7 Ways to Make Thai Sticky Rice

Thai people may eat jasmine rice as our main staple, but we also eat sticky rice regularly. And for some dishes, sticky rice is a necessary accompaniment! But cooking sticky rice isn't nearly as straightforward as cooking regular rice, and it's much less forgiving. But worry not, with this detailed article and video tutorial, you'll be able to make sticky rice like a Thai!

I've put together 7 different ways to cook sticky rice (yes, there are that many!) so no matter your situation, no matter what tools you have, one of these methods will work for you!

I highly suggest watching the video tutorial below, especially if you're not experienced, as it is much easier to understand these methods by seeing them. Note: The water ratio for the microwave method has changed slightly from what's shown in the video, so please see written instructions below for that!

Video: 7 Ways to Make Sticky Rice

But first, what is sticky rice?

Before you cook, let's make sure you buy the right rice to begin with! Sticky rice, also called sweet rice or glutinous rice, is much chewier and denser than your average white rice. It's an ultra satisfying texture, and we love to pair it with meats such as our grilled steak or BBQ chicken, and use it in desserts such as the famous mango sticky rice.

In Thailand, we use long grain sticky rice which we call khao niew. At the store, it can be labeled as "sweet rice" or "glutinous rice," but to make sure it's the right one, check that it is a product of Thailand. Short grain sticky rice is also available, but it is used in China and Japan, not in Southeast Asia. In this article, I'm discussing how to cook long grain sticky rice, and while in theory you can apply the same methods to short grain sticky rice, I have not personally tried them.

Note that sticky rice is NOT sushi rice. Yes, sushi rice is sticky, and some people confuse the two, but they are very different. When shopping, you should look for grains that are opaque, bright white, and not translucent.

Why Cooking Sticky Rice is (a bit) Tricky

Why are there so many ways to cook sticky rice, and why are none of them just...throwing rice into a pot of water like you do with any other kind of rice? Well, it's because Thai sticky rice is a little bit...sensitive.

Trust me, if you could cook it like regular rice the whole nation of Thailand wouldn't do it any other way. Sticky rice can't absorb much water, which is why it's so dense and chewy, and it is not forgiving at all if you add even a bit too much. So, cooking it in an amount of water that you just eyeballed will not yield good results.

So the wise people of the past discovered that if you soak the rice in water for at least 3 hours until it is completely saturated, and then steam it OUT of water, there is no chance that it can overcook. Brilliant, right?

But not all of us have the time or the equipment to do it traditionally, so here's my roundup of all the ways that I know of that you can cook sticky rice, along with the pros and cons of each method.

The 7 Ways to Cook Sticky Rice

The 7 methods can be divided into 2 categories: soak and steam, and no soak. And under the soak-and-steam methods, you can either do a cold soak or a hot soak. Usually, the results are better using the soak-and-steam methods for the reasons I described above, but if you're short on time, the no soak methods will do in a pinch, but some precision is required.

But first, you need to wash the rice.

Doesn't matter which method you're using, you need to wash the rice! This gets rid of excess loose starch leftover from the milling process, and it will prevent your rice from becoming gummy.

1. Swish the rice around vigorously in room temperature water, then pour off most of the cloudy water.
2. Repeat the washing a few more times until the water runs mostly clear.

Methods 1-4: Soak-and-Steam Sticky Rice

These first 4 methods all require 2 major steps: soaking the rice, and then steaming the rice. But each method requires different equipment, so there should be something for everyone here!

1. Bamboo Cone Steamer

This is THE traditional method. If you go to a rural village in northeastern Thailand, this is how they make sticky rice! It is absolutely fail proof, and yields perfect rice every time. It also works with a small or large amount of rice.

The tool we're using here is a bamboo cone steamer set called huad. It's comprised of 2 parts, the bottom pot for water, and the cone-shaped bamboo steamer that sits on top.

1. After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
2. Fill the pot with no more than 2 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile soak the bamboo steamer in water otherwise the rice will stick to a dry steamer.
3. Place the drained rice inside the steamer. Handle soaked rice carefully as they are brittle.
4. Once the water is boiling, place the steamer on top of the pot and cover with any lid that will fit (any old pot lid is fine). Steam for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, flip the rice ball so the top is facing down by tossing the steamer (see the video tutorial for how to do this). Then continue to steam for another 10 minutes.

2. Steamer Rack

If you have a basic steamer rack that sits above a pot, such as a dim sum bamboo steamer, this method will work for you. This method is also popular with Thai people and yields great results.

1. After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
2. Wet a muslin or thin tea towel and squeeze out as much water from it as possible. You want it damp, not wet. Line your steamer rack with the muslin.
3. Place the soaked rice in the steamer and clear a hole in the middle. This eliminates any "thick part" and the rice will cook faster.
4. Fold the edges of the muslin up to cover the rice, making sure there is space around the rice for the steam to come up.
5. Cover and steam over boiling water for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (longer time if making a large batch).

3. Metal Sieve

I learned this method from my cousin who lived in Alabama where she didn't have access to much Asian cooking supplies. It's such a useful method because it doesn't require any special equipment, and the result is nearly as good as a bamboo steamer!

You do need to have a METAL sieve that has a similar diameter to a pot so you can set it on top of the pot. Make sure there's enough space at the bottom so the water will not touch the bottom of the rice.

1. After washing the rice (see above), soak the rice in plenty of room temperature water for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4 and up to 12 hours, and then drain well.
2. Place the sieve on top of the pot, then fill it with 1-2 inches of water, making sure there is at least 1 inch of space between the water and the bottom of the sieve. Remove the sieve and bring the water to a boil.
3. Place the soaked rice into the sieve but do not fill it completely or you will block the steam! You need some space at the top so steam can come up and surround the rice. Use your finger to clear a hole or an indentation in the middle of the rice to eliminate the "thick part" so the rice will cook faster.
4. Once the water is boiling, place the sieve over the pot and cover with a lid. Steam for 20-30 minutes until cooked through (longer time if making a large batch).

Tip: You can use this set up to steam vegetables or anything else as well!

4. The Hot Soak

This is officially my favourite method because it's fast, and it yields a great result. The rice made using the hot soak method will be slightly softer than the cold soak BUT this is actually an asset because the extra moisture will keep it soft after it's cooled down to room temp, unlike cold soak sticky rice which quickly turns dry and hard once it's cooled down.

There are some minor cons to this method, most importantly you do need to be precise with soaking time, and adjustments may be needed if making a large batch. I write more about this method in detail in this post: hot soak sticky rice.

1. After washing the rice, place it into a heatproof bowl. Cover it with hot-off-the-boil water so the water comes up ½-1 inch above the rice. Give the rice a stir to break up any lumps and let it soak for 20 minutes and NO MORE.
2. Meanwhile, get your steamer setup ready. You can use any of the steaming set up from methods 1-3 above: the cone steamer, regular steamer rack, or the sieve.
3. Drain the rice, and rinse it with cold tap water to remove excess starch that has come out during the soaking.
4. Now the rice is ready to be steamed using any of the methods above.

Methods 5-7: No-Soak Sticky Rice

I'm going to be frank here, no-soak methods are shortcuts for when you need sticky rice but didn't plan ahead. They are not the ideal ways to cook sticky rice because the resulting rice texture is generally not as good (except for method #6, maybe) and because you have to be very precise with the amount of water. But, it's still better than NO sticky rice, so I'll take it :).

*As with all other methods, you will need to wash the rice as mentioned above.

5. Steam The Bowl

With this method, you put the rice and the water together in a bowl, then steam the bowl in any kind of steamer set up you have. This allows the rice to cook gently, and with no risk of burning the bottom so you do not have to be precise with timing.

1. Drain the washed rice very well, making sure there is absolutely no water left. Place it into a heatproof bowl.
2. Add water at a ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water. So for every 1 cup of rice, add ⅔ cups of water OR for 1 ½ cups of rice add 1 cup of water. Measure this, do not eyeball. Stir to break up any clusters of rice.
3. Cover the bowl with a plate or foil to prevent condensation from dripping into the rice, and steam the bowl over rapidly boiling water for about 30 minutes. You will need more time if making a larger amount.
4. Remove the rice from the steamer, check that all water has been absorbed, if not, put it back and steam longer.

Tips: If you find that the rice came out too soft, add less water next time. Different brands of rice may require slightly different amount of water.

6. Rice Cooker (maybe)

This method is a "maybe" because it doesn't work with all rice cookers, but when it works, it is awesome, and the result can be almost as good as rice cooked the traditional way. What you need your rice cooker to do is cook the sticky rice gently and slowly. So if your rice cooker normally boils the heck out of your rice, it'll likely not work for sticky rice.

If you've got a multi-function rice cooker, such as the Zojirushi, with a "sweet" rice function. That is the function made specifically for sticky rice. Congratulations!

I've also had success with a cheap, simple 1-button rice cooker that is super weak, so it cooks rice slowly and gently, which is perfect for sticky rice! If you have a "brown rice" function, it may be worth a try as brown rice function tends to cook more slowly too.

1. Wash the rice as per usual and drain very well. Place the rice into the rice cooker pot.
2. Add water at a ratio of 1 part rice to ⅔ parts water. So for every 1 cup of rice, add ⅔ cups of water OR for 1½ cups of rice add 1 cup of water. Measure this, do not eyeball. Stir to break up any clusters of rice. (If you're using the measuring cup that comes with the rice cooker, you can try using the line for "sweet rice" in the pot which follows roughly the same ratio, and adjust as needed next time.)
3. Cook the rice using the "sweet" mode and let the rice cooker do its thing!

NOTE: I have found that for the Zojirushi rice cooker, this function does not work as well with larger amounts of sticky rice (3+ cups). The result was a little more uneven than when I made 1-2 cups of rice, but it was still okay.

7. Microwave

Yes you CAN do it in the microwave, though it wouldn't be my go-to if I have other options available to me. It is the most finicky and the least hands-off of all the methods. But when you're in a dorm room and desperate for sticky rice, it'll do the trick!

After a few practice batches and fine-tuning to match your microwave and the amount of rice you typically cook, the result can be surprisingly decent.

IMPORTANT: As every microwave is different, treat the instructions below as a guideline. Also, the more rice you make, the longer it will take to cook. The timing below is based on 1 cup (240 ml) of sticky rice. You may need to adjust the timing, but the idea is that you want to microwave it in bursts, gradually decreasing in duration, and stir it in between for even cooking.

1. Place the washed and drained rice into a heatproof bowl.
2. Pour hot off-the-boil water over the rice so it comes up about ½ inch over the rice. Give it a stir to break up any lumps and soak for 15 minutes.
3. Drain off the soaking water and rinse off excess starch with cold tap water. Drain the rice very, very well, then place it into a round glass or ceramic bowl. 
4. Add cold water to the rice at the ratio of 1 part rice to ½ parts water, the water should come up approximately to the level of the rice.
5. Cover the bowl with a glass or ceramic plate and microwave on full power for 3 minutes. Take it out (carefully), stir the rice by flipping the bottom up to the top and the edges into the middle to evenly distribute the heating.
6. Cover and microwave again for another 2 minutes, then repeat the stirring. Then microwave for another 2 minutes and, at this point, all the water should be absorbed and the rice is should be mostly cooked with perhaps some grains still slightly undercooked (uncooked sticky rice will be opaque white in the middle). Give it a final stir then cover and rest for at least 5 minutes, and it should all be cooked through and ready to serve.*If after resting the rice is still undercooked, stir in 1-2 tablespoon (15-30 ml) water and microwave again for another minute or so and repeat the resting process.

*The instructions here are slightly different from one in the video as I have made some adjustments.

How to Store and Reheat Sticky Rice

Short term storage in the fridge: Cooked sticky rice will last in the fridge for 1-2 days, but beyond that the texture will be compromised even when reheated. Be sure to store it in a tightly sealed container as it dries out quickly. For longer storage, freeze the rice.

How to Freeze Sticky Rice

Sticky rice can be frozen for about a month before it starts to dry out to the point where it doesn't reheat well. It won't spoil beyond that, you can still eat it, but it won't have as good of a texture.

Separate the rice into portions before freezing as it's impossible to separate the rice when frozen. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap or foil (foil will prevent freezer burn for longer), then consolidate them into a freezer bag, squeezing as much air out of the bag as possible.

How to Reheat Sticky Rice

To reheat with a microwave: Cover the sticky rice in moist paper towel and microwave until steaming hot. It needs to be fully reheated until piping hot or it will not regain its soft texture. If the rice is really dry, you may want to spray or drizzle a bit of water directly on the rice.

To reheat by steaming: Preheat the steamer so the water is boiling. Wrap the sticky rice in a clean damp muslin, damp tea towel, or damp paper towel, then steam until the rice is until piping hot all the way through.

Recipes Using Sticky Rice

Generally, we love to eat sticky rice with meats. Here are a few classic meat dishes that are often paired with sticky rice:

• BBQ Chicken or Thai Fried chicken
• BBQ pork skewers
• Northeastern Thai food such as laab or green papaya salad are always served with sticky rice.
• Or try it with northern Thai food, which is commonly eaten with sticky rice. You can dip it into the thick sauce of Hung Lay curry; or if you like carb-on-carb, it's fantastic with spicy curry glass noodle stir-fry.

We also feature sticky rice prominently in desserts:

• A popular classic that's a must-try during mango season: mango sticky rice
• For fellow durian lovers, durian sticky rice is absolutely divine.
• We eat sticky rice with ice cream! Any ice cream will work, but the classic pairing is this street-style coconut ice cream.