I get so excited just thinking about traditional Chinese desserts. From pillowy steamed buns to crispy candied fruit skewers, these 25 recipes are full of sweetness and texture, and so much love. I think you’ll want to make every single one.
1. Snow Fungus Soup with Pears
Dessert soups are wildly popular in China, and this one starring snow fungus is a gorgeous sight at Chinese New Year. You’ll need dried snow fungus soaked overnight, then simmered with pears, rock sugar, goji berries, and dates. The result is a delicate, nourishing bowl that feels both festive and incredibly soothing.
2. Fortune Cookies
And finally, the most iconic Chinese dessert of them all: fortune cookies! Full disclosure, they aren’t actually Chinese, they originally trace back to Japan where a darker version made its way to the U.S. in the late 1800s. Somehow they became the sweet ending to every American Chinese meal, and I’ll always crack one open for the fortune inside.
3. Bing Tanghulu Candied Hawthorn Stick
Tanghulu is basically China’s answer to candied apples. Traditionally, it’s skewered hawthorn berries dipped in bubbling sugar syrup that hardens into a glossy, crackly shell.
I love making them with strawberries too, honestly they’re my favorite. That mix of tart fruit and crunchy sweet coating is unbeatable.
4. Liu Sha Bao (Salted Duck Eggs Custard Buns)
If you’ve had regular custard buns, you’re going to flip for liu sha bao. The dough is unbelievably light and airy, hiding a warm river of rich salted duck egg custard inside.
It’s a Cantonese dim sum revelation and that salty sweet combo is pure magic. It's definitely worth a try.
5. Tapioca Thousand Layer Cake
This cake is a real showstopper from southern China. It’s sweet and super moist, with a satisfyingly chewy texture and those distinct beautiful layers you can’t miss.
Making it takes a little patience because you steam each layer individually, about four minutes at a time. I promise the end result is worth every minute.
6. Tang Yuan (Sweet Rice Balls)
Tang yuan, sometimes called yuanxiao, are sweet little rice balls with a chewy, mochi like texture. Traditionally, they’re stuffed with a nutty black sesame paste, but this version keeps things beautifully simple with just the rice balls themselves.
Serve them piping hot in a sweet broth and they become cozy, spoonable dumplings. I can never stop at one.
7. Soy Milk Pudding
Soy milk pudding is impossibly soft and silky. A blend of soy milk and soybean flour turns wonderfully velvety with a little gelatin or agar-agar.
I pull it straight from the fridge on a scorching day and it’s the most refreshing, cool treat. That’s summer dessert perfection.
8. Sesame Seed Balls
Sesame seed balls are a dim
9. Fried Milk
Fried milk is a snack I could happily eat all day long. They look like mozzarella sticks, but inside is a creamy, sweet center made from coconut milk, milk, cornstarch, and sugar.
The modern version adds a crispy breadcrumb coating and I absolutely adore that extra crunch. The texture contrast is incredible.
10. Winter Melon Puff (Wife Biscuit)
Wife cake, or sweet heart cake, is all about those delicate, flaky layers wrapped around a sweet winter melon and almond filling. Winter melon is actually a type of squash, so it can swing savory or sweet. These pastries are so tender and subtly sweet, you’ll be reaching for seconds.
11. Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding
Eight-treasure rice pudding reminds me of sticky mango rice, just without the mango. Sweetened sticky rice hides a luscious red bean paste core, all studded with colorful dried fruits and seeds.
A drizzle of fragrant chrysanthemum syrup makes the whole kitchen smell heavenly. This is pure celebration on a plate.
12. Fa Gao (Fortune Cakes)
Fa gao, or fortune cake, is a must for Chinese New Year. They’re petite steamed cakes with a dense, slightly chewy texture that I find so satisfying.
Eating them is meant to bring prosperity, and the high steaming heat makes the tops split into four lucky cracks. That’s how you know they’re just right.
13. Dragon’s Beard Candy
Dragon’s beard candy is like hand-pulled Chinese cotton candy, and watching it come together is pure magic. The traditional version stuffs it with a mix of sugar, peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds, and maltose syrup. You can also just make the delicate spun sugar strands on their own for a fun, whimsical treat.
14. Chinese Red Bean Paste Buns
Red bean paste is a cornerstone of Chinese sweets, made from adzuki beans, sugar, and a touch of fat, smooth or chunky. These steamed buns wrapped around that sweet paste are totally authentic and I’ve happily eaten them for breakfast. Soft and fluffy, with just enough sweetness, they’re a classic for a reason.
15. Sachima
Sachima is one of those snacks that surprises you in the best way. It’s made from egg noodles that get fried into crispy, golden wisps, then bound together with a sticky sweet syrup.
I know it sounds unexpected, but the combination totally works. You can even flavor the syrup with different extracts to change things up.
16. Water Chestnut Cake
Water chestnut cake is a dim sum staple that’s wonderfully simple. It’s a mix of water chestnuts, water chestnut flour, sugar, and water coming together into a jelly like cake. For celebrations, slices get lightly fried until the edges crisp up, but in summer I love eating it cold straight from the fridge.
17. Tangyuan (Sweet Rice Balls with Peanut Butter Filling)
If you crave that familiar peanut butter flavor, these tangyuan are going to blow your mind. They take those same chewy rice balls and fill them with a homemade peanut paste that melts into gooey, molten lava as they cook.
It’s so much more luscious than anything from a jar. Fair warning, they’re dangerously good.
18. Almond Cookies
Chocolate chip cookies will always have my heart, but I love shaking things up with these almond beauties. They hit that perfect note: crisp edges and crumbly centers, with a buttery sweetness all around. One bite and you’re smitten.
19. Chocolate Chinese Five-Spice Cake
Five spice usually works its magic in savory dishes, but it does something amazing in chocolate cake. You get warm clove, fennel, cinnamon, star anise, and pepper cutting right through the richness.
If you adore chocolate with a hint of chili, this cake is calling your name. It’s way less heavy than a typical chocolate cake and totally irresistible.
20. Chinese Walnut Cookies
These walnut cookies are everything: crisp and crumbly, loaded with nutty goodness. They aren’t overly sweet, which means I can easily eat five without blinking. Plus, they’re lighter on calories than a lot of other cookies, so go right ahead and treat yourself.
21. Jujube Date Cake
If sticky toffee pudding makes your heart sing, jujube date cake is about to be your new best friend. Jujubes are small, chewy fruits with a date like texture and a whisper of apple flavor.
They aren’t the easiest to track down fresh, but you can find them dried online or at an Asian market. Trust me, the hunt is worth it.
22. Chinese Pumpkin Cakes
These sticky rice pumpkin cakes are the most fun snack. Unlike pillowy steamed buns, these get fried until the outside is shatteringly crisp while the center stays tender.
They’re subtly sweet, not cloying, but a drizzle of honey or maple syrup takes them right over the top. I could devour a whole plate.
23. Almond Jelly
Almond jelly is one of those effortlessly cool treats I reach for when I need something light. It’s a jiggly, almond scented gelatin floating in a sweet syrup with fruit salad, and it’s so good for clearing your palate.
I love that it calls for nothing fancy: just milk, ground almonds, water, and gelatin or agar-agar. Honestly, it’s almost too easy.
24. Steamed Asian Pears with Rock Sugar
This lovely dessert moonlights as a traditional cough remedy. It features Chinese white pears, which are incredibly juicy and crisp, almost like apples, simmered with goji berries and Chinese dates.
You can steam or boil everything so those juices meld into something fragrant and deeply flavorful. It’s pure comfort in a bowl.
25. Mung Bean Cake
Mung bean cake, or dvougao, is a classic summer treat. As the name gives away, it stars mung beans and usually hides a sweet paste filling inside.
They’re often pressed in moon cake molds, so they look similar, but they’ve got their own distinct charm. Light, subtly sweet, and perfect for warm days.