12 Cheap and Tasty Thai Street Foods in Thailand

If you’re traveling to Thailand, you must try Thai street food. There are a lot of street food options in Thai and it might be overwhelming if you don’t make a plan about which Thai street food you need to eat. But don’t worry, if you are not sure which Thai street food you need to try, here is a list of the best Thai street food that is cheap, healthy, and delicious. The Thai street foods that are on the list will be easy to find all throughout Thailand. Enjoy!

Pad Thai

This is probably the most famous must-try street food in Thailand. Pad Thai is a Thai street food made from stir-fried noodles mixed with eggs, beansprouts, and seafood or meat. Pad Thai will taste more delicious if you add some chili flakes, lime, and ground peanuts. There are a lot of Pat Thai around Khaosan Road, Thailand.

Khao Soi (Curry Noodle Soup)

Khao Soi is another delicious Thai street food. Khao Soi is basically a coconut curry noodle soup mixed with boiled and fried noodles. Khao Soi is very rich in taste, creamy, and slightly spicy. Usually, it is cooked with chicken legs but you can also eat Khao Soi with any type of meat. Khao Soi will taste better with pickled cabbage, lime, and shallots. This dish originally comes from Northern Thailand.

Pad See Ew (Flat Noodles Stir-Fried with Soy Sauce)

Pad See Ew is a soy sauce stir-fried rice noodles. It is cooked with meat (or chicken, shrimp, and pork), broccoli, and cabbage. Pad See Ew usually not served spicy, which is good for people who can’t eat spicy food. But you can sprinkle some dried chili flakes if you prefer it to be spicy.

Guay Teow (noodle soup)

Guay Teow is a very popular dish amongst Thai locals basically it is any type of noodle soup. Guay Teow can be made with chicken, beef, or pork. It can use rice noodles or egg noodles. There is a lot of variation Guay Teow and everywhere you try it, it would be a little bit different. But one thing is for sure, guay teow is always warm and satisfying especially during rainy days. You can also add wontons or meatballs to guay teow broth. This dish tastes better if it is topped with dried chili peppers, lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce.

Poh Pia Tod (Spring Rolls)

Poh Pia Tod literally means spring rolls. It is a good Thai street food if you want to eat it while exploring the Thai city. Thai spring rolls can be found easily in most areas of Thailand. Spring rolls are made with a variety of fillings such as meat, vegetables, and rice noodles. Spring rolls are usually deep-fried so they are very crunchy and yummy. This is classic snacks are often served in plastic bag, which is why it is very easy to eat on the go.

Som Tam (Papaya Salad)

Som tam is a delicious papaya salad from Thailand. Som tam would be a great option for healthy Thai street food. This salad comes in a variety of serving styles. Basically, Som tam consists of shredded green papaya, carrots, tomatoes, dried shrimp, peanuts, sugar, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, and chilies. All of these ingredients are mixed together so the flavor blends very deliciously. Although the original Som Tam tastes spicy you can request it to be not spicy.

Sai Ooah (Thai Sausage)

If you’re a meat lover, try Sai Ooah (Sai Ua). Sai Oua is a Thai sausage that originally comes from Northern Thai. It is made from grilled pork sausage mixed with a variety of aromatic ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and often red chili paste as well. The mixture is grilled until it looks golden and smells delicious. Sai Ooah is popular in Chiang Mai, but of course, you can buy it at street food stalls across the country.

Tom Yum Soup

Tom yum soup is the perfect street food for rainy days. Tom yum soup is popular for its spicy and sour taste, which is perfect if you love spicy food. The sourness of this soup comes from its ingredients such as lemongrass, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. Tom yum soup is also seasoned with fish sauce and crushed red chili peppers. 

Khao Neeo Mamuang (Mango Sticky Rice)

Mango sticky rice is an authentic Thai dessert made with glutinous rice, ripe mango, and fresh coconut milk. The flavor is very sweet but fresh at the same time. It tastes the sweetest and most delicious during the peak of the mango season, which starts from April to May in Thailand. Usually, mango sticky rice is served at room temperature. Of course, this is a good dessert for vegans and vegetarians.

Thai Coconut Ice Cream

Usually, the weather in Thailand is sunny and hot. That is why, eating Thai coconut ice cream would be a perfect way to enjoy the hot and sunny day. The authentic and original Thai coconut ice cream is not made from dairy ingredients, which means Thai coconut ice cream is perfect for vegans and vegetarians. Thai coconut ice cream is made from coconut milk, coconut water, palm sugar, and white sugar. Is it served in a coconut shell and usually topped with roasted nuts.

Kluay Tod (Deep-Fried Bananas)

Kluay Tod or deep-fried banana is a typical Thai street food for you who wants to eat something light on the go. Just like its name, it is literally bananas that are covered by flour and then deep-friend into the hot oil. The texture is crunchy on the outside but very warm and creamy on the inside. The combination is very perfect and unique. This snack is usually popular among children. Oh, if you’re vegan or vegetarian you will also love Kluay Tod.

Ma Laeng Tod (Deep-Fried Bugs)

Ma Laeng Tod is definitely a street food that you might not see anywhere else, except Thailand. It is a Thai snack that consists of a different variety of fried insects such as silkworms, bamboo worms grasshoppers, beetles, water bugs, cockroaches, crickets, and even venomous scorpions. These insects are grilled and seasoned with salt, pepper, chili flakes, kaffir lime, or even soy sauce and fish sauce. According to Thai people, this dish is very nutritious and rich in protein. The flavor is salty and the texture is crunchy. Don’t worry, the seller cleans these insects very carefully before cooking and serving them to you. You will never taste any strange flavor or experience dangerous effects unless you have a special type of allergy to certain insects or ingredients.

So these are all the 12 easy, cheap, and delicious Thai street foods that you must try when you travel to Thailand. They all taste very delicious and authentic. Which one would you try first?