Thai desserts, called khanom, are mostly made from rice flour, palm sugar and coconut milk, with a "golden" family based on egg yolks and sugar. The famous one is mango sticky rice, best in the hot season, but markets sell dozens of others every day: warm coconut soups, jellies, steamed cakes and crisp griddle snacks.
You rarely find Thai sweets on a restaurant menu. They are sold by market vendors, at dessert stalls on night-market streets and in small shops that specialize in nothing else, usually wrapped in banana leaf or in small plastic boxes. This page explains the main types, what is in them, and where to look. For savory dishes region by region, see our guide to Thai dishes to try.
Thai sweets at a glance
- Thai word
- Khanom (ขนม), used for sweets and snacks in general
- Base ingredients
- Rice flour, palm sugar and coconut milk; pandan for color and scent
- The "golden" family
- Thong yip, thong yot, foi thong: egg yolks cooked in syrup
- Mango sticky rice
- Sold all year; best when Thai mangoes are in season in the hot months
- Where
- Morning and night markets, dessert stalls, Chinatown, specialist sweet shops
- Allergy watch
- Egg, milk, wheat, peanuts, sesame and coconut are common
What makes a Thai dessert
The MFA-backed Thailand Foundation points to three main ingredients in most traditional khanom: rice flour, palm sugar and coconut milk. Fruits and flowers add color and fragrance. Pandan leaf gives the green color and a soft, vanilla-like smell you will meet again and again, and jasmine-scented water is used in the finer sweets.
Textures matter as much as flavor. Many Thai sweets are chewy or jelly-like from rice or tapioca flour, others are soft and steamed, and some are crisp. A pinch of salt in the coconut cream is common, so the best ones taste sweet and slightly salty at the same time.
The golden sweets: thong yip, thong yot and foi thong
The most striking Thai desserts are bright yellow and made almost entirely of egg yolks and sugar. "Thong" means gold, and the color stands for prosperity, so these sweets are given at weddings, house-warmings and other happy occasions. Thailand Foundation describes the main ones:
- Thong yip ("picked gold"): egg yolk dropped into jasmine-scented syrup and pinched into the shape of a small flower or star.
- Thong yot ("gold drops"): small golden droplets of egg yolk and sugar, sometimes with a little rice flour.
- Foi thong ("golden threads"): egg yolk drizzled into hot syrup in long strands and folded into nests. It is given at weddings to wish the couple a long life together; our page for Thai wedding guests explains the rest of the day.
- Thong ek: a richer molded sweet of egg yolk, wheat flour and coconut milk, topped with a flake of gold leaf.
Where these sweets came from is a story Thais like to tell. Tradition credits Thao Thong Kip Ma (Maria Guyomar de Pinha), a 17th-century cook of Portuguese-Japanese descent at the Ayutthaya court, with introducing them, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand describes thong yip, thong yot and foi thong as made from recipes inspired by her. Treat the details as tradition rather than recorded history. Ayutthaya is still a good place to try them; our Ayutthaya guide covers the old capital.
The nine lucky desserts and other classics
Thais often give a set of nine "auspicious desserts" (khanom mongkhon kao yang) at celebrations. Nine is a lucky number because the word "kao" sounds like the Thai word for stepping forward, so the gift stands for progress. Besides the golden sweets, the set includes:
- Khanom chan: a steamed layer cake of rice flour, tapioca and coconut milk, usually in two shades of pandan green. "Chan" means layer, and the layers stand for rising in life.
- Met khanun: "jackfruit seeds" that have nothing to do with jackfruit. They are made from sweet mung bean paste, shaped by hand and finished in syrup.
- Khanom thuay fu: small, fluffy steamed rice-flour cakes, often in pastel colors.
You can buy these individually at markets and dessert shops. Look also for khanom krok, small coconut-and-rice-flour pancakes cooked in a dimpled iron pan, crisp outside and soft inside, and sangkhaya, a sweet pandan or coconut custard that is often served with steamed buns or sticky rice.
Mango sticky rice and when to eat it
Khao niao mamuang is the Thai dessert almost every visitor knows: sweet sticky rice soaked in salted coconut cream, served with slices of ripe yellow mango and often a sprinkle of crisp yellow mung beans. TAT links it to the hot season, when the orchards around places such as Amphawa produce their mangoes; the season starts with the sound of cicadas, as TAT puts it.
You can buy it all year in the big cities, but it is at its best when Thai mangoes are in season in the hot months; TAT gives no fixed dates, and the harvest varies by area and year. Outside the season the fruit may be imported or less sweet. Our guide to Thai fruit covers mango varieties and the other fruits in season, and the green, sour mangoes eaten with chili salt.
Buy mango sticky rice from a stall that cuts the mango in front of you. The rice is cooked ahead, but the mango should be sliced to order. A busy stall with a pile of whole fruit is a better sign than pre-packed boxes in the sun.
Warm and cold coconut sweets: bua loi, lod chong and shaved ice
Many Thai desserts are served in a bowl, warm or over ice:
- Bua loi: small, chewy rice-flour balls, often colored with pandan or taro, in warm sweet coconut milk. Some stalls add an egg.
- Lod chong: short, bright green pandan noodles of rice flour in iced coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar.
- Thapthim krop ("crisp rubies"): cubes of water chestnut coated in red-tinted tapioca, served in coconut milk with ice.
- Nam khaeng sai: shaved ice with your choice of toppings from a row of jars, such as jellies, beans, sweet potato, palm seeds and syrup, finished with condensed milk or coconut milk.
- Coconut ice cream: sold from carts, often in a coconut shell or a bread roll, with toppings such as sticky rice or peanuts. In Songkhla's old town, TAT recommends a version served in a clay jar, sometimes topped with a raw egg yolk.
The shaved-ice and coconut stalls are where you choose by pointing, which makes them easy for visitors. Our phrase list for ordering Thai food includes how to ask for less sugar.
Roti, Chinese sweets and the regional specialties
Roti comes from Thailand's Muslim cooks: a thin dough fried on a hot plate and folded around banana or egg, then topped with sweetened condensed milk and sugar. You will find roti carts at night markets and on tourist streets everywhere; our guide to halal food in Thailand covers the Muslim food tradition more widely.
Thai-Chinese bakeries add their own layer: flaky khanom pia filled with mung bean or durian paste, mooncakes before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and sweet soups such as black sesame or ginger with dumplings. In the south, TAT singles out Trang's ring-shaped sponge cake, sold in flavors such as orange and coffee. Bangkok's Chinatown is the easiest place to sample the Chinese side in one evening.
Where to find Thai desserts
The best selection is at fresh markets in the morning and at night markets from late afternoon. Dessert vendors usually have a table of small boxes or banana-leaf parcels; pick what you like and pay per piece. Our beginner's guide to Thai night markets explains how the stalls work, and the floating markets near Bangkok are known for boat vendors selling sweets and snacks.
Department-store food halls and supermarkets also sell packaged khanom with printed ingredient labels, which helps if you need to check what is in them. Coconut-milk sweets spoil quickly in the heat, so eat them the same day; our page on avoiding stomach trouble from street food has more on choosing stalls.
Allergies and dietary needs
Thai sweets look simple but often contain several common allergens. Egg is the base of the golden sweets and appears in custards and some coconut soups; milk comes in the condensed milk on roti and shaved ice; wheat flour is in roti, thong ek and Chinese pastries; peanuts and sesame are frequent toppings; and coconut, which some people with allergies must avoid, is in almost everything. Vendors cook many items in the same pots and pans.
If you have a serious allergy, read our guide to traveling to Thailand with a severe allergy before you go, and stick to packaged desserts with labels if you cannot ask the cook. Most traditional khanom contain no meat, but many contain egg or dairy, so vegans should ask.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous Thai dessert?
Mango sticky rice, khao niao mamuang: sticky rice with salted coconut cream and ripe mango. It is sold all year in the cities but is best in the hot season, when Thai mangoes are at their peak.
Why are some Thai desserts bright yellow?
They are made from egg yolks and sugar. These "golden" sweets, such as thong yip, thong yot and foi thong, stand for prosperity and are given at weddings and other celebrations. Tradition links them to a 17th-century cook at the Ayutthaya court.
What is khanom in Thai?
Khanom is the Thai word for sweets and snacks in general, from steamed layer cakes and coconut jellies to crisp pancakes. Most traditional khanom are made from rice flour, palm sugar and coconut milk.
Are Thai desserts safe for people with nut or egg allergies?
Not without checking. Many contain egg, and peanuts, sesame and coconut are common. Vendors share pots and utensils, so cross-contact is likely. Packaged desserts with ingredient labels are the most predictable choice for anyone with a serious allergy.
Sources
- Thailand Foundation – The nine auspicious Thai desserts (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Authentic Ayutthaya comes to life at the Japanese Village (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Insight Thainess: mango with sticky rice (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Why Songkhla should be on your foodie radar (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Trang offers tasty Thai treats for food lovers (checked October 2026)