With the Instant Pot, you can make and enjoy mango sticky rice in less than 30 minutes. With every bite you get nutty grains of rice smothered in a fragrant coconut sauce and sweet mango.

With peak mango season, we’ve been making a lot of mango desserts like mango sticky rice, sorbet, and mango sago pudding. Making mango sticky rice used to be a hassle for me especially with soaking the rice the night before, steaming and making sure it comes out with the perfect consistency. Recently I started making the sticky rice in the Instant Pot and it’s so nice to have this popular Thai dessert whenever the craving hits.

Ingredient Notes
- Sticky rice: for this recipe, I like using black sticky rice or glutinous rice which has a nuttier flavor compared to white sticky rice.
- Coconut cream: look for coconut cream, not coconut milk. The flavor you get from coconut cream is much richer. My favorite brands are Savoy and Aroy-d.
- Palm sugar: is very popular in Southeast Asian cooking. It contains less glucose and has a lower glycemic index compared to regular sugar. If you can’t find palm sugar, you can also substitute with coconut sugar, rock sugar, or light brown sugar.
- Makrut lime leaves: they are one of the most aromatic herbs and a wonderful addition to many soups, curries, and desserts. We grow our own but you can find them in the fresh herb section at many Asian grocery stores. Look for fresh makrut lime leaves that are dark green, shiny, and without any browning or yellowing.
- Mango: my favorite mangos are champagne or Ataulfo mangoes. These sun-kissed Champagne mangoes have creamy texture, floral fragrance, and a lot sweeter than other varieties. They’re also less fibrous, making them the ideal mango for desserts, salad, and salsa.

I have included a picture of the Thai sticky rice that I used for this recipe. Sticky rice varieties from Laos and Northern Thailand tend to have a longer grain and more floral scent compared to other stick rice.

Tips for Making Sticky Rice in an Instant Pot
- Use a non-reactive ceramic baking dish, glass baking dish, or stainless steel bowl. When cooked, the bran dyes the white inner endosperm dark purple and you don't want your container stained. I made a mistake of using a white baking dish and it took me forever to clean off the purple residues.
- Rinse the rice according to the package instruction. I rinsed mine three times.
- I used 1 cup of rice with ¾ cup of water.
- Cook the rice at HIGH pressure for 12 minutes and let it naturally release for 8 minutes.

How to Make the Coconut Sauce
For the sauce, I used a coconut sauce recipe infused with makrut lime leaves that I had created a couple years ago for a charity dinner with Anh and Chi and Eikcam Ceramics. I bruised the lime leaves to release its natural oil before adding them to a pot of coconut cream, palm sugar, and a touch of salt and letting everything simmer until the sugar is dissolved and everything comes together.

I love how we can have this delicious mango sticky rice at a moment’s notice with the help of the Instant Pot. There’s no need to soak the rice and its texture comes out perfect each time. Imagine nutty, toothsome grains of black sticky rice smothered in a rich coconut sauce paired with sweet slices of mango and toasted sesame seeds. It’s pure delight with every bite!

For more Instant Pot dessert inspiration, check these recipes: IP rhubarb ginger creme brulee, IP Earl Grey creme brulee, IP blood orange flan, IP blood orange flan.

Instant Pot Mango Sticky Rice
Equipment
- 8-quart Instant Pot
- Non-reactive Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup Thai sticky rice (glutinous rice)
- ¾ cup water
- 1 can coconut cream (400 mL), brand Savoy or Aroy-d
- 2 ounces palm sugar
- 3 makrut lime leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe Champagne or Ataúlfo mangoes, cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Sticky Rice
- Rinse the sticky rice according to package instruction. This removes the excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming gummy.
- Place the rinsed rice in a heatproof glass or stainless steel bowl that fits inside the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Add ¾ cup cold water to the bowl to cover the rice.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot.
- Place the bowl with the rice over the steamer rack or trivet. Carefully lower the steamer rack into the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid and Pressure Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 8 minutes.
- Manually release any remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid. Open the Instant Pot and use oven mitts to remove the steamer rack. Set aside the sticky rice.
Coconut Sauce
- While the rice is cooking, make the coconut sauce. In a small sauce pan, combine the coconut cream, palm sugar, bruised makrut lime leaves, and salt.
- Set the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, stir occasionally, and let everything cook until the sugar has dissolved and cream slightly thickened, about 12 minutes. Remove and discard the lime leaves.
For serving
- Divide the sticky rice and sliced mango among individual plates. Drizzle the warm coconut cream over the rice and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Lisa
Love the coconut sauce with the lime leaves. The flavor is so different than the regular coconut sauce!
Erin
So glad I tried this recipe. The black sticky rice tastes better than the white sticky rice and the coconut sauce is perfect!
Kathleen
So good! Everyone wanted second and so I had to double the recipe the second time I made it.
Michael
Made this over the weekend and everyone asked for second. I had to make another batch.
Lynn
We've been making this almost every weekend because of mango season. That coconut sauce is so good!!!
Kristen
I really enjoyed this! We usually make this and the sago pudding at the same time!
Tue
So good!
Alex
So good. We added banana leaves to the IP to add flavor to the rice. We also added black tea to the coconut milk.
Vy Tran
Hi Alex! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing some of the flavors you added. How much black tea did you add to the coconut milk and any particular brand of black tea you would recommend? I would love to try it!
Tia
Amazing!