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Prep 10 minutesmins
Cook 30 minutesmins
Total 1 hourhr40 minutesmins
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!
Let’s make everyone’s favorite Thaidessert—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!
Mango sticky rice is the most popular Thaidessert, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Peel the mangoes, place them stem side down, and vertically slice the cheeks from the pit. Then, slice the cheeks into thin slices.
Serve the mango sticky rice garnished with the salted coconut drizzle and toasted sesame seeds.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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