Compare before you book · school prices seen 2 October 2026
Chiang Mai cooking classes compared: 7 schools, prices and how to choose
A Chiang Mai cooking class is a half-day or full-day session, usually with hotel pickup and a market visit in morning and full-day classes, where you cook roughly three to eight dishes. On the schools’ own sites, half days run about ฿900–1,400 and full days about ฿1,200–1,800 per person (school prices seen October 2026). Choose by setting, by length and by diet: the table sorts seven schools on exactly those points.
The seven schools side by side
Per person, in Thai baht, from each school’s own site. Listed alphabetically; no school paid to be listed or placed higher. On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
| School | Setting | Half day (THB, own site) | Full day (THB) | Market visit | Vegetarian | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School | Both: Old City garden and an organic farm | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | GetYourGuide School site |
| Baan Thai Cookery School | In town: central Chiang Mai (Phra Sing) | 1,100 (morning or evening) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | School site |
| Grandma’s Home Cooking School | Farm in Saraphi, outside town | 1,190 morning (4 h); 1,390 evening (3.5 h) | 1,790 (9:00–15:45) | Morning and full day: yes. Evening: no | Not stated | GetYourGuide School: half day School: full day |
| Mama Noi Thai Cookery School | Farm with a 6-acre organic garden | 1,000 standard; 1,399 air-con (about 4.5 h) | Not stated | Yes | Yes: vegetarian versions of all dishes | GetYourGuide School site |
| The Rice Barn Thai Cooking Farm | Farm in San Phi Suea (Mueang) | 900 (4–5 h) | 1,200; special 8-dish day 1,690 | Full day 1: yes. Half day and full day 2: no. Special day: not stated | Not stated | GetYourGuide: half day School site |
| Thai Farm Cooking School | Farm outside the city centre (organic) | 1,200 morning or evening; promo 1,000 until 21 Oct 2026 | 1,500; promo 1,300 until 21 Oct 2026 | Morning and full day: yes. Evening: not stated | Yes: whole menu can be vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten free | School: half day School: full day |
| Zabb E Lee Thai Cooking School | Farm about 20 min from the old town (organic), per its site | 1,200 through 31 Oct 2026; 1,400 from 1 Nov 2026 (5 h, morning or evening) | Not stated | Yes | Yes: vegetarian and vegan adaptations | School site |
Dates to watch. Thai Farm’s promo prices (1,000 for a half day, 1,300 for a full day) end on 21 Oct 2026. Zabb E Lee costs 1,200 through 31 Oct 2026 and 1,400 from 1 Nov 2026.
Reading the table. “Not stated” means no figure was confirmed for that cell, so ask the school. Mama Noi (about 4.5 h) and Zabb E Lee (5 h) list one session length, shown under half day. Grandma’s and Zabb E Lee also list a ฿600 visitor (non-cooking) rate.
Asia Scenic. Its course page titles in search results show about ฿1,000 for the Old City course (morning or evening) and about ฿1,200 for the farm course (morning only). Those figures are unconfirmed: check the school’s site.
No GetYourGuide link. Thai Farm, Zabb E Lee and Baan Thai show no GetYourGuide link because no listing was found under their names; book those through the school.
Farm school or Old City?
Five of the seven are farm-based: Grandma’s, Mama Noi, Rice Barn, Thai Farm and Zabb E Lee. Asia Scenic runs both an Old City garden and a farm course, and Baan Thai is in central Chiang Mai. Farm schools add an organic-garden walk to the class, and pickup usually covers only a set zone: Zabb E Lee within 3 km of downtown, Mama Noi within 5 km of the Old City, Thai Farm “if in our pick up zone”. Check your hotel is covered before you book.
Pick a farm school if the garden walk matters and your hotel is in the zone. Pick Baan Thai, or Asia Scenic’s Old City course, if you would rather stay in town; Asia Scenic’s Old Town morning runs about 9:00–13:30 with pickup. One caution: Zabb E Lee’s own site now describes an organic farm about 20 minutes from the old town, while some older reviews place it inside the Old City, so go by the address on its site.
Half day or full day?
A half day is about 4–6.5 hours including pickup and covers about 3 to 5 dishes; a full day is about 6–8 hours and covers 6 to 8. Where a school publishes both, the step up costs ฿300 at Thai Farm (1,200 to 1,500) and Rice Barn (900 to 1,200) and ฿600 at Grandma’s (1,190 to 1,790), for roughly one to three extra dishes.
Evening half days often skip the market: Grandma’s evening class says so outright, and at Rice Barn the half day and one full-day option skip it. Choose a morning or full-day slot if the market matters. Take a half day for one meal’s worth of cooking and the rest of the day free; take a full day for more dishes. If you would rather be led through street food than cook, compare food tours.
Vegetarian, vegan, halal
Three schools state it on their own pages. Thai Farm: “the entire menu can be vegetarian, non-vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten free”. Mama Noi: vegetarian versions of all dishes. Zabb E Lee: vegetarian and vegan adaptations. Grandma’s, Baan Thai, Rice Barn and Asia Scenic do not state it on the pages checked, so ask before booking. Halal is stated only by Thai Farm. For restaurants, see vegetarian and vegan restaurants.
Booking direct vs GetYourGuide
Direct booking is often cheaper than going through a platform. Platform listings seen in search results ran about US$20–50 per person, mostly US$30–40 (approximate; the listing shows the current price). What a platform adds is guest reviews on the listing and free cancellation on most listings; check the exact terms on the one you pick. Cancellation and deposit terms for direct bookings are set by each school, so ask before you pay. Four of the seven schools have a GetYourGuide listing linked in the table: Asia Scenic, Grandma’s, Mama Noi and Rice Barn.
All Chiang Mai cooking classes
Compare current prices, durations and guest reviews across the cooking listings for Chiang Mai.
Another platform to compare:
Klook
Another activity marketplace. Search results showed Klook listings for Rice Barn, Mama Noi and Baan Thai in October 2026; this link opens Klook rather than a specific school.
After the class
The Khao Soi Trail and the Northern Thai restaurant list show how the city’s restaurants cook the regional dishes. The atlas tracks 259 Chiang Mai restaurants in all.
Cooking class questions
How much does a Chiang Mai cooking class cost?
On the schools’ own sites a half-day class costs about ฿900–1,400 per person and a full day about ฿1,200–1,790 (school prices seen October 2026). Booking-platform listings showed roughly US$20–50, mostly US$30–40. Two prices have dates: Thai Farm’s promo rates end on 21 October 2026, and Zabb E Lee rises from ฿1,200 to ฿1,400 on 1 November 2026.
Is a market visit included in a Chiang Mai cooking class?
Usually in morning and full-day classes, and often not in evening ones. Grandma’s evening class says there is no market visit, and at Rice Barn the half day and the second full-day option skip it.
Is hotel pickup included?
Usually, inside a limited zone. Zabb E Lee collects within 3 km of downtown and Mama Noi within 5 km of the Old City. Thai Farm picks up if you are in its zone, and Grandma’s and Rice Barn list pickup as included. Baan Thai’s pickup is not stated on the pages checked, so ask. Confirm your hotel is inside the zone before you book.
Can I do a vegetarian or vegan cooking class in Chiang Mai?
Three of the seven schools state it: Thai Farm (the menu can be vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten free), Mama Noi (vegetarian versions of all dishes) and Zabb E Lee (vegetarian and vegan adaptations). The other four do not state it on the pages checked, so ask the school before you book.
The travel kit
The four things every Chiang Mai food trip needs sorted before the eating starts.
Links to GetYourGuide, Klook and the travel kit are affiliate links: they cost you nothing and keep this guide free. School site links are plain links. No school paid to be listed, and prices change, so check the booking page before you pay.