Thai Longan Drink Recipe (Nam Lamyai)

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This Thai longan drink recipe (nam lamyai) is a sweet and soothing beverage made from dried or fresh longan fruit. It’s easy to make at home, you can sweeten it to taste, and makes a perfect summer refreshment!

Thai longan drink served on a wooden tray with fresh longan in the background.

Tip: For more classic Thai drinks, try my popular Thai tea and cha manao!

What is longan drink?

Longan drink is a traditional Thai beverage made by simmering dried or fresh longan fruit in water. It has a sweet, honey-like flavor and light amber color. It’s very popular in Thailand, where it’s served iced at food markets during hot weather.

In this recipe, I’m using fresh longan fruit because it’s what we readily have available here in Thailand.

But if you can’t find fresh longan, you can still make this drink using canned or dried longan. I’ve added a simple guide after the recipe steps showing you how to make it all three ways!

Top-down view of iced longan drink (nam lamyai) in a glass with a glass straw, fresh longan and pandan leaves arranged on a wooden surface.

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Ingredient notes & substitutes

You can grab everything you need for this recipe at your nearest Asian grocery store or market. For exact measurements, head to the recipe card below!

Longan fruit – Use fresh, canned, or dried longan depending on availability. Fresh gives the crispest texture, canned is already sweetened, and dried adds a deeper, caramel-like flavor.
Natural cane sugar – Adds a deeper, slightly molasses-like sweetness. You can also use brown sugar.
Water
Pandan leaves (optional) – For fragrance.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prep the longans. Peel and pit the fresh longan fruit. Set aside.

A bowl of peeled and pitted longan fruit.

Step 2: Make the syrup. In a small pot, bring the water to a gentle simmer. Add brown sugar and pandan leaf. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes, until the syrup is fragrant and slightly thickened.

Step 3: Combine and cool. Turn off the heat and add the longans to the syrup. Let everything sit and cool down to room temperature, then chill in the fridge. Serve over ice and enjoy your refreshing longan juice!

Longan fruit added to pandan-infused syrup in a pot.

Three different ways of making nam lamyai

Longan drink can be made in different ways depending on the type of longan you have at home:

Using fresh longan fruit: Simmer water with sugar and pandan leaves until the sugar dissolves and the aroma comes through. Turn off the heat, then add the peeled and pitted longan. Let it steep and cool before serving over ice.
Using dried longan: Make longan tea by simmering the dried fruit in sweetened water for 20–30 minutes, until the liquid turns golden. You can then serve it over ice for a chilled version.
Using canned longan: Canned longan is already cooked and packed in syrup, so you can simply mix it with cold water and ice! Feel free to dilute it with water or add more syrup, depending on how sweet you want it.

More Thai drink recipes to try

Enjoy a refreshing glass of homemade longan juice! Sweeten it to taste and serve it over ice during hot days, just like in Thailand. Leave a comment if you try this recipe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more!