Mango Sticky Rice

By: MeganPosted: 07/07/2021 Updated: 04/05/2025

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Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 1 hour 40 minutes

This mango sticky rice recipe features sweet coconut sticky glutinous rice paired with fresh ripe mangoes. This popular Thai dessert is really easy to make at home with only six ingredients!

Mango Sticky Rice

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Mango Sticky Rice

Let’s make everyone’s favorite Thai dessert—mango sticky rice! This easy mango sticky rice recipe uses fresh ripe mangoes, sweet coconut, gooey sticky rice, and salty coconut sauce. Mango sticky rice is the perfect healthy and delicious guilt-free dessert.

Thai mango sticky rice only requires a handful of ingredients and yields an irresistible sweet and salty combination every time. Plus, this mango recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, and dairy-free!

What is Mango Sticky Rice?

Mango sticky rice is the most popular Thai dessert, also known as khao niaow ma muang (ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง). It is made with Thai long-grain glutinous rice that is steamed and then combined with a sweetened coconut milk. The sticky coconut rice is then topped with a salted coconut sauce and served with fresh mangoes.

In Thailand, mango sticky rice can be found in street food carts or served as dessert in almost any restaurant. This recipe is especially popular during the warmer months when mangoes are in season from March to June.

Ingredients

You can find the ingredients for this mango sticky rice recipe at your local grocery store. Full measurements and links to everything I used are listed in the recipe card below.

  • Thai Sticky rice, also called glutinous rice or sweet rice, is gluten-free. The long grains have a gooey-sticky texture when cooked. It is also very common in Vietnamese cooking, like xoi vo (Vietnamese mung bean sticky rice), Vietnamese sticky rice with chicken (xoi ga), or xoi gac (Vietnamese red sticky rice).
  • Mango: You can use any ripe mango for this mango sticky rice recipe. I like to use either Ataulfo or Tommy Atkins mangos.
  • Coconut Milk: is used to sweeten steamed sticky rice and add depth to a salted coconut glaze.
  • Sugar: sweetens the coconut milk in the glutinous rice.
  • Salt: to enhance the flavor of the coconut milk and add a savory balancing element to the dessert.
  • Cornstarch: to thicken the salted coconut drizzle sauce.
  • Sesame Seeds: for added crunch and garnish.

Substitutions and Additions

Substitutions

  • Short-grain sticky rice: Instead of Thai long-grain glutinous sweet rice, you can use short-grain sticky rice or sushi rice.
  • Sweetener alternatives: brown sugar, palm sugar, condensed milk, honey, or agave can be sugar alternatives.

Additions

  • Toasted mung beans: for added crunch, lightly pan fry mung beans.
  • Coconut flakes: for added coconut texture and flavor.
  • Pandan or ube extract: for added color and earthier flavor notes.
  • Mint leaves: for a fresh garnish.

How to Make Mango Sticky Rice

Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make this mango sticky rice recipe.

  1. In a large bowl, thoroughly wash and drain the sticky rice with water until the water is clear. Let the rice soak in water for at least 4 hours or overnight.
A bowl of sticky rice soaking in water.
  1. Boil the water in your steamer over high heat. Drain the rice and lay the sticky rice on a cheesecloth or parchment paper in the steamer—cover and steam for 25 minutes or until the rice is soft and translucent.
sticky rice in a steamer ready to be cooked
  1. While the rice is cooking, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Mix until the sugar dissolves and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Coconut milk simmered with salt and sugar.
  1. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to make the cornstarch slurry. Next, in a saucepan over medium heat, add 2/3 cup coconut milk and salt until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir until combined.
Coconut sauce prepared in a sauce pan.
  1. Once the rice is cooked, place the sticky rice in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the sweet coconut sauce over the rice and mix. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until the rice has absorbed the coconut sauce.
mixing coconut sauce into sticky rice
  1. Peel the mangoes, place them stem side down, and vertically slice the cheeks from the pit. Then, slice the cheeks into thin slices.
  1. Serve the mango sticky rice garnished with the salted coconut drizzle and toasted sesame seeds.
A plate of mango sticky rice ready to eat

Expert Tips

  • Wash and soak the rice overnight. Soaking the rice overnight will ensure that the rice cooks evenly.
  • Use a steamer for the rice. This allows for even slow cooking of the rice. This is the traditional method and yields a foolproof, perfect rice every time.
  • Option to use rice cooker: If you use a rice cooker, use a 1:1 ratio of rice to water. The results may vary depending on your rice cooker.
  • How to choose a fresh and ripe mango. Pick a slightly soft mango, sweet and fragrant when you smell it, and with a vibrant skin color that is taut, not wrinkled.
  • For the coconut drizzle, make sure that the coconut milk is not too hot when you slowly add the cornstarch slurry. Be sure to stir quickly as you pour in the cornstarch drizzle to prevent clumping.

Storage Instructions

This mango sticky rice recipe is best served immediately. However, the coconut rice and salted coconut drizzle can be separately refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 3 days.

Reheat: either re-steam the coconut sweet rice in a steamer until softened, or sprinkle a few drops of water onto the rice, cover with a wet paper towel, and microwave for 1-2 minutes until softened.

Pairing Suggestions

This mango sticky rice recipe is the perfect summer dessert. You can also serve it with the following pairing suggestions.

FAQ

What kind of rice do I use for mango sticky rice?

Sticky rice is also called glutinous rice or sweet rice. You would need to use Thai glutinous rice for the most authentic mango sticky rice. Thai sticky rice is similar to traditional sticky rice, but it has longer rice grains.

How do I cook sticky rice?

It is very important to wash and soak the glutinous rice before steaming. This reduces the cooking time of the sticky rice and allows it to cook more evenly.

After soaking the rice, steam it in your steamer for about 20-25 minutes until it is plump and sticky. Alternatively, you can cook the sticky rice in a rice cooker with a 1:1 ratio of rice to water.

Can I dye the sticky rice with pandan or ube?

Yes, you can dye the sticky rice by adding pandan or ube coloring to the coconut milk before steaming the rice.

How do I choose the right mango?

A ripe mango will be slightly soft to the touch, has a sweet and fruity smell, and the skin will be vibrant in color and not wrinkled.

How do I cut a mango?

First, peel the skin off the mango. Then, place the mango stem side down. The pit runs vertically in the center, so slice the cheeks off of the two sides of the seed. Lastly, thinly slice the mango cheeks to serve.

Mango Sticky Rice Recipe

A plate of mango sticky rice on a table

Mango Sticky Rice

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Pre-Soak Rice Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
This mango sticky rice recipe features sweet coconut sticky glutinous rice paired with fresh ripe mangoes. This popular Thai dessert is really easy to make at home with only six ingredients!
Servings: 4 servings
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Sticky Rice

Salted Coconut Drizzle

Toppings

Instructions

  • Prepare the rice. In a large bowl, thoroughly wash and drain the sticky rice with cold water until the water is clear. About 3-5 times. Let the rice soak in 2 cups water for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  • Steam the rice. Boil the water in your steamer over high heat. Drain the rice and lay the sticky rice on a cheesecloth or parchment paper in the steamer—cover and steam for 25 minutes or until the rice is soft and translucent.
  • Sweet coconut sauce. While the rice is cooking, in a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Mix until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer and simmer for 3 minutes until it slightly thickens. Set aside.
  • Salted coconut drizzle. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to make the cornstarch slurry. Next, in a saucepan over medium heat, add 2/3 cup coconut milk and salt on medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry and stir until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
  • Mix rice and sweet coconut sauce. Once the sticky rice is cooked, place it in a heatproof bowl, pour the sweet coconut sauce over it, and mix. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until the rice has absorbed the coconut sauce.
  • Prepare the mangos. Peel the mangos, place the mango stem side down, and vertically slice the cheeks from the pit. Then slice the cheeks into thin slices.
  • Serve. Serve the mango sticky rice garnished with the salted coconut drizzle and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

See the Expert Tips section for more guidance.

Nutrition:

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 431mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1120IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 4mg

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