Chinese Desserts

When most people think about Chinese cuisine, desserts usually aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But actually, there’s a huge variety of Chinese desserts out there — and many of them are surprisingly delicious, once you get used to how different they are from Western sweets.

I’ve put together a list of some of the most famous and tasty Chinese desserts, so next time you find yourself in a Chinese restaurant and spot one of these on the menu, you’ll know exactly what to order. You can also check out today’s vocab list on Quizlet to practice and add some new words to your vocabulary.

汤圆 (tāngyuán) – Glutinous Rice Balls
Small glutinous rice balls, usually filled with sweet fillings like black sesame, peanut, or red bean paste. They’re boiled and served in a sweet syrup.
Fun fact: In southern China, people eat 汤圆 all year round for good luck, not just during Lantern Festival! In the north, a similar dessert called 元宵 (yuánxiāo) is more common — but 元宵 is usually bigger and has a different way of making the filling (rolled instead of stuffed).

芝麻球 (zhīma qiú) – Sesame Balls
These golden, crispy balls are made from glutinous rice flour, deep-fried until puffy, and coated in sesame seeds. Inside, you’ll often find a sweet red bean paste.

月饼 (yuèbǐng) – Mooncakes
Mooncakes are the iconic dessert for the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节 zhōngqiūjié). They usually have a rich filling like lotus seed paste, red bean paste, or salted egg yolk, wrapped in a thin pastry skin. Different regions have different styles — for example, Cantonese-style mooncakes are soft and sweet, while Suzhou-style ones are flaky and sometimes savory.

豆花 (dòuhuā) – Tofu Pudding
豆花 is a soft, silky tofu dessert made by curdling fresh soy milk. It is made with syrup, ginger sugar, or peanuts.

双皮奶 (shuāngpí nǎi) – Double Skin Milk Pudding
This creamy dessert from Guangdong (Canton) is made by boiling milk, letting it form a skin, then adding sugar and steaming it again to create a second skin. It’s soft, slightly chewy on top, and very smooth inside.

糖葫芦 (tánghúlu) – Sugar-coated Hawthorn Skewers
This is a famous Beijing street snack. Hawthorn berries (and sometimes strawberries or grapes) are skewered and dipped into a hard candy coating.

龙须酥 (lóng xū sū) – Dragon’s Beard Candy
This dessert is sometimes called the "Chinese cotton candy"! It was originally a royal treat from ancient China. It’s made by stretching sugar syrup into thousands of fine, silky threads — it really looks like a dragon’s beard! The fine sugar strands are usually wrapped around a filling of crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and sometimes coconut. It's light, sweet, and melts in your mouth.

八宝饭 (bā bǎo fàn) – Eight Treasure Rice
八宝饭 is a sweet dessert made with sticky rice and eight different fillings, like red beans, dates, and lotus seeds. It’s usually steamed and topped with a little sugar syrup. People eat it during special occasions like Chinese New Year because the eight fillings represent good luck and prosperity.

黑芝麻糊 (hēi zhī ma hú) – Black Sesame Soup
黑芝麻糊 is a smooth, sweet dessert made from ground black sesame seeds mixed with sugar and rice paste. It’s often served warm and has a rich, nutty flavor. It’s a popular snack in southern China, especially in winter, for its warming and comforting qualities.

蛋挞 (dàn tà) – Egg Tarts
Originally from Macau (influenced by Portuguese pastel de nata), these mini tarts have a flaky crust and a silky, sweet egg custard filling. Super popular in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau!

芒果班戟 (mángguǒ bānjǐ) – Mango Pancake
芒果班戟 is a popular Hong Kong dessert made with a thin, soft crepe-like pancake filled with fresh mango slices and sweetened whipped cream.

杨枝甘露 (yáng zhī gān lù) – Mango Sago
杨枝甘露 is a refreshing, tropical dessert from Hong Kong. It’s made with mango, coconut milk, and sago pearls (similar to tapioca). Sometimes, pomelo or other fruits are added for extra flavor.

炸鲜奶 (zhá xiān nǎi) – Fried Milk
炸鲜奶 is a unique dessert where fresh milk is mixed with a little cornstarch, then fried until it’s crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. It’s often served hot and sprinkled with sugar, giving it a sweet, crunchy texture. This dessert is especially popular in Guangdong and Hong Kong.

红糖糍粑 (hóngtáng cíbā) – Sticky rice cakes with brown sugar syrup
This sweet treat is popular all across Sichuan. It’s chewy fried glutinous rice cakes (糯米) server with thick brown sugar syrup. Crispy outside and soft on the inside.

冰粉 (bīngfěn) – Ice Jelly
Ice jelly is a classic street dessert from Sichuan, perfect for cooling down after spicy food. It’s made from the seeds of a plant called the ice powder tree (冰粉树), mixed with brown sugar syrup, fruit, peanuts, and sometimes jelly cubes.

椰汁糕 (yēzhī gāo) – Coconut Milk Cake
This bouncy coconut milk cake is a beloved dessert in Hainan. It combines fresh coconut milk, a little sugar, and gelatin, then gets chilled until firm.

椰子冻 (yēzi dòng) – Coconut Jelly
This fresh coconut jelly from Hainan is served inside a real coconut! It’s made with fresh coconut water, coconut pulp, and a bit of gelatin to create a soft, bouncy jelly.

清补凉 (qīng bǔ liáng) – Cooling Sweet Soup
清补凉 is a refreshing dessert from Hainan, often eaten in hot weather. It’s a sweet, cold soup made with ingredients like beans, jelly, taro balls, and coconut milk, all served with crushed ice. It's a perfect treat to cool down and enjoy the sweetness on a warm day.

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