Easy and authentic Thai mango sticky rice dessert. Sweet sticky rice smothered in fragrant coconut milk, served with fresh juicy mango and extra coconut sauce!
Today I’m sharing with you my absolute FAVORITE dessert, a popular Southeast Asian dessert that is now enjoyed all over the world. Whilst I’ve never had this dessert outside of Thailand (I go to Thailand almost every year!), I’m sure that every Thai restaurant has this dessert on their menu.
After my second visit to Thailand, I decided to try and recreate this dessert at home. The thing is with this dessert, you think it’s much more complicated to make than it really is. Especially when you find out that the rice needs to be steamed in a cheesecloth!
But rest assured that this dessert is SO simple and easy to make! And you don’t need to be a pro to be able to make this delicious dessert at home.
What Is Mango Sticky Rice?
Known as khaoniao mamuang in Thailand. It’s a simple Thai dessert that is very popular in Asia and all over the world. Made with sweet rice that is sticky but not gummy, coconut milk, and sweet mangoes.
The rice is steamed, then soaked in coconut sauce that’s usually made from either fresh or canned coconut. The mango season in Thailand is April to May, and this dessert can be widely found in Thailand between February and June.
It’s all about the mangoes
Whilst all kinds of mangoes work to make this dessert, it’s so important to use fresh, juicy, super sweet and ripe mangoes.
If you use an unripe mango, honestly, it’s just gonna ruin the dessert for you. So leave it on your counter and let it ripen before you use it.
Where can I get the sticky rice from?
The rice that is used for this recipe is called “glutinous rice”, or “sticky rice”. It can be found in most Asian stores, or in the Asian section at supermarkets. If you can’t find, you can order it here from Amazon.
The ingredients
- Fresh juicy and ripe mangoes.
- Thai sticky or glutinous rice.
- Coconut milk – use canned.
- Sugar, salt, and cornstarch.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Mango Sticky Rice
There are quite a few steps to make this dessert, but they’re so easy and simple!
To make the rice soak
- In a bowl, mix the coconut milk with the sugar and salt. Set aside.
To steam the rice
- Soak the rice in water for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight. Rinse and drain.
- To steam the rice, layer the washed rice on a cheesecloth and fold it. Place on a steamer, and steam for 20 minutes.
- When the rice is steamed, place it in a bowl. And pour the rice soak over it, mix well. Set aside, and let it soak up the sauce for 20-30 minutes.
To make the coconut sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk with the sugar and water. Make the slurry by combining the corn starch with water, and whisk it in the coconut milk. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
To serve
- Peel and slice the mango into thick slices. Serve the rice in a plate or a bowl, arrange the mango slices on the side, and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame and/or nigella seeds or toasted mung beans if you can find them.
In case you’re wondering how is this dessert traditionally served in restaurants in Thailand, here’s a picture for you!
The rice used in the picture below is made using Thai black sticky rice; which is a unique rice variety also known as forbidden rice and it turns purple when it’s cooked.
The yellow garnish on the left is crispy golden mung beans, the green thing is a banana leaf, and as you can see a beautiful purple orchid flower is used for decoration.
Now you might be wondering, why add salt to a sweet dessert? The rice soak is sweet and savory at the same time, and this is exactly how you want the rice to taste! It’s sweet, but savory at the same time. It’s tastes heavenly! Seriously, you MUST try this!
Storing Tips
It is strongly recommended that you consume the sticky rice on the same day after it was cooked, as storing it in the fridge will harden it and make it a bit gummy.
More Mango Recipes
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Thai Mango Sticky Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes
- 1 cup glutinous rice
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
For the rice soak
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the coconut sauce
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
To make the rice soak
- In a bowl, mix the coconut milk with the sugar and salt. Set aside.
To steam the rice
- Soak the rice in water overnight. Rinse and drain.
- To steam the rice, layer the washed rice on a cheesecloth and fold it. Place on a steamer, and steam for 20 minutes.
- When the rice is steamed, place it in a bowl. And pour the rice soak over it, mix well. Set aside, and let it soak up the sauce for 20-30 minutes.
To make the coconut sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk with the sugar and water and let it reach a simmer (do not boil). Make the slurry by combining the cornstarch with water, and whisk it in the coconut milk. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
To serve
- Peel and slice the mango into thick slices. Serve the rice in a plate or a bowl, arrange the mango slices on the side, and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Notes
- This dessert only works using glutinous or sticky rice that you can find at most Asian stores.
- Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, and/or nigella seeds.
- Serve over a banana leaf if you can find it.
- It is strongly recommended that you consume the sticky rice on the same day after it was cooked, as storing it in the fridge will harden it and make it a bit gummy.
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