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What to eat in Thailand? Top 25 Thai Desserts

Last update: Wed Jan 29 2025
Top 25 Thai Desserts
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01
Khanom khrok
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This small-sized Thai dessert, which is often referred to as a pancake, pudding, or a cake, is created with a batter that combines rice flour and coconut milk. The dessert is baked in large iron pans that have small, round indentations, and it is typically prepared in two stages—with a batter that is used as a crispy bottom layer, and a creamy, lightly sweetened coconut milk filling.


Typical additions to the custard-like filling include sliced scallions, taro, corn, or pumpkin. Khanom khrok is a staple street food in Thailand, typically enjoyed as a quick and filling snack that balances sweet and savory flavors extremely well.

MOST ICONIC Khanom khrok

02
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This traditional Thai rice pudding is a favorite way to finish any Thai meal. The dish is prepared with glutinous rice that is first steamed, then doused in sweetened coconut milk. Lastly, the rice is served sided with slices of fresh mango. This simple dessert is incredibly popular, and it can be found at virtually any eatery in Thailand.

MOST ICONIC Khao niao mamuang

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03
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Pa thong ko is the Thai take on popular Chinese crullers called youtiao. To make the crullers, a mixture of flour, yeast, baking ammonia, alum powder, lukewarm water, salt, sugar, and some baking powder is formed into a dough, which is then oiled, left to rest, and finally cut into long strips.


Pairs of dough strips are then carefully stuck to one another to give the crullers their recognizable shape before they are deep-fried in hot oil until nicely colored, puffy, and slightly crispy. Innovative ways of shaping the crullers other than their traditional form have emerged over the years, and nowadays, pa thong ko can be seen in numerous unusual shapes such as dinosaurs or dragons. 
04
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Ruam mit is a popular Thai dessert made with ingredients such as coconut milk, sugar, tapioca pearls, corn, lotus root, sweet potatoes, beans, and jackfruit. Each bowl typically includes starchy noodles that are flavored and colored with various ingredients, and which may come in the shape of thin strips or more elaborate decorative forms.


There is no set recipe for ruam mit, so each cook or street vendor adds their own ingredients to the mix. It is often consumed as a cool refreshment on hot summer days, topped with shaved ice. In Thailand, it is one of the cheapest desserts, and each bowl typically costs around 15 baht. 

MOST ICONIC Ruam mit

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05
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Also known as grass jelly, chao kuai is a traditional dessert typically served with crushed ice and sprinkled with brown sugar. This refreshing dessert is made with a jelly base which is prepared by cooking the leaves and stalks of Mesona chinesis - a member plant of the mint family.


Apart from Thailand, chao kuai is popular all across Southeast Asia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Depending on the region, chao kuai is either enjoyed on its own, doused in condensed or evaporated milk, or served mixed with jackfruit, mango, sago, watermelon, cantaloupe, and other fresh or canned fruit.

06
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Khanom chan is a unique Thai dessert made with steamed batter of several starches, typically rice, tapioca, and arrowroot flour, coconut milk, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Making this Thai delicacy is a laborious process, but definitely worth the time and effort.


The batter is divided into two halves - one flavored only with jasmine, whereas the other is flavored both with jasmine and pandan. The pandan leaves’ extract gives the latter a typical green color and a nutty flavor. The dessert is then steamed into several individual layers, traditionally nine, alternating between the coconut-infused batter and the coconut-and-pandan-infused one, which results in its distinctive two-toned look. 
07

Snack

THAILAND and  2 more regions
3.8
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Kue cucur is a traditional snack that's also popular in Malaysia (kuih cucur) and Thailand (khanom fak bua). It's made with a combination of palm sugar, fried rice flour, and coconut milk that's fried until crispy. This sweet snack is usually flattened on the edges so that it remains thick in the middle.


The most popular Indonesian version is the Betawi variety from Jakarta. In Thailand, kue cucur is similar to a lotus, which is believed to represent love of a newly married couple, so it's often prepared at Thai weddings and festivals. Kue cucur is served hot, warm, or at room temperature, and it's best to eat it while it's still fresh, otherwise it will become sticky and stiff.

08
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Lot chong nam kathi is a traditional dessert originating from Thailand. It consists of pandan-flavored rice flour noodles that are served in sweetened coconut milk. In order to make the dish, rice flour is pushed through small holes to make noodle-like droplets that are infused with pandan.


These noodle like-droplets are served in an aromatic mixture of palm sugar and coconut milk. In the past, this dessert was served in wedding ceremonies in Thailand because the noodles that pass through small holes symbolize longevity of true love for newlyweds.

09

Dessert

THAILAND and  3 more regions
3.4
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Khao lam or kralan is a unique Southeast Asian dessert consisting of sweet sticky rice, either white or red, steamed in bamboo tubes, popular in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. The simplest, original version included only rice mixed with water and salt, but more elaborate interpretations nowadays include the addition of grated coconut, sugar, coconut milk, and red beans.


The rice is mixed with the desired ingredients and placed inside specially prepared bamboo sticks. Coconut milk is added on top of the rice, and then the stick is sealed and carefully placed on a construction over hot coals. This unusual slow-cooking process transforms the rice into a sweet and rich creation, similar to custard or rice pudding. 
10
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Thong muan is a traditional sweet snack of a crispy wafer shaped like a cigar. The name translates to "gold roll," referencing the dessert's golden color and rolled shape. Thong muan is made from a batter that typically includes rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, eggs, and sesame seeds.


This batter is spread thinly on a hot pan and cooked until it becomes crispy. Once cooked, the thin, crispy wafer is rolled up into a tube shape while it's still hot and pliable. The result is a light, crispy, and slightly sweet snack that's often enjoyed with tea or coffee and sold at the roadside OTOP (one-tambon-one-product) shops.

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Dessert
THAILAND  and  2 more regions
3.1
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Pancake
KANCHANABURI PROVINCE, Thailand
n/a
25

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Thai Desserts