The easiest places to buy tamarind in Bangkok are Tops supermarkets, which stock tamarind pulp, concentrate, sauces and boxed dried tamarind, and the city's fresh markets, of which Or Tor Kor Market in Chatuchak is the best known. What to buy depends on whether you want to cook with tamarind, which means the sour pulp, or eat it as a snack, which means sweet tamarind.
In Thai, tamarind is makham. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) names tamarind, with lime juice, as the source of sour flavor in Thai cooking, and tamarind juice goes into som tam, the green papaya salad. That is why it is a pantry staple rather than a specialty item, and why it is easy to find once you know the words.
Know which tamarind you want
- Tamarind pulp (makham piak): the brown, sticky block of sour tamarind that cooks soak in warm water and strain for sauces and curries.
- Tamarind concentrate or sauce (nam makham): the ready-to-use liquid, sold in pouches and bottles. It saves the soaking step.
- Sweet tamarind (makham wan): a fruit eaten out of the pod, sold fresh and also dried and seedless in boxes.
- Tamarind candy and gifts: sugared tamarind sweets, plus tamarind soaps and body scrubs, which are sold in the supermarket's beauty aisles.
Tops supermarkets
Tops is the most predictable place to buy tamarind in Bangkok because its shelves are online: a search on the Tops website shows what it carries, and each product page notes that prices can vary by branch. On September 26, 2026, the range included a 200-gram pack of tamarind, a small tamarind concentrate, several concentrated tamarind sauces, boxed dried seedless tamarind and tamarind candy. The dried tamarind is described by Tops as 100 percent tamarind, deseeded by hand and dried with hot air, and at THB 489 for 400 grams it is the gift-box option.
The same search also turns up tamarind bar soaps and salt scrubs from Thai brands, which pack more easily than food if you are carrying gifts home. Exact prices are in the FAQ below.
Or Tor Kor Market
Or Tor Kor Market is run by the Marketing Organization for Farmers (MOF, known in Thai as Or Tor Kor), a state agency, from its headquarters on Yan Phahonyothin Road in Chatuchak. It is a fresh market, and the agency publishes daily reference prices on its website for staples such as rice, fruit, vegetables, seafood and meat. The market does not publish a stock list, so ask at the dried-goods stalls for makham piak, and at the fruit stalls for makham wan when you want the fresh sweet pods.
The market is about half a kilometer from Chatuchak Weekend Market, so a weekend visit can take in both. At either, carry cash and agree on a price before you buy, as TAT advises for Thailand's big markets.
Other places to look
Because tamarind pulp is an everyday cooking ingredient, it is worth asking at any neighborhood fresh market or grocery, using the Thai names above. Packaged pulp and concentrate are the forms most likely to be on a shelf; fresh sweet tamarind is a fruit and its availability depends on the season. Dried sweet tamarind in gift boxes is the version most often sold as a souvenir.
Learn to cook with it
If you want to know what to do with a block of pulp once you have it, a cooking class is the practical answer. Baipai Thai Cooking School, also in Chatuchak, teaches Thai cooking in English from a wooden Thai-style house in a garden, with a family class for children aged 7 and up. For more ideas about where to eat and shop, see our Bangkok restaurant guide and Bangkok shopping guide.
Taking tamarind home
Sealed, packaged pulp, concentrate, candy and dried tamarind travel better than fresh pods. Many countries restrict fresh fruit and plant material at the border, so check your home country's customs rules before packing fresh sweet tamarind.
Sources: Tops Online, tamarind products, Tops, dried seedless tamarind, Marketing Organization for Farmers (Or Tor Kor), daily prices, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai cuisine, Tourism Authority of Thailand, som tam, Tourism Authority of Thailand, market tips. Checked September 26, 2026.
Makham. Sour tamarind pulp is makham piak, sweet tamarind is makham wan, and tamarind juice or concentrate is nam makham.
Tops supermarkets carry tamarind pulp, concentrate and concentrated tamarind sauces; you can check the range on the Tops website before you go. Fresh markets such as Or Tor Kor also sell tamarind pulp at dried-goods stalls.
On September 26, 2026, the Tops website listed My Choice Tamarind 200 g at THB 59, Nature Taste Tamarind Concentrate 50 g at THB 12, Nongporn Concentrated Tamarind Sauce 300 g at THB 41, Amira Tamarind Candy 120 g at THB 29 and My Choice Thai Dried Seedless Tamarind 400 g at THB 489. Tops notes that prices may vary by branch.
Dried, seedless sweet tamarind is sold boxed at Tops. For fresh sweet tamarind pods, ask at the fruit stalls in fresh markets such as Or Tor Kor Market; as a fruit, fresh sweet tamarind is seasonal.
In Chatuchak district, at the Marketing Organization for Farmers headquarters on Yan Phahonyothin Road, Bangkok 10900, about half a kilometer from Chatuchak Weekend Market.
Packaged tamarind pulp, concentrate, candy and dried tamarind are the easiest to carry. Rules on fresh fruit vary by country, so check your destination's customs and biosecurity rules before packing fresh pods.
