sticky rice

noun

: a cultivated short-grain rice that is plump and sticky when cooked : glutinous rice

… sticky rice contains the highest amount of amylopectin and no amylose. Sticky rice is used to make signature sweet dishes in Asia.

—Chicago Daily Herald

Sticky rice is the primary kind of rice consumed here [in northeast Thailand]. It's perfect to pack for lunch out on the farm, because it has high caloric density and can be eaten without utensils.

—Pailin Chongchitnant

… sticky rice doesn't actually contain sugar (though it can easily be worked into a … dough to make mochi, and a vast range of sweets).

—Tejal Rao

Examples of sticky rice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My personal highlights were the tender, lightly caramelized moo ping pork skewers with sticky rice, succulent tomato stracciatella sourdough toast, and copious flawless mango, which melted in my mouth like butter. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Like other Thai cities, Chiang Rai boasts its fair share of markets and night bazaars, where visitors can browse Thai handicrafts and sample khao soi (a curry noodle soup that’s a northern specialty) and mango sticky rice at their own pace. —Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 25 Feb. 2026

An homage to Thailand, this unisex fragrance captures the rich and tangy flavor of the popular dessert, with ripe mango, sticky rice and coconut milk as its main ingredients. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

California’s rice farms, originally founded to feed Chinese laborers, specialize in medium-grain rice and sticky rice, as well as short-grain, the kind popular in Japan. —Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 July 2016

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above