Thai cuisine is host to a massive array of exciting and varying dishes that are sure to excite anyone who gives them a taste. With fragrant and fresh ingredients, plenty of spices, and large helpings of noodles, rice, and various meats, it’s food that is destined to satisfy.

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However, despite this, there are many people across the world who have never tried Thai food before! This could be for myriad reasons, but ultimately we feel that it’s a shame that so many might miss out on some of the best food the world has to offer.

Have you ever wanted to make your own Thai food? Perhaps to try it for the first time, or just to recreate one of your favorite dishes? You’re most certainly not alone. We’re always looking for great recipes that bring the best of Thai cuisine right to the homes of America.

With so many recipes out there, how are you possibly supposed to choose just one to try out? They’re all worth trying, but we only have so much time to cook some days! If you’re in this situation, then take a look at our comprehensive list of the 30 best Thai recipes that you can try out today. You’re sure to find your next favorite!

#1 – Tom Yum Soup

Tom Yum soup is one of the more recognizable dishes from Thailand. Recipes for this dish commonly employ the use of shrimp, lemongrass, chilis, and fish sauce. Despite having a relatively simple list of ingredients and an uncomplicated set of preparation instructions, this dish is packed with amazing flavors that will delight your tongue.

The dish can be made in two forms, either with a more clear soup base or with a more creamy soup base. Either way you decide to make it, Tom Yum Soup is one of Thailand’s most healthy dishes, so you can chomp away at delicious food without any of the guilt!

#2 – Tom Kha Gai

Similar to Tom Yum, the Tom Kha Gai is a soup-based dish that is packed with amazing and delightful flavors. This time, the key ingredient is coconut milk which is used to create the soup.

The soup itself has a sweet taste that also has a slightly savory twist to it. The chicken soon becomes incredibly soft and tender, and really begins to absorb the coconut milk flavors during the stewing process, to make every single bite a delight.

This dish also has plenty of fresh vegetables infused within to create a delightfully tasty dish that’s also full of natural goodness, which makes it very healthy to eat.

#3 – Som Tam: Thai Green Papaya Salad

This refreshing and exciting salad makes for a perfect lunchtime treat for anyone who wants to delight their senses while also keeping a strong eye on their figure. It employs the intense and fruity flavors of green papaya and contrasts them with shrimp, peanuts, and chili peppers to create a dish that is simultaneously sweet and tart to the taste.

The combination of ingredients also makes this dish incredibly satisfying to eat. The papaya and tomatoes are soft and packed full of juices, while the peanuts offer a quick crunch to make every bite different and interesting.

#4 – Yam Pla Dook Foo: Thai Catfish Salad

Not many people have tried catfish. So you may likely be a bit wary of trying it initially. Trust us when we say that it is truly delicious, and an absolute delight for your senses. The fish is fried in small chunks until it becomes crispy and crunchy. Once this is done, it is then mixed with a salad of fresh ingredients including green mango, shallots, lettuce, and peanuts.

The peanuts and the fish have a crunchiness that is perfectly in tandem with the refreshing crunch of the lettuce. The green mango finally gives the dish a sweet twist that elevates the dish to the heavens and will have you experiencing a culinary delight you won’t find anywhere else.

#5 – Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of Thailand’s most famous national dishes. This amazing recipe involves stir-frying ingredients together on intense heats to draw out plenty of natural flavors and to lend each one a slightly smoky taste that is incredibly satisfying on the palette but also has a slight savoriness to it.

Stir frying is a great way to create quick and interesting dishes without compromising the freshness of ingredients. Vegetables and nuts are still able to retain their characteristic crunch, but the heating process causes their flavors to be exaggerated to an amazing level. This is definitely a great recipe to try out for those new to the world of Thai cuisine!

#6 – Pad Pak Boong: Stir-Fried Morning Glory

Pad Pak Boong is made by quickly stir-frying ingredients with a blend of soy bean paste, garlic, chilis, soy sauce, and oyster sauce to create an immensely rich and complex flavor profile that is salty (without being too salty), and sweet and sour, to give it that slightly exotic twist that makes it so delightful.

Morning glory is made by frying up lots of greens with intense red chilis, which also makes it very healthy to eat, and is full of crunchiness and refreshing flavors from the greens. It’s a satisfying meal that makes for a great lunch or dinner.

#7 – Khao Pad: Thai Style Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of the most simple but effective dishes in the world. Simply taking your favorite type of rice and tossing it in a pan with some of your favorite ingredients can lead to some great taste combinations and even better textures.

Thailand, of course, has its own variation on fried rice, the Khao Pad. You start by frying the vegetables to soften them, before then adding rice, egg, and plenty of tomatoes and garlic to create a satisfying and fulfilling flavor that will keep you fueled for hours to come.

This dish is easy to make and easy to eat, so makes for a great recipe for those with busy lifestyles or those who just want something quick and easy to whip up one night.

#8 – Pad Krapow: Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Minced pork or chicken are the stars of the show here. Simply fry up the meat of your choice with some basil, and you have a flavor explosion that you likely never expected. This dish employs soy sauce throughout which evenly coats every single ingredient with a light smattering of savoriness to give this dish that heartwarming and fulfilling taste that you might expect.

It’s easy to make, and can be served right on top of plain white jasmine rice for an easy one-plate dish that you can eat with just a fork! Handy!

#9 – Panang: Thai Curry

You’ll be craving serving after serving of this delicious curry dish from the very first taste. This curry has an extremely creamy texture and taste that washes elegantly across your tongue. Served with a bowl of sticky rice and some naan bread, you have yourself a true one-of-a-kind curry experience that is totally out of this world.

To achieve that delightful creaminess, this recipe makes use of curry paste, peanut butter, and coconut milk to create a sauce that is brimming with interesting and vibrant tastes with every bite, while also being incredibly easy to swallow down.

#10 – Gaeng Keow Wan: Thai Green Curry

Thai Green Curry is one of our favorite dishes from Thailand. This immensely fragrant dish is simultaneously refreshing and filling. You could easily snack on this as a lunchtime treat to fill an empty stomach or chow down at dinner time to cap off a long day. No matter when you eat it, you’ll most definitely be satisfied.

Much like many other Thai dishes, green curry uses coconut milk to give it its unique flavor. However, unlike recipes, it stands out because of its use of chicken broth which helps to give the dish that final savory hit that many other dishes lack.

This particular recipe is perfect for those beginners amongst you, as it allows you to use tinned or jarred green curry pastes, or even attempt to create your own!

#11 – Khao Soi: Coconut Curry

Watch out, despite its looks, Khao Soi packs quite an intense punch! The amazing flavors presented here are complemented beautifully by the immense spices that will dance their way across your mouth.

A combination between a classic curry and a soup-style dish, this meal is perfect for those who want an introductory dish to Thai food, as it gives you a perfect taste of the amazing range of dishes that come from the great nation.

Packed with tender chicken strips and plenty of fresh and crunchy vegetables, every bite is satisfying and will have you wanting to go back for more and more every time! And it’s easy to make, as well, so you don’t have to wrestle with any complicated recipes!

#12 – Kao Niew Ma Muang: Mango Sticky Rice

Want to end your next Thai meal with a sweet and tangy highlight? Look no further than the immensely popular Mango on Sticky Rice. Who would have thought that sticking two very simple ingredients right next to each other would create such a wonderful treat?

The sweet mango juices permeate through into the sticky rice to create a simple, sweet, and chewy after-dinner treat that perfectly caps off a journey into Thai cuisine. And, of course, the recipe is very simple and healthy!

#13 – Kai Jeow

We’ve all tried an omelet at some point. And we’d likely believe we’ve seen everything that the simple dish has to offer. Well, we couldn’t actually be more wrong. This omelet stands apart with just a few simple inclusions. First up is fish sauce.

This gives the dish a savory taste. From there, add a few drops of lemon or lime juice, to give it an extra tang, and then a splash of vegetable oil.

This all comes together to create a Thai twist on the classic omelet. Want to make it even more exciting? Add a small amount of rice flour to allow the edges of the omelet to crisp up!

#14 – Kai Med Ma Muang: Chicken With Cashew Nuts

Cashew nuts are a favorite amongst nut lovers for their immensely creamy and fatty taste. Each cashew nut has an initial crunch and then a creamy melting sensation in the mouth. Turns out, cashew nuts are also packed with extra hidden flavors, and all you need to draw them out is a little bit of heat!

Toss some cashews into a wok with some chicken and your choice of vegetables and allow them to stir fry until they start to achieve a good color. Then simply add oyster sauce, soy sauce, and black soy sauce, to create the amazing marinade that coats it all and draws the dish together!

#15 – Pad Phak: Fried Vegetables

If you have a vegetarian diet, or just want to increase your intake of your five-a-day, then you cannot go wrong with the Pad Phak. This elegantly simple dish involves throwing together a medley of your favorite vegetables, and mushrooms with soy and oyster sauce.

When cooking the vegetables, make sure to add a dash of sesame oil, to give the final product a slightly nutty taste. Also add garlic, for a satisfying flavor, and sugar, to give the dish that final pop of excitement.

This dish is incredibly simple and makes use of whatever leftover vegetables you may have lying around. But don’t let its simplicity fool you, it’s so very rich and tasty!

#16 – Khao Kha Moo: Braised Pork Leg

Khao Kha Moo makes use of the oft-overlooked pork leg to create a dish, unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before. Pork leg is incredibly tender, more so than any other cut of pork you may have tried, and this makes it incredibly easy to eat. The meat is incredibly juicy and filled with flavors that blend with the amazing sauces, rice, vegetables, and egg.

This meal is a veritable feast for the senses, with a range of different ingredients all tied together by the wholesome and hearty helping of rice at the center of the plate. We strongly recommend this dish. It’s amazing!

#17 – Khao Khluk Gapi: Shrimp Paste Fried Rice

Shrimp paste may sound like a basic ingredient that you’d find in your local corner shop, but it has amazing potential for your meals! Frying up some shrimp paste with your favorite kind of rice and a series of vegetables can create a simple, healthy, and easy-to-eat dish that will leave you full.

This recipe truly has it all for those looking for a more healthy lunchtime option and for those who just want to make use of what they’ve already got in their kitchen.

#18 – Khao Man Gai

If you want a dish that has a rich history and an exciting story to accompany it, then look no further than this recipe from ‘Eatingthaifood’. You’ll gain an incredibly rich understanding of the amazing food you’re about to eat, which makes it all the tastier, with that rich context at the back of your mind.

This dish makes use of simple strips of cooked chicken, laid atop a bed of rice, and presented with a small dish of Khao Man Gai sauce to spread across the dish or to dip in at your leisure.

#19 – Bami Haeng Pet

If you’ve already had some experience with making Thai food, and want a bit more of a challenge, then we have just the recipe for you. Bami Haeng has quite a complicated method and requires lots of careful control during the preparation and cooking process.

However, with this hard work comes incredible results. The dish makes use of the flavors of pork and garlic to create a dish rather reminiscent of a traditional pork ramen, but with a wholly unique identity of its own. Make sure to grab pork with lots of fatty content so that the fats will melt away into your broth and imbue it with a rich and warming flavor!

#20 – Kuai-Tiao Rat Na: Thai-Style Wide Noodles

This recipe is slightly more simple than the one above but still creates a very unique and satisfying dish.

To start, cook your noodles and then fry them until they are just about to start crisping up, and then add your sauce. This helps to give the dish an extra sense of texture, with the slightly crispy noodles contrasting with the soft and tender cuts of meat and broccoli.

The sauce is made up of lots of garlic, fish, and oyster sauces, to make it very fulfilling and satisfying, down to the very last drop. This flavor easily seeps into the noodles and the meat so that everything is bursting with it.

#21 – Mi Krop: Crisp Fried Noodles

Before we came across this recipe, we’d never quite seen anything like it. The rice noodles are lightly fried until they change from their usual translucent appearance to a rich golden appearance. At this point, they become incredibly crispy but tender to the touch, which makes them really nice to chew on.

This is then served with an amazing sauce which is draped lightly over the top of the fried noodles, and a garnish of bean sprouts, cilantro, chilis, and tofu. We were simply blown away by how good this recipe tasted, and we’re sure that you’ll react in exactly the same way!

#22 – Mu Nam Tok

Prepare for your mouth to feel the heat! This amazing spicy pork salad from ‘Thaicookbook’ makes for a perfect side dish at any party or Thai food platter.

The pork tenderloins are grilled until medium rare, and then cooked in a pan with soy sauce, fish sauce, chilis, and lime juice until everything is cooked. This allows the meat to really absorb the juices which have a sour and tangy taste that only gets better when served!

The tangy taste of the meat and sauces taste so good when served with green onion and shallot slices, which provide the dish with a savory note. You might have to make a lot of this stuff, as it’s seriously addictive!

#23 – Yam Khai Dao: Thai Fried Egg Salad

Thai food really knows how to make the absolute most out of the humble egg. This fried rice salad is achieved by cooking the egg until it becomes crispy around the edges. You’ll know when the eggs are just right, as the edges will take on a laced shape and a golden color. Once the edges are done, the center of the egg, and especially the yolk will be perfectly cooked and wonderfully runny.

Pile on the garnish and the herbs, and then allow the egg yolk to break. This lets the yolk mix with the punchy dressing and gives the dish an extra dimension of flavorsome goodness.

#24 – Nam Sod: Thai Pork Salad

This Thai pork salad is tossed together with plenty of vegetables, including red onions, carrots, and cabbage. It is then laid out over a bed of soft and fluffy sticky rice. This creates a dish that is easy to eat but still immensely filling.

This is the perfect dish for you if you just want to throw something together quickly but don’t have much time or many ingredients in your cupboards!

#25 – Kai Phat King: Chicken with Ginger

Ginger has one of the most iconic taste profiles of any natural ingredient on Earth. It has a warming and occasionally intense spice that is matched with a sweet taste that makes it taste amazing. It’s no surprise that the ingredient is used with so many varying types of dishes, whether they be sweet or savory.

Ginger, in this dish, is matched with plenty of spring onions, mushrooms, and chicken to create a dish that is both subtle and simple on one hand, and then fiery and exciting on the other. It’s amazing what a little bit of ginger can do when added to any dish!

#26 – Kai Yat Sai: Thai-Style Omelet with Mushrooms

If you want to inject a little bit of life into your boring usual breakfast, then you need to try out Khai Yat Sai. This recipe is simple and easy and follows the process of most other omelet recipes, so you can follow it easily, whether you’ve tried Thai food before or not.

Infused within the omelet are loads of black sesame seeds which give it an interesting appearance and an even more interesting flavor profile. These sesame seeds add a light crunch to the otherwise soft omelet.

Packed within the omelet are cooked mushrooms that are fried in garlic and salt until they achieve a deep brown color.

#27 – Phat Kaphrao

Phat Kaphroa has quickly become a favorite even in the western world, thanks to its simplicity that is aided by its beautiful and picturesque appearance.

Piled on top of a large bed of jasmine rice is intensely smoky and flavorsome minced beef which has been fried and tossed together with garlic, onions, and soy sauce, just to name a small few ingredients. When placed on the rice, it may appear rather ordinary, but the wealth of ingredients make themselves present as soon as you take a bite.

#28 – Kai Yang: Thai Grilled Chicken

Here with an interesting twist on the standard barbecue favorite is ‘Recipetineats’. The chicken filets are draped in a hearty helping of marinade which has a mind-blowing spice and tanginess that makes them incredibly interesting to taste. The aftertaste, with the savory smokiness from the chargrilling method, makes these delicious morsels of flavor truly difficult to resist.

You’ll no doubt have to fight over the last one. Seriously, it’s that good.

And you can make so many of them very easily, which makes this a perfect recipe for anyone who wants to host an exciting barbecue with thousands of interesting flavors.

#29 – Suea Rong Hai: Crying Tiger

The Crying Tiger is perhaps aptly named. Strips of tender steak are lined up together with a smattering of sweet and spicy Thai relish. The stripes of meat look like the stripes of a tiger, while the saturated and bright red sweet sauce suggests the fiery color of a tiger’s fur.

‘Crying’ likely refers to the spicy kick of the red sauce that’s draped across the steak. While not being overwhelmingly spicy, this sauce creates a strong kick that will definitely have your eyes watering with delight.

#30 – Pla Nueng Manao: Steamed Fish with Lime and Garlic

Make use of every inch of a whole fish with this sweet and sour recipe. King of all ingredients in this dish is the lime. Squeezing a large helping of lime juice across the steamed fish makes the recipe simply pop and explode within your mouth.

Alongside the lime juice are cuts of chili, cilantro, garlic, and Chinese celery, which create a cacophony of spicy and sweet tastes that somehow perfectly complement the more subtle and savory tastes of the fish.

Finishing Thoughts

Thai food is extremely interesting and packed throughout with fresh and interesting flavors. It’s not only extremely worthwhile to taste at least once, but it is also incredibly fun to make!

Dishes range in difficulty from extremely hard to very easy, which makes this cuisine perfect for budding chefs of any skill level. Many of the dishes also make use of a mix of freshly picked ingredients and ingredients that you might usually have stored in your kitchen cupboards!

If you’ve been hunting around for the perfect Thai recipe to try, we hope that this list has helped you to settle on just the right one. So get cooking, and experience this amazing world of flavor all for yourself!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Should I Order From A Thai takeaway?

If you’re ordering food from a local Thai takeaway restaurant, you should definitely make sure to order a Thai green curry. This aromatic dish is made up of coconut milk, which is a very popular ingredient in Thai cuisine, so you will likely want such a dish to experience it.

You should also try out a pad Thai to experience some of the exciting flavors straight out of Thailand’s street vendors!

Is Thai Food The Same As Chinese?

No. While they do share similar ingredients, such as noodles and various vegetables, they are very different in terms of taste. Many Thai dishes are more fragrant and spicy than their Chinese counterparts. You will definitely be able to taste the difference when you try them for yourself.

What Is The Healthiest Thai Food?

Thai cuisine is blessed to be made up of many simple and very healthy dishes that feature fresh ingredients and plenty of spices. Amongst the most healthy is steamed fish.

Steamed fish recipes, as the name suggests, are made by steaming the fish, rather than frying or grilling it, so it requires no oil or additives. Steamed fish is also commonly served with light dressings made up of lime juice, chilis, and garlic. This dish has a very low calorific content but is stuffed with flavor, making it well worth trying if you want to manage your weight while still treating yourself.

The 30 Best Thai Recipes

Want to experience incredible Thai food for yourself? Not sure what to make? Don’t worry! Try these 30 amazing recipes today!

Ingredients

Directions

Pick a recipe from the list above
Click the recipe name and visit the website
Collect the ingredients and cook the food
Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review

Recipe Video

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Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!