How to make homemade Xoi (Vietnamese Sticky Rice)

Xoi or Vietnamese sticky rice is an important category in Vietnamese cuisine. These sticky rice dishes can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there are a variety of flavors from sweet to savory. In this blog post, learn all the ins and outs of making Xoi as well as tips on how to make this in a rice cooker.

Xoi or Vietnamese sticky rice is something I never truly appreciated growing up because it seemed weird to me. I wanted “American” food, but as I got older, I really started to see the beauty in these colorful rice dishes. Not only are they beautiful, but they’re the best thing to when you’re on the go and just need a quick snack. I love everything about Xoi, and I am so excited to share how I make it at home.

What is Xoi?

Xoi or Vietnamese sticky rice is an important category in Vietnamese cuisine and can be found in many places in and outside Vietnam. There are a variety of flavors and colors, and it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, it is most commonly eaten as an on-the-go breakfast item. The Xoi I know best are those served for dessert or breakfast like Xoi La Dua (pandan sticky rice), Xoi Lac (sticky rice with peanuts), and Xoi Gac (red sticky rice). But there are a variety of Xoi that are more savory and can eaten as full meals like Xoi Man (sticky rice with Chinese sausage). Xoi can also be eaten as a substitute for regular white rice.

The exciting thing about Xoi is how versatile it is, enabling it to be dyed different colors and paired with a variety of ingredients. New variations are being developed every single day. I’ve even created a few of my own like Xoi Ube (Vietnamese purple sticky rice with ube).

Popular Xoi varieties

There are so many varieties of Xoi, and newer ones are popping up every day! Below are the most popular Xoi varieties that I’ve personally had.

1. Xoi Gac – red sticky rice made with Gac, a fruit native to Vietnam
2. Xoi La Dua – green sticky rice flavored with pandan leaves
3. Xoi Lac – sticky made with peanuts
4. Xoi Man – a savory sticky rice with Chinese sausage and mushrooms
5. Xoi Bap – sticky with corn
6. Xoi Xeo – sticky rice with mung beans

Ingredients, Substitutions and Adjustments

To cook Xoi, you only need 2 ingredients – glutinous rice and water. I like to use Three rings sweet rice for my sticky rice dishes. Another good option I’ve used is Three ladies sweet rice.

How to make homemade Xoi

Rinse the 1 cup of glutinous rice until the water runs clear (4-5 times). Pour rice into a bowl with 2 cups of water. Let soak for 4 hours or overnight. Prep a steamer by bringing water to a simmer and add the steamer insert. Place a sheet of parchment paper or cheese cloth on top of the steamer insert. Steam for 40 minutes. Taste the rice for doneness. If it is undercooked, keep steaming for a few more minutes before testing again.

How to flavor and color Xoi

You can flavor and color sticky rice in a variety of ways. It just depends on what you’re going for, and there isn’t really a right way to do it. Typically, if you want to color sticky rice, you will want to soak the rice in water with that coloring agent. For example, to make pandan sticky rice green, I soak the rice in pandan juice to give it that green color. In this case, the rice also gets flavored at the same time. If you want to just flavor sticky rice, I usually like to add those flavorings after I cook the rice. In the pandan sticky rice example, I flavored the rice with sugar and coconut milk after I steamed the rice. You can also add solid mix ins at this point like sesame seeds or shredded coconut. If you’re making a savory Xoi, this is also the point you will mix in your savory ingredients like corn or pork floss. This is how I think about making my Xoi, but feel free to experiment and try your own way.

Can I make this recipe with a rice cooker?

You CAN but that doesn’t mean you should. I find that using a rice cooker makes the results inconsistent which is wild because cooking long grain rice is more consistent in the rice cooker. Every rice cooker is different, so it’s hard to know how much water to add without testing it. This means your rice will either be too mushy or too dry. I have seen a lot of mushy sticky rice made using a rice cooker. Using a steamer yields more consistent results.

If you want to use a rice cooker, I would recommend using a rice cooker with a steamer basket and steaming the rice in the steamer basket. Another thing you could do is test the sticky rice a few times in your rice cooker, so you know the exact ratio of rice to water. There are also nicer rice cookers with a sticky rice/sweet rice option in their settings which means it can cook sticky rice accurately. The Zojirushi rice cooker the one I have) has a sticky rice setting. I would generally recommend a 1:1 ratio to start for sticky rice cooked in a rice cooker. Test out a batch and adjust accordingly. Add more water if the rice seems too dry or less if it seems too mushy.

How do you store Xoi?

Xoi should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. If your home is too warm, place it in the fridge, and reheat for 10-20 seconds before serving. You will want to eat it at room temperature.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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