I LOVE Thai food. We went to Thailand and Cambodia as a family a few years ago, during Thanksgiving, and we got to have so many amazing foods like yellow curry (my favorite), Pad Thai, soups, Cambodian Red Curry (milder than the Thai version), and, of course, Coconut Mango Sticky Rice (or Khao Niao Mamuang) to name just a few! Since we were in Thailand over Thanksgiving, we actually had mango sticky rice with coconut sauce for Thanksgiving dessert instead of pie, and even though I’m a pie fanatic, I definitely was not complaining. This classic Thai dessert tastes just like the ones you can get at Thai restaurants.
What is Sticky Mango Rice?
Coconut-mango Thai sticky rice is a popular dessert in the Indochina region of Southeast Asia, which includes Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The traditional method of serving it is either slightly warm or at room temperature. Some places serve it with a little cup of coconut sauce to pour over the coconut sticky rice, while others already have the sauce poured on for you. Now, I’m not Thai or from Thailand, so I’m not going to make any claims about this being an authentic Thai sweet rice recipe (in fact, my guess is that a truly authentic version would use palm sugar instead of the granulated white sugar that we are used to in the U.S.) but I will say that this tastes so close to what I remember eating on our trip that I can’t tell a difference.
Thai Sticky Rice with Mango ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Rice – You will need glutinous rice for this recipe to get the authentic texture of sticky rice. Coconut Milk – Use full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor. Sugar – White granulated sugar will work well for this dessert. Salt – Kosher salt will enhance the flavors of this complex dish. Cornstarch – To thicken the coconut sauce. Mango – Use a ripe yellow mango known as yellow Ataúlfo mangoes. Toasted Sesame Seeds – Sprinkle some on the end as a garnish.
What rice is used for Thai sticky rice?
Glutinous rice is the best kind of rice to use for this sweet and sticky dessert. If you can’t find glutinous rice, you can try using another short grain rice sushi rice. Long grain rice like Jasmine rice and basmati rice aren’t the same, as they don’t contain the same starches and won’t produce the same result. Glutinous rice cooks (and should be cooked) differently than the regular rice most of us are used to. Instead of cooking your rice IN the water, you actually steam the rice OVER the water. In Thailand, they use a special woven bamboo steamer. But we’re using a cheater version to recreate the same results with kitchen tools available to most of us in the rest of the world.
How to make this Mango Sticky Rice Recipe
Sticky Rice
Coconut Sauce & Topping
Make Coconut Cream Topping
How to serve Sticky Rice with Mango
The traditional method of serving it is either slightly warm or at room temperature. Some places serve it with a little cup of coconut sauce to pour over the coconut sticky rice, while others already have the sauce poured on for you.
Coconut Mango Rice tips for success
Don’t layer your rice too thick for steaming. Try to keep it no taller than 2 to 3 inches, otherwise, the rice in the middle of the pile will be a bit on the crunchy side. I learned this the hard way. Literally. Prep ahead by soaking your rice in a large pot with room-temperature water for 1 hour to overnight before steaming it. If you don’t have a splatter guard, you can use a fine mesh strainer. Just invert it to create a platform for my rice where it could steam. So long as it’s large enough to hold the rise in the steam above the water, it’ll work perfectly.
More Asian Inspired Recipes You Might Like
Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancakes) Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders Korean Pancakes with Scallions (Pajeon or Pa Jun)
Tom Kha Gai
Banh Mi
Yum Yum Sauce
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