I love Chinese desserts and I’ve loved them since I was a young teenager.
I remember frequently going to Wonder Bakery in Chinatown LA and having jasmine tea with a lotus seed mooncake.
Or enjoying sweet buns, mango pudding, and almond cookies at restaurants.
It was all delicious and I really wanted to make a list of tasty and classic Chinese sweets that you should most definitely try. 👌
BUT I wanted to actually make this a list of sweets people from China were actually enjoying.
So I went on 6 different Reddit groups and asked this question:
“If you’re from China (or your family is) – what are the top desserts you and/or your family eat?“
And the answers honestly didn’t disappoint!
In fact, they made me hungry. 😂
So here’s an honest and tasty list of Chinese sweet treats you should try as SOON as you have the opportunity!
How to Actually Enjoy Chinese Sweet Recipes
Here are some ways to make sure you get the most out of these amazing sweet treats from China:
- Make sure to read through the personal notes the people have: Don’t just look at the names of the desserts, you’ll also see great ideas + tips for enjoying them. 👍
- Have fun with the new ingredients: Some Chinese desserts have ingredients, textures, and diverse flavors you’re probably not familiar with. So if you’re feeling unsure about them, just see it as a new fun way to expand your palette. As someone who’s had plenty of them, I promise you they’re very good! 😊
- Pairing with tea or coffee: Some of these traditional sweets go great with tea or coffee, so I’d highly suggest trying it out! Example: A mooncake would go great with some jasmine tea (personal opinion).
Authentic Chinese Desserts
I really have a huge love for iconic and traditional Chinese desserts; they’re not too sweet and they’re ridiculously good. And I hope this list helps transfer my love of them over to you.
Mochi-Like Desserts
1. Nian Gao
“If you wanna go for something easy then I recommend nian gao, which is brown sugar mochi. I also recommend slicing up the finished product and then pan fry it in butter for a crispy and more decadent dessert.” – Darwin343
2. Tong Yun
“If you like mochi, I would suggest Tong Yun. It’s like mochi, a chewy rice ball, except that it’s boiled in sugar water, served hot, and usually filled with nutty black sesame paste or peanuts. I don’t drink the sugar water (it ironically feels very not Asian, too sweet), but you can always add only a little sugar, and I’ve seen some places add osmanthus flowers which give it a really nice but light floral scent and flavor.” – burnt—–toast
汤圆 (Tong Yun) – can be eaten plain, with fillings, and can be savory or sweet. – Con96
If you’re on the hunt for authentic recipes for Chinese desserts, then definitely try this one! And if you’re unsure of where to get it, check out the frozen section of your local Asian grocery store.
Get the RECIPE from The Woks of LifeChinese Puddings
3. Steamed Egg Pudding & Ginger Pudding
“A dessert that can be made at home is steamed egg pudding, or its cousin the ginger milk pudding. Growing up, my dad would occasionally make egg pudding for dessert as a treat. It’s relatively simple and easy to make with ingredients you likely have at home already.” – The99thRedBalloon
STEAMED EGG PUDDING GINGER MILK PUDDING4. Mango Pudding
“We [family] also like mango pudding topped with evaporated milk but both these things are mostly for when we eat out at a Chinese restaurant.” – JennieRae68
“Mango pudding is a favorite! Even with non-Chinese guests.” – Bunnyeatsdesign
5. Baked Tapioca Pudding
“At banquets though it’s more common to have the dessert soups along with harder to make/more expensive sweets like osmanthus jelly or baked tapioca pudding with red bean filling.” – leemky
I need to try this one. I looked up the recipe (check out the link), and it looks so comforting and delicious!
Get the RECIPE from Teak & Thyme6. Douhua (Tofu Pudding)
“How could I forget!!! DOUHUA I’m 🤦♀️ that I forgot. I was alwaysssss wanting/getting (dependent on whether the restaurant had it) it at dimsum w/ heaps of ginger syrup.” – myheadspacethoughts
“Tofu/soy pudding or “dou hua” – can be sweet, savory, hot, cold.” – harmoniousbaker
Get the RECIPE from Omnivore’s CookbookTarts
7. Don Tat (Egg Custard Tart)
“I would suggest don tat, an egg custard tart that I think was originally influenced by the Portuguese pastel de nata?” – burnt—–toast
Egg tarts came up QUITE a bit in a lot of people’s answers, and for a good reason! Being one of the most well known Hong Kong-style desserts, they’re buttery, flaky, and filled with a nice smooth custard center.
It’s kind of hard to go wrong. 🤷♀️
Get the RECIPE from The Woks of LifeDessert Soups
8. Red Bean Soup
“I’m Cantonese so I love all the soupy ones: red bean soup 红豆糖水, mango pomelo sago soup 杨枝甘露. Honestly anything with red bean is good, 红豆冰. – therawrpie
“Red bean soup with dried orange peel and rock sugar. That is my drug.” – grahamaker93
I love red bean, so I actually can’t wait to try this Cantonese dessert!
Get the RECIPE from Red House Spice9. Black Sesame Soup
“芝麻糊 – black sesame “soup” is one of my favorites. You can also mix in some other nuts like peanuts depending on taste preference.” – Con96
Get the RECIPE from Omnivore’s Cookbook10. Mango Pomelo Sago Soup
This one came up MULTIPLE times, and it looks so creamy and delicious.
I mean you have fresh mango, small tapioca pearls, creamy coconut milk, and a citrus fruit called pomelo. Honestly sounds very refreshing and tasty!
Get the RECIPE from Sift & Simmer11. Mung Bean Soup
“My family from central China liked to make 绿豆汤 mung bean porridge. It’s also called “mung bean soup” but if you Google for this term you also get a totally different curry-like dish in your results. The one I mean is super simple, made using only the beans and no other ingredients, except optionally sugar or honey etc. You can also turn it into ice lollies / popsicles.” – snake5k
“I’m gonna go for a super traditional one… 綠豆湯 mung bean soup. Served cold. On a hot summer day.” – leesan177
“Cold mung bean soup is one of the best summer dessert, they have popsicles similar to that as well.” – imahobolin
12. Warm Tapioca Soup
“American-born Chinese here: fruit and warm tapioca soup or red bean soup is common after a Chinese banquet dinner-” – DeedaInSeattle
Get the RECIPE from The Woks of LifeOther Dessert Soup Recommendations
“Jiuniang, sweet wine rice with black sesame balls.” – markbrabancon
Get the RECIPE from The Woks of Life
“I love peach gum soup with red jujube dates and white mushroom, I eat it with black sesame to try and keep myself looking young. Don’t know if it’s working, but it certainly is delicious.” – huevos
“Does bird’s nest soup count? You can definitely make it sweet by cooking it with dried longan, jujube, wolfberry, and rock sugar. That’s how we eat it. Birds nest too expensive? Snow fungus or peach gum it is then.” – jinsoulia
Get the RECIPE from Greedy Girl Gourmet
“I’d say 银耳红枣莲子汤 (snow fungus lotus seed soup?) my family always making this when we are getting together.” – Buyer-Song
Get the RECIPE from Woks and KinIce Cream
13. Sesame Ice Cream
I love black sesame-flavored desserts, and sesame ice cream sounds so good.
You’re going to be getting something that’s creamy, nutty, and has a uniquely satisfying flavor. It’s worth trying. 👍
Get the RECIPE from Omnivore’s Cookbook14. Mung Bean Ice Cream
As I said earlier, mung bean is a great ingredient to use in desserts.
It has a very subtle flavor that works in sweet recipes, and if you’re curious, then The Woks of Life has a nice looking mung bean popsicle recipe that you can try!
Get the RECIPE from The Woks of LifeFried Desserts
15. Jin Dui
One of my favorites!
Jin Dui are fried sesame balls that have a red bean filling. I love the crispy exterior of this Chinese dessert and enjoyed getting them hot and fresh as a street food snack!
Get the RECIPE from China Sichuan FoodDessert Bao
16. Liu Shao Bao (Egg Custard Buns)
This dessert also got mentioned a lot. I used to get them when I would eat at the Din Tai Fung in Taiwan.
They’re steamed buns (bao) filled with this egg yolk sugary buttery creamy filling, and they’re to die for. 👍
Get the RECIPE from Woks and Kin17. Gai Mai Bao
“Chicken tail buns (“Gai mai bao”) filled with sweetened coconut or airy baked buns filled with lightly sweetened cream filling and sprinkled with coconut! 🥰💕” – DeedaInSeattle
Get the RECIPE from The Woks of LifeOther Bao/Bun Recommendations
“Buns (like BBQ/taro/custard/lotus) but this one is dual use due to dim sum is also a meal.” – AsianEiji
“On specific holidays we’d have lotus paste buns.” – knitwithchopsticks
“We also consider fried bun dipping with condensed milk a kind of dessert.” – take7pieces
The Chinese dessert recipe she’s talking about is called Fried Mantou, and it looks so good!
Reddit user, iamck, recommends pineapple buns and cream buns.
Can’t go wrong there! Also, you’ll see the pineapple bun I got above. Very good! 👍
And lastly, user starrhaven thinks red bean buns are great, and I completely agree!
I’m gonna put in my own personal recommendation here!
If you go to a Chinese bakery and you see a lotus seed bun (like the one I got above), then I highly recommend getting it!
It has a wonderful texture and flavor and it’s not too sweet!
Also, I feel like it would pair great with a hot drink, but that’s just me. 🙂
Fruits
18. Tanghulu
“When I lived in Beijing as a kid, I loved tanghulu. It’s more of a snack than a dessert, but it’s very sweet.” – justicecactus
Basically, Tanghulu is a Chinese snack consisting of Chinese hawthorn fruit coated in rock sugar on a bamboo stick. It looks REALLY good, and it’s on my list of sweets to try when I visit China.
Get the RECIPE from China Sichuan Food19. Asian Pear
“People there eat desserts for brunch or tea rather than after dinner. Fruit is eaten after dinner (Asian Pear is king)-“ – SquirrelofLIL
I’m not a pear fan, but I just had some Asian pear and it was really good. It had a very nice texture and the sweetness and flavor were amazing. So if you see it in your local Asian grocery store, then I definitely recommend getting some!
20. Oranges
“Fruit that’s in season. Oranges are best🍊!!!”
Other Fruit Recommendations and Tips
“At most, it’s just fruits like watermelon, pear, dried dates 30 min after dinner eating while watching TV.” – supermonkeyyyyyy
I asked Reddit user, creepycrystal, what fruits were usually eaten after they had mentioned them. Their response: “Usually what is in season. Oranges and mandarins, cherries, grapes, bananas, longans, sometimes dried fruits.”
“ABC [American Born Chinese] here, definitely fruit is most common. A childhood treat would be dessert soup, like red bean (adzuki not pinto) or melon with sago tiny tapioca pearls. Or almond jello with canned fruit cocktail. Definitely fruit forward and on the lighter texture side.” – MonkeyMom2
“Dessert? Asians love their fruits.
Entry level dessert. A washed fruit or one that you have to peel yourself, an apple or an orange.
Next level dessert. Fruit that is washed, peeled, quartered.
Going all out? Fruits that aren’t in season where you are. New year in Jilin and someone brings out a cantaloupe or watermelon? Or fruit like durian that you gotta order from Thailand.
Edit, also China is huge with a lot of ethnic Chinese diasporas. I grew up poor and from a less developed part of China (Jilin), so my perspective of desserts is probably very different than other parts of China.” – xComponent
“Fruit bowls – sometimes glazed sometimes not.” – AsianEiji
“Some people are crazy for watermelon. My wife loves apples because she comes from an apple region in the northeast. Hami melon (similar to cantaloupe but better) is available in my region of California while it evokes the famous crop of Xinjiang province. That’s a good one that we eat in summer.” – GooglingAintResearch
Cakes
21. Mooncakes
“Mooncakes, specifically like lotus seed paste fillings.” – Zagrycha
22. Bai Tang Gao (Steamed Rice Cake)
“I’m half-Chinese and I grew up eating steamed rice cake.” – actuallywasian
Here’s the recipe she links to for Bai Tang Gao down below. It looks REALLY fluffy and delicious!
23. Pumpkin Cakes
“I also love pumpkin cakes, they’re fried pumpkin purée mixed with mochi flour.” – actuallywasian
You NEED to check this one out, it looks amazing.
Get the RECIPE from Omnivore’s Cookbook24. Mung Bean Cake
“Mung bean cake 绿豆糕 being eaten at dragon boat festivals.” – supermonkeyyyyyy
Personally LOVE mung bean cakes (photo of mine above). Wonderful texture, nice flavor, and lightly sweet.
Get the RECIPE from China Sichuan Food25. Chinese Sponge Cake (Chiffon Cake)
One person asked, “Does anyone here have the childhood memory of making a very sticky lightly sweet cake? I think maybe out of rice flour?”
Response: “Yep, white sugar sponge cake in English. Holy moly, they are sweet. I tried them again as an adult and couldn’t do it.”
DeedaInSeattle also said, “Fancy bakery cakes, made with light chiffon cakes and lightly sweetened whipped cream as frosting with chopped fresh fruit—this is what my half-Chinese daughter requested for her wedding cake, and it was a huge hit—so light and refreshing!”
It honestly sounds SO good! Also, here’s the recipe to this Chinese bakery sponge cake below.
Get the RECIPE from What to Cook TodayOther Chinese Cake Recommendations:
“There are also some stereotypical bakery desserts like wife cake -whipped cream cake, sponge cake.” – SquirrelofLIL
“Fruit rolls (mochi based rolls, durian mochi rolls sells like hot cakes). – sponge cake i.e. malaigao – roll cake (cream roll, can be basic or have fruit).” – AsianEiji
Hong Kong Pancakes: COMPLETELY different than what I thought it would be. It’s basically a crepe filled with mango and fluffy whipped cream. Looks amazing and can’t wait to try!
Get the RECIPE from Red House SpiceDumplings
26. Sweet Zongzi
“Sweet Zongzi 粽子 (sticky rice dumplings filled with red bean paste wrapped in bamboo leaves).” – supermonkeyyyyyy
I’ve had Zongzi before, but never the sweet red bean kind. VERY jealous right now. 😤
Get the RECIPE from Red House Spice27. Dumplings/Spring Rolls with Tasty Fillings
“One popular unconventional dessert I’ve seen is fried red bean paste dumplings/spring rolls, served with condensed milk as a dipping sauce. I’ve also personally made fried Nutella + crushed peanut dumplings before for a party, big hit and a nice play on the conventional concept of a dumpling.” – JinterIsComing
Love the creativity, might try when I have the time. 👌
Get the RECIPE from A Daily FoodOther Dessert Dumpling Recommendations:
“-yam or potato desserts like yam dumplings (yu yuan).” – starrhaven
I had this when I visited Jiufen! I would recommend giving the Chinese dessert, 九份芋圓, a try. It’s very satisfying. 😊
Get the RECIPE from Woks and KinChinese Jellies
28. Grass Jelly
“American middle class Chinese. Dessert was rare and we usually just had fruit. But on very special occasions we would get almond jelly or grass jelly with canned fruit cocktail.” – MerryAntoinette
“Grass jelly with coffee.” – tkxb
“Grass jelly with sugar.” – realmozzarella22
Get the RECIPE from Wok and Kin29. Almond Jelly
“When I was a kid my mom would make almond jelly topped with fruit cocktail. That was always special!”
Get the RECIPE from What to Cook Today30. Guilinggao (龜苓膏/Turtle Jelly)
“Guilinggao (龜苓膏/turtle jelly) is my favorite. It’s an herbal jelly, but much more bitter than the bubble tea stuff because, as the name suggests, is made from turtle. I like the contrast with the sweetener.” – chr15c
“Guilinggao (tortoise jelly) with just a bit of condensed milk.” – JimmyRavenEkat
I can also recommend it! I tried it myself with some honey and it was very pleasant. Not too sweet and pretty fun to eat!
GUILINGGAO RECIPE31. Osmanthus Jelly
This jelly looks so pretty! It’s made from the osmanthus flower, and has a nice golden color.
Also, being light and floral, it’s apparently one of the most popular desserts at Hong Kong dim sum restaurants!
Get the RECIPE from Greedy Girl GourmetSweet Congees
32. Tapioca Congee
“-tapioca congee with sweet corn, it’s what we ate in HK growing up as kids. Thanks for the food memory. :)” – reelfishybloke
“If I had to say one, it’s probably tapioca congee with coconut milk and some fruit.” – supermonkeyyyyyy
33. Eight Treasure Congee
“I am gonna go with 八宝粥, eight treasured congee. Since no one has mentioned it yet. What’s good about this dessert is you can find it in any chinese market in the west.” – EternalObi
Get the RECIPE from Omnivore’s CookbookMore Chinese Dessert Recommendations
“Sometimes we eat a sticky rice mound with dried cherries and orange peel on top which is yummy.” – creepycrystal
“For us it is usually 酒釀芝麻湯圓 or fermented rice wine with sesame rice balls? I think that’s the best translation for it I guess. One of my favorite desserts from Jiangsu.” – IamGuava
“Back in China would be mostly fruits or light refreshing like Bingfeng.” – chenyu768
“my childhood favorite is a red bean float…classic Hong Kong cuisine, fusion of western dessert with Chinese ingredients.” – dommiichan
“Rice stuffed Lotus root! And Jiuniang, sweet wine rice with black sesame balls.” – markbrabancon
“At this time of the year [fall] you would be eating candied yams with a hard crunchy candy coating, candied Hawthorne, dehydrated persimmon, and sweet porridges for breakfast that have dried jujubes (similar to dates) or split green mung bean (lentils).” – SquirrelofLIL
“Usually we just have some fruit and all kinds of nuts after dinner (瓜子 melon seeds especially, it’s the most common thing people have in China. Always a top on shopping list for Chinese New Year).” – Mountain-Tailor-2032
“If you can withstand spicy food, “辣条” (La Tiao) spicy stick is the favorite dessert among most Chinese people. I think many people in their childhood have eaten this thing.” – suxiaobei
“No one mentioned my favorite: 芋泥 (O-Ni, Sweet mashed taro, a signature Teochew (Chaoshan, 潮汕) dessert.” – xJamxFactory
“Yam paste – we only have it on special occasions, tho.” – renegade_wolfe
Other Honorable Mentions:
These are Chinese desserts that some of the people mentioned in passing, but gave no description. So I looked them up myself (or I’ve personally had) and they all sound so good!
- Hong Kong Style Coffee and Tea (Yuanyang): I Personally LOVE this dessert-like drink. Somehow both the tea + coffee work so well together. Plus it’s super creamy, sweet, and satisfying. 👌 😌
- Honey Cake: I love honey cakes, so I’m definitely up for trying the Chinese version!
- Almond Cookies: I used to get these all the time at Chinese restaurants! They’re softly sweet cookies that are firm, but not too firm. Honestly, they’re a great dessert to have with tea.
- Egg Waffles: A popular Hong Kong street food, it has a unique honeycomb shape and looks delicious!
Personal Note: Just had it yesterday (photo below). Highly recommend! Super warm, fluffy, and delicious! Total comfort food!
- Milk Bread: Super soft and fluffy-looking bread, that looks kinda fancy. Worth trying!
- 茶冻 (Tea Jelly): Couldn’t easily find a written recipe for this one, so I found a YouTube tutorial on how to make it. It’s made with fruit tea and crystal jelly powder which sounds so nice!
- 炸牛奶 (Fried Milk): Apparently you can get them at some dim sum restaurants, and they have a pudding-like filling. I could probably eat 50 of these and not regret it.
- Water Chestnut Cake: A super simple-looking dessert recipe, you’ll need chestnut flour for this one. Also, it just looks so good!
- 驴打滚 (Rolling Donkey): Being similar to mochi, you’re getting dark brown sugar, peanut powder, red bean, and a few other ingredients. It sounds like a great Chinese dessert recipe to try!
Chinese Cookbook People Kept Recommending
One last thing!
If you wanna get good at making different Chinese desserts yourself, then the cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread by Kristina Cho, comes highly recommended by the people in the Reddit groups.
Haven’t personally bought or used it yet, but I thought I should let you know. 😊
And that’s it!
Lots of tasty ideas and culinary traditions for you to try the next time you’re looking for Chinese bakery classics, dim sum desserts, or homemade sweets.
(Or you can just order them online 🤷♀️)
But however you have them, I hope you enjoy these sweets!
Grace Moser is the author and founder of Chasing Foxes, where she writes articles to help women create a life they love in big and small ways. She's been a full-time traveler since 2016 and loves sharing her experiences and exploring the world with her husband, Silas. Her lifestyle and travel advice can also be seen on sites such as Business Insider, Glamour, Newsweek, Huffpost, & Apartment Therapy.