Top 7 'Stovetop-Only' Thai Desserts to cook in your compact Bangkok kitchen - Goh Ling Yong
Living in Bangkok is a sensory explosion. The vibrant street life, the kaleidoscope of colors, and the constant, tantalizing hum of activity are intoxicating. But for many of us, the most powerful sense-memory is the food—especially the desserts. From the sweet, creamy comfort of mango sticky rice to the surprising crunch of water chestnuts in coconut milk, Thai desserts, or khanom wan, are a universe of flavor and texture.
You wander through a local market, your eyes wide, wanting to try everything. You dream of bringing those incredible flavors back to your own kitchen. Then, you look at your compact Bangkok condo kitchen. It's chic, it's efficient, but it's missing one key appliance you might be used to: an oven. For a moment, your culinary dreams feel dashed. How can you possibly recreate those complex sweets without one?
Here's the secret that will change everything: you don't need an oven. The vast majority of traditional Thai desserts were born long before electric ovens became a household staple. They are creations of the steamer, the pot, and the pan. Your humble stovetop is the only major tool you need to unlock a world of authentic Thai sweets. So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to transform your small kitchen into a dessert powerhouse. Here are the top 7 stovetop-only Thai desserts you can start making today.
1. Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang)
Let’s start with the undisputed king of Thai desserts. Khao Niao Mamuang is a dish that needs no introduction. It's the perfect harmony of textures and flavors: soft, chewy sticky rice infused with rich coconut cream, paired with the sweet, floral tang of a perfectly ripe mango, and finished with a drizzle of salty-sweet coconut sauce and a sprinkle of crispy toasted mung beans. It’s pure, unadulterated bliss.
The beauty of this iconic dessert is that its entire creation happens right on your stovetop. The sticky rice isn't baked; it’s steamed to tender perfection. You can use a dedicated steamer, or simply place a metal colander or bamboo steamer basket over a pot of simmering water. The two coconut sauces—one for infusing the rice and one for drizzling on top—are gently warmed in a small saucepan. No complex techniques, just a little patience.
Pro Tips:
- The Rice: Use Thai glutinous rice (also called sweet rice). The most crucial step is to soak it for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. This ensures every grain cooks evenly and absorbs the coconut milk beautifully.
- The Mango: Look for nam dok mai or ok rong varieties of mango. They are sweet, fragrant, and have a smooth, non-fibrous flesh that melts in your mouth. A good mango is half the battle won.
- The Sauce: When making the final coconut drizzle, don't boil it! You want to gently heat it just until the sugar and salt dissolve. A slight salty kick is essential to cut through the richness and balance the sweetness of the mango.
2. Ruby Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk (Tub Tim Krob)
If Mango Sticky Rice is the king, Tub Tim Krob is the sparkling jewel in the crown. This dessert is as delightful to look at as it is to eat. It features vibrant, ruby-red "gems" made from diced water chestnuts coated in tapioca starch, served in a fragrant, ice-cold coconut milk broth. The experience is a textural masterpiece: the initial slurp of sweet, light coconut milk, followed by the satisfyingly chewy coating of the "ruby," and finally, the unexpected, refreshing crunch of the water chestnut inside.
This dessert is a lifesaver on a hot Bangkok day and is surprisingly simple to make on your cooktop. The process involves dicing fresh water chestnuts, coating them in tapioca flour, and then boiling them for just a few minutes until they float to the surface and become translucent. They are then plunged into an ice bath to stop the cooking process, preserving that signature crunch. The coconut milk "soup" is just as easy—gently heated with sugar and a pandan leaf for aroma, then chilled to perfection.
Pro Tips:
- Get the Color: The traditional red color comes from soaking the water chestnuts in red food coloring or, more naturally, in sala syrup (a bright red, slightly floral Thai syrup). For a completely natural alternative, you can use concentrated beetroot juice.
- The Perfect Chew: After dicing your water chestnuts, toss them with the color, then drain them well before coating them in tapioca starch. Press the starch firmly onto each piece to ensure a thick, even coating. This gives you that satisfying chewy layer.
- Serving Style: Serve Tub Tim Krob ice-cold. Add plenty of crushed ice to the bowl just before serving to make it the ultimate tropical heat-buster. You can also add other goodies like slivers of jackfruit or toddy palm seeds.
3. Glutinous Rice Balls in Coconut Cream (Bua Loy)
Bua Loy, which translates to "floating lotus," is the ultimate Thai comfort dessert. It consists of small, chewy rice balls (made from glutinous rice flour) floating in a warm, sweet, and slightly salty coconut cream. It’s the Thai equivalent of a hug in a bowl—warm, gentle, and deeply satisfying. What makes it extra special is the variety of natural colors and flavors the little balls can take on, traditionally from pumpkin, taro, and pandan leaves.
This is a fun, hands-on recipe that only requires a pot and your stovetop. You’ll create different doughs by mixing glutinous rice flour with mashed steamed pumpkin, mashed taro, and pandan juice. Then comes the meditative part: rolling the dough into tiny, marble-sized balls. These are boiled until they float, then transferred directly into a simmering bath of sweet coconut cream.
Pro Tips:
- Dough Consistency: The key to perfect Bua Loy balls is a dough that is smooth and pliable, like Play-Doh. If it’s too dry and cracking, add a tiny bit of water. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Add an Egg: For a richer, more traditional version called Bua Loy Kai Wan, gently drop a whole egg into the simmering coconut cream and let it poach for a few minutes before adding the cooked rice balls. The creamy yolk adds a wonderful depth of flavor.
- Flavor Boost: Tossing a bruised pandan leaf or a piece of ginger into the coconut cream as it simmers will infuse it with an incredible aroma.
4. Banana in Coconut Milk (Kluay Buat Chi)
Sometimes the simplest things are the most profound. Kluay Buat Chi is a testament to this truth. This dessert is deceptively simple—just bananas gently simmered in sweetened coconut milk—but the result is creamy, fragrant, and utterly delicious. It can be served warm on a cooler evening or chilled as a refreshing treat. It’s a staple in Thai households for a reason: it’s quick, uses readily available ingredients, and satisfies any sweet craving.
This is perhaps the easiest recipe on our list and a perfect starting point for anyone new to Thai dessert making. All you need is one saucepan. You gently heat coconut milk with sugar and a pinch of salt, add sliced bananas, and simmer for a few minutes until the bananas are tender but not mushy. That’s it. It’s a 10-minute dessert that tastes like it took far more effort. I remember a conversation with Goh Ling Yong about how this simple dish is often the first Thai dessert people successfully master, giving them the confidence to try more complex recipes.
Pro Tips:
- The Right Banana: The best banana for this dish is the Kluay Nam Wa. Look for ones that are ripe but still firm to the touch, with some green still on the peel. If they are too ripe, they will fall apart and turn to mush in the pot.
- Don't Overcook: Simmer the bananas for only 5-7 minutes. You want them to absorb the coconut milk's flavor while retaining their shape and a slight firmness.
- A Salty Balance: The pinch of salt is not optional! It’s crucial for balancing the sweetness of the sugar and bananas and enhancing the rich flavor of the coconut milk.
5. Steamed Pandan Layer Cake (Khanom Chan)
Ready for a beautiful challenge? Khanom Chan is one of the nine auspicious Thai desserts, famous for its striking green and white layers and its uniquely chewy, gelatinous texture (niao num). The "chan" in its name means "layers," and traditionally, it must have nine layers to bring good fortune. Its sweet, fragrant aroma comes from pandan leaves, coconut milk, and sometimes a hint of jasmine essence.
While it looks incredibly complex, the process is all about patient steaming on your stovetop. You create a sweet, starchy batter and divide it, flavoring one half with concentrated pandan juice. Then, you pour a very thin layer of batter into a greased pan set inside a steamer over boiling water. You steam it for a few minutes until set, then pour the next, alternating-color layer on top, and repeat until all nine layers are complete. It requires focus, but the stunning result is well worth it.
Pro Tips:
- Flour Power: The signature chewy texture comes from a mix of tapioca starch and rice flour. Some recipes also add arrowroot starch for extra softness. Experiment to find the texture you love most.
- Even Layers: Use a measuring cup to pour each layer. This ensures they are all the same thickness, giving you that perfect, professional look when you slice into the cake.
- Patience is Key: Make sure each layer is fully cooked before adding the next. If you rush, the colors will bleed into each other. After the final layer is steamed, you must let the cake cool completely (for several hours) before attempting to slice it, or you'll have a sticky mess.
6. Mini Coconut Pancakes (Khanom Krok)
You can't walk down a street in Bangkok without smelling the intoxicating, toasty-sweet aroma of Khanom Krok being cooked. These small, dome-shaped pancakes are a beloved street food snack. They have a magical dual texture: the outside shell is thin and crispy, while the inside is a warm, soft, almost liquid-like coconut custard. They are typically finished with a simple topping of green onions, sweet corn, or taro.
This is the one recipe on the list that requires a special piece of equipment, but it’s a stovetop one: a Khanom Krok pan. It's a cast-iron or non-stick pan with multiple semi-spherical indentations. These are widely available and inexpensive in any Thai market or kitchenware shop. You'll make two different batters: a thin, savory one for the crispy outer shell and a thicker, sweet one for the creamy filling. You pour in the shell batter first, swirl it around, then top it up with the filling batter, add your topping, and cover it to steam-cook.
Pro Tips:
- Hot Pan, Oiled Well: The pan needs to be very hot and well-oiled before you pour in the batter. This is the secret to getting that perfectly crispy, golden-brown shell that releases easily.
- The Topping Debate: The traditional topping is finely sliced green onions. Don't knock it 'til you try it! The slight savory, oniony bite perfectly complements the sweet, rich coconut custard. Sweet corn is another popular and delicious option.
- Eat Them Fresh: Khanom Krok is best eaten hot, straight from the pan, when the textural contrast between the crispy shell and molten center is at its peak.
7. Sweet Mung Bean Porridge (Tau Suan)
This is a classic, old-school dessert that's deeply comforting, especially popular within the Thai-Chinese community. Tau Suan is a warm, thick, and gooey porridge made from split, hulled mung beans, sweetened with sugar and thickened with tapioca starch. It’s almost always served with a topping of youtiao (Chinese-style fried crullers) or crispy fried shallots.
The combination of the sweet, soft porridge with the savory, crunchy topping is what makes this dessert so special and addictive. Like the other desserts on this list, it’s a one-pot wonder cooked entirely on your stove. The mung beans are steamed or boiled until soft but still holding their shape, then simmered in a sweetened, pandan-infused liquid that's thickened to a porridge-like consistency. It’s a wonderful dessert for a rainy day in Bangkok. It's a personal favorite that Goh Ling Yong and I agree is one of the most underrated Thai desserts.
Pro Tips:
- Bean Prep: Soak the split mung beans for at least two hours. After soaking, steam them for about 15-20 minutes. Steaming helps the beans become tender while keeping their individual shape, preventing them from turning into a complete mush in the final porridge.
- Thickening Technique: To avoid lumps, mix your tapioca starch with a little room-temperature water to form a slurry before you add it to the hot pot. Pour it in slowly while stirring constantly until you reach your desired thickness.
- The Topping is Everything: Don't skip the topping! You can buy pre-made youtiao from a local market and crisp them up in a dry pan. The savory crunch is an essential part of the Tau Suan experience.
So, there you have it. Your compact, oven-less Bangkok kitchen is not a limitation; it’s an invitation to explore the authentic world of stovetop Thai desserts. From the globally famous to the locally cherished, these seven recipes prove that all you need is a pot, a pan, and a little bit of passion to create something truly magical.
Don't be intimidated. Pick one that calls to you—perhaps the simple Kluay Buat Chi or the iconic Khao Niao Mamuang—gather your ingredients from the local market, and give it a try. The joy of successfully recreating a beloved Thai sweet in your own home is a reward unlike any other.
Which one of these stovetop desserts are you most excited to cook first? Do you have another favorite I didn't mention? Share your thoughts and your delicious creations in the comments below
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
Stay updated with the latest posts and insights by following on your favorite platform!