Mango sticky rice is a delicious tropical dessert originating from the streets of Thailand. The tart and floral taste of the mango complements perfectly with the sweetness of the coconut sauce, making this dessert absolutely irresistible!

Recipe Rundown

Ingredients

You’ll need fresh yellow mangoes, Thai sticky rice (or glutinous rice), coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch as a thickener, and a pinch of salt!

Instructions

Start by steaming your soaked and drained sticky rice. In the meantime, prepare the coconut sauce by combining together the coconut milk and sugar until dissolved. Add this mixture to the rice and let sit to absorb. With the leftover coconut sauce, add salt and cornstarch to thicken. To serve, add a generous serving of the coconut sticky rice, slices of fresh mango, and a drizzle of the salted coconut sauce. Enjoy!

Storage

This should keep for about 12 hours at room temperature or 24 hours refrigerated when stored in an airtight container. To soften the rice, simply microwave or heat over stovetop until fully warmed through. Be sure to keep the sticky rice, salted coconut sauce, and the mangoes separate until serving for best texture.

Quick Tips

Use fresh, in-season mangoes since they’re more flavorful, sweeter, and overall have greater nutritional value. You can customize the coconut sauce by adding more or less sugar to your preference or even experimenting by adding vanilla bean/extract, cinnamon, or even lime zest for a more complex flavor.

Table of Contents

Instructions

Prepare the sticky rice:

Rinse the 1 cup of sticky rice under cold water until the water runs clear, about 3-5 times.

Once clear, pour boiling water over rice until fully covered and let soak for 25 minutes. Drain well after soaking.

Line your steamer basket with cheese cloth and spread the soaked rice evenly onto the cloth. Fold the excess corners to the center in order to cover the rice. Steam the rice for 25-35 minutes, or until the sticky rice is tender. Set aside.

Prepare the coconut sauce:

Combine together the coconut milk and sugar in a sauce-pot. Heat this mixture, just until the sugar dissolves, then pour out 2/3 cup of this mixture.

Combine the 2/3 cup of the sweet coconut sauce with the cooked sticky rice. Mix to combine, and let the rice soak in this mixture for at least 20 minutes with a lid on, or until the rice has fully absorbed the coconut sauce

(You’ll know it’s finished soaking when the rice isn’t soggy or wet anymore)

The rice will look super soggy as soon as you pour in the coconut milk, but don’t worry!

This is the rice after 20 minutes: less soggy, more sticky, and full of coconut flavor.

With the remaining 1/3 cup of sweet coconut sauce in the sauce-pot, add in the cornstarch slurry and salt. Heat this mixture until thickened to your desired consistency, stirring constantly. Set aside until serving.

To assemble:

Peel your mango and slice into bite-sized chunks or thin slices.

Place the sliced mangoes alongside the coconut-soaked sticky rice. Spoon the salted coconut sauce over the rice. Top with sesame seeds or the crispy yellow mung beans. Enjoy!

What is Mango Sticky Rice?

Mango sticky rice is traditionally a summer dessert popular during the peak seasonal months of mangoes (typically around April and May).

It’s made up of fresh, ripe mangoes served alongside sticky rice that’s been soaked with a sweetened coconut sauce.

Traditional toppings include crispy yellow mung beans or sesame seeds for added textural goodness, and/or a salted coconut sauce for that perfect sweet-and-salty flavor combination.

All these different components complement each other wonderfully to create a delicious and refreshing dessert to end a meal!

Ingredients and Substitutions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Yellow mangoes: Go for yellow mangoes such as Autolfo, Champagne, Philippine, Carabao, or Indian mangoes. These mangoes are already naturally sweet with a very silky and soft texture.

Substitutes: While fresh is king, frozen mangoes may work, just let them defrost completely prior to using. Canned mangoes could also work, especially during off-seasons. In a pinch, you can use the green and red varieties of mangoes, though these tend to be more fibrous, tougher in texture, and slightly more tangy than sweet.

Thai sticky rice: Also known as glutinous rice, these are chewier and stickier than standard rice grains.

Substitutes: There’s no perfect substitute for this since sticky rice has a particular texture that makes it ideal for desserts like these. While not the best, you can try going for sushi rice or basmati. Be sure to adjust the water content and cooking time, as these can cook differently from sticky rice.

Sesame seeds: To give a bit of crunch and visual element to our dessert. Traditionally, yellow mung beans are used, which are typically found in some Asian groceries.

Coconut milk: Go for full-fat, canned coconut milk to get that rich, creamy taste and consistency for the coconut sauce.

White sugar: A good amount of sugar helps to make this dessert sweet and indulgent.

Substitutes: Palm sugar is a good replacement, which is used in many Southeast Asian desserts and dishes.

Cornstarch: This will help to thicken our sweet coconut sauce.

Substitute: You may also use potato starch.

Salt: A good amount of salt helps to balance out the sweetness of the overall dessert.

Cooking Tips

Steam your sticky rice: For the best texture and consistency, steam your rice using a bamboo or metal steamer. This is the traditional way that will prevent your sticky rice from being overly mushy.

While not ideal, you can also try using a rice cooker or cooking the rice over stove top. Just be sure to adjust the water content accordingly and continue to cook the rice until it’s soft and tender.

Use fresh, in-season mangoes: The best time to serve this dessert is in the peak mango seasons which typically run from May to September. During this time, you’ll most likely see fresh mangoes everywhere. Not only are they sweeter with a better flavor, but they overall have greater nutritional value as well.

Customize your coconut sauce: Feel free to add more or less sugar according to your preference. While not traditional, you may also experiment by adding vanilla bean/extract, cinnamon, or even lime zest to the sauce for a more complex flavor.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

The sticky rice should keep for about 12 hours at room temperature or 24 hours refrigerated when stored in an airtight container. To soften the rice, simply microwave or heat over stovetop until fully warmed through and no longer dry in consistency (you may need to add a couple tablespoons of water or coconut milk if the rice has lost too much moisture).

Be sure to keep the sticky rice, salted coconut sauce, and the mangoes separate until serving for best texture.

Can I boil or microwave my rice?

While not ideal, as steaming is definitely preferred for best texture, it is possible to cook the sticky rice over stove top, rice cooker (if you have the setting function), or even microwaved.

The only step you cannot skip is soaking the rice grains either overnight or for 20 minutes in boiling water, then draining.

Can I make this for more people?

You definitely can, simply double or triple the recipe ingredients to meet your intended amount of people you plan to serve it to!

Looking for more EASY MANGO RECIPES? Here’s a couple more from our mango series!:

Mango Sago
Mango Float (Filipino mango icebox cake)
Mango ensalada (Filipino mango salad)