We have bananas throughout Thailand, so it is not surprising that there are a wide variety of Thai banana desserts or how bananas are incorporated into the Thai F&B scene. In this article, we will introduce our favorite Thai banana desserts as well as giving Thai names along with links to picture tutorials so that you can order them in Thailand/Thai restaurants or even make them at home!
Before we dive in, we would like to give credit to Wongnai.com for sharing a detailed picture tutorial on banana desserts!
Table of Contents
Thai banana in coconut milk
Also known in Thai as “กล้วยบวชชี”. The first on our list is Thai banana in coconut milk! This dessert has a semi-soft texture and a sweet taste. It can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Thais typically prepare this dessert by boiling steamed Namwa banana in sweetened coconut milk. You can make sweetened coconut milk by boiling coconut milk with sugar and a bit of salt. See full picture tutorial from Wongnai here.
Thai Banana fritters
In Thailand, this is called “กล้วยแขก” or “กล้วยแขกทอด”.
Thai fried banana dessert is among the most common banana desserts you can find in Thailand. The dessert has a crunchy crust with a banana soft texture in the middle. The taste itself is addictive since it has a sweet banana taste with a bit of savory taste from the flour crust.
We prepare Thai fried bananas by first coating bananas with flour mix and then deep fried. There are many variations of flour mix but the base often consists of rice flour, corn flour then different recipes may add in evaporated milk, sesame, coconut etc.
Pro tip: Thai fried banana dessert also tastes great with ice cream on the side!
Check out pictures and recipes from Wongnai here.
Grilled banana with coconut milk
Grilled banana is another common banana dessert you can find in Thailand. There are also many variations of grilled banana ranging from whole grilled to skewered grilled with coconut milk dressing (which is our favorite, hence we will be focusing on this variation). Thais usually make grilled bananas using semi-ripe namwa bananas so it will have a sweet taste but still retain a firmer texture.
This is very easy to prepare and you can easily make this dessert at home. Peel the bananas, cut them and grill them on skewers. Then you can prepare the coconut milk dressing by boiling coconut milk with sugar and a bit of salt. Flatten the grilled bananas and pour over the coconut milk before serving. Find the full picture tutorial from Wongnai here.
“Banana snack” or Kanom Gluay
This dessert is called “Banana snack” because it is the direct translation from its Thai name Kanom Gluay (“ขนมกล้วย”).
You will need a banana paste when you are making banana snack, which is a mix between ripe banana, flour, coconut and coconut milk.
Steam the paste using container or traditionally using a banana leaf (staying true to its name, banana snack!). The banana leaf will make this snack more fragrant.
Banana snack is sweet with some creaminess from coconut milk. The snack also has a hint of banana fragrance. Its texture is a bit hard to describe. Unlike baked cakes like sponge cake or muffins, Thai banana snack retains some moisture from steaming so it has more body/moisture which we find quite interesting.
Full picture tutorial from Wongnai here.
Thai banana in syrup
In Thailand, people call this dessert “กล้วยเชื่อม”.
Thai banana in syrup is essentially braised banana in syrup. In the above photo, the dessert uses Namwa banana, but there is another variation that we have tried before using Kai banana (or sugar banana).
People prepare this Thai banana in syrup dessert by braising bananas in syrup over 2-3 hours, then top up with coconut milk before serving.
Full picture tutorial from Wongnai here.
Another variation made from Kai banana that we frequently have, looks slightly different than the version you saw above.
Banana sticky rice
The Thai name for this dessert is “ข้าวต้มมัด”, which interestingly translates to “tied up boiled rice” and you’ll understand why. Banana sticky rice is probably the most sophisticated dessert on our list in terms of the preparation method. The preparation for this dessert involves several steps.
First, the rice needs to be boiled under low heat in coconut milk and sugar. After that, boiled sticky rice will be wrapped around cut banana and black beans. Then, you can use a banana leaf to wrap the whole thing, tie it up, and steam it.
Full picture tutorial from Wongnai here.
Thai street food: banana pancakes
This dessert is also called Roti with banana or “โรตีใส่กล้วย” in Thai. In the simplest term, roti with banana is fried roti with egg, banana, sugar and condensed milk. You should not be surprised by now if you have read our other articles about drinks and desserts that Thais love their condensed milk. Watch out for the calories, guys!
As you may expect, this banana pancake is both sweet and savory, with crunchy texture (but has a bit of roti softness).You can easily find this dessert (or snack) along the street in Thailand. Because of this, many people consider it a Thai street food.
Watch the preparation process of Thai banana pancakes here.
Thai banana desserts are must-try in Thailand!
Bananas are a staple fruit in Thailand (we also have a few banana trees in our backyard!), hence there is a plethora of desserts making use of bananas!
While there are still many others, these 7 are our favorites. Make sure you try them when you visit Thailand or your favorite Thai restaurant!
(Fun fact: banana is called “Gluay”, and the saying “Gluay Gluay” has a similar meaning to easy-peasy.)
Check out other posts that we have about Thailand