Thai Cooking Classes: 10 Best Schools Compared by City, Price, and What You Cook (2026)

If you ask a hundred people who have been to Thailand what their single best experience was, a disproportionate number of them will say "the cooking class." Not the temples, not the beaches, not the full moon party. The cooking class. It is the most universally recommended activity in Thailand, and there is a good reason for that: it is affordable, endlessly fun whether you are solo or traveling as a couple, and you walk away with skills you will genuinely use for years after you get home.

The problem is that there are hundreds of cooking schools across Thailand, and they are not all created equal. Some are life-changing afternoons spent grinding curry paste on a farm surrounded by rice paddies. Others are overcrowded tourist factories where you watch someone else cook and get handed a plate. The difference between a great class and a mediocre one comes down to which school you pick, which city you take it in, and what format you choose.

This guide compares 10 of the best cooking schools across Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and the islands — side by side — so you can pick the right one for your budget, your schedule, and what you actually want to learn.

What to Expect from a Thai Cooking Class

If you have never taken a cooking class while traveling, here is the standard format across Thailand. Most schools follow the same general structure, with variations in quality, setting, and price.

Half-Day Class (4-5 Hours)

The most popular option. You will either do a morning session (pickup around 8:30-9:00 AM) or an afternoon session (pickup around 1:00-2:00 PM). Morning classes almost always include a market tour. Afternoon classes sometimes skip the market and go straight to the kitchen.

The typical flow:

1. Pickup from your hotel or hostel (most schools include this free of charge)
2. Market tour (45-60 minutes) — your instructor walks you through a local fresh market, explaining Thai ingredients: the difference between galangal and ginger, the three types of Thai basil, why palm sugar matters, how to pick the right chilies. You buy ingredients for the day.
3. Cooking (2-3 hours) — each person gets their own cooking station with a wok and burner. The instructor demonstrates a dish, then you cook it yourself. Repeat for 4-6 dishes.
4. Eating — you eat everything you cooked. This is a full meal, usually lunch or dinner depending on the session time.
5. Recipe book — printed or emailed to you after the class. Quality varies from beautiful full-color booklets to photocopied sheets.

Full-Day Class (6-8 Hours)

Same structure but more dishes (5-7), a longer market tour, and almost always includes making curry paste from scratch with a mortar and pestle. Some full-day classes add a farm tour if the school grows its own herbs and vegetables. Full-day classes are less common and not always necessary — the half-day format covers plenty.

What to Know Before You Go

• Group sizes range from 6 to 15 people per class. Smaller is better. Under 10 is ideal.
• You choose your dishes from a menu of 10-15 options. Everyone picks different things, so you get to taste other people's dishes too.
• Vegetarian and vegan options are available at most reputable schools. Confirm when booking.
• No cooking experience needed. The instructors have taught thousands of beginners. If you can hold a spatula, you can do this.
• Recipes are provided so you can recreate everything at home. Some schools email a PDF; others hand you a printed booklet.

The Comparison: 10 Best Thai Cooking Schools

Here is the overview. Scroll down for detailed breakdowns by city.

| School | City | Price (THB) | Duration | Dishes | Market Tour | Group Size | Veg-Friendly | Best For | |--------|------|-------------|----------|--------|-------------|------------|--------------|----------| | Mama Noi | Chiang Mai | 1,000 | Half-day | 4 | Yes | 8-10 | Yes | Organic farm experience | | Thai Farm Cooking School | Chiang Mai | 1,200 | Half-day | 5 | Yes | 10-12 | Yes | All-around best value | | Grandma's Cooking School | Chiang Mai | 800 | Half-day | 4 | No | 6-8 | Yes | Budget + intimate setting | | Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School | Chiang Mai | 1,300 | Half-day | 5 | Yes | 10-14 | Yes | Professional instruction | | Asia Scenic | Chiang Mai | 1,200 | Half-day | 5 | Yes | 8-12 | Yes | Farm + market combo | | Silom Thai Cooking School | Bangkok | 1,200 | Half-day | 4 | Yes | 10-14 | Yes | Central Bangkok convenience | | Baipai Thai Cooking School | Bangkok | 2,500 | Half-day | 5 | No | 8-10 | Yes | Upscale garden setting | | Maliwan Thai Cooking Class | Bangkok | 900 | Half-day | 4 | Yes | 6-10 | Yes | Budget Bangkok option | | Pure Vegan Cooking Class | Koh Phangan | 1,500 | Half-day | 4 | No | 6-8 | 100% Vegan | Plant-based travelers | | Time for Lime | Koh Lanta | 1,800 | Half-day | 5 | Yes | 8-10 | Yes | Beachside + charity |

Chiang Mai: The Best City for Cooking Classes

If you have the choice of where to take your cooking class, pick Chiang Mai. It is not even close. The city has the highest concentration of cooking schools in Thailand, the lowest prices, the best organic farm settings, and the most competition — which means schools actually have to be good to survive. Almost every backpacker who takes a cooking class in Chiang Mai says it was a highlight of their entire trip.

Mama Noi Thai Cooking School

Price: 1,000 THB ($29) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 4 | Group size: 8-10

Mama Noi is the one that makes you forget you are in a class. You cook on an organic farm surrounded by rice paddies, with chickens wandering around and herbs growing within arm's reach. The instructor picks ingredients from the garden during the class, which makes the whole thing feel less like a tourist activity and more like learning from a Thai grandmother in her backyard.

The class starts with a market tour in the Old City, then heads out to the farm (about 20 minutes outside Chiang Mai). You cook 4 dishes at your own station and eat everything at communal tables overlooking the fields. The atmosphere is unbeatable.

Best for: Anyone who wants the farm-to-table experience. Couples love this one for the setting. Solo travelers appreciate the small groups.

Heads up: Only 4 dishes instead of the usual 5. You will not feel short-changed — quality over quantity — but if maximizing dishes is your priority, look at Thai Farm or Chiang Mai Thai Cookery.

Thai Farm Cooking School

Price: 1,200 THB ($35) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 5 | Group size: 10-12

This is the most-reviewed cooking school in Chiang Mai on TripAdvisor, and the reviews are not inflated. Thai Farm does everything well: a solid market tour, a farm visit, hands-on cooking of 5 dishes, and clear instruction. It has earned its reputation through consistency rather than any single standout feature.

The school has its own organic garden where you see ingredients growing before you cook with them. Each person gets their own station, and the instructor is engaging without being performative. You learn proper technique — how to control wok heat, when to add ingredients, why order matters in Thai cooking.

Best for: First-timers who want the most well-rounded experience. If you have no idea which school to pick, this is the safe bet.

Heads up: Slightly larger groups (10-12 people) than Mama Noi or Grandma's. Still manageable, but if you want something more intimate, go smaller.

Grandma's Cooking School

Price: 800 THB ($23) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 4 | Group size: 6-8

The cheapest reputable option in Chiang Mai. Grandma's operates out of a home kitchen in a residential neighborhood, and that is exactly the charm. There is no farm, no elaborate setup — just a small group of people cooking in a space that feels like someone's actual house. Because it basically is.

The instruction is warm and personal. Small groups mean more attention and more flexibility. If you want to modify a dish or ask twenty questions about a technique, there is room for that here. No market tour, which keeps the price low and the format focused entirely on cooking.

Best for: Budget travelers who want a quality class without paying for the farm experience. Solo travelers who prefer small, personal settings.

Heads up: No market tour and only 4 dishes. If the market tour matters to you (and it should — it is often the most educational part), consider spending the extra 200-400 THB for a school that includes one.

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School

Price: 1,300 THB ($38) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 5 | Group size: 10-14

The original. Operating since 1993, this is the school that started the cooking class trend in Chiang Mai. The instruction is the most professional and structured of any school on this list — you will learn the why behind each step, not just the how. Why you bruise lemongrass before adding it. Why coconut cream and coconut milk are added at different stages. Why wok temperature determines whether your pad thai is restaurant-quality or a soggy mess.

The market tour is thorough and educational. The kitchen is purpose-built with professional-grade equipment. The recipe booklet is one of the best you will get — detailed, well-organized, and actually usable when you get home.

Best for: People who want to genuinely improve their cooking skills, not just have a fun afternoon. Couples who cook together at home and want to add Thai dishes to their rotation.

Heads up: The most expensive option in Chiang Mai (though still cheap by any standard) and slightly larger groups. The atmosphere is more "school" than "farm" — professional but less rustic.

Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School

Price: 1,200 THB ($35) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 5 | Group size: 8-12

Asia Scenic combines the two best elements of Chiang Mai cooking classes: a proper market tour and an organic farm visit. You start at a local market in the morning, then drive to the farm where you tour the herb gardens, pick some of your own ingredients, and cook 5 dishes at outdoor stations.

The instruction is solid, the setting is beautiful, and the combination of market plus farm gives you a complete picture of where Thai food comes from — from vendor stall to garden to plate. The recipe book is well-made, and the school has been running long enough that the operation is smooth.

Best for: Travelers who want both the market tour and the farm experience in one class. Gap-year travelers who want good photos and a solid activity to fill a morning.

Heads up: The drive to the farm takes about 25 minutes outside the city. Not a problem, but you will spend more time in transit than at a city-based school.

Why Chiang Mai Wins

• Cheapest prices: 800-1,300 THB vs 1,200-2,500 THB in Bangkok
• Most options: Dozens of schools competing for your business
• Farm settings: Multiple schools offer organic farm cooking, which Bangkok and the islands simply cannot match
• Best overall value: More dishes, better ingredients, smaller groups, lower prices

Bangkok: Great Classes If You Are Short on Time

Bangkok cooking classes cost a bit more and lack the organic farm settings of Chiang Mai, but they are convenient if Bangkok is your only stop or you have a tight schedule. The quality of instruction is just as good — the setting is just more urban.

Silom Thai Cooking School

Price: 1,200 THB ($35) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 4 | Group size: 10-14

The go-to recommendation for Bangkok. Located near BTS Chong Nonsi, Silom Thai Cooking School starts with a guided market tour through the Silom Soi 20 morning market — a working Thai market, not a tourist one. Watching your instructor navigate the stalls, bargain with vendors, and explain ingredients in their natural habitat is genuinely fascinating.

Back at the school, you cook 4 dishes at your own station. The instruction is clear and friendly, and the kitchen is well-organized despite being in the middle of a dense city. The morning class with the market tour is significantly better than the afternoon class without it.

Best for: Travelers with limited time in Bangkok who want to fit a cooking class into a busy itinerary. The central location means you can do a class in the morning and still have the afternoon free.

Heads up: Groups can be larger (up to 14), and the urban setting means no garden or farm views. Book the morning class — the afternoon class skips the market tour, which is half the value.

Baipai Thai Cooking School

Price: 2,500 THB ($72) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 5 | Group size: 8-10

The premium option. Baipai is set in a beautiful traditional Thai house with a lush garden, which gives it a peaceful, almost resort-like atmosphere that makes you forget you are in Bangkok. The kitchen is gorgeous, the ingredients are top quality, and the instruction is refined and detailed.

You cook 5 dishes, and the recipes lean slightly more sophisticated than the typical tourist cooking class. The recipe book is beautifully produced. Everything about Baipai is a notch above — the presentation, the ambiance, the attention to detail.

Best for: Couples looking for a special experience. Anyone who values atmosphere and does not mind paying double for it. Travelers who want a quieter, more elegant experience than the typical backpacker cooking class.

Heads up: At 2,500 THB, it is the most expensive class on this list by a wide margin. No market tour — you go straight to the cooking school. The quality is genuinely higher, but whether it is 2x better than a 1,200 THB class is debatable.

Maliwan Thai Cooking Class

Price: 900 THB ($26) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 4 | Group size: 6-10

The budget pick for Bangkok. Maliwan operates in a residential Bangkok neighborhood, which gives you a more authentic local feel than the polished cooking schools in tourist districts. The market tour takes you through a neighborhood market where tourists are rare, and the instructor's enthusiasm is infectious.

Small groups, personal attention, and a price that is only slightly above Chiang Mai rates. Maliwan punches well above its weight for the price.

Best for: Budget travelers in Bangkok. Solo travelers who want a small, personal experience without the premium price. Anyone who values authenticity over polish.

Heads up: The location is outside the main tourist areas, so getting there takes a bit more effort. The kitchen is basic compared to Silom or Baipai. But the food and instruction are solid, and the price is hard to beat for Bangkok.

Island Classes: Smaller, Personal, and Unique

Cooking classes on the islands are more expensive than the mainland (the island tax applies to everything), but they tend to be smaller, more personal, and often come with a unique twist that you will not find in Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

Thai Cooking Class by Pure Vegan (Koh Phangan)

Price: 1,500 THB ($43) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 4 | Group size: 6-8

The only fully plant-based cooking class on this list. Pure Vegan teaches traditional Thai recipes adapted for a vegan diet — and they do it well. You learn how to make rich, flavorful curries without fish sauce, creamy soups without shrimp paste, and desserts without dairy or eggs. The techniques are transferable, so even if you are not vegan full-time, you will learn approaches to Thai cooking that most traditional classes do not cover.

The class is small, personal, and run by an instructor who clearly cares about the food philosophy behind the cooking. The setting is simple but comfortable, and the atmosphere is relaxed in the way that only Koh Phangan can be.

Best for: Vegan and vegetarian travelers. Anyone who wants to learn a different angle on Thai cooking. Health-conscious travelers.

Heads up: If you want to learn traditional Thai cooking with all the standard ingredients (fish sauce, shrimp paste, oyster sauce), this is not the right class. The dishes are delicious but adapted, not strictly traditional.

Time for Lime (Koh Lanta)

Price: 1,800 THB ($52) | Duration: Half-day | Dishes: 5 | Group size: 8-10

Time for Lime is special for two reasons: you cook in an open-air kitchen with views of the Andaman Sea, and a portion of your fee goes to Lanta Animal Welfare, a shelter for stray dogs and cats on the island. The cooking is excellent — 5 dishes, well-taught, with recipes that lean slightly more creative than the standard tourist menu. But it is the combination of beachside cooking and supporting a good cause that makes this class stick in people's memories.

The school is run by a team that clearly enjoys what they do. The atmosphere is fun without being chaotic, and the ocean breeze while you cook is a genuine perk that no Chiang Mai farm can offer.

Best for: Travelers on Koh Lanta who want a quality class with a feel-good component. Animal lovers. Couples looking for a memorable afternoon activity between beach days.

Heads up: At 1,800 THB, it is on the pricier end, but the beachside setting and charity component justify the premium. Only available during high season (November-April) when Koh Lanta is fully open.

What You Will Actually Cook

Most schools let you choose 4-6 dishes from a menu of 10-15 options. Here are the dishes you will see on almost every cooking class menu in Thailand:

Curries (paste from scratch)

• Green curry (the most popular choice)
• Red curry
• Massaman curry (milder, peanut-based)
• Panang curry

Soups

• Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour shrimp soup)
• Tom Kha Gai (coconut chicken soup)

Stir-Fries and Noodles

• Pad Thai (everyone picks this one)
• Pad See Ew (flat noodle stir-fry)
• Cashew chicken stir-fry
• Thai basil stir-fry

Salads and Sides

• Som Tam (green papaya salad)
• Spring rolls (fresh or fried)
• Thai fish cakes

Desserts

• Mango sticky rice (seasonal, best March-June)
• Banana in coconut milk
• Coconut pancakes

Pro tip: Most travelers default to pad thai and green curry, and for good reason — they are the dishes you will cook most often at home. But if you have already cooked those before, consider picking dishes that are harder to learn on your own, like tom yum (getting the balance of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet right is tricky) or som tam (the mortar and pestle technique takes practice).

Making curry paste from scratch is the single most valuable thing you will learn. Every cooking class in Thailand teaches you to pound curry paste with a mortar and pestle, and the difference between homemade paste and store-bought is enormous. This alone is worth the price of the class.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Class

Book a morning class. Morning sessions almost always include the market tour, and the market tour is often the most educational part of the entire experience. Afternoon classes frequently skip it. The extra knowledge about Thai ingredients — how to identify them, where to buy them, what substitutes work at home — is worth waking up early for.

Tell them your dietary needs when booking. Every reputable school offers vegetarian options. Most can accommodate vegan diets. Some handle allergies. But they need to know in advance so they can prepare alternatives. Do not show up and surprise them.

Wear comfortable clothes you do not mind getting messy. You are cooking with woks at high heat, pounding curry paste, and handling chili-stained ingredients. A white shirt is a bad idea. Loose, breathable clothing is a good one.

Do not eat a big breakfast. You eat everything you cook, and 4-6 dishes is a lot of food. A light breakfast or no breakfast is the move. You will be eating a massive meal by noon, and you want to be hungry enough to enjoy it.

Ask questions. The instructors have encyclopedic knowledge about Thai food and are happy to share it. Ask about ingredient substitutions for your home country, ask about regional variations, ask about their family recipes. The best insights come from the conversations, not just the cooking.

Book 1-2 days ahead during high season. From November through February, the popular schools (Thai Farm, Mama Noi, Silom) fill up fast. Booking a day or two in advance guarantees your spot. During low season (June-September), you can usually book same-day.

Save your recipe booklet. It sounds obvious, but an alarming number of travelers lose theirs within a week. Take photos of every page, or ask if the school can email you a digital copy. Some schools proactively email a PDF after the class.

Is a Thai Cooking Class Worth the Money?

Short answer: yes. It is one of the best value activities in Thailand.

Longer answer: for 800-1,500 THB ($23-43), you get a guided market tour, 4-6 dishes that you cook yourself and eat as a full meal, hands-on instruction in curry paste making, a recipe booklet to take home, and skills you will use in your own kitchen for years. Compare that to a single cocktail at a rooftop bar in Bangkok (300-500 THB) or a mediocre island tour (1,500-2,500 THB that is mostly sitting on a boat), and the value is obvious.

The skills are the real return on investment. Once you learn how to make green curry paste from scratch, you will never buy the jarred version again. Once you understand wok technique — the heat, the timing, the tossing — your stir-fries at home will improve dramatically. And once you have pounded som tam in a mortar and pestle, the salads you make will actually taste like the ones you ate at that street stall in Chiang Mai.

Of all the tourist activities in Thailand, cooking classes have the highest satisfaction rate for a reason. They are fun in the moment, educational in a way that sticks, and practical long after your trip is over. If you only do one organized activity during your time in Thailand, make it this one.

Related Guides

• Thai Food Guide for Beginners: What to Eat and How to Order — learn the dishes before you cook them
• Best Thai Dishes by Region — understand what makes northern, central, and southern Thai food different
• Vegetarian and Vegan Thailand Guide — plant-based eating tips across the country