Summer's coolest treat: Vibrant juices and smoothies you must try on Thailand’s streets

Text & Photos /Buji

Thailand has so many delicious and refreshing treats to offer beyond its famous Thai milk tea. All kinds of freshly blended fruit juices are also a go-to for beating the heat in sweltering weather. With Taipei’s recent muggy and hot days, I’ve been craving another trip to Thailand just to drink them all. Today, I want to share with you the colorful array of juices I enjoyed in Thailand : D.

1. Various Fruit Smoothies

On a scorching summer day, nothing beats a freshly made fruit smoothie—it’s instantly cooling and satisfying. Buji and I once had a 90-baht passionfruit, kiwi, and mango smoothie at an expensive café near the Grand Palace. We also tried mango smoothies at the highly recommended Mango Tango, and picked up mango and green apple smoothies for around 30–40 baht on Khao San Road. While having lunch at a food stall near Mae Klong Railway Station, we spotted mango, banana, watermelon, and strawberry smoothies priced between 20–30 baht. Isn’t it uplifting to see these on a hot day? Best of all, they’re really affordable.

▲ A passionfruit, kiwi, and mango smoothie from a café near the Grand Palace.

▲ A mango smoothie from Mango Tango.

▲ Price list for smoothies at a food stall near Mae Klong Railway Station. The blue handwriting in the upper right corner shows the prices of various smoothies.

2. Various Freshly Squeezed Juices

▲ A colorful selection of freshly squeezed juices from a street vendor in Thailand.

Walking around Bangkok, you’ll see vendors selling these small bottles of freshly squeezed juice everywhere. The white one on the far left is coconut water, sometimes served with bits of coconut flesh. The second from the left, yellow, is orange juice; the third, purplish-red, is pomegranate juice; the middle green one is guava juice; and the three orange ones on the far right are the orange juice that Buji often drank in Thailand.

The usual serving size is around 200 or 250 c.c., and the price varies slightly by area. It’s most commonly 20 baht, but in Pattaya’s busy streets or even in Bangkok, prices can go up to 30 or even 40 baht. Whenever Buji is thirsty and spots one of these juice stalls, he’ll grab a cup. The rich fruity aroma is incredibly satisfying.

▲ Pomegranate juice, 20 baht.

Pomegranates can cost nearly 100 NT dollars apiece in Taiwan, but here you can get a glass of pomegranate juice for just 20 to 40 baht. It’s super affordable and great value. Plus, pomegranates are great for skin whitening—how can you not give it a try?

▲ Orange juice bought from a street vendor, 20 baht.

It’s worth noting that the oranges used for freshly squeezed juice in Thailand are quite different from those in Taiwan. They’re smaller than our i* citrus, look very plump and juicy. Buji once saw a juice vendor making orange juice, and the cups were filled with 100% pure juice. That’s why these juices taste so rich and satisfying.

Occasionally, you’ll also find pineapple juice. The freshly squeezed pineapple juice Buji had came in a very small bottle—only about 150 c.c.—but it was also cheap. He got it at Amphawa Floating Market for just 10 baht.

▲ Pineapple juice at Amphawa Floating Market.

Sometimes while walking around, you might come across drinks that look like juice but are completely unfamiliar—just like the two beverages in the pictures below. Out of curiosity, Buji once bought one to try. It cost 20 baht. The result? Both he and D found it way too sweet. Since Buji likes the sweetness level of Thai milk tea, he couldn’t even finish it… and ended up throwing it away, ORZ. But it was still a fun experiment.

▲ % Mysterious plant-based drink with herbs and juice.

Back in Taiwan, Buji asked the all-knowing internet what this plant was, and finally got an answer. It turns out that the coconut-like fruit is from a Baidan tree. However, what Buji drank wasn’t the fruit’s water but the juice extracted from the light brown, strip-like Baidan flower spikes (shown in the lower right corner of the photo), with no added water—so it’s extremely sweet and is also known as Baidan flower honey.

So sweet, no wonder Buji couldn’t finish it. But many netizens said they actually enjoyed the taste. So maybe Buji’s taste buds are just different. Everyone’s preferences vary ^^ . Also, to add: the water inside the Baidan fruit itself is low in sweetness and almost flavorless.

Finally, let’s talk about freshly cracked coconut water!!! This is ranked No. 1 among all the Thai juices in Buji’s heart because it’s truly sweet, thirst-quenching, and super refreshing. Coconut water is available everywhere. The cheapest Buji bought was for 15 baht at Amphawa Floating Market, and the most expensive was 50 baht in Pattaya. But either way, it’s cheaper than in Taiwan. And every cup is juicy and sweet!! (How many exclamation marks do I need to express my love for Thai coconut water? XDDD)

▲ The first coconut water Buji had in Thailand. Bought at a fruit stall near the Grand Palace, 20 baht.

▲ Coconut water near Mae Klong Railway Station, 25 baht.

▲ Coconut water at a market near Amphawa Floating Market, 15 baht.

▲ Coconut water at Amphawa Floating Market, 30 baht. Even though it’s all in Amphawa, the prices at the floating market and nearby markets vary a lot.

▲ Coconut water at Chatuchak Market, 20 baht.

▲Coconut juice in Pattaya, 50 baht.

▲Coconut juice near %悸TS SIAM Station, 40 baht.

Not only are there fruit juice stalls everywhere on the street, but even casually visited restaurants often sell juice, and department store supermarkets have freshly squeezed juice too！

▲Juice from a restaurant on %及糯镅抛alking Street, the top photo shows pineapple and watermelon juice, the bottom one is orange juice.

▲Freshly squeezed juice at the supermarket in %加iam Paragon, 不羁 bought guava juice.

The guava juice in the top photo has a very interesting flavor！ In addition to the strong guava taste, there’s also a slightly salty note, kind of like it has plum powder mixed in？ Although it’s freshly squeezed, when 不羁 saw it, it was already juiced and placed in the display case, so I’m not entirely sure if the staff added plum powder or some other seasoning powder @@.

Phew~ After introducing all these juices, I’m thirsty again><！由于在泰国的时间和胃有限，又有泰式奶茶要喝，又有一堆果汁、啤酒和饮料，根本没办法把所有想喝想吃的东西一次吃完阿......只好下次再到泰国再接再厉了！你们也喜欢泰国的果汁吗？！下次到泰国千万别忘了尝尝便宜又好喝的各种饮品啦:DDD！

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