What to Make with Pandan Leaves

Pandan is one of those ingredients I grew up with, so I don’t really think twice about using it. But I know that if you didn’t grow up cooking Thai food, it can feel a bit unclear what to actually do with it.

If you’ve got a bunch of pandan leaves and no idea where to start, these are some of the recipes I make most often at home.

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Collage of 7 pandan recipes including green waffles, pandan juice being poured, sticky rice in a bamboo basket, iced pandan drink, coconut pandan dessert, pandan rice with sliced chicken, and pandan custard dip.

7 Pandan recipes to try

1. Pandan custard

My recipe for pandan custard makes a smooth, creamy pandan custard with coconut milk and fresh pandan leaves. It’s made with coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and pandan, which gives it that natural green color and a soft, fragrant flavor people often compare to vanilla with a hint of coconut.

Perfect with bread as a custardy dip!

Hand dipping soft white bread into creamy pandan custard, showing the thick, silky texture of Thai sangkhaya pandan.

2. Syrup

I make pandan syrup quite often because it’s one of the easiest ways to use up extra leaves. You can keep it in the fridge and use it for drinks like tea or coffee, shaved ice, or drizzle it over desserts.

Glass jug of green pandan syrup with a small glass cup, surrounded by pandan leaves and decorative flowers on a woven tray.

3. Pandan coconut waffles

I’ve received a lot of compliments on my pandan waffles. They’re soft, fragrant, and have that nice green color from fresh pandan juice.

Made with flour, eggs, coconut milk, and sugar, they have a light sweetness and that familiar pandan flavor that works really well with coconut.

Pandan waffles served on a plate with pandan leaf pieces and coconut sauce on the side, styled on a rustic wooden table.

4. Make a jelly

Pandan works really well in layered desserts like khanom chan or simple pandan coconut jelly. The flavor is quite light, but it pairs nicely with coconut milk and gives the dessert a fresh feel.

This is something I usually buy at markets rather than make at home, but if you’ve never tried making it yourself, it’s definitely worth doing at least once.

Thai pandan coconut jelly deserved served on a black dish.

5. Pandan-infused rice

The flavor of the rice stays mostly the same, but the pandan adds a really nice aroma. I like doing this when cooking for guests, it’s small, but people always notice you’ve put in extra effort!

At my Thai restaurant, we once served pandan-infused rice instead of regular rice at Christmas, and people really loved it.

A serving of aromatic pandan rice on a bamboo tray, garnished with coriander and served with grilled meat.

6. Turn it into a refreshing drink

Pandan drinks are really common here in Thailand, especially in the summer. I usually simmer the leaves in water, add a bit of sugar and a pinch of salt, then chill it.

See my pandan drink recipe for the full method.

Thai pandan drink served in a tall glass with ice and metal straw, featuring bright green color and chilled cubes of jelly.

7. Lod chong

Lod chong is one of my favorite desserts on really hot days. The pandan noodles with coconut milk and palm sugar syrup are cold, slightly sweet, and very refreshing.

It takes a bit more effort, but it’s worth it if you want to make something more traditional at home.