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    Home » Recipes » Kitchen Tips » Ultimate Guide to Palm Sugar

    Ultimate Guide to Palm Sugar

    Published: Oct 11, 2019 · Modified: Jan 4, 2021 by Pailin Chongchitnant · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to video!


    Palm sugar is a delicious sweetener made from the nectar of the coconut or toddy palm flowers. It's an integral ingredient in Thai cooking, especially desserts. It is what I like to call the "original sugar" in traditional Thai cuisine before white granulated sugar became a thing. Unlike refined white sugar, palm sugar adds more than just sweetness In its pure form, it has a beautiful floral aroma, a butterscotchy flavour, and a smooth, fudgy texture. I can literally eat it like candy...and probably do so more than I should!

    However, not all palm sugars are created equal and some are better than others. Check out the video above to find out how they are different!

    In this video I talk about:

    • What exactly is palm sugar?
    • The two types of palm sugar.
    • Is coconut sugar the same as palm sugar?
    • Is jaggery the same as palm sugar?
    • How is palm sugar made?
    • Are there different grades/qualities? (Spoiler: yes!)
    • How can you tell the difference between higher vs lower quality palm sugar?
    • Be careful: there's a coconut sugar that NOT suitable for Thai cooking!
    • How to use palm sugar.
    • How to store palm sugar.
    • The best substitutes for palm sugar.

    For more videos on other Thai ingredients

    Check out my Thai Ingredient Playlist where I have informational videos about the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine.

    Recipes with Palm Sugar

    Want to start cooking with palm sugar? Here are a couple of recipes that really showcase the flavour of palm sugar:

    • Classic Pad Thai
    • Thai Coconut Bananas Foster
    • Durian and Sticky Rice
    • For ALL recipes I have that use palm sugar (there are a lot of them!) use the search bar up top (the little magnifying glass) and look up "palm sugar".

    Watch The Full Video!

    « Authentic Pad Thai Recipe ผัดไท
    Five-Spice Egg & Pork Belly Stew (Instant Pot & Stovetop) ไข่พะโล้ »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan Hyon

      January 02, 2023 at 11:29 am

      I got a palm sugar where the ingredients says: Coconut Syrup, Sugar. Contains: Coconut.
      It is liquid-y so hard to measure (for pad thai sauce). Is this usable?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        January 04, 2023 at 11:46 am

        Hi Susan, I'm not 100% sure and I would have to look at the product before I can say one way or another. It probably would be fine to use, but getting the right amount might be tricky. If you want to send me a pic of it you can email it at the email in the contact page!

        Reply
    2. lowandslow

      October 07, 2022 at 10:44 am

      What about Mexican panela sugar?

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        October 18, 2022 at 1:57 pm

        That's cane sugar and is not the same, but can be used as a substitute.

        Reply
    3. Aisah

      February 04, 2022 at 9:15 am

      Hi I love your videos! I’m in Thailand now and I wonder if you’d know is gula melaka available here. If not, what would be a great substitute for gula melaka? I do prefer it in powder form 🤗

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        February 07, 2022 at 2:43 pm

        In powdered form your best sub is using brown sugar. I've never seen gula melaka there.

        Reply
    4. Ken

      January 20, 2022 at 8:33 pm

      Can I use Gula Jawa in place of palm sugar, or would that alter the taste too much?

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        January 29, 2022 at 1:28 pm

        From what I've seen gula jawa tends to have a much more intense flavour than Thai palm sugar and is much darker, and so yes it will alter the taste of food significantly if used in a large enough amount.

        Reply
        • Susan

          January 31, 2022 at 6:19 pm

          Hi Palim
          I was given a pack of Ban Phaeo palm sugar I'm in Singapore so just wondering can this be left out at room temperature or it needs to be kept in the fridge for a longer life span?
          Thank you
          Susan

          Reply
          • Pailin Chongchitnant

            February 03, 2022 at 10:41 am

            You can keep it at room temp, but make sure it's welk sealed!

            Reply
    5. Lana

      January 12, 2022 at 9:00 am

      I live in San Diego and I can’t find palm sugar anywhere!!!!! Can someone please help

      Reply
      • jose

        January 12, 2022 at 9:50 pm

        99 ranch market has palm sugar

        Reply
        • Adam from HTK

          January 14, 2022 at 8:37 am

          Thanks Jose!

          Reply
        • Lana

          January 14, 2022 at 9:46 am

          Thanks I’ll give them a call before I go, I’ve made this recipe before when I was in Australia but I just moved to the US, finding it so hard to adjust and find everything I normally use.

          Reply
      • Adam from HTK

        January 14, 2022 at 8:38 am

        Hi Lana! If you can't find anything re Jose's comment on 99 Ranch Market check out https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/locate-a-thai-grocer/ Cheers!

        Reply
      • Kim

        January 17, 2022 at 5:44 am

        I also got addicted to Palm sugar!

        Reply
    6. Mark

      December 30, 2021 at 11:00 pm

      None of the links go to the actual video. Kind of annoying!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A32va3sLi5M

      Reply
      • Adam from HTK

        December 31, 2021 at 11:14 am

        Hi Mark, Adam here and sorry for the trouble! I've tried all the links in this post and in the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A32va3sLi5M howeverr, and everything seems to be working for me. Can you give me an example of a link that isn't working? Also do you have an "ad-blocker" running? That tends to break a lot of the content. Cheers!

        Reply
    7. Josh

      September 20, 2021 at 3:49 am

      Hiii.. Can I substitute the palm sugar with normal sugar?

      Thank youuuuu

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        September 20, 2021 at 3:34 pm

        Light brown sugar is a better sub.

        Reply
    8. Jim

      September 12, 2021 at 11:07 pm

      Any comment on the Red Boat "pure" palm sugar from Cambodia? Wonder if it is the real deal like their fish sauce.

      Reply
    9. Stacy

      August 05, 2021 at 2:24 am

      I tried soaking my palm sugar in water (after learning the trick from another video) to keep it in a softened state so I could scoop it out in its soft taffy texture. However, it just turned my entire jarful into a brownish red liquid. Do you know what went wrong?

      Thank you for the very informative video!

      Reply
      • Pailin Chongchitnant

        August 06, 2021 at 11:19 pm

        Sounds like it just dissolved your sugar due to too much water. Still usable though!

        Reply
    10. Beau

      December 09, 2020 at 11:42 pm

      This was so helpful! I've been baffled by the several types and packages and ingredient claims. Now I'm properly educated.

      Reply
      • Frank

        June 14, 2021 at 7:46 pm

        can you tell me the difference between Thai Palm Sugar and "Gula Melaka"
        I know they are both from Coconut sugar

        Reply
        • Adam The HTK Minion

          June 24, 2021 at 4:02 pm

          Same raw material, but gula melaka is caramelized much darker. Cheers!

          Reply

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    Sawaddee ka! I'm Pai, a chef, author, and YouTuber. I'm here to demystify Thai cuisine and help you cook great Thai food at home. How did a girl from Thailand come to teach Thai cooking to millions worldwide? Here's my story.

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