The delicious Thai Mango Sticky Rice dessert
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Thailand may be famous for Pad Thai, but the delicious Thai Mango Sticky Rice steals the spotlight when it comes to desserts. Made with glutinous rice, rich coconut milk, and sweet mango, it’s the ultimate comfort food. This dish blends juicy mangoes, creamy coconut, and delightfully sticky rice into a treat that’s both satisfying and fun to eat. Loved by both kids and adults, it often turns into a race to see who finishes first!
Ready to make this iconic Thai dessert at home? Keep reading!
🥭🧾The delicious Thai Mango Sticky Rice dessert: a short history
Sticky rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast Asia. Its name is glutinous rice but it does not actually contain gluten and as it gets “sticky” after cooking, many have adopted this “nickname”.
Traditionally, sticky rice is made by being soaked in enough water to cover the rice, and then being left overnight or for many bours before being steamed and then sweetened with sugar and coconut milk or coconut cream. It complements the sweet and juicy mango. The dessert is best eaten warm, is often finished with a drizzle of sweet coconut cream and sprinkles of coconut flakes, roasted sesame seeds or mung beans. You can find it chilled too and this may be a better choice in hot and humid days.
Named khao niew ma muang in Thai, this unusual combination is one of the best desserts in Thailand. Street vendors make it in front of you by cutting slices of fresh mango. Keep an eye on the calories. This delicious dessert is high caloric so get it as a treat.
And if you like mango, try our impressive Mango Crème Brûlée recipe, the pretty and easy to make No Bake Mini Mango Cheesecakes and the refreshing and sweet Mango Lassi with Fresh Mangoes and Yogurt
Why this Thai Mango Sticky Rice dessert recipe works
- ✔️ Just a Few Ingredients – You only need glutinous rice, coconut milk, mangoes, and sugar to make this magic happen! ✨
- 🥭 Juicy, Sweet & Sticky – A perfect balance of soft, creamy coconut rice and fresh, juicy mangoes, all tied together with that signature sticky texture.
- 🌱 Naturally Vegetarian & Gluten-Free – A delicious dessert that fits many diets! Use vegan sugar, and it’s 100% vegan-friendly too.
- 🌶️ Tastes Like Thailand – One bite, and you’ll be transported to Thai night markets, where the warmth, aroma, and flavors of this iconic dessert come alive. 🇹🇭✨
Did you make this? Follow us on Pinterest @wedesserts or using the hashtag #wedesserts on Instagram and Facebook. We can’t wait to see your creation!
🍭Special ingredients
This recipe uses glutinous, sticky rice that you may not find in your local grocery store. Check out online or local Asian grocery stores. For this recipe, we used the Three Rings Sweet Rice found on amazon.com.
FAQs about the Thai Mango Sticky Rice dessert
What type of rice can you use?
You need to use any type of glutinous rice to make the Thai mango sticky rice. You will find sticky rice in grocery stores and if not, in Asian markets for sure. If you cannot find them in your area, you can always order them online and on amazon.com. Replacing the rice for another type, it simply won’t bring the same outcome and the recipe may well fail.
Can you use alternative sweeteners instead of sugar?
Thai dessert makers use palm sugar for this recipe. As palm sugar is more difficult to find in the US and in Europe and also more expensive, we used regular granulated sugar for the recipe. You could use alternative sugars and sweeteners like maple syrup or coconut syrup but that may alter the texture of the dessert.
Can you use alternative dairy milks for this Thai Mango Sticky Rice recipe?
Traditionally, this recipe uses coconut cream or coconut milk to make this dessert. The flavor you will get from coconut cream or coconut milk is irreplaceable. You can experiment and use the milk of your preference but you won’t get the same same creaminess and velvety texture. We only use coconut cream or milk.
What mango variety should you use? Ripe? Not ripe?
You can use any type of mango for this recipe as long it is ripe. The sweeter the mango, the better!
Can you make the recipe in advance?
You can make the dessert one or two days ahead of time. Keep it refrigerated. Before serving, heat the rice in the microwave but make sure that you cover it with plastic wraps. You can serve it in room temperature or warm.
🕐How to make this delicious Thai Mango Sticky Rice recipe
- Soak rice in 2 liters of water for about 6 hours. Drain and rinse properly
- Steam the rice for 15 minutes and set aside
- Blend coconut milk, sugar and salt in a pot and when it thickens pour it over the steamed rice
- Add pieces of mango and grab the spoon!
⤵️Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list at the recipe card below
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📖 RECIPE CARD
Thai Mango Sticky Rice
Equipment
- steamer
Ingredients
- 300 grams sticky rice
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- coconut flakes to serve
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 ripe mangoes sliced
Instructions
- Wash the sticky rice in cold water 5 to 6 times until the water becomes clear. This removes excess starch from the rice
- Soak rice in 2 liters of water for about 6 hours. Drain and rinse properly
- Place rice in a steamer and steam for about 15 minutes. Set aside
- In a medium sized cooking pot, combine coconut milk, sugar, and sea salt
- Cook until sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens, for about 10 minutes
- Pour steamed rice into coconut milk mixture stirring gently. Set aside to cool
- Peel and slice mangoes and add them to your serving plate or bowl
- Add a scoop of coconut rice to the plate next to mango slices
- Pour coconut cream over rice generously
- Top up with coconut flakes if you wish.
Notes
- The dessert is known as khao niew ma muang in Thai
- This glutinous rice does not actually contain gluten but it becomes sticky after cooking
- You can serve the dessert with toasted sesame seeds and mung beans.
