Sweet taste: 10 Thai desserts you must try

Thai cuisine is not only famous for its spicy savory dishes, but also its colorful and tasty desserts. As you enjoy Thai desserts, you will realize that each has its own unique characteristics. From the cool and delicate to the rich and fragrant, Thai desserts promise to awaken all the senses. Let's join Asia King Travel to check out the top 10 Thai desserts in this blog.

What makes Thai desserts so special?

Thai desserts are popular among tourists, both local and international. Locals use special ingredients not often found in Western countries, which fascinates many tourists. Common ingredients for the desserts include coconut milk, sticky rice, pandan leaves, palm sugar, and tropical fruits.

Delicious Thai desserts (Source: The Mercury Ville)

Because of the blend of special ingredients, Thai desserts have unique flavors, and vibrant colors, and are beautifully presented. This will promise to bring you an interesting experience on the journey of discovering Thai cuisine.

When creating a delicious dish, it is important to balance the sweet, salty, and sour flavors. Therefore, each Thai dish has a moderate sweetness, enough saltiness, and not too sour. The exotic desserts and incredibly delicious food thrill tourists visiting Thailand.

Thai desserts are often brightly colored and visually appealing. Additionally, some Thai dishes connect cuisine and cultural tradition through their cultural significance.

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The top 10 Thai desserts you must try

Khao Niao Mamuang - Mango Sticky Rice

Mango Sticky Rice is a culinary delicacy and one of the signature dishes in Thailand. This Thai dessert not only conquers food lovers with its taste but also with its eye-catching colors.

Golden ripe mango with sticky rice and coconut milk (Source: Two Paid Aprons)

This is the perfect combination of the bright yellow color of ripe mango and the pure white color of sticky rice and coconut milk. Thai people enjoy this food during Tet holidays and it is a favorite street food among both locals and tourists.

2. Thai coconut ice cream

Thai coconut ice cream is a popular Thai dessert known for its delicious taste and special way of serving. This dish includes a combination of smooth, creamy white coconut ice cream with the sweet taste of coconut milk. All ingredients blend to create an explosion of taste when tasting Thai cuisine.

Thai Coconut Ice Cream - creamy and refreshing dish (Source: Youtube)

Fresh green coconuts contain the ice cream, creating a unique and attractive look. Eating coconut ice cream makes you feel like you're on a beautiful beach in Thailand, enjoying summer.

3. Choconana

Choconana is a dish loved by many domestic and foreign tourists because of its rather strange name. But in fact, this Thai dish uses well-known ingredients, such as Choco in “Chocolate” and Nana in “Banana”. This is exactly what you just thought of in your head: chocolate banana ice cream!

Choconana - Thai dish with a unique name (Source: Along Walker)

First, bakers peel the bananas and skewer them onto long sticks. Refrigerating them will make them firmer. Next, they melt chocolate and dip the bananas in frosting.

When the chocolate touches the cold surface, it will solidify instantly. Finally, the seller will quickly roll the chocolate-soaked banana into nuts such as peanuts, dried rice, raisins, etc.

4. Foi Thong

If you pay close attention, you can see that Thai desserts all have eye-catching yellow toppings. In fact, the origin of this dish is from Portugal with the name Fios de Ovos. Explorers brought it to Thailand in the 16th century, and the Thai people adapted it to their taste. Nowadays, this dish has become a familiar dessert and representative of Thai cuisine.

Foi Thong - Golden Threads bring luck to everyone (Source: Taste Alas)

Egg yolks are the main ingredient in this Thai dessert. The baker forms them into thin strips and soaks them in sugar syrup. Therefore, when visitors enjoy this dish, they will feel the sweetness and aroma of the syrup and the richness of the eggs.

More specifically, Foi Thong is not only a street snack but also appears on traditional Thai holidays. The word “Thong” in Thai means “Gold”, representing prosperity, wealth, and bringing luck to everyone.

5. Khanom Buang (Thai Crepes)

Khanom Buang will attract you at first sight because of its crispy appearance. The recipe for this Thai dish uses rice flour and mung bean flour to make the cake base. The vendor will place the coconut cream on each cake.

Khanom Buang is also called Thai Crepes (Source: Wikipedia)

This cake has a sweet filling or a savory filling depending on your taste. While the sweet filling includes grated coconut and Foi Thong, the savory filling also includes chopped green onions and shrimp.

6. Luk Chup

It looks like a colorful basket of fruit sold on the street food streets of Thailand, but it is actually green bean cakes. This Thai dessert has simple ingredients and preparation, but it also demands skill and patience.

Luk Chup looks like real fruit (Source: Kompas)

The baker first cooks mung beans with coconut milk. Then, they shape them into colorful fruit shapes and cover them with a layer of jelly to preserve them better. With the beautiful appearance and delicious taste of mung beans and coconut milk, Luk Chup is a Thai dessert that is worth trying.

7. Khanom Krok (Thai Coconut Pancakes)

The next dish on the list of Thai desserts is Khanom Krok. You can easily find These Thai coconut cakes on food carts in alleys or Thai markets. The vendor will cook them on a hot grill and serve them warm.

Khanom Krok with different toppings (Source: Pinterest)

The base of the grilled coconut cakes is thin and the main ingredient is rice flour and is flavored with coconut and palm sugar. After baking the cake, the seller will sprinkle some shallots on the surface of the cake. This adds color and flavor to the cake. Although it is sweet but not greasy at all, Khanom Krok is a Thai dessert worth experiencing.

8. Tub Tim Krob (Red Rubies)

Tub Tim Krob, also called Red Rubies, is a delicious and refreshing Thai dessert made from water chestnuts and coconut cream. With a crunchy texture and a slightly fatty taste, this is the perfect dessert to enjoy when on a food tour around Thailand.

Tub Tim Krob (Source: Cooking with Nart)

The fatty taste of coconut milk and the sweet aroma of chestnuts are what you can feel when eating this Tub Tim Krob dessert. The main ingredient of this dish is chestnuts. The seller will wrap the chestnuts in a layer of red tapioca starch and put them in a cool bowl of coconut milk. The attractive color and the rich taste of the coconut milk create a sweet Thai dessert.

9. Thai Roti (Thai Pancakes)

Thai Roti is the Thai version of roti, an Indian flatbread. However, the locals have adjusted the flavor to make the dish suitable for Thai cuisine.

Thai Roti (Source: Foodaciously)

Roti is fried dough cooked in a large pan with plenty of butter. Depending on the customer's preference, Thai Roti will have different sweet fillings such as banana or chocolate. The vendor then covers the cake with a layer of meringue made from beaten egg whites and sugar.

10. Sangkhaya Fak Thong (Thai Pumpkin Custard)

Finally, Sangkhaya Fak Thong completes the list of Thai desserts that you should not miss. This is a traditional dessert made by local Thai people. The main ingredients of this dish are pumpkin, coconut milk, brown sugar, chicken or duck eggs, pandan leaves, and salt.

The baker will first cut the pumpkin seeds and beat the eggs with cornstarch. Then warm this mixture and put it inside the pumpkin.

Thai Pumpkin Custard (Source: Cooking with Lane)

Then they steam it and wait for it to cool before cutting the cake into bite-sized slices. The cake will have a delicious, soft taste on the tip of your tongue when you enjoy it. When you come to Thailand, don't forget to enjoy it.

Conclusion

In general, Thai cuisine is a colorful picture with indispensable pieces of beautiful and delicious desserts. From the rich taste of Mango Sticky Rice to the skill in making Luk Chup, all show the culinary culture of the people here. So what are you waiting for? Let's explore the land of golden temples with Asia King Travel with countless attractive things waiting.

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