Thailand • Regional Dish • Dessert
Mango Sticky Rice
Mango Sticky Rice is Thailand's classic dessert: coconut-soaked sticky rice, ripe mango and a silky, salted coconut topping.
Instructions
- Rinse the glutinous rice until the water runs mostly clear. Soak it in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight if that suits your schedule better. Drain well.
- Steam the rice for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and glossy.
- While the rice steams, heat 400 ml coconut milk with 90 g sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil.
- Transfer the hot cooked rice to a bowl. Pour over about three-quarters of the sweetened coconut milk and gently fold to combine. Cover and let it sit for 20 minutes so the rice absorbs the liquid and turns rich and tender.
- Make the topping. In a small saucepan, heat 120 ml coconut milk with 1 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt over low heat. Stir in the cornflour mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until lightly thickened.
- Spoon the sticky rice onto serving plates or shallow bowls. Arrange the sliced mango alongside. Drizzle with the salted coconut topping and finish with sesame seeds or crispy mung beans, if using.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Cultural Context
Mango Sticky Rice is one of Thailand's most recognized desserts and is widely known as khao niao mamuang. It's sticky rice steamed until tender, enriched with sweet coconut cream, then served with ripe mango and often extra coconut sauce on top. Sticky rice is especially associated with northern and northeastern Thai cuisine, but this dessert is loved much more broadly and has become a classic warm-weather treat.
Fun Fact
One of the best texture moves in Mango Sticky Rice is the contrast between the chewy rice and the soft mango. Add the salted coconut topping, and suddenly a very short ingredient list starts acting like it has a fresh personality.
Cook’s Tip
Thai mango sticky rice, or khao niao mamuang, is traditionally made with glutinous sticky rice, not jasmine rice or regular long-grain rice. Thai cooking sources consistently describe steaming sticky rice, then soaking it with sweetened coconut cream before serving it with ripe mango.
The rice is usually paired with ripe yellow sweet mango and often finished with extra coconut cream on top. Some versions add crispy yellow mung beans for texture.
Do not boil the coconut mixture hard. Gentle heat keeps the flavor cleaner and helps the rice absorb it better.
A lightly salted coconut topping is part of what makes the dessert work. Without that small savory edge, the whole thing can drift into sugary mush with good PR.
Trivia
Crispy yellow mung beans are a common traditional topping for Mango Sticky Rice in Thailand, adding a little crunch over the soft rice and fruit.
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