Mushy result in some cases but this method worked for me most definitely

      Reply
    28. Nicole

      April 30, 2016 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      So simple and good.. Also a nice twist than plain white rice

      Reply
    29. Cynthia

      December 31, 2016 at 8:59 am

      5 stars
      I lived in Colombia (Bogota) and my husband is from Monteria... with a home along the coast as well. As it is clear from posts above there are several ways to prepare coconut rice and other rice dishes from Colombia. When you are at a home in the coast, they will take down a coconut from the tree, opened it, drain, grate the entire coconut ( with a hand grater) while squeezing with fresh water to extrude coconut milk. That strained product, (with no bits of coconut) will be used just as in this recipe to make white coconut rice. Our families however, do not like mixing sweet and savory. The rice is prepared only with salt, no sugar. It is absolutely delicious and served often with fried fish and fried plantains, either thin (tostones) or thicker (patacón). For less work, in the US, the Erica's recipe is perfect. Some canned coconuts are oily, Thai versions best, or refrigerated coconut milk, or put coconut in the blender with water and strain it! Thanks for your recipe, Erica

      Reply
    30. Anita Delahoz

      April 28, 2017 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      My mother in law makes coconut rice like this all the time. Simetimes sge adds raisins too. She is from Barranquilla. I've never had the brown rice. I have never been able to perfect it like hers. So I'm really excited to try it.
      Thank you
      Anita

      Reply
    31. Daniela Jackson

      May 25, 2017 at 3:25 pm

      5 stars
      This rice came out DELICIOUS! Next time I'm going to try it on a regular pan since I cooked it on a rice cooker and it was a little mushy

      Reply
    32. Miranda

      August 24, 2020 at 12:03 am

      5 stars
      I’ve tried this three times now and no matter how long I let it simmer on low, it’s coming out kinda crunchy as if the rice itself is undercooked in the center. Any tips??

      Reply
      • Patricia Wolf

        March 02, 2023 at 9:31 pm

        Miranda, it might need to be cooked on lower temperature, add a bit of coconut water and seal to create a steam would help.

        Reply
    33. Amanda

      April 12, 2021 at 4:42 pm

      5 stars
      Erica,
      I'm new to this and so eager to try and perfect some Colombian/Panamanian dishes. Silly question, but do you wash the rice and brown it a little before boiling like when making regular white rice? =) Just want to get this right. My family will LOVE it. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Erica Dinho

        April 16, 2021 at 11:21 am

        5 stars
        I just wash the rice before I cook it.

        Reply
    34. Christopher

      June 07, 2022 at 10:03 am

      5 stars
      Prepared this rice yesterday to serve along with a supper of homemade Colombian Empanadas. Our new Colombian son-in-law loved it - said he was impressed! In lieu of coconut milk we had some frozen coconut cream on hand, which I thawed and diluted - 1 part cream to 4 parts water. It worked very well. Thanks for this easy and satisfying recipe! We continue to enjoy exploring the world of Colombian cuisine!

      Reply
    35. Patricia Wolf

      March 02, 2023 at 9:27 pm

      4 stars
      Hi!! Im from Barranquilla, Colombia. This rice is the best. I make it two ways (brown or white) and my family and friends love it either way. The brown version is very similar to the one above. Only difference is I brown the rice a bit in coconut oil, brown sugar and few lil chuncks of coconut, once is browned a bit I add Coconut Water and Coconut Milk. The end result is delicious. Enjoy!

      Reply
    36. Patricia Wolf

      March 02, 2023 at 9:34 pm

      5 stars
      forgot to mention add raisins!

      Reply

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    Erica Dinho Author | My Colombian Recipes

    Hola and welcome to My Colombian Recipes. My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

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