Many first-time travelers to Thailand don’t realize how much the cuisine changes from north to south. The food in Chiang Mai is entirely different from the food in the south. That’s why for food travelers to Chiang Mai, it’s a great idea to take a cooking course. In this post we share our top recommended Chiang Mai cooking classes.
Why Book A Cooking Class In Chiang Mai
At first glance Thai food seems complex with a lot of different ingredients. Most dishes focus on the intersection of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. How do you manage to balance all of those flavors with seemingly exotic ingredients?
You can now find many of these “exotic ingredients” at grocery stores across the US and in Europe. This means it’s now a little easier to prepare tasty Thai food at home. The final step is learning how to put all of these ingredients together to create authentic Thai food at home.
We offer recommendations for cooking classes in Bangkok, but Chiang Mai is also a great place to consider taking a cookery course. Some of our recommended classes teach you how to prepare classic, well-known Thai dishes. But some of them focus on what makes Chiang Mai unique – Northern Thai cuisine. This is why booking a Chiang Mai cookery class is a perfect way to spend a day in Thailand’s north.
Learn more about the best Chiang Mai food tours.
Booking Cooking Classes In Chiang Mai
In Chiang Mai, we recommend two main companies for booking your cooking classes and food experiences. Below, are experiences booked with Viator and Klook.
Viator is a TripAdvisor company. They offer tours and experiences around the world. We’ve booked many experiences through them in the past.
Klook operates similarly to Viator. They tend to offer more experiences in Asia, which is why we recommend them in Thailand.
Both companies allow you to book with a credit card and offer instantaneous or pretty quick confirmation. The information on their sites is very detailed and hopefully will answer any questions you have about the course. We’ve compared all of the tour options with both companies (as well as others) and find the ones recommended below to be the best cooking classes in Chiang Mai for foodies.
*This post contains compensated links. Find more info in my DISCLAIMER.
Recommended Chiang Mai Cooking Classes
Akha And Cooking Class in Chiang Mai
Experience the unique flavors of northern Thai and ‘Akha’ cooking during this six hour, small group cooking class in Chiang Mai. Discover the culture and cuisine of the Akha, an indigenous local hill tribe of Southeast Asia.
Lead by your native host, guests will explore the local market to shop for fresh ingredients. Then it’s back to cooking school to learn to prepare eleven different traditional dishes. Because of the class’s small size each guest will receive hands-on introductions from the local chef. Perfect for cooks of any skill level, guests will learn to prepare appetizers, soup, and a curry dish along with two Thai desserts.
During the cooking class your Akha instructor will provide details into Akha culture and its distinctive food. This is one of the most unique cooking courses in Chiang Mai because of the Akha influences. Once all the dishes are prepared, guests will sit down for a meal featuring their freshly-made creations.
Book This Food Tour Here.
Food Tour Details
Pricing for the cooking class begins at $32 and includes transportation to and from local hotels to the cooking studio. The class is wheelchair accessible and can accommodate guests with dietary restrictions with prior notification at the time of booking. Each guest will receive a souvenir cookbook to take home.
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Benny’s Home Cooking Chiang Mai Cooking Class
Explore Chiang Mai’s culinary traditions and sample delicious hand-made Thai dishes in this seven hour cooking class. Begin the day by touring a local fresh market with your professional guide learning about Thai fruits, vegetables, and spices. Located outside of town, the market is used by Thais not tourists, and provides a glimpse of everyday life.
After collecting the ingredients you’ll need, it’s time to head back to the studio to get cooking. Under the watchful eye of an expert Thai chef, guests will receive hands-on instructions in preparing their dishes. Each guest will choose three different classic Thai dishes they want to prepare including chicken satay, tom yum soup or pad thai.
The small group setting of this cooking class ensures personal service from the local guide and chef. The class is also perfect for cooks of all skill levels.
Book This Food Tour Here.
Food Tour Details
Pricing for the tour begins at $50 and includes all the ingredients, expert instruction, and a souvenir cookbook. Guests will be picked up and dropped off at their local area hotel or guest house.
Children under 10 years old are not allowed in the group class. The market tour and cooking class are not wheelchair accessible. Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and casual dress for the tour.
Benny’s offers a vegetarian cooking class in Chiang Mai as well with prior notice.
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Authentic Thai Cooking Class in Chiang Mai
Discover the essential flavors of Thai cuisine and learn the techniques to prepare several iconic Thai dishes in a six hour, small group cooking class in Chiang Mai.
Lead by an experienced local chef begin this culinary adventure with a visit to a local Chiang Mai market. Here take in the sights, sounds, and aromas of fresh Thai produce, meats and spices. The group will shop around the market for the ingredients they’ll need to make a tasty four-course menu.
Inside the cooking school, each guest will prepare coconut soup, salad, pad thai and Thai green curry at their own personal cooking station. Perfect for cooks of all ages and skill levels, each guest will receive hands on guidance from the Thai food expert and instructor.
After preparing all their dishes, guests will come together for lunch or dinner to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
Book This Food Tour Here.
Food Tour Details
Pricing for the cooking class begins at $45 and includes local area hotel pick up and drop off. The cooking class maxes out at eight participants. Vegetarian meal options available with prior notification at the time of booking. Each guest will receive a recipe book to take home. Unfortunately the cooking class is not wheelchair accessible.
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Luxury Authentic Thai Cooking Class
Master the art of northern Thai cuisine during this luxury, small group cooking class. Leave the congestion of Chiang Mai beyond for an afternoon and head to a rural setting to dive into Thai cooking.
Perfect for food lovers and cooks of all skill levels, this cooking class focuses on fine Thai dining. Using ingredients grown in the gardens from the cooking school, guests can expect the freshest and tastiest authentic Thai dishes.
The program begins with the market tour and food tasting at Mae Hia Fresh market. Here guests will be introduced to Thai ingredients, their tastes, smells and uses in Thai cuisine.
Back at the cooking class, guests will cook under the watchful eye of their expert instructor. As guests prepare their dishes, the instructor will share insight into Thai cuisine, Thai food culture, and how important food is to daily life. After all the dishes are prepared, guests will come together with their host to enjoy a communal meal. Guests will then be transported back to Chiang Mai.
Book This Food Tour Here.
Food Tour Details
Pricing for the cooking class begins at $50 and lasts four hours excluding travel time. Guests will receive pick up and drop off at their hotel or guesthouse. Additionally, each guest will take home recipe cards as a souvenir. The tour can accommodate a maximum of 12 travelers. Unfortunately the cooking class is not wheelchair accessible.
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Half-Day Thai Cooking Class In Chiang Mai
Thai cuisine is world renowned. One of the best ways to learn about Thai cuisine is in this private, four hour cooking class. With only six travelers participating in each cooking class, guests are ensured a personalized experience.
Your local guide and Thai food expert will bring the small group over to Siriwattana Market. For one hour, the group will explore the market passing stall upon stall of freshly sourced local produce. Your guide will introduce the group to the wide range of unique ingredients used in Thai cuisine.
After exploring and shopping around the market, it’s time to head to the open-air cooking studio. Beginning with a short demonstration of cooking techniques by the instructor, guests will head to their individual cooking stations to get cooking.
Guests will have a wide range of traditional Thai dishes to prepare. From Tom Yum Goong to Gaeng Khiew Waan Gai and the famous Pad Thai, there are plenty of mouthwatering dishes to cook.
After preparing these tasty dishes, sit down as a group to enjoy your homemade lunch. After lunch, guests will be given a recipe book to take home and returned to their hotel or guesthouse.
Book This Food Tour Here.
Food Tour Details
The private cooking class pricing begins at $85 including hotel pickup and drop-off. The class can accommodate a maximum of six guests. Vegetarian options are available for guests with dietary requirements. Please advise of any requirements at the time of booking. While most travelers can participate, the cooking class is not wheelchair accessible.
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Tom Yum Thai Cooking Class with Market Tour in Chiang Mai
Enjoying meeting and cooking with fellow food travel lovers in this small group cooking class. Led by a local Thai food expert and chef, the cooking class begins with a visit to one of Chiang Mai’s many fresh produce markets. S
pend time walking through the aisles of the market and shopping for fresh ingredients the group needs during the class. See the many unique Thai herbs and spices essential to creating traditional Thai dishes.
Back in the cooking studio, a local Thai chef will coach you on proper preparation and cooking techniques while answering your questions about Thai cuisine. The group will learn how to make a variety of authentic Thai dishes choosing an appetizer, soup, stir-fry and curry. Options include papaya salad, tom yum soup, pad thai, and green curry. Guests will come together after preparing their four course meal to enjoy their delicious dishes.
Book This Food Tour Here.
Food Tour Details
Pricing for the four hour cooking class and market tour begins at $25. The class is available both in the morning and the evening. The pricing includes hotel pick up and drop off within Chiang Mai. Guests will also receive a recipe book to take home.
The minimum age to participate is six years of age. Pregnant travelers are welcome to participate. The cooking school is not wheelchair accessible. Vegetarian options are available. Guest with dietary requirements must indicate at the time of booking.
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