Is sticky rice the same as jasmine rice?

No. Sticky (glutinous) rice is a different variety that is steamed and eaten with the hands, especially in northern and northeastern Thailand. Despite the name it contains no gluten.

How spicy does a Thai meal plan need to be?

As spicy as you like. Chilli adds heat, not calories, so you can scale it up or down without changing the plan.

Cuisine Meal Plan

Thai meal plan: a week of Thai home cooking

This Thai meal plan balances the four flavours Thai cooking is known for, sour, salty, sweet and spicy, across a week of everyday dishes: rice soups in the morning, larb and salads at lunch, curries and stir-fries with rice in the evening, and fresh fruit in between.

You'll find seven days of meals, one sample day with each ingredient weighed and its calories, protein, carbs and fat calculated from USDA data, and notes on coconut milk, sugar and fried dishes, the places where Thai food gets heavy.

Updated October 22, 2026

Sample day

1,470 kcal

Protein

86 g · 22%

Carbs

170 g · 44%

Fat

57 g · 33%

What a balanced Thai week looks like

Use coconut milk with a measured cup. Curries made with full-fat coconut milk are rich, so the plan uses about 100 g per portion and fills the pot with vegetables and tofu or chicken.
Lean on salads and soups. Larb, yum and som tam are big on herbs, lime and chilli, and tom yum is a clear soup, so they are filling for few calories.
Taste before adding sugar. Many recipes add palm sugar to balance sour and salty flavours; adding it a little at a time often means you need less.
Keep fried dishes for treats. Pad Thai, fried rice and deep-fried snacks use a lot of oil; steamed, grilled and soup-based dishes do not.

Your 7-day Thai meal plan

Day 1 is the sample day worked out below. Leftovers from one dinner become the next day's lunch where it makes sense.

Day 1
breakfast
Khao tom (rice soup) with chicken, ginger and garlic
lunch
Chicken larb with sticky rice and fresh vegetables
snack
Fresh papaya with lime
dinner
Green curry with tofu and vegetables, with brown rice
Day 2
breakfast
Jok (rice porridge) with egg and ginger
lunch
Leftover green curry
snack
Mango
dinner
Tom yum goong (prawn soup) with rice
Day 3
breakfast
Fried egg on jasmine rice with cucumber
lunch
Som tam (green papaya salad) with grilled chicken
snack
Pineapple
dinner
Pad krapow (basil chicken) with less oil, rice
Day 4
breakfast
Banana and soy milk
lunch
Yum woon sen (glass noodle salad) with prawns
snack
Watermelon
dinner
Massaman curry (smaller portion) with rice and greens
Day 5
breakfast
Khao tom with fish
lunch
Chicken satay (grilled) with cucumber relish
snack
Papaya
dinner
Stir-fried morning glory and tofu with rice
Day 6
breakfast
Jok with pork meatballs (lean)
lunch
Tom kha gai (coconut chicken soup, light)
snack
Mango
dinner
Steamed fish with lime and garlic (pla neung manao), rice
Day 7
breakfast
Yogurt and fruit
lunch
Pad see ew with chicken and gai lan (smaller portion)
snack
Pineapple
dinner
Red curry with chicken and bamboo shoots, rice

A sample day with calories and macros

Day 1, weighed ingredient by ingredient. Rice, pasta, beans, lentils and meat are cooked weights.

Breakfast: Khao tom (rice soup) with chicken, ginger and garlic

320 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
White rice, cooked	150 g	195	4.0	42.3	0.4
Minced chicken, cooked	60 g	113	14.0	0.0	6.6
Ginger	3 g	2	0.1	0.5	0.0
Garlic	3 g	4	0.2	1.0	0.0
Fish sauce	5 g	2	0.3	0.2	0.0
Fresh coriander	3 g	1	0.1	0.1	0.0
Spring onions	5 g	2	0.1	0.4	0.0
Meal total		319	18.7	44.4	7.0

Lunch: Chicken larb with sticky rice and fresh vegetables

390 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Minced chicken, cooked	110 g	208	25.6	0.0	12.0
Lime	20 g	6	0.1	2.1	0.0
Fish sauce	10 g	4	0.5	0.4	0.0
Onion	20 g	8	0.2	1.9	0.0
Mint	5 g	2	0.2	0.4	0.0
Fresh coriander	5 g	1	0.1	0.2	0.0
Sticky rice, cooked	150 g	146	3.0	31.6	0.3
Romaine lettuce	50 g	9	0.6	1.6	0.1
Cucumber	60 g	9	0.4	2.2	0.1
Meal total		392	30.8	40.4	12.6

Snack: Fresh papaya with lime

90 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Papaya	200 g	86	0.9	21.6	0.5
Lime	10 g	3	0.1	1.1	0.0
Meal total		89	1.0	22.7	0.5

Dinner: Green curry with tofu and vegetables, with brown rice

670 kcal

Ingredient	Amount	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Firm tofu	150 g	216	25.9	4.2	13.1
Coconut milk	100 g	197	2.0	2.8	21.3
Aubergine, cooked	80 g	28	0.7	7.0	0.2
Green beans, cooked	60 g	21	1.1	4.7	0.2
Red pepper	40 g	10	0.4	2.4	0.1
Soy sauce	5 g	3	0.4	0.2	0.0
Basil	5 g	1	0.2	0.1	0.0
Brown rice, cooked	160 g	197	4.4	40.9	1.6
Meal total		673	35.1	62.4	36.5

Day total: about 1,470 kcal, with 86 g protein, 170 g carbs and 57 g fat (22% / 44% / 33% of calories). To fit your own target, multiply every amount by your daily calories divided by 1,470; the macro calculator gives you that target.

Figures are estimates calculated from per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Brands, recipes and cooking change the real numbers, so treat them as a guide, not a label.

Thai staples to keep in your kitchen

Jasmine rice and sticky (glutinous) rice
Fish sauce and soy sauce
Green and red curry paste
Canned coconut milk (light or full-fat)
Limes, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves
Thai basil, coriander and mint
Bird's eye chillies and garlic
Firm tofu and eggs

Vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian versions

vegetarian

Use tofu, eggs and mushrooms, swap fish sauce for soy sauce or a vegetarian fish sauce, and check curry pastes: many contain shrimp paste.

vegan

As for vegetarian, and leave out eggs. Look for curry pastes labelled vegan, since shrimp paste (kapi) is a standard ingredient.

pescatarian

Swap chicken for prawns, squid or white fish. Tom yum goong, steamed fish with lime and seafood larb are everyday Thai dishes.

Allergens to watch in Thai cooking

Shellfish: shrimp paste is in most curry pastes and many dips and stir-fry sauces, and dried shrimp is common in som tam.
Nuts: peanuts top pad Thai, satay sauce and massaman curry, and cashews are used in stir-fries.
Soy and gluten: soy sauce, oyster sauce and seasoning sauces contain soy and usually wheat. Fish sauce is usually wheat-free, but check the label.

In Meal Planner Pro you can exclude nuts, lactose, gluten, shellfish and soy. If you have a severe allergy, always check the labels of the products you buy.

How Meal Planner Pro plans Thai meals

Choose "Thai" as one of your cuisines in the quiz. Each day of your plan is cooked in one of the cuisines you pick, and they rotate through the week.
Each day is built around a different main protein, and no dish repeats within the week.
Your allergies and any health condition you select always come before tradition: a dish is adapted rather than served with an ingredient you've excluded.
Your country is used to choose ingredients that are easy to buy where you live.
Daily calorie and macro targets come from your age, height, weight, activity and goal. You can swap any meal you don't fancy, and the week's ingredients become one grocery list.

General information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet. Our editorial policy

Get your own Thai week

Meal Planner Pro builds a 7-day plan in the cuisines you choose, sized to your calorie target, with recipes and a grocery list.

Create My Meal Plan

Plans from $8.99/week. No free plan or trial. See pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

The coconut milk is the main source of calories. The sample day uses 100 g of canned coconut milk per portion, about 200 calories by USDA values, with plenty of vegetables and tofu; light coconut milk cuts that further.

Thai recipes with calories and macros

Chicken Larb 290 kcal per serving Thai Green Curry with Tofu 400 kcal per serving Tom Yum Soup 150 kcal per serving Pad Krapow (Thai Basil Chicken) 610 kcal per serving

Sources: USDA FoodData Central records used

White rice, cooked: Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked (FDC 168878)
Minced chicken, cooked: Chicken, ground, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned (FDC 171117)
Ginger: Ginger root, raw (FDC 169231)
Garlic: Garlic, raw (FDC 169230)
Fish sauce: Sauce, fish, ready-to-serve (FDC 174531)
Fresh coriander: Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw (FDC 169997)
Spring onions: Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw (FDC 170005)
Lime: Limes, raw (FDC 168155)
Onion: Onions, raw (FDC 170000)
Mint: Spearmint, fresh (FDC 173475)
Sticky rice, cooked: Rice, white, glutinous, unenriched, cooked (FDC 169711)
Romaine lettuce: Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw (FDC 169247)
Cucumber: Cucumber, with peel, raw (FDC 168409)
Papaya: Papayas, raw (FDC 169926)
Firm tofu: Tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate (FDC 172475)
Coconut milk: Nuts, coconut milk, canned (liquid expressed from grated meat and water) (FDC 170173)
Aubergine, cooked: Eggplant, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169229)
Green beans, cooked: Beans, snap, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169141)
Red pepper: Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108)
Soy sauce: Soy sauce made from soy and wheat (shoyu) (FDC 174277)
Basil: Basil, fresh (FDC 172232)
Brown rice, cooked: Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (FDC 169704)