The best cooking classes in Bangkok

Book Blue Elephant if you want a polished half day with a clear published price. It has the most complete official information of the schools here. Choose Silom Thai Cooking or Sompong if a market tour matters more, and Baipai if you want small groups and do not mind leaving the centre.

Details below come from each school’s site where it was available, and from the listings named on this page where it was not. This is not a first-hand ranking.

Quick comparison

Blue Elephant

The clearest choice for most readers with a budget for it. The school’s page lists a colonial-style mansion at 41 South Sathorn Road, by BTS Surasak, and a Thai wooden house and garden at 27 Sukhumvit 13. Check each branch’s class page for what runs where.

The standard rate is 2,800 baht plus tax and service, or 3,296 baht net, though prices vary by class type. Sessions last about 3.5 to 4 hours, with a meal tasting included. You get ingredients, your own cooking station, a recipe sheet, an apron, a certificate and a welcome drink. The page does not list a market tour, so ask if you want one. Time Out notes classes in several languages, including French, Dutch and Chinese.

Pick it for a proper occasion and a comfortable room. It costs more than the smaller Silom schools.

Baipai Thai Cooking School

A good choice if you want small groups and do not mind the trip. Baipai is at 8/91 Ngam Wongwan Road, Soi 54, and says it is about 30 minutes from downtown and about 15 minutes from Chatuchak Market and BTS Mo Chit.

It runs two sessions a day, 9:30am to 1:30pm and 1:30pm to 5:30pm, and closes on Sundays and public holidays. Workshops take up to 12 people. Recipe booklets and fresh ingredients are included, and the site states a Halal friendly and vegetarian option. It does not publish a price, so contact the school. Reviews on its site mention hotel pickup, so confirm this and any charge when you book. Baipai also runs private classes.

Silom Thai Cooking School

The practical pick if you want a market tour and an easy location. Time Out lists it at 6/14 Decho Road in Bang Rak, and a Trazy booking listing puts the meeting point near BTS Chong Nonsi. That listing shows daily classes at 8:45am, 1:45pm and 5:45pm, each about three hours, with 4 to 5 dishes.

Only the morning class includes the market tour. Children must be at least 7, and vegetarian is available if you ask when booking. Time Out gives a five-course meal from 1,200 baht, in an undated guide. The school’s own site did not load for us, so confirm times and price directly.

Sompong Thai Cooking

Choose it if you want to make everything from scratch. Time Out lists it at 2/6 Silom Soi 13, at 1,300 baht per class, with a morning market tour and curry pastes made from scratch. Dishes include panang curry and Massaman curry, and dessert is usually mango sticky rice. We could not find an official site, so confirm details and the address when you book.

Mandarin Oriental

The Thai Cooking School at the Mandarin Oriental sits at the luxury end. Time Out’s 2017 review says the school was established in 1986 and lists it at 48 Oriental Avenue. The hotel now lists a Thai Cooking Masterclass on its site. We could not read the current terms from that page, so ask the hotel for the price and times. It suits you if you are already staying on the river, or want a class that doubles as a hotel treat. See luxury hotels in Bangkok.

How to choose

• Market tour: Silom Thai Cooking in the morning or Sompong.
• Evening: Silom Thai Cooking’s evening class, without a market tour.
• Vegetarian: Baipai or Silom Thai Cooking, and say so when you book.
• Sukhumvit: Blue Elephant at Sukhumvit 13, or Bangkok Thai Cooking Class Academy near On Nut, which Time Out lists from 1,200 baht for a half-day class, Monday to Saturday.
• Lowest cost: the Silom schools are the cheapest listed here. For a good meal, even without a class, try the street food guide.
• Private class: Baipai and the Mandarin Oriental both offer them. Ask for current rates.

Before you book

Book directly where you can, as resale prices vary. Tell the school about allergies in advance. Classes usually include eating what you cook, so do not plan a big meal straight after. Pair a morning class with an afternoon at a temple or a massage. To taste the same dishes made by professionals, read the Thai restaurants guide. For more ideas, see things to do in Bangkok.

Questions people ask

What is the best cooking class in Bangkok?

Blue Elephant for the most polished experience with a clear published price. Choose Silom Thai Cooking or Sompong for a market tour and a central location, or Baipai for small groups outside the centre.

How much is a Thai cooking class in Bangkok?

Blue Elephant publishes 3,296 baht net. Time Out lists Silom Thai Cooking from 1,200 baht and Sompong at 1,300 baht, in a guide without a date. Check when you book.

Is there a vegetarian or vegan cooking class in Bangkok?

Baipai states a vegetarian and Halal friendly option, and Silom Thai Cooking offers vegetarian on request when you book. Vegan is not stated, so ask, since Thai cooking often relies on fish sauce and shrimp paste.

Which cooking classes in Bangkok run in the evening?

A booking listing shows Silom Thai Cooking with a 5:45pm class, but without a market tour. Confirm the current time when you book.

Are there cooking classes near Sukhumvit?

Blue Elephant lists a branch at 27 Sukhumvit 13, and Time Out lists Bangkok Thai Cooking Class Academy on Sukhumvit Soi 75/1 near On Nut. Confirm which classes run at the Blue Elephant branch.