Itim Kati
ไอติมกะทิ
Itim Kati is Thai coconut milk ice cream — a creamier, more fragrant and less sweet ice cream made from fresh coconut milk, served in a coconut shell with roasted peanuts and sticky rice.
Cultural Origin
Itim Kati, Thai coconut ice cream, is a 20th-century street-vendor adaptation of churned ice cream using coconut milk in place of dairy. It is typically served in a small bun or coconut shell with toppings such as peanuts, sticky rice, sweet corn, and palm sugar syrup.
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- coconut milk
- palm sugar
- salt
- sticky rice
- roasted peanuts
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
It is noticeably less sweet and lighter than dairy ice cream, with a cleaner coconut flavour and a faint salt note that keeps it from tasting flat.
How Itim Kati Is Made
- 1
Preparing the base
Fresh coconut milk is combined with sugar and a pinch of salt and warmed gently until fully dissolved.
- 2
Chilling
The sweetened coconut milk is cooled completely before churning, since churning warm liquid produces coarse ice crystals.
- 3
Churning
The chilled mixture is churned while freezing, incorporating air and breaking up ice crystals to keep the texture smooth rather than icy.
- 4
Hardening
Once churned it is transferred to a freezer to firm up to a scoopable consistency.
- 5
Serving
It is scooped into a halved coconut shell or bun and topped with items such as roasted peanuts, sticky rice, or sweet corn.
When It’s Eaten
A street-vendor treat eaten at any time of day, particularly popular as a way to cool down during the hottest hours rather than after a specific meal.
How to Order It
- ขอไอติมกะทิหนึ่งที่
- kor itim kati neung thi
- One coconut ice cream, please
- ใส่ข้าวเหนียวด้วย
- sai khao niao duay
- With sticky rice as well
What people get wrong
Expecting the texture and sweetness of dairy soft-serve — it melts faster than dairy ice cream and is less sweet, which can read as a lower-quality product to visitors unfamiliar with coconut-based versions.
Where to Try It
Street vendors throughout Thailand — the coconut shell presentation is standard; night markets are the best source.
Tips
- The sticky rice topping is not an accident — it adds textural contrast and soaks up the melting coconut ice cream beautifully.