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    Home » Recipes » Pasta & Noodles

    October 24, 2014 30 Comments

    Coconut Fried Rice

    19.8K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    What could possibly be better than a giant bowl of fried rice? Coconut Fried Rice, clearly.

    The richness and creaminess of the coconut brown rice, red pepper, onions, and peas, all topped with chewy baked tofu bites and roasted cashews. I mean really, what isn't there to like about fried rice? I know, pick me! All that oil, right?

    coconut-fried-rice



    Fear not, my friends, this entire batch that serves 4- 6 peeps only uses 1 tablespoon of oil, so "fried" isn't even really an accurate word. In fact if you are all savvy at oil free sautéing then you don't even need any oil at all. Yes, it's true, fried rice CAN be healthy! Not only is there a lack of frying, but I used brown rice, and because it's cooked in coconut milk, it gets incredibly soft and creamy. You really wouldn't even notice it was brown rice. For someone who isn't crazy about brown rice (but knows it's better for me) that's a very good thing.

    marinate-tofu

    To Make Coconut Fried Rice:

    Drain and press the tofu. Chop into cubes and then toss in a bowl with the soy sauce. Let marinate for about 10 minutes or until the soy sauce absorbs into the tofu.

    bake-tofu

    Spread the cubes on a lightly grease baking tray and pop in the oven for 45 minutes, stopping midway to flip them.

    creamy-coconut-rice

    In the meantime, add the rice to a medium sauce pan with the coconut milk and water.  Cover and put on high heat. As soon as the rice comes to a boil reduce heat to low and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Check every now and then to see that all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked.

    baked-tofu

    When your tofu is done, remove from the oven and set aside. It's kind of impossible not to eat a million of these tofu bites straight from the oven. I have the burned mouth to prove it. You have been warned.

    sautee-onions

    Heat the oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until they become translucent. Add the red pepper and continue to cook until the onions brown and the red pepper is cooked. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for a minute to toast the spices and brown the garlic.

    Add in the rice, tofu, cashews, peas and soy sauce and mix well. Heat through, and serve while hot.

    vegan-coconut-fried-rice-with-tofu-and-cashews

    Print Recipe
    4.91 from 11 votes

    Coconut Fried Rice

    What could possibly be better than a giant bowl of fried rice? Coconut Fried Rice, clearly. The richness and creaminess of the coconut brown rice, red pepper, onions, and peas, all topped with chewy baked tofu bites and roasted cashews, I mean really. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free dinner.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time50 mins
    Total Time55 mins
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : AmericanChinese
    Servings: 6
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    For the tofu:

    • 1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed (see instructions)
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

    For the coconut rice:

    • 1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice
    • 1 can full-fat coconut milk + water to make 3 cups of liquid

    For the veggies:

    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or canola oil
    • 1 yellow onion, chopped
    • 1 red pepper, chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
    • 2 teaspoons curry powder
    • 1 cup roasted cashews
    • ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
    • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
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    Instructions

    For the tofu:

    • Preheat your oven to 325 F (170C). 
    • Drain and press the tofu, for tips see The Ultimate Guide to Pressing Tofu. Chop the tofu into small cubes and then toss in a bowl with the soy sauce. Let marinate for about 10 minutes or until the soy sauce absorbs into the tofu.
    • Spread the cubes on a lightly grease baking tray and pop in the oven for 45 minutes, stopping midway to flip them.

    For the coconut rice:

    • In the meantime, add the rice to a medium sauce pan with the coconut milk and water.  Cover and put on high heat. As soon as the rice comes to a boil reduce heat to low and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Check every now and then to see that all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked.

    For the veggies

    • Heat the oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until they become translucent. Add the red pepper and continue to cook until the onions brown and the red pepper is cooked. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for a minute to toast the spices and brown the garlic. 
    • Add in the rice, tofu, cashews, peas and soy sauce and mix well. Heat through, and serve while hot.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving (Recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 631mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 720IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 6mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christiane says

      September 24, 2022 at 4:35 pm

      5 stars
      Definitely a keeper!!! By the way, it also works perfectly with white Basmati rice.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 06, 2022 at 12:01 pm

        Wonderful! So happy to hear that. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Julie says

      March 07, 2021 at 9:53 am

      5 stars
      A great protein packed dish, nothing more to add to increase the protein content. I didnt deviate from the recipe, but added a chilli for a bit of a kick.

      Reply
    3. Tess says

      February 12, 2021 at 9:24 am

      I made this last night. It was absolutely delicious so I had an extra helping. I've just had it again for lunch. I had excess brussel sprouts growing so used them finally chopped instead of the peas. I will be making this recipe alot. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes that have never failed me 🙂

      Reply
    4. Sophie says

      January 04, 2021 at 10:16 pm

      5 stars
      Your recipes literally never fail. Any time I need a recipe that I don't want to have to worry about it being a flop, like if I'm cooking for someone (or if I'm just tired of recipes that are flops, lol), this is where I come. This fried rice was so good. I've never cooked rice in coconut milk before and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities! Thanks so much for this and all your recipes.

      Reply
    5. Rob Hebron says

      December 02, 2019 at 6:52 pm

      5 stars
      This was obscenely good. Loved the savory explosion from coconut and curry. Wonderful.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 06, 2019 at 11:32 am

        Yay! So happy you enjoyed 🙂

        Reply
    6. Sara says

      April 08, 2019 at 3:41 pm

      5 stars
      This is, hands down, one of the best recipes ever. Seriously. This is delicious. All the flavors are so well-balanced! I added red cabbage (because I needed to use leftover cabbage before it spoiled) and it was a wonderful addition

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        April 08, 2019 at 7:27 pm

        So thrilled you loved it so much, Sara 🙂

        Reply
    7. Yummy says

      December 29, 2018 at 3:49 pm

      5 stars
      This came out so delicious and was so easy!! I am a horrible cook, nothing ever comes out right, and this tasted amazing (rice came out mushy, but whatever, that always happens to me lol). Even my husband who isn't vegan LOVED it; and he isn't really a fan of tofu, peas, peppers, or soy sauce. You have given me hope that being vegan doesn't have to be difficult and that I can one day bring my husband to my side! <3<3

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        January 03, 2019 at 10:47 am

        Oh that's so awesome! So happy you loved the recipe so much 🙂

        Reply
    8. Lindsey says

      March 15, 2018 at 7:15 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. My husband enjoyed. My boys are not fans. For one it was a texture issue the other thought there was too much seasoning. I even cut the curry in half. On the plus side my youngest discovered that he really likes tofu so that is a win. Thanks for another great recipe!!!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        March 16, 2018 at 9:05 am

        Happy you enjoyed it, Lindsey 🙂

        Reply
    9. Amy says

      November 19, 2017 at 10:45 pm

      5 stars
      Yuuuuummmm. This was so great. I was starving so cheated and used pre-cooked brown rice. So so so great. I will add pineapple next time to add some sweetness. Sam - you're a genius!

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        November 20, 2017 at 12:13 pm

        Hahaha aww shucks! thank you. Thrilled you loved it so much, Amy 🙂

        Reply
      • Alex says

        August 31, 2022 at 12:06 am

        4 stars
        I wasn’t a fan at a first bite but after stirring the food in my bowl again and having more bites I got hooked!(Perhaps I didn’t stir well enough to combine the flavors?) Is it my favorite thing to eat? No, but such an interesting mix of flavors, that I’m not used to.
        The only thing that was missing was salt. The recipe doesn’t mention cooking rice in salted water, so I didn’t. I also used low sodium soy sauce, maybe that’s the problem? I added a pinch of salt to my serving and it turned out very good!
        Would jasmine rice work in this recipe too?

        Reply
    10. Bob Bowers says

      May 28, 2017 at 8:01 am

      This looks great but I have a question. Most of your recipes seem to have a "Print" icon to print out the ingredients and preparation steps. This recipe does not, as do several others I have encountered. Why is that? Thank you,
      Bob

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        May 28, 2017 at 10:36 am

        Hi Bob! You have really been digging around my blog, love it! Some of my earlier recipes don't have print buttons because I wasn't blogging savvy yet. I've added a print button to this one for you. If there are any others just drop a comment on that post requesting one, and I will happily update. Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply
        • Bob Bowers says

          May 29, 2017 at 9:15 am

          5 stars
          Thank you for adding the "print" button. I made this dish yesterday and snarfed about half of it already! Full disclosure....I didn't take time to bake the tofu as I don't like that texture. The uncooked tofu added a (perhaps unnecessary) creaminess to the dish but the pieces held together well. I think I will experiment with using a rich veggie stock rather than the coconut milk and perhaps a green and yellow pepper for color. The best part is that it is a one-dish meal....my fave! Thanks again.

        • Sam Turnbull says

          May 29, 2017 at 10:24 am

          You're most welcome! So happy you enjoyed it so much!

    11. Adrienne says

      July 14, 2016 at 11:24 am

      This is one of my most favourite recipes of all time!!! Cooking rice in coconut milk is brilliant! I added dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice) to this recipe and it was good too! I think a few raisins would be tasty as well 😀

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        July 15, 2016 at 9:05 am

        Yay!!! So happy it's one of your favourites! Totally flattered. I love the idea of cranberries or raisins. 🙂

        Reply
    12. Lindsay says

      September 14, 2015 at 10:13 pm

      This was SO good! Thank you for posting this! I've been vegetarian for almost 10 years, and surprisingly this was the first time I tried to bake tofu myself. The entire dish was excellent.

      Reply
      • Sam says

        September 15, 2015 at 9:08 am

        Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it Lindsay! I love baking tofu, it gets such an awesome chewy texture. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Tucker says

      July 15, 2015 at 4:37 pm

      I know this is an old post, but I have recently switched to a vegan diet, and I wanted to tell you that this recipe was amazing. So amazing that my carnivore husband loved it and asked me to cook it again. Perfection!

      Reply
      • Sam says

        July 16, 2015 at 12:04 pm

        Just because it's older, doesn't mean it isn't delicious! So glad you and your husband agree Tucker! Congrats on your new vegan adventure and let me know if you have any questions. 😀

        Reply
    14. Milinda says

      October 25, 2014 at 1:04 pm

      This looks and sounds absolutely amazing. And the tofu bites. Why did I never think of this? I will be adding those to my collection of healthy snacks to haul to the office. 🙂

      Reply
      • Samantha Turnbull says

        October 26, 2014 at 9:57 pm

        Haha! I love baking tofu! It makes it such a great texture! I'm glad you like the recipe Milinda 🙂

        Reply
    15. Meredith @ Unexpectedly Magnificent says

      October 25, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      Oh my goodness, this looks divine! I love fried rice, I love tofu, and I love cashews. A winning combination! 🙂

      Reply
      • Samantha Turnbull says

        October 26, 2014 at 10:00 pm

        Haha! Thanks Meredith! I'm not going to lie, it is a really good combo! Haha 😉

        Reply

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