🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Roi Et's sweets fall roughly into three groups. The first is khanom buang yuan, the Vietnamese-style crepe Roi Et takes seriously enough to have several old family shops. The second is Isan home-style sweets, built mostly on sticky rice and jasmine rice — from grilled rice cakes (khao ji) and banana-leaf parcels (khao tom mat) to khao pong and khao mao. The last group is the desserts and snacks you find at the evening markets and walking street, where prices are light and everything is easy to grab. We'll go through them group by group, with a straight take on which ones are easy to find, which need you to hit the right shop, and what's worth picking up at the markets.
Khanom buang yuan — the local sweet most people don't know Roi Et nails
Mention Roi Et and people think of the Thung Kula Ronghai plains and jasmine rice first. But the sweet locals are really proud of is khanom buang yuan, the Vietnamese-style crepe — a thin, crispy batter spread on a hot griddle, loaded with sweet fillings of coconut, peanuts, Chinese sausage and egg, then folded in half and served hot. Roi Et has several old khanom buang yuan shops that have been going for decades, some handed down over multiple generations. If you come and don't try it, you've missed the town's signature treat.
Khanom Buang Yuan Lamiad
An old-recipe Vietnamese-crepe shop that Roi Et locals treat as the go-to. The current owner is several generations in. The batter is spread thin and crisp with a nice crunchy texture, made both with egg and without, and the filling is packed with a sweet-savory balance that lands just right. If you're only going to try one khanom buang yuan in Roi Et, start here.
Old-School Khanom Buang Yuan (40+ years)
An old Roi Et Vietnamese-crepe shop that's been going for more than forty years. The flavor is traditional — crisp batter, filling that isn't too sweet — the kind older folks in town grew up with. Good for anyone who wants the original taste before it got dialed up sweeter for modern palates.
Grandma Gan's Khanom Buang Yuan (also khanom pak mo)
A shop that makes both khanom buang yuan and khanom pak mo (steamed rice-flour dumplings) under one roof, so you get two sweets in one stop. The batter is made fresh at the stall. Good for an afternoon graze or to take home as a snack.
Khanom Buang Yuan, Saket Nakhon Walking Street
If you come on a day the Saket Nakhon walking street is open, there are stalls making khanom buang yuan fresh and spreading the batter right in front of you — grab one hot as you stroll. Good if you don't want to hunt down a particular shop; just turn up on a walking-street day and you'll get a taste.
Old crepe shops often open in set windows
A lot of the old khanom buang yuan shops are small and handmade — some open only late morning to afternoon, some sell out fast. If you've got your heart set on a specific shop, check their page or call to confirm the day and hours first so you don't waste the trip. If you'd rather not plan around it, come on a Saket Nakhon walking-street day, which usually has freshly made khanom buang yuan stalls.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Roi Et food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
Isan home-style sweets — sticky rice, jasmine rice, country desserts
Roi Et sits in the middle of jasmine-rice fields, so its home-style sweets are built mostly around sticky rice and fragrant rice. Many of them are merit-making and seasonal sweets — simple to make, not as fussy as central-Thai desserts, but with a sweet-rich taste that brings home to mind. These are the Isan sticky-rice sweets you can still find at markets and merit-making events around town.
- Khao ji — sticky rice shaped into a ball on a skewer, brushed with egg and grilled over charcoal until crisp outside and soft inside. Some put a cane-sugar or sugarcane-syrup filling inside. A proper Isan morning snack and a perfect partner for coffee.
- Khao tom mat — coconut sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf around banana or black beans, tied with bamboo strips and steamed. Sweet, rich and fragrant with banana leaf; found at morning markets and merit-making events.
- Khao pong — steamed sticky rice pounded and spread into a round sheet, dried, then grilled until it puffs up. Crisp and fragrant with rice, eaten plain or brushed with sugarcane syrup. An old Isan sweet that's getting harder to find.
- Khao mao — young sticky rice roasted and pounded flat, then tossed with coconut and sugar. Soft, fragrant and easy to eat; after the harvest you'll find fresh khao mao to try at the markets.
- Khao pradap din (ho khao noi) — a sweet for Isan's ninth-month merit festival, sticky rice with sweets wrapped in banana leaf and tied like khao tom mat. If you come during the festival you'll see it at the temples — it's tied to tradition more than sold generally.
- Kluai buat chi, khanom tan, bua loi — coconut-milk Thai desserts you'll find everywhere at the markets. Cheap, easy to grab to round off a meal.
Sticky-rice sweets are best in the morning and after the harvest
Khao ji, khao tom mat and khao mao are at their best in the morning at the fresh market, since they're made fresh and still warm. Fresh khao mao and khao pong show up a lot after the harvest season around year-end. If you're here then, just ask the morning-market vendors whether there's new khao mao.
Jasmine-rice desserts and souvenir shops in town
Beyond the market sweets, Roi Et has shops that take the province's signature jasmine rice and turn it into modern desserts, plus souvenir shops that gather sweets in one place so you can buy everything to take home in a single stop. We've lined up the shops that are still open and that locals actually go to, ordered by how easy they are to drop into.
Noey Sod Park
A well-known cake-and-cafe souvenir shop in Roi Et. The menu people talk about is the jasmine-rice flour chiffon cake — they use the province's fragrant rice flour to make a cake that's soft and aromatic, a great match for coffee. It's a dessert that tells the story of Roi Et's jasmine rice well. Eat in, or buy some to take home.
Aroi Jang Roi Et (well-known souvenirs)
A go-to souvenir shop on Prem Pracharat Road in town, gathering a range of Roi Et sweets and gifts — baked goods, home-style sweets and dry goods that keep well. Good for stocking up on a full set of souvenirs in one shop before you head out.
Sri Fa Bakery
A bakery Roi Et locals know by name — bread, cakes and baked goods made fresh, at friendly prices. Good for a bakery-style dessert during the day, or for grabbing some bread to tide you over before you head out. Several branches make it easy to drop by.
Souvenirs on Level 3, Ho Hwot 101
A souvenir zone up on Ho Hwot 101, the city-view tower by Bueng Phlan Chai. Head up for the view over town, then browse souvenirs in the same building. There are sweets and provincial keepsakes, handy to drop into while you're visiting Bueng Phlan Chai in the evening.
Nantawat Roi Et
A sweets-and-souvenir shop in town that gathers tasty sweets from around Thailand alongside local goods, with a delivery service. Good if you want a wide variety of souvenirs or need to send something to people far away.
Rung Charoen & Thung Charoen Morning Markets (fresh home-style sweets)
Morning markets in town where vendors bring fresh home-made sweets — khao ji, khao tom mat, stuffed sweets and coconut-milk desserts. Cheap, and genuinely handmade. Good if you wake up early to graze before they sell out.
Snacks and desserts at the evening markets and walking street
If you don't want to hunt down a particular shop, just walking the evening market or the Saket Nakhon walking street turns up plenty of desserts and snacks to grab. They're a few baht a bag, perfect to eat as you stroll or to round off dinner. The Saket Nakhon walking street runs roughly 4–9 PM on its open days, with an easygoing feel and both food and handmade-goods stalls. These are the desserts you'll see often and that locals actually buy.
- Fresh khanom buang yuan — stalls spreading the batter in plain sight on the walking street; grab one hot as you go. It's the town's signature treat and easy to find on walking-street days.
- Khanom krok, khanom thuai, khanom buang — coconut-milk sweets made fresh on the cart, fragrant and easy to eat on the move. An easy way to round off dinner.
- Bua loi, lod chong, ruam mit in coconut milk — cold sweets to beat the heat, with warm ginger-broth bua loi too. Pick whichever suits the weather.
- Khao ji, grilled sticky rice, grilled banana — Isan-style grilled sweets. Egg-brushed khao ji off the grill is fragrant, and grilled sticky rice comes with banana or taro filling — solid snacks as you walk the market.
- Fried banana, fried sweet potato, fried taro, fried khao mao — crisp, sweet, freshly fried fritters, a few baht a bag, perfect to grab and graze.
- Roti, smoothies, seasonal fruit juices — banana-and-egg roti drizzled with condensed milk, cold smoothies and seasonal fruit juices — popular ways to beat the heat at the evening market.
Carry cash and small notes
Most cart vendors and market sellers still take mainly cash. Some have PromptPay, but not all, so coins and small notes are handier — especially for the five-to-twenty-baht snacks. And the walking street isn't open every day, so check the open days on their page before you plan around it.
A 2-day Roi Et dessert hunt
If you want to taste khanom buang yuan, home-style sweets and jasmine-rice desserts without wearing yourself out, here's a two-day plan organized by zone. Day one hits the morning markets and shops in town; day two covers jasmine-rice desserts and the walking street. Shift the timing to suit the day you visit — if it lands on a walking-street day, keep the evening free for Saket Nakhon.
Morning markets and sweet shops in town
Jasmine-rice desserts and the walking street
Tasting Roi Et's sweets the way locals do
- Many old khanom buang yuan shops are small and handmade — call or check their page for the day and hours first, since some sell out fast or only open in set windows.
- If you don't want to plan around the shops, come on a Saket Nakhon walking-street day, where you'll get both fresh khanom buang yuan and snacks in one place.
- Sticky-rice sweets like khao ji, khao tom mat and khao mao are best in the morning at the fresh market, made fresh and still warm.
- At the markets, buy a little of several things so you can taste a range without filling up too soon.
- Fresh souvenir sweets like cakes and baked goods have a short shelf life — ask about the use-by date and how to store them before carrying them far. Dry goods and long-keeping baked goods travel better across provinces.
Pair dessert with a stroll around Bueng Phlan Chai
Bueng Phlan Chai sits in the middle of town and is where Roi Et locals come for an evening stroll. Around the lake and up on Ho Hwot 101 there are both snacks and souvenirs, so you can line up your evening dessert with a walk around the lake and not have to drive around in circles.
Plan a full day of eating around Roi Et
See the Roi Et travel guide →