Chinese DessertsFrom tangyuan to tanghulu
Chinese desserts are often less sweet than Western ones and many are warm: sweet soups, soft rice treats and festival foods. Here are the ones you will meet most often.
Chinese Desserts: the essential names
1. Tangyuan (sweet rice balls)
Glutinous rice balls in warm syrup, often filled with black sesame. Eaten at the Lantern Festival and the Winter Solstice.
2. Mooncake
Rich pastries filled with lotus seed or red bean paste, sometimes with a salted egg yolk. The Mid-Autumn Festival treat.
3. Tanghulu (candied fruit skewers)
Hawthorn berries or other fruit on a stick, coated in hard, glassy sugar. A Beijing winter street snack.
4. Double-skin milk pudding
A smooth, steamed milk pudding from Guangdong with a soft "skin" on top.
5. Mango pomelo sago
A cold Hong Kong dessert of mango, pomelo and sago pearls in coconut milk.
6. Black sesame soup
A warm, thick and nutty dessert soup made from ground black sesame.
7. Red bean soup
Sweet soup of red beans cooked until soft, served warm or cold.
8. Douhua (tofu pudding)
Silky tofu pudding, often served sweet with syrup, peanuts or fruit in Taiwan and southern China. In Sichuan it is also eaten savoury and spicy.
9. Guilinggao (herbal jelly)
A dark, slightly bitter herbal jelly from Guangxi and Guangdong, eaten with honey or syrup.
10. Sesame balls
Fried glutinous rice balls coated in sesame seeds, chewy inside, often with red bean paste. In Cantonese they are 煎堆.
11. Eight-treasure rice
Sweet steamed glutinous rice decorated with dried fruits and nuts, served at Chinese New Year.
12. Bingfen (ice jelly)
A clear, cooling jelly from Sichuan, served cold with brown sugar syrup and toppings — the perfect end to a spicy meal.
Useful phrases
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甜品 | tiánpǐn | English dessert | Note |
| 不要太甜。 | Bú yào tài tián. | English Not too sweet, please. | Note |
| 好吃！ | Hǎochī! | English Delicious! | Note |
| 一份杨枝甘露。 | Yí fèn yángzhī gānlù. | English One mango pomelo sago, please. | Note |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Chinese dessert?
Mooncakes and tangyuan are the best-known festival desserts; mango pomelo sago and egg tarts are favourites in Hong Kong-style dessert shops.
Why are Chinese desserts less sweet?
Many are built on beans, grains and fruit, and the highest praise for a dessert in Chinese is often 不太甜 — "not too sweet".