Mango sticky rice is a healthy and satisfying dessert featuring sweet gooey sticky rice served with a luscious coconut sauce and sliced mango. It is a popular Thai dessert that you can easily find at most Thai restaurants. But the homemade version contains less sugar, tastes just as satisfying, and is quite easy to prepare. Now that mango is in season, I’ve been making this dessert often at home.
Ingredients
Sticky rice
Sticky rice (糯米), often called glutinous rice or sweet rice, is gluten-free. The cooked grains are semi-opaque and have a gooey sticky texture when cooked. It is very commonly used in Chinese cooking, such as when making Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), meatballs coated with sticky rice, pineapple rice, and sticky rice stuffed lotus root. The texture of sticky rice is quite different from that of regular rice, and it is the only authentic type of rice to use in mango sticky rice. You can find it at most Asian markets and online.
Mango
You can use any type of ripe mango in mango sticky rice. I like to use larger Ataulfo mangoes that weigh about 8 ounces (225 grams) each. I think half a large Ataulfo mango yields the perfect amount of fruit for one serving of mango sticky rice. Larger Tommy Atkins mangoes work well too. One of those weighs about 1 pound (450 grams) and yields more fruit. You only need 2 mangoes for this recipe if you use the Tommy Atkins variety. Ripe mangoes are key to creating the best mango sticky rice. If your mangoes are still tough, simply store them at room temperature to let them ripen further before cutting them. Once the mangoes get soft, transfer them to the fridge so they will stay fresh without over ripening.
Mise en place
You only need 5 ingredients to make mango sticky rice:
Sticky rice Coconut milk Sugar Salt Mangoes
I do like to use some toasted sesame seeds for garnishing. Depending on the type of coconut milk you use, you might need a bit of cornstarch to make a slurry to thicken the sauce. (see more about the sauce in the recipe footnote below)
Reduced sugar content
Sometimes I see recipes call for 1/2 cup of sugar when cooking 1 cup of sticky rice. That’s way too much sugar for me! I used a total of 1/4 cup of sugar for 1 cup of sticky rice. Plus, I made more sauce in this recipe so you will have more flexibility to serve the dessert the way you like it.
How to make mango sticky rice
Cooking mango sticky rice is super easy:
How to prepare sticky rice
To achieve the best results, you should always soak the rice beforehand and then steam it. If you look at the recipe below, you’ll notice that I don’t add any water to the rice when steaming it. If you prefer a very gooey and sticky texture, soak the rice overnight in the fridge. I personally prefer a chewier texture for my sticky rice, so I usually only soak it for 1 to 2 hours the day I make the dessert.
Can I make mango sticky rice ahead of time?
Mango sticky rice tastes the best when it’s freshly made. I highly recommend making it the same day you plan to serve it. If you have to make mango sticky rice beforehand, you should store the rice and sauce separately in the fridge. Before serving, gently heat the rice in the microwave or a steamer until warmed through and softened. Otherwise, the rice will have a very tough and dry texture.
More delicious Asian dessert
Mango Sago Banana Fritters Red Bean Popsicles 4-Ingredient No Churn Black Sesame Ice Cream Sticky Rice Cakes with Red Bean Paste
