A Thai cooking class is a practical way to understand Thai food. You visit a market, pound a curry paste, cook several dishes yourself and then eat everything you have made. There are cooking schools in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, from city kitchens to organic farms.
What to expect in a Thai cooking class
How a class usually runs
- Market visit. Morning classes often start at a local market, where the teacher shows you Thai herbs, vegetables and sauces.
- Getting ready. You chop the ingredients, and in many classes you pound a curry paste with a mortar and pestle.
- Cooking. The teacher shows each step, and then you cook the dish yourself.
- Eating. You eat what you cook, after each dish or all together at the end.
- Recipes. Many schools give you the recipes to take home.
Half-day or full-day class
- Half-day classes last about 3 to 4 hours and usually cover 4 or 5 dishes. Baipai and Silom Thai both run a morning and an afternoon class, and Silom Thai also runs an evening class.
- Full-day classes, such as the one at Thai Farm Cooking School near Chiang Mai, take place on a farm outside the city, with a minivan pickup in the morning.
Prices at a glance
| School | City | Approximate price per person | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Elephant Cooking School | Bangkok | from about 2,943 THB | Half day, 4-5 dishes |
| Baipai Thai Cooking School | Bangkok | about 2,200 THB | Half day, 4 dishes |
| Silom Thai Cooking School | Bangkok | about 1,200 THB | Half day, 5 dishes |
| Sompong Thai Cooking School | Bangkok | about 1,200-1,300 THB | Half day |
| Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy | Bangkok | about 1,300 THB | Half day |
| House of Taste | Bangkok | about 1,500 THB | Half day |
| Asia Scenic (Old Town) | Chiang Mai | about 1,000 THB | Morning or evening |
| Asia Scenic (organic farm) | Chiang Mai | about 1,200 THB | Morning |
| Thai Farm Cooking School | Chiang Mai | about 1,500 THB | Full day |
Prices were checked in September 2026 and can change: confirm the price and the schedule with the school when you book. Thai Farm Cooking School has a low-season promotion of 1,300 THB until 21 October 2026.
Dishes you are likely to cook
Menus differ by school. You are likely to cook some of these:
- Pad Thai: stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tamarind and peanuts.
- Tom yum: hot and sour soup, usually with prawns. The traditional version, tom yum nam sai, has a clear broth. The creamy version, tom yum nam khon, is more recent and is finished with evaporated milk or creamer.
- Green curry (kaeng khiao wan): a coconut curry with Thai basil, often made from a paste you pound yourself.
- Massaman curry: a mild, rich curry with potatoes and peanuts.
- Pad kra pao: meat stir-fried with holy basil and chilli.
- Som tam: green papaya salad.
- Mango sticky rice: a popular Thai dessert.
Cooking schools in Bangkok
Blue Elephant Cooking School
Blue Elephant is on South Sathorn Road, near BTS Surasak. A half-day class covers 4 or 5 dishes, and the morning classes include a visit to a local market. Classes are taught in English, Thai, French, Dutch and Chinese, and private sessions are possible for up to 12 people. Prices start at about 2,943 THB per person, depending on the class. Phone +66 2 673 9353.
Baipai Thai Cooking School
Baipai is at 8/91 Ngam Wongwan Road Soi 54, in Bangkok's Chatuchak district. Classes run from 09:30 to 13:30 and from 13:30 to 17:30, with 4 dishes per class. As of September 2026, a half-day class costs about 2,200 THB per person; confirm the price with Baipai when you book. The school can arrange transport from your hotel. It is closed on Sundays and national public holidays. Phone or WhatsApp +66 89 660 6535, LINE baipaithaicooking.
Silom Thai Cooking School
Silom Thai costs about 1,200 THB per person for a join-in class of 5 dishes, with up to about 12 students. Classes start at about 08:45 (with a local market tour), 13:40 and 17:40, and last 3 to 4 hours.
Other Bangkok schools
Sompong Thai Cooking School (Bang Rak, about 1,200-1,300 THB), House of Taste (Sukhumvit Soi 4, about 1,500 THB) and Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy (On Nut, about 1,300 THB) all run half-day classes of 3 to 4 hours.
Amita Thai Cooking Class is held in a family home across the river, reached by boat along the canals. It was still taking guests in 2025 and 2026; ask the school for the current price.
Cooking schools in Chiang Mai
Thai Farm Cooking School
Thai Farm Cooking School runs a full-day class on its organic farm outside Chiang Mai. It costs 1,500 THB per person, or 1,300 THB on the low-season promotion that runs until 21 October 2026. An air-conditioned minivan picks you up at about 08:30 to 09:00 and brings you back at about 16:00 to 16:30. During the day you make a curry paste, a curry, a soup, a stir-fry, a noodle dish and a dessert. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free menus are available.
Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School
Asia Scenic has two options. The Old Town course, near Tha Phae Gate, costs 1,000 THB and runs in the morning or the evening. The organic farm course costs 1,200 THB and runs in the morning. Both include a market tour, a printed cookbook and vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options.
Cooking classes in Phuket and near Bangkok
- Blue Elephant Phuket has a cooking school and restaurant at 96 Krabi Road, Talat Nuea, in Phuket Town. Phone +66 76 354 355. Ask the school for its class prices and times.
- Suan Sampran (formerly Sampran Riverside) is an eco-cultural estate by the Tha Chin river in Nakhon Pathom, about 1 hour's drive from Bangkok. It runs organic workshops and the Sookjai Market. Its website publishes no prices, so contact the estate before you go and ask which workshops run on your date: phone +66 34 322 588 or
.
Questions to ask before you book
- How many students are in a class, and does each student cook?
- Which dishes are on the menu on your date?
- Is a market tour included, and at what time does the class start?
- Is a vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten-free menu available?
- Is hotel pickup included?
- What is the school's own cancellation policy?
Tips for the day
- Eat only a light breakfast before a morning class: you will eat every dish you cook.
- Wear comfortable clothes and closed shoes, because you will stand at a hot stove.
- Tell the school about allergies and dietary rules when you book, and carry a written note of them in Thai.
- For a burn or cut that needs a doctor, call 1669 (medical emergencies). The Tourist Police number is 1155.
Useful Thai words in the kitchen
| English | Thai | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Stir-fry | ผัด | phat |
| Curry | แกง | kaeng |
| Spicy | เผ็ด | phet |
| Not spicy | ไม่เผ็ด | mai phet |
| Without ... | ไม่ใส่ ... | mai sai ... |
| Delicious | อร่อย | aroi |
Getting to your cooking class
Baipai and Thai Farm Cooking School offer hotel transport. A Smile Taxi Service transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport to your Bangkok hotel costs 600 THB by sedan, 800 THB by SUV or 1,100 THB by van: book a sedan from Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok, an SUV from Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok or a van from Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok. Fares are fixed, per vehicle (not per person), one way, with expressway tolls included, and airport pickups include 60 minutes of free waiting, counted from the actual landing time.
To combine a class with sightseeing, a full-day private tour gives you your own driver for up to 10 hours, at a fixed price per vehicle. The Bangkok Tour costs 2,700 THB by sedan, 3,000 THB by SUV, 3,700 THB by van or 4,000 THB by VIP van. The Chiang Mai + Doi Tour costs 3,300, 3,500, 4,000 or 4,500 THB, and the Phuket Tour 2,800, 3,200, 3,600 or 4,100 THB, for the same vehicles. See the tours and day trips page. There is no fixed fare for a transfer to Suan Sampran or to a cooking school: ask for a quote on WhatsApp or LINE.
You pay the driver in cash (THB) at the end of the trip. If you can only pay by card, message the team for a PayPal payment link; a 5% fee is added. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup. After that, a cancellation or change costs 25% (less than 24 h), 35% (less than 12 h) or 50% (less than 2 h) of the price, and a no-show 100%, also when you pay the driver in cash (details).
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Thai cooking class in Bangkok? Most half-day classes cost about 1,200-1,500 THB per person. Baipai costs about 2,200 THB, and Blue Elephant starts at about 2,943 THB.
How much is a cooking class in Chiang Mai? Asia Scenic costs 1,000 THB (Old Town) or 1,200 THB (organic farm). Thai Farm Cooking School costs 1,500 THB for a full day, or 1,300 THB on its promotion until 21 October 2026.
Do classes include a market tour? Often. At Blue Elephant and Silom Thai, the morning class includes one, and both Asia Scenic courses include one.
Can vegetarians and vegans join? Yes. Thai Farm Cooking School and Asia Scenic offer vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus, and Thai Farm also offers halal menus. At other schools, ask when you book.
Enjoy your class, and message us on WhatsApp or LINE when you need a ride to it or from the airport.