Orange in Iced Syrup (Som Loy Kaew) Recipe

Tart, sweet, cool, and refreshing, this simple dish has been a Thai favorite for ages. Infusing the syrup with spices makes this dessert even more special.

By
Leela Punyaratabandhu
Leela Punyaratabandhu
Leela Punyaratabanhu is a food writer, recipe developer, and award-winning author specializing in Thai cooking. She has written three cookbooks: Simple Thai Food, Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill, and Bangkok, which won the 2018 Art of Eating Prize.
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Updated April 02, 2025
A scallop-edged bowl of Som Loy Kaew

Serious Eats / Leela Punyaratabandhu

What is this? Fruit in syrup? Is this just like one of those fruit cups (made by a brand name that rhymes with pole)?

Yes and no.

Sure, this Thai dessert is as simple as serving fruits in a syrup, and it couldn't be any easier to make. But it's more sophisticated than that, at least in the old days when care was taken in infusing the syrup with fragrant flowers such as jasmine. Besides, you serve this dessert with crushed ice, making it cold and refreshing. This is why people love their loy kaew so much when the weather is hot in Thailand (that is to say, they love it all year round).

Following an old recipe from one of my mother's cookbooks, I have gotten used to infusing the syrup with various spices, something most people don't do when they make loy kaew. Sometimes I use cloves; sometimes I use cardamom pods. For this recipe, I use star anise which goes beautifully with the orange.

Be sure to use tart oranges for best results. You want to play the tartness of the fruit against the sweet syrup.

July 2012

Recipe Details

Orange in Iced Syrup (Som Loy Kaew) Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 10 mins
Active 30 mins
Total 20 mins
Serves 6 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 6 large Navel or Valencia oranges (see note)

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 3 star anise pods

  • 4 1/2 cups crushed ice

Directions

  1. Peel the zest off one orange with a vegetable peeler and cut into thin strips.

  2. Put sugar, water, star anise, and orange zest in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Once the syrup starts to bubble up and the sugar has completely dissolved, turn off heat and allow the syrup to steep while it cools down. (To speed up the cooling, you can place the saucepan in an ice bath.)

  3. Peel the oranges, including the one that has been zested, making sure the pith is entirely removed. Holding peeled orange in your hand, section it by cutting between one section of fruit and the membrane separating it from the next section into the center of the fruit. (See video demonstration here). Divide the orange sections among 6 dessert bowls.

  4. Put crushed ice and cooled syrup into each bowl. Serve immediately.

Notes

For best results, use tart oranges.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
284Calories
0gFat
73gCarbs
2gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories284
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 11mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 73g27%
Dietary Fiber 4g15%
Total Sugars 66g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 109mg544%
Calcium 87mg7%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 308mg7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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