Thai Desserts: What to Try and Where to Find Them in Bangkok

Featured image: Ralff Nestor Nacor, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Thai Desserts to Try First

Six sweets cover most first visits. Mango sticky rice and khanom krok lead our list because both are easy to order and easy to like. Tub tim grob and Bua loi bring the coconut-milk side. Banana roti and foi Thong round out the set.

• Mango sticky rice (Khao niao mamuang): sweet sticky rice, coconut milk and fresh mango.
• Khanom krok: small coconut rice pancakes with a crisp edge and soft center.
• Tub tim grob: crunchy water chestnut "rubies" in coconut milk and ice.
• Bua loi: chewy rice flour balls in warm, sweet coconut milk.
• Banana roti: crisp flatbread with banana and sweetened condensed milk.
• Foi Thong: golden egg yolk threads set in sugar syrup.

How Thai Desserts Differ From Western Sweets

Khanom (ขนม) is the Thai word for a snack or sweet food, usually made from flour. Forget butter, cream cakes and chocolate. Expect rice flour, tapioca, mung bean, palm sugar, pandan and butterfly pea flower. Texture is the real surprise. Chewy, springy and jelly-like are normal descriptors here, and sweetness often leans toward coconut rather than sugar. Fruit also counts as dessert on its own.

Hot Street Snacks: Khanom Krok, Roti and Fried Banana

Khanom krok are cooked in a cast-iron Pan with dimples. Vendors pour a salty batter and a sweet batter, then join two halves into one ball. Toppings can include green onion, taro or corn. Banana roti is a crisp parcel served with sweetened condensed milk, and Nutella or chocolate fillings are common alternatives. Kluay tod (fried banana) is best with coconut ice cream on the side. Khanom bueang are crisp rice-flour crepes folded like tiny tacos, topped with foi Thong or grated coconut. Pa Thong ko is a Chinese-style fried dough eaten with jok at breakfast, so see our breakfast pairing ideas. Eat all of these hot. For savory snacks from the same carts, browse our street food dishes list.

Cool and Iced Thai Desserts: Tub Tim Grob, Ruam Mit and O-aew

Tub tim grob means "crispy rubies". Cubes of water chestnut are colored red, coated in tapioca flour, boiled, then served in coconut milk over ice. Ruam mit ("friends together") has no fixed recipe. Bowls can hold tapioca pearls, sweet potato, lotus root and jackfruit in sweet coconut milk with shaved ice. O-aew is a shaved-ice dessert with jelly made from o-aew plant seeds. It comes from Phuket, and one competitor notes you can order it in Bangkok but it is best there. Coconut ice cream is a reliable fallback on a hot afternoon, and corn kernels are a popular topping. Bua loi is the warm exception, so choose it for an air-conditioned evening. Pair any of these with iced Thai coffee if you want a drink with more bite.

Sticky-Rice Desserts: Mango, Durian, Khao Tom Mud and Khao Lam

Mango sticky rice pairs rice sweetened with palm sugar and coconut milk with sliced mango. Quality depends on mango season, so ask the vendor whether mangoes are good right now. Durian sticky rice uses the same rice with slivers of durian. Do not expect it to taste mild, because the fruit has a famously strong smell. Khao tom mud wraps baby banana in sticky rice inside banana leaf and steams the parcel. Khao Lam stuffs sticky rice, red beans and coconut cream into bamboo tubes roasted over charcoal. It comes in white or black sticky rice. Want to cook these yourself? Book a cooking class in Thailand that covers coconut desserts.

Ceremonial and Gift Thai Desserts

Nine auspicious desserts are served at weddings, housewarmings and ordinations to bless the recipient. Khanom chan is a steamed dessert of nine alternating layers, and nine sounds like the Thai phrase for "to move forward". Thong yip and foi Thong are egg-based sweets that symbolize wealth. Tradition credits Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a woman in 17th-century Ayutthaya, with introducing them. Luk chup are mung bean paste candies shaped like tiny fruit. One source says Portuguese traders brought the idea in the 16th century. Khanom si thuai, the "four cups" dessert, is a wedding sweet. Gift sweets like luk chup and foi Thong travel better than most, but foi Thong contains egg.

Which Thai Dessert Fits You

Match the sweet to the person eating it. Dietary notes are general, so ask each vendor about egg, dairy, peanut and sesame.

Where to Find Thai Desserts in Bangkok

Evening sweets cluster at stalls in night market stalls, where krok pans, roti griddles and coconut ice cream carts are easy to spot. Daytime browsing works at floating markets. One competitor photographed khanom tako at Khlong Lat Mayom floating market in Bangkok, but confirm current opening days before you go. Yaowarat (Chinatown) is where one competitor found a Michelin-recommended pa Thong ko stall. We won't name it, so check the Michelin Guide Thailand selection for current listings. Mall food courts and dessert cafes suit shaved-ice bowls when heat is the problem.

A One-Day Bangkok Thai Dessert Route

Order this by time of day, since most hot snacks are best fresh and iced bowls suit midday heat.

• Morning: pa Thong ko with jok in Yaowarat.
• Midday: a shaved-ice bowl such as tub tim grob in a mall food court or dessert cafe.
• Afternoon: tako or Khao taen at a floating market, if open that day.
• Evening: khanom krok, banana roti and mango sticky rice at a night market.

Costs and Ordering Tips

Our sources give no verified Bangkok baht prices for these sweets, so we won't quote any. Check the price at each stall before ordering, and confirm current hours with the market or venue.

Thai Dessert Names and Spellings on Menus

Romanization varies, so search by sound as well as spelling. Signs may show khanom or kanom, and krok or grok.

Thai Dessert Mistakes to Avoid

A few habits save you from a disappointing order.

• Ordering hot snacks late, after the Pan has gone cold.
• Assuming every sweet is vegan or egg-free. Ask first.
• Expecting durian sticky rice to taste mild.
• Skipping the sugar question. Ask for less syrup.
• Paying without checking the stall's posted price.