Chinese desserts are a sweet and tasty part of Chinese food. They come in many types, from cakes to puddings to fruit treats. These desserts use ingredients like red beans, rice, and lotus seeds.
You can make many Chinese desserts at home with easy recipes. Some popular ones are red bean buns, moon cakes, and egg tarts. Trying these desserts is a fun way to learn about Chinese culture through food. You might find a new favorite sweet treat to enjoy.
Mango pudding is a popular Chinese dessert that combines sweet mangoes with a smooth, creamy texture. You’ll find it in many Chinese restaurants and homes, especially during summer.
To make mango pudding, you blend ripe mangoes into a puree. Then you mix it with sugar, evaporated milk, and gelatin. The gelatin helps the pudding set and gives it a jiggly consistency.
You can serve mango pudding chilled in small cups or bowls. Some people like to top it with fresh mango chunks or a drizzle of evaporated milk. It’s a refreshing treat that’s perfect for warm days.
This dessert is easy to make at home with just a few ingredients. You can adjust the sweetness to your taste by changing the amount of sugar you use.
Red bean cakes are a popular Chinese dessert loved for their sweet flavor and soft texture. These treats use red bean paste as the main filling.
To make red bean cakes, you’ll need ingredients like cake flour, sugar, eggs, and red bean paste. The dough is often made with flour, sugar, eggs, and water.
For the filling, red beans are cooked until soft and mashed into a smooth paste. Sugar is added to sweeten it. Some recipes blend the paste for a creamier texture.
The cakes are usually small and round. They can be baked, steamed, or pan-fried. When cooked, they have a slightly crispy outside and a soft, sweet inside.
Sesame balls are a popular Chinese dessert. You’ll love their crispy exterior and chewy inside. These treats are made with glutinous rice flour dough.
The dough is filled with sweet red bean paste. Then it’s rolled in sesame seeds before frying. The frying process makes the balls puff up and turn golden brown.
You can find sesame balls at many Chinese bakeries and dim sum restaurants. They’re often served during festivals and special occasions. The combination of textures and flavors makes them a crowd favorite.
To make sesame balls at home, you’ll need glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. Mix these ingredients to form a dough. Shape the dough into balls and add the filling. Roll them in sesame seeds and fry until they’re crispy and golden.
Egg tarts are a beloved Chinese dessert with a flaky pastry crust and sweet egg custard filling. You’ll often find them at dim sum restaurants or bakeries.
To make egg tarts, you start by creating a buttery pastry shell. The filling combines eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla.
Pour the custard into the tart shells and bake until set. The tops should have a glossy finish when done.
For best results, serve egg tarts warm from the oven. The contrast of crisp crust and silky custard is delightful.
You can enjoy egg tarts plain or add toppings like fruit or whipped cream. They pair nicely with tea or coffee for a sweet afternoon treat.
Mung bean cake is a popular Chinese dessert made from ground mung beans. These sweet treats have a soft, slightly chewy texture and a mild, nutty flavor.
To make mung bean cakes, you first soak and steam mung beans until tender. Then blend them into a smooth paste with milk or water. Next, cook the paste with sugar and butter until it thickens.
You can shape the cooled paste into small cakes or press it into molds. Some recipes add matcha powder for a green color and extra flavor. Refrigerating the cakes helps them set and enhances their texture.
Mung bean cakes are often enjoyed as a snack or dessert, especially during summer. You can find them in many Chinese bakeries and markets.
Almond jelly is a refreshing Chinese dessert that’s perfect for hot summer days. You can make it easily at home with just a few ingredients.
To prepare almond jelly, mix almond milk, sugar, and agar powder in a pot. Heat the mixture until it boils, stirring constantly. Add a splash of almond extract for extra flavor.
Pour the liquid into molds and chill in the fridge for a few hours until set. Once firm, cut the jelly into cubes or shapes.
Serve your almond jelly cold with fresh fruit toppings like mango or lychee. You can also add a drizzle of evaporated milk or sprinkle some crunchy sliced almonds on top for texture.
Pineapple buns are a beloved Chinese bakery treat. Despite their name, they don’t contain any pineapple. The name comes from their golden, crackly top that resembles a pineapple’s texture.
You’ll find these buns filled with a sweet, buttery interior. The outside has a crispy cookie-like crust. When you bite into one, you get a delightful mix of textures.
To make pineapple buns at home, you’ll need to prepare two doughs. One is for the soft bread base, and the other creates the signature topping. The process involves letting the dough rise, shaping it, and baking until golden brown.
These buns taste best when fresh and warm from the oven. You can enjoy them plain or with a pat of butter for extra richness.
Snow skin mooncakes are a modern twist on traditional mooncakes. They’re served cold and have a soft, chewy outer layer made from glutinous rice flour.
To make them, you mix powdered sugar, milk, oil, glutinous rice flour, regular rice flour, and wheat starch. This dough is then steamed or microwaved until cooked.
The filling can vary, but custard is a popular choice. Other options include fruit, red bean paste, or chocolate.
You can shape the mooncakes using special molds. They’re often colorful and come in fun shapes.
These treats are perfect for hot summer days or as a lighter alternative to traditional mooncakes.
Durian pastry is a sweet treat that combines buttery pastry with the bold flavor of durian fruit. You’ll find these pastries in many Chinese bakeries and dessert shops.
The pastry consists of a flaky outer layer made with butter and flour. Inside, there’s a creamy durian filling that’s often mixed with sugar to balance the fruit’s strong taste.
To make durian pastry at home, you’ll need softened butter, flour, and durian flesh. Mix the durian with sugar, then wrap it in pastry dough. Bake until golden brown for a crispy exterior and soft, fragrant center.
These pastries are best enjoyed fresh and warm. Their unique aroma and rich taste make them a favorite among durian lovers.
Osmanthus cake is a sweet treat that brings a taste of Chinese tradition to your table. This delicate dessert gets its name from the fragrant osmanthus flowers used to flavor it.
The cake has a soft, spongy texture and a light golden color. Its subtle floral taste comes from steeping dried osmanthus flowers in hot water to make a tea.
To make osmanthus cake, you’ll mix the flower-infused liquid with other ingredients like sugar, eggs, and flour. Then you bake it until it’s golden and fluffy.
You can enjoy this aromatic cake on its own or pair it with a cup of tea. It’s especially popular during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but you can savor its unique flavor any time of year.
Lychee sorbet is a refreshing Chinese dessert that’s perfect for hot summer days. You can make it easily at home with just a few ingredients.
Start by pureeing canned lychees with their syrup in a blender. Add a splash of lime juice for extra zing. Pour the mixture into a container and freeze it.
Every 30 minutes, take the sorbet out and stir it to break up ice crystals. Repeat this process 3-4 times for the best texture.
For a creamier version, try adding a touch of coconut milk to the puree before freezing. This gives the sorbet a silky smoothness.
Serve your homemade lychee sorbet in chilled bowls. It’s a light and fruity treat that captures the essence of this beloved Chinese fruit.
Matcha Mille Crepe is a Japanese-inspired dessert that combines delicate crepes with matcha flavoring. You’ll find layers of thin crepes stacked with whipped cream between each layer.
To make this cake, you mix matcha powder into crepe batter. Then you cook many thin crepes. You spread whipped cream on each crepe and stack them high.
The result is a beautiful green cake with many layers. When you cut into it, you see the striped pattern of crepes and cream. It’s not too sweet, with a nice green tea flavor.
White Rabbit Candy is a beloved Chinese sweet that has been around since the 1950s. You’ll recognize it by its white, milk-based center and edible rice paper wrapper.
The candy has a creamy, milky taste that melts in your mouth. Its unique texture comes from a blend of milk, sugar, and other ingredients.
You can enjoy White Rabbit Candy on its own as a treat. Some people also use it to make ice cream or other desserts.
The candy’s popularity has spread beyond China. You can now find it in many countries around the world.
Jujube cake is a tasty Chinese dessert that combines the sweetness of jujube dates with a soft, fluffy texture. You’ll find this treat often served during Chinese New Year celebrations.
The cake is made with glutinous rice flour, giving it a chewy consistency. Dried jujube dates add a natural sweetness and pleasant aroma to the dessert.
Some versions of jujube cake are steamed, resulting in a light and airy texture. Others are baked, creating a denser, stickier treat.
You might encounter variations that include pine nuts or sesame seeds for added crunch and flavor. These ingredients complement the sweet jujube taste nicely.
Eight Treasure Rice is a sweet Chinese dessert made with glutinous rice and eight different ingredients. You’ll find it often served during Lunar New Year celebrations.
To make this dish, you soak and steam glutinous rice until it’s soft and sticky. Then you mix it with oil and salt for flavor.
The “eight treasures” are typically a mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. Common choices include red dates, goji berries, and lotus seeds.
You arrange these treasures in a decorative pattern at the bottom of a bowl. Then you layer the rice on top and steam it again.
When served, you flip the bowl onto a plate. This reveals the colorful pattern of fruits and nuts on top of the sweet rice pudding.
Pumpkin pancakes are a tasty Chinese dessert you can easily make at home. They combine sweet pumpkin with rice flour for a chewy texture.
To make them, mix pumpkin puree with sweet rice flour and sugar. Shape the dough into small discs. Roll them in sesame seeds for extra crunch.
Fry the pancakes in oil until golden brown on both sides. They’re best served warm. The outside gets crispy while the inside stays soft and slightly sweet.
These pancakes are perfect for fall, but you can enjoy them year-round. They make a great snack or light dessert after a meal.
Haw flakes are a popular Chinese candy made from the fruit of the Chinese hawthorn tree. You’ll find these thin, disc-shaped sweets packaged in small cylinders.
The flakes have a unique sweet and sour taste. They’re often enjoyed as a snack or used as an ingredient in desserts.
Some people use haw flakes to make sweet and sour sauce. Others incorporate them into cheesecakes or granitas for a creative twist on traditional recipes.
You can eat haw flakes on their own or crumble them over ice cream. They’re a nostalgic treat for many who grew up with Chinese snacks.
Sweet potato balls are a tasty Chinese dessert you can easily make at home. To prepare them, you’ll need to steam sweet potatoes until they’re soft. Then mash them and mix with tapioca starch and sugar.
Roll the mixture into small balls about 1.5 cm in diameter. Boil them in water until they float to the surface. You can serve the sweet potato balls in a bowl with some syrup or as part of a larger dessert.
These chewy treats have a subtle sweetness and pleasant texture. You can also try making variations with taro or purple sweet potatoes for different colors and flavors.
History And Cultural Significance
Chinese desserts have a long and rich history dating back thousands of years. These sweet treats play important roles in festivals, traditions, and everyday life across China.
Origins Of Chinese Desserts
Chinese desserts began as simple offerings to ancestors and deities. Early sweets used natural ingredients like fruits, nuts, and honey. As trade expanded, new flavors and techniques emerged.
Sugar became more common during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE). This led to more varied desserts. Cooks created treats like mooncakes and tangyuan.
By the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), dessert shops opened in cities. They sold candies, cakes, and sweet soups. Home cooks also made desserts for special occasions.
Traditional Festivals And Desserts
Many Chinese festivals feature special desserts. During the Lunar New Year, you might eat nian gao (sticky rice cake) for good luck.
For the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes are a must. These round pastries symbolize family unity.
At the Dragon Boat Festival, you’ll find zongzi. These sticky rice dumplings honor the poet Qu Yuan.
Wedding banquets often end with “double happiness” cakes. Red bean soup is common at birthday parties.
Desserts also play a role in Chinese medicine. Some sweets are thought to have healing properties. For example, ginger soup might help with colds.
Common Ingredients Used
Chinese desserts rely on a few key ingredients that give them their unique flavors and textures. These staples form the foundation for many traditional sweet treats.
Glutinous Rice Flour
Glutinous rice flour is a fine white powder made from sticky rice. It has a chewy, elastic texture when cooked. You’ll find it in many Chinese desserts like mochi and tangyuan.
This flour creates a soft, stretchy dough. It’s great for wrapping around sweet fillings. When steamed or boiled, it becomes translucent and very sticky.
Try using glutinous rice flour to make: • Sticky rice cakes • Sweet dumplings • Chewy cookies
Red Bean Paste
Red bean paste is a sweet filling made from adzuki beans. It has a deep red color and rich, nutty flavor. You can find it smooth or chunky.
To make red bean paste:
Soak dried adzuki beans
Boil until soft
Mash and mix with sugar
This paste goes in mooncakes, buns, and other pastries. It balances sweet and savory flavors. Some recipes mix it with nuts or dried fruit for extra texture.
Lotus Seed Paste
Lotus seed paste is smooth and creamy. It has a mild, sweet taste. You’ll see it in mooncakes and other baked goods.
To make lotus seed paste:
Soak lotus seeds
Cook until soft
Blend with sugar and oil
This paste is less sweet than red bean. It has a light, floral scent. Some recipes add salted egg yolk for contrast.
Chinese desserts are evolving with new flavors and techniques. Chefs mix traditional ingredients with global influences to create exciting sweets.
Fusion Desserts
Fusion desserts blend Chinese and Western flavors. Mango pudding now comes in cheesecake form. Green tea tiramisu combines Italian coffee-soaked ladyfingers with matcha cream. Red bean paste finds its way into Western-style cakes and cookies.
Chefs use Chinese ingredients in unexpected ways. Bubble tea inspires cakes with tapioca pearls. Sesame balls get a makeover as ice cream sandwiches. These creative treats appeal to younger diners and tourists looking for unique sweets.
Influence Of Western Pastry Techniques
Chinese bakers now use French and Italian methods. This results in flakier egg tart crusts and lighter sponge cakes. Choux pastry appears in cream puffs filled with taro or durian.
Western-style bakeries in China offer croissants with red bean paste. You’ll find macarons flavored with osmanthus or chrysanthemum tea. Chefs use precise temperature control and specialized equipment for consistent results.
These new desserts keep traditional flavors but have different textures. They’re often less sweet to suit Chinese tastes.
