Thai Cooking Class in Khao Lak: Market Tour or Dessert

You shop the market, then cook what you chose

A Thai cooking class in Khao Lak where you pick your ingredients at a local market, then prepare and cook a full Thai meal under the guidance of chef Apple at Riverside Thai Cooking School overlooking the river. Choose the morning class with market tour or the afternoon class where you learn to make a sweet banana dessert instead. Hotel pickup is included, and the class runs 4 hours with at least two people required to start.

The Experience

If you land in Khao Lak with a free afternoon or a morning to fill, this class puts you straight into the work instead of watching someone else cook. The morning option starts at the local market where you walk the stalls with the chef, pick out the herbs and spices you'll use, and see how the daily buying and selling actually works. The afternoon class skips the market and moves straight to the school kitchen, where you'll focus on making a sweet dessert with banana and coconut milk instead. Either way, you're the one handling the knife and the pan.

Once you're at Riverside Thai Cooking School, chef Apple walks you through the fundamentals: how to prepare ingredients the Thai way, build curry pastes from scratch, master the seasonings and cooking techniques that make the food work. Thai spring rolls are part of every class. You'll prep, cook and plate your own dishes, and the chef even teaches you simple food carving tricks so what you make actually looks like something worth eating. Then everyone sits down together and tries all the food the group has cooked — the morning class brings what they made from market ingredients, the afternoon class brings their dessert alongside the other dishes.

All the ingredients come fresh from the daily market and arrive with no plastic bags. Leftover food waste goes into compost that feeds the herb garden at the school. You get the recipes and instructions in English, plus drinking water, coffee and tea throughout the class. Hotel pickup from Khok Kloi or Thai Muang Beach is included if you book the morning option; the afternoon class includes round-trip transfer from your hotel in Khao Lak.

What’s included

• Learning to make Thai spring rolls and your choice of curry or banana dessert.
• all fresh ingredients sourced from the local market.
• recipes and instructions in English.
• drinking water, coffee and tea.
• hotel round-trip transfer.
• morning market tour (morning class) or sweet dessert preparation (afternoon class).

Operated by Trip Store Krabi

Is this one for you?Book the morning class if you want to see how a Thai market works and choose your own ingredients; pick the afternoon class if you have limited time and prefer to focus on cooking technique and dessert-making without the market stop.

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Top questions

What's the difference between the morning and afternoon cooking class in Khao Lak?

The morning class includes a tour of the local Khao Lak market where you choose your own ingredients before cooking, while the afternoon class goes straight to the kitchen and focuses on making a sweet banana dessert in coconut milk instead of visiting the market.

Do I need cooking experience to take the Thai cooking class in Khao Lak?

No — chef Apple teaches you from the basics, starting with how to prepare ingredients the Thai way and build curry pastes before you move on to cooking techniques and plating. Thai spring rolls are included in every class as a core dish.

What do I actually cook and eat at the Riverside Thai Cooking School?

You cook your choice of Thai dish (spring rolls are always included), learn to prepare it properly, and then sit down with the rest of the class to eat all the dishes everyone has made. The morning class cooks savory dishes from market ingredients; the afternoon class makes a sweet banana and coconut milk dessert.

How long does the cooking class take and what's included in the price?

The class runs 4 hours and includes all ingredients, recipes and instructions in English, drinking water, coffee and tea, and hotel round-trip transfer. The morning class adds the market tour; the afternoon class adds the sweet dessert lesson.

Is there a minimum number of people needed to book the Thai cooking class?

Yes — at least two people are required to start the class, so you'll need to book with a friend or join other travelers who are booking separately.