The 14 Best Cooking Classes in Laos

1.Evening Cooking Class & Local Baci Ceremony

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 151 reviews · 4 hours · from $51Our pick

Meet your English-speaking host at 4 PM for a market visit, then cook five Lao dishes in a family-run pavilion beside rice fields. You will share dinner, join a traditional Baci blessing with local elders, and hear a Hmong musician perform. The small group is limited to six, with hotel pickup and drop-off included.

“I thought this would just be a cooking class. It had so many parts to it and in the space of 4 hours we learned so much. I would 100% recommend this to anyone”

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2.Bamboo Weaving Workshop & Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 96 reviews · 4 - 5 hours · from $44Top rated

Spend 4 to 5 hours learning how bamboo shapes Lao daily life. With an English-speaking guide such as John or Sia, you will weave a small mat, help cook bamboo shoot dishes, eat from a bamboo tray, and hear local instruments in a traditional house surrounded by rice fields. Choose a morning visit for better photos or an evening session for dinner.

“Fantastic activity jam packed full of fun and our tour guide was brilliant.”

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3.Cooking Class at the Former Royal Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 51 reviews · 4 hours · from $45

Start near Wat Xiengthong with a bicycle or tuk tuk ride to Luang Prabang’s morning market. Chef-guides such as Noi, Noy, Nov, and Vannasone explain local ingredients before you cook several Lao dishes at Alame Restaurant, then eat your meal beside the Mekong. Small groups are limited to 10.

“absolutelt amazing class wirh Npi. pnly 2 webt to the maket to buy some ingredients. Noi explained 2verything to us about all the foods and what to use them for. we then webt for coffee ato allow Noi time for prep. we went back later for the class and cooked the most amazing doshes which tastwd excellent foe lunch. ovwrlooling the Mekong rive. .Thanks so much Npi. in class and we m”

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4.Day-time Bamboo weaving & Cooking Classes join-in

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 38 reviews · from $25Best value

Spend a half-day at The Bamboo Experience near Luang Prabang, where you learn how bamboo shapes rural Lao life, weave a small souvenir, and help cook bamboo shoot dishes. Pickup, drop-off, lunch, and a small group of up to eight are included. Guide Somsay may lead the visit, with local demonstrations and music adding a cultural touch.

“The location is lovely, leafy and peaceful overlooking a large rice field and mountains The wooden buildings attractive and traditional The various demonstrations packed with fascinating information, ending with a charming Hmong musical item! Bamboo workshop was hilariRead more”

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5.Evening Bamboo weaving & Cooking classes join-in

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · from $25

At The Bamboo Experience outside Luang Prabang, you’ll learn how bamboo supports Lao daily life, weave a small souvenir mat, help prepare a bamboo-based dinner, and take part in sticky-rice preparation. Pickup and return transport are included, with a maximum of 12 people and a 4:00 pm start.

“Amazing experience that supports a culturesentric and local employment, tourism industry. Wonderful and heartwarming.”

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6.Tribal Cooking Class in Luang Prabang Forest and visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · from $78

Spend about five hours with a Khmu guide such as Peng or Pheng, collecting local ingredients, learning Lao cooking methods, and making bamboo chopsticks and a drinking cup. The setting may be forest or farm-based, depending on the day. Pickup, lunch, snacks, tools, and private transport are included.

“What an incredible experience worth every cent! Our guide Pheng was very knowledgeable about all the local farms and villages were we got our food from. We harvested our fresh banana leaves, started fires from scratch, and cooked delicioRead more”

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7.Traditional Market Tour and Private Laotian Cooking Class with a Local

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · from $92

Meet host Si at Phosy Market for a guided look at Luang Prabang’s largest fresh market, then visit a local home kitchen to prepare 2 to 3 Lao dishes from family recipes. You’ll eat the meal together, with hotel pickup and drop-off included for eligible Luang Prabang hotels.

“I participated in the market tour and cooking class (not for dinner, but for lunch). I can confidently recommend this experience. The Phosy Market tour is an incredibly stimulating place, filled with fascinating sights such as an impressive Read more”

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8.The Namkhan – Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $63

Spend about three hours at The Namkhan, harvesting vegetables from its organic gardens and greenhouses before preparing traditional Lao dishes with a local chef. Your small group can include no more than six people, and you finish by eating what you cooked at the farm-to-table restaurant. Recipes are provided afterward.

“The experience is amazing from learning how to pick different vegetables, clean & wash to cooking. Guide speaks amazing English and explaining the Laos culture. Cooks are nice and General Manager - Carl always check on your satisfaction.”

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9.Laos Cooking Class in Luang Prabang

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7 reviews · from $58

Meet at Tamarind at 8:30 am for a four-hour Lao cooking class. Visit Phosy Market, select local ingredients, then cook dishes such as laap, mok pa, spicy dips, and stuffed lemongrass with Chef Sit. The class includes your meal, ingredients, and a recipe book, with groups limited to 12 people.

“As part of the cooking class, I visited the Phosy Market. We were then taken to one of the most picturesque open kitchens I’ve been to. We made 1 dip, 1 dessert and 3 other dishes. The instructor Chef Sit made this so simple for us. It aRead more”

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10.Full Day bamboo experience with cooking class & Kuang si waterfalls

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · from $44

Spend about eight hours learning how bamboo shapes daily life in Laos. At The Bamboo Experience, weave a small mat, cook bamboo shoot dishes, and eat lunch beside rice fields. Then visit Kuang Si Falls, the bear rescue center, and its turquoise swimming pools. Pickup from central Luang Prabang hotels is included.

“Day was awesome, I never knew what you could do with bamboo, owner, his wife and staff are just fabulous, knowledgeable and funny and incredibly helpful. I really enjoyed this day, helping to prepare food and then having lunch, the whole experience is worth doing.”

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11.Luang Prabang Cooking, Pottery & Candle Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $56

Choose a four-course Lao cooking class with Nid, or a pottery and candle workshop with Nid and Noy. Hotel pickup, materials, an English guide, and food are included. The pottery option offers lunch in the morning, while the afternoon workshop runs without meals.

“Wonderful experience with my cousin and sistef ! Nid is charming as her place. It is quiet and you can do cooking class or pottery. Or just come for a coffee.”

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12.Bamboo Forest Cooking-class & Farm Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 6 hours · from $100

Spend six hours with a local Khmu guide near Luang Prabang, visiting a farm, gathering edible plants, and cooking rice, meat, or fish in bamboo over a forest fire. You will make your own bamboo cup and chopsticks, eat lunch outdoors, and may stop at a craft village on the return trip. Hotel transfers and ingredients are included.

“Peng was awesome! This experience was so authentic and just a lovely time learning cooking techniques. This hands on experience was well worth the visit. I would highly recommend. Be prepared to get really into it as I never imagined I would be in a forest cutting down bamboo to use for my meal. Communication was excellent. I highly recommend!”

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13.Mekong River Cooking Class with Hotel Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 5 hours · from $65

Start with hotel pickup in Luang Prabang’s peninsula, then meet chef Sing at the morning market. Choose meat or vegetarian dishes, shop for fresh ingredients, and cook on board a boat beside the Mekong. The five-hour class includes your meal, market tour, transport, and hotel drop-off, but not drinks or a separate cruise.

“loved the whole day....sing was an amazing guide very informative and a good cooking teacher, would recommend doing this!”

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14.Vientiane Private Lao Cooking Class with Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3 reviews · 6 hours · from $70

Spend six hours learning Lao cooking at Madam Phasouk Cooking House, with an English-speaking guide, local market visit, fresh ingredients, herb and plant lessons, and a meal you prepare yourself. The small group is limited to four people, with van transport from Vientiane and insight into Red tribe culture.

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