Embark on a culinary journey with 24 symbolic and delectable Chinese desserts, steeped in tradition and flavor.
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CHINESE DESSERT RECIPES FOR SWEET SENSATIONS
Chinese desserts are not only delicious, but also rich in culture and symbolism. Many of them are associated with festivals, celebrations, and auspicious meanings. For example, tang yuan are glutinous rice balls that represent family reunion and harmony, while fa gao are steamed cakes that symbolize prosperity and fortune. Here, I will introduce you to 24 amazing Chinese desserts that you can make at home and share with friends and family. You will find a variety of flavors, textures, and ingredients, from candied fruits to almond jelly, from fried milk to snow fungus soup, and more. These are the best Chinese desserts you need to try.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with these candied hawthorn sticks, a traditional Chinese snack that’s easy to make at home. You’ll need fresh hawthorn berries, sugar, water, and bamboo skewers. The result is a crunchy and tangy treat that’s perfect for any occasion.
Treat yourself to this Chinese almond jelly, a smooth and refreshing dessert that’s vegan and gluten-free. You’ll need almond milk, agar-agar powder, sugar, and vanilla extract. You can also add some fruit or syrup for extra flavor and color.
Learn how to make soy milk pudding, a simple and healthy dessert that’s popular in China. You’ll need soy milk, gelatin, sugar, and water. The pudding is creamy and smooth, with a subtle soy flavor. You can enjoy it plain or with some toppings of your choice.
Indulge in this fried milk, a crispy and creamy dessert that’s sure to impress your guests. You’ll need milk, cornstarch, sugar, eggs, bread crumbs, and oil. The milk is cooked into a thick custard, then cut into pieces and deep-fried until golden and crunchy.
Bake these almond cookies, a buttery and nutty dessert that’s easy to make and delicious to eat. You’ll need butter, sugar, flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, egg yolk, and almond slices. The cookies are soft and chewy, with a crunchy almond topping.
Spice up your cake with this chocolate Chinese five spice cake recipe, a moist and rich dessert that’s full of flavor. You’ll need butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, Chinese five spice powder, sour cream, and chocolate chips. The cake is topped with a decadent chocolate ganache for a heavenly finish.
Celebrate Chinese New Year with this eight treasure rice, a festive and colorful dessert that’s loaded with dried fruits and nuts. You’ll need glutinous rice, sugar, oil, red bean paste, and various dried fruits and nuts such as dates, raisins, apricots, almonds, and walnuts. The rice is steamed in a bowl and inverted onto a plate for a stunning presentation.
Enjoy these sachima, a soft and chewy snack that’s similar to rice krispie treats. You’ll need flour, eggs, baking powder, oil, sugar, maltose syrup, and sesame seeds. The dough is fried into thin strips and coated with a sticky syrup that binds them together.
Make these Chinese walnut cookies, a crunchy and crumbly dessert that’s perfect for tea time. You’ll need butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, walnuts, and sesame seeds. The cookies are shaped into balls and pressed with a walnut half for a lovely appearance.
Cool down with these mung bean cakes, a refreshing and healthy dessert that’s popular in summer. You’ll need mung beans, sugar, water, and agar-agar powder. The mung beans are cooked until soft and blended into a smooth paste. The paste is mixed with sugar and water and boiled with agar-agar powder to form a jelly-like mixture. The mixture is poured into molds and chilled until set.
Wish yourself good luck with these Chinese fa gao fortune cakes, a fluffy and sweet dessert that’s traditionally eaten during Chinese New Year. You’ll need rice flour, wheat starch, sugar, yeast, water, and food coloring. The batter is fermented until bubbly and steamed in paper cups until they rise and crack open. The cracks are said to symbolize prosperity and happiness.
Surprise your friends and family with these homemade fortune cookies, a fun and easy dessert that you can customize with your own messages. You’ll need egg whites, sugar, butter, vanilla, flour, and salt. The cookies are baked until golden and folded into their iconic shape while still warm.
Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, these deep-fried glutinous rice balls are a delicious treat that you can make at home. You’ll need glutinous rice flour, water, sugar, sesame seeds, and red bean paste. The balls are filled with sweet red bean paste and coated with sesame seeds before frying.
Celebrate autumn with these Chinese pumpkin cakes, a vegan and gluten-free dessert that’s rich in flavor and texture. You’ll need pumpkin, glutinous rice flour, sugar, oil, and pumpkin seeds. The pumpkin is steamed and mashed into a dough, then shaped into cakes and pan-fried until golden and crispy.
Warm up with this snow fungus soup with pears, a soothing and nourishing dessert that’s popular in Chinese medicine. You’ll need snow fungus, dried goji berries, dried jujube dates, rock sugar, and fresh pears. The soup is simmered until the snow fungus is soft and gelatinous, and the pears are tender and sweet.
Indulge in these winter melon puffs, also known as wife biscuits or sweetheart cakes, a traditional Chinese pastry that’s flaky and delicate. You’ll need flour, oil, water, sugar, winter melon, maltose syrup, and almond extract. The pastry is made with two types of dough that are layered together and wrapped around a winter melon filling.
Enjoy these glutinous rice balls from scratch, also known as tang yuan, a festive and colorful dessert that’s eaten during Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival. You’ll need glutinous rice flour, water, food coloring, sugar, ginger, and osmanthus flowers. The rice balls are boiled in a fragrant ginger syrup and garnished with osmanthus flowers.
Try this Chinese jujube date sticky rice cake, a sweet and sticky dessert that’s perfect for Chinese New Year or any occasion. You’ll need glutinous rice flour, water chestnut flour, sugar, water, oil, dried jujube dates, and sesame seeds. The cake is steamed with jujube dates on top and sprinkled with sesame seeds for extra crunch.
Layer up with this tapioca thousand layer cake, a unique and chewy dessert that’s made with tapioca starch, coconut milk, sugar, and pandan leaves. The cake is steamed in thin layers of different colors, creating a beautiful striped effect. You can cut it into slices or cubes and enjoy it hot or cold.
Soothe your throat with this pear rock sugar soup, a simple and refreshing dessert that’s good for your health. You’ll need fresh pears, rock sugar, water, and ginger. The soup is cooked until the pears are soft and the rock sugar is dissolved, creating a sweet and clear broth with a hint of ginger.
Bite into these liu sha bao, also known as salted egg yolk custard buns, a decadent and creamy dessert that’s popular in dim sum restaurants. You’ll need bread flour, yeast, sugar, milk, butter, salted egg yolks, cream, and condensed milk. The buns are filled with a rich custard and steamed until fluffy and oozy.
Cool down with this water chestnut cake, a light and refreshing dessert that’s vegan and gluten-free. You’ll need fresh water chestnuts, water chestnut flour, sugar, water, and agar-agar powder. The water chestnuts are peeled and chopped into small pieces and mixed with a water chestnut flour batter and boiled with agar-agar powder to form a jelly-like cake.
Make these Chinese red bean paste buns, a soft and sweet dessert that’s filled with homemade red bean paste. You’ll need red beans, sugar, oil, flour, yeast, water, and salt. The red beans are cooked until soft and mashed into a smooth paste with sugar and oil. The paste is wrapped in a yeast dough and steamed until risen and fluffy.
Celebrate love with these tang yuan, also known as sweet rice balls or glutinous rice dumplings, a traditional dessert that’s eaten during Chinese Valentine’s Day or Qixi Festival. You’ll need glutinous rice flour, water, food coloring, brown sugar, water, and ginger. The rice flour is kneaded into a dough and divided into small balls that are dyed with different colors. The balls are boiled in a brown sugar syrup with ginger and served hot.
Ingredients
- Candied Hawthorn Sticks (Bing Tanghulu)
- Chinese Almond Jelly
- Soy Milk Pudding
- Fried Milk
- Chinese Almond Cookies
- Chocolate Chinese Five Spice Cake
- Eight Treasure Rice (Ba Bao Fan)
- Sachima
- Chinese Walnut Cookies (He Tao Su)
- Mung Bean Cake (Mung Bean Paste)
- Fortune Cake (Fa Gao)
- Homemade Fortune Cookies
- Deep Fried Glutinous Rice Balls (Jian Dui)
- Chinese Pumpkin Cakes (Nan Gua Bing)
- Snow Fungus Soup with Pears
- Winter Melon Puff (Wife Biscuit)
- Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)
- Jujube Date Sticky Rice Cake
- Tapioca Thousand Layer Cake (Ling Fen Ci)
- Rock Sugar Pears (Bing Tang Xue Li)
- Molten Custard Salted Egg Buns (Liu Sha Bao)
- Water Chestnut Cake
- Chinese Red Bean Buns
- Sweet Rice Balls with Peanut Butter Filling (Tang Yuan)
Instructions
- Select your favorite Chinese dessert recipe.
- Gather all necessary ingredients.
- Create a tasty Chinese dessert using simple steps and enjoy!
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