The Best Desserts on Koh Phangan
Where to find something sweet here — and why almost all of it happens to be vegan without trying.
Koh Phangan is a better dessert island than it has any right to be, for two reasons that have nothing to do with each other. The first is Thai cooking itself: traditional Thai sweets are built on coconut milk, palm sugar and rice, not butter and cream, so a great many of them are vegan without anyone deciding they should be.
The second is Srithanu. The wellness community there produced a cluster of plant-based bakeries that would hold their own in a European city, and they are the reason "vegan cheesecake" is a sentence people say on this island without irony.
What to eat, and where
Vegan cheesecake
The dessert most people on this island name first. Cashew-based, dense, and the reason Deli Devi has the following it does. Also the best vegan cheese counter on Koh Phangan.
Roti with banana and condensed milk
Griddled to order at the market for a fraction of a restaurant price, and better than most restaurant desserts on the island. The default version has egg and condensed milk; some stalls will do it without.
Mango sticky rice
Coconut milk, glutinous rice, ripe mango. Naturally vegan, seasonal at its best from March to June, and consistently better from a market stall than a hotel kitchen.
Raw cacao and coconut slices
The Srithanu wellness dessert genre — dates, cacao, coconut oil, no refined sugar. Better than that description suggests.
Coconut ice cream in the shell
Served in a coconut half with peanuts and sticky rice. Check it is coconut-milk based rather than dairy — most are.
Coconut panna cotta & passion fruit crème brûlée
Ours. Included because of a specific gap: a proper plated dessert course, at dinner, that happens to be vegan without announcing itself. The crème brûlée has a passion fruit tapioca under the crust.
Affogato with oat milk ice cream
Also ours. Espresso over vanilla oat milk ice cream, sweetened with dates rather than sugar. The one to order if you still have the ride home ahead of you.
The night market is the answer more often than not
If you take one thing from this guide: the dessert stalls at Thong Sala night market are better and roughly a fifth of the price of most restaurant dessert menus on the island, including several expensive ones.
Roti made to order, mango sticky rice, coconut ice cream, grilled banana. Go hungry, bring small notes, and do not plan to eat dessert anywhere else that evening.
Eating dessert as a vegan here
Easier than almost anywhere. The things to actually check:
- ·Roti usually contains egg in the dough and condensed milk on top. Some stalls will make it without both — ask before they start.
- ·Coconut ice cream is usually coconut-milk based, but some vendors use a dairy base. Worth one question.
- ·Mango sticky rice is reliably vegan. Order it in season — March to June — and it is a different dessert entirely.
- ·Srithanu closes early. The vegan bakeries are a daytime proposition. See the vegan guide for hours advice.
Two of these are ours
We have put two of our own desserts on this list, so weigh them accordingly. The specific gap we think we fill is a plated dessert course at dinner that is vegan without making a point of it — the island is rich in vegan cake and thin on vegan desserts that arrive at the end of a proper meal.
All 4 of our desserts are dairy-free and egg-free. Coconut, oat milk and dates do the work that cream, butter and refined sugar usually do.
That said — if you simply want the best sweet thing on this island for the least money, it is a roti at the night market, not anything we make. Our dessert menu is here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dessert on Koh Phangan?
Deli Devi’s vegan cheesecake is the one most people name. For value, roti at Thong Sala night market wins outright.
Is mango sticky rice vegan?
Yes — coconut milk, rice and mango, no dairy or egg. Best from March to June.
Where do I find vegan cake?
Srithanu — Deli Devi, Pure Vegan Heaven, Karma Kafé. Daytime only, so plan around it.
What do desserts cost?
40–120฿ at markets, 120–180฿ in cafés, 190–250฿ plated in restaurants.
More guides
When to Visit Koh Phangan — Month by Month
Weather, sea conditions, crowds and what actually closes — an honest month-by-month breakdown, including why low season is better than its reputation.
Koh Phangan for Couples — A Four-Day Plan
What to actually do with four days here as a couple: beaches, viewpoints, dinners and the one day worth doing nothing at all.
Getting Around Koh Phangan
Scooters, taxis, songthaews and the roads that genuinely catch people out. Written after too many guests have arrived rattled.