30+ Most Popular Chinese Desserts You Must Try – Top Traditional Sweets in China

Written by Veronica | Updated December 25,2025

China boasts a wide range of traditional desserts due to vast territory and the long history. Chinese desserts are sweet food that are made from natural ingredients like grains, beans, flowers and fruits, and integrate local features and aesthetics.

Wherever you travel throughout China, local desserts will always give you something stunning. Now, come with us to start a gourmet travel in China.

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• What Makes Chinese Desserts Unique
• Top 15 Traditional Chinese Desserts
• Chinese Dessert Soups & Cold Treats
• Chinese New Year Desserts
• Regional Dessert Guide
• Unique & High-End Chinese Sweets
• Plan Your China Food Tour with China Xian Tour

What Makes Chinese Desserts Unique

The flavor of Chinese Desserts is mostly sweet but not cloying, which is different from western cake and chocolate. Besides, cooking methods of Chinese desserts mainly depend on stewing. This is why Chinese desserts taste soft, sticky and refreshing.

Traditional Chinese desserts have a strong sweet taste. As Chinese people have stricter requirements for health in modern society, xylitol or sugar substitute are used to reduce sugar intake while maintaining original taste. Besides, modern Chinese desserts prefer innovation, especially ingredients like chocolate and meat stuffing that have never been stuffed in desserts.

If you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss Chinese desserts on your China tour.

Common Ingredients in Chinese Dessert Recipes

Chinese desserts put an emphasis on original taste of food ingredients to preserve health. Its common ingredients center on natural grains, beans, flowers and fruits.

Moon cake is a case in point. You can find moon cakes with all kinds of fillings at the market on every mid-autumn festival, such as melon seeds, peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds and others.

In addition to that, there are glutinous rice that is main ingredient of Tangyuan and Zongzi, cakes stuffed with fresh roses that are popular in Yunnan, cakes and syrup made from Osmanthus, and Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake and Eight Treasure Rice that are made from red dates and Goji berries.

When Are Desserts Served in China?

Chinese desserts have long been taken as a sign of traditional festivals in China, such as malt sugar candy and New Year cake during the Chinese New Year, Tangyuan in the Lantern Festival, the moon cake in the mid-autumn festival, and Zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival. They are not only a food but also an emotional connection of family reunion and fulfilling life.

In addition to that, Chinese people also make seasonal desserts. For example, mung beans are used to make soup and cake to relieve summer heat. In winter, people will make the ginger milk custard and the glutinous rice balls in fermented rice wine to dispel cold.

Top 15 Traditional Chinese Desserts

The number of traditional Chinese desserts is beyond counting. Here are 15 must-try desserts for recommendation on your China tour.

1. Moon Cake

• Chinese name: 月饼 / yuè bǐng
• Typical Ingredients & Flavors: lotus seed paste, sweetened bean paste, five kernels, ham, pork, fruits

A bite of moon cake is a Chinese tradition on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. The round and plump appearance symbolizes family reunion and happiness. It is the best choice to give gifts to family relatives and sacrifice to the moon during the mid-autumn festival.

Moon cake is a baked cake. It is made from wheat flour and sweet/salty fillings. Such stuffings as lotus seed paste, red bean, jujube, salted egg yolk, walnuts, sesame seeds and melon seeds are popular.

Moon cake is a bit of cloying. A cup of hot tea will be a nice choice while eating moon cake because it can clean the palate.

2. Tangyuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)

• Chinese name: 汤圆 / tāng yuan

Tangyuan is a traditional food of the Lantern Festival dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is usually made from black sesame, pork fat, white sugar, glutinous rice flour. It means family harmony and good life.

Due to regional differences, the way to make Tangyuan is different. In South China, people used to knead the dough of glutinous rice flour and fill it with stuffings. In Northern China, people get accustomed to having solid fillings dip in water and repeatedly coat them with glutinous rice flour.

Tangyuan tastes sticky and luscious. Properly adding rice wine will make Tangyuan have a delightful taste.

3. Red Bean Soup

• Chinese name: 红豆汤 / hóng dòu tāng

Red Bean Soup is a traditional Chinese food on the day of winter solstice. If you read the verse of “red beans would revive fond memories” composed by Poet Wang Wei, you will learn the symbol of red beans as lovesickness in China.

Red bean soup is mainly made from red beans and sugar. Red beans will be mushy and thick after a long-time stewing. It will have a delightful taste if it is seasoned with sugar. It has a soft and sweet flavor and contains rich nutrients.

Read bean is also a Chinese medicinal material. It is conducive to getting rid of edema, clearing away heat, strengthening spleen and benefiting stomach.

4. Pea Cake

• Chinese name: 豌豆黄 / wān dòu huáng

Pea Cake is an imperial dessert developed in the Ming dynasty. It was a hot-selling snack in temple fairs and often used for royal sacrifice in ancient times.

The main ingredient of pea cake is yellow split pea. A little bit of alkali can soften peas and maintain original fragrance of beans, while sugar can give a flavor of sweet.

Pea cake amasses much popularity among the public in summer due to its refreshing flavor. It melts on the tongue like chilled butter. You can have a cup of jasmine tea to clean the palate or dip in honey to have a different flavor.

5. Caramel

• Chinese name: 沙琪玛 / shā qí mǎ‌

Caramel used to be a snack of Man ethnic group. It was hailed as one of royal desserts when it was introduced to Han ethnic group in the Qing dynasty. With affordable price and easy-to-get ingredients, caramel gradually becomes a popular dessert.

Caramel is mainly made from flour, egg and oil. It has a golden color and crispy taste. Raisins, nuts and sesame will be added to enrich flavor.

People with a sweet tooth will take a fancy to Caramel at the first bite. If you are tired of overly sweet, a cup of jasmine tea can relieve the cloying flavor.

6. Green Rice Ball

• Chinese name: 青团 / qīng tuán

Green Rice Ball is a cold food in memory of the Chinese nobleman named Jie Zitui. It used to be a sacrificial offering and was developed into a snack widely consumed in the region south of the Yangtze River on Tomb Sweeping Day.

Wormwood is a major ingredient of green rice ball. It is an edible wild herb to prevent toxic insects. Green rice ball is usually made from glutinous rice powder mixed with wormwood extract. It is traditionally stuffed with red bean paste, black sesame paste, or dried meat floss.

With a faint scent of wormwood, it tastes sticky and soft.

7. Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sweet Soybean Flour

• Chinese name: 驴打滚 / lǘ dǎ gǔn

Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sweet Bean Flour used to be a royal dessert in the Qing dynasty. It is thus named because glutinous rice rolls with bean flour are like donkeys rolling on the ground.

The main ingredients include glutinous rice flour, milk, sweetened bean paste, white sugar, sweet bean flour and oil. It is filled with red bean paste and covered with a soybean flour crumble.

This is a sweet and glutinous snack with a strong taste of soybean flour. It has a mellow fragrance on the outside and tastes fluffy on the inside. You will enjoy a refreshing flavor while it is cold.

8. Loong’s Beard Candy

• Chinese name: 龙须酥 / lóng xū sū

Loong’s Beard Candy was a royal dessert as early as the Ming dynasty. It gets its name because it has strands as thin as Loong’s moustache.

The way to make Loong’s Beard Candy is very interesting. Firstly, you need to mix white sugar, maltose and water together and boil down the syrup until it is slightly solidified. Then, you can repeatedly pull it into thousands of strands as thin as hair and have it coated with rice flour.

Loong’s Beard Candy is like a snow drift with numerous silvery white strands in neat piles. It tastes crispy and soft inside and exactly melts in your mouth.

9. Glutinous Rice Cake with Brown Sugar

• Chinese name: 红糖糍粑 / hóng táng cí bā

Glutinous Rice Cake with Brown Sugar is a traditional Chinese treat with the development of cane sugar. It is a good partner of hot pot in Sichuan and a gift for marriage and relocation in Fujian.

Glutinous rice firstly is soaked in water for six hours at least, which can make it sticky and soft. Then, people repeatedly thump glutinous rice with hammer until it is mushy. Glutinous rice cake will be diced when it is cold. Finally, the fried cakes are dipped in brown sugar.

This is a fried glutinous rice snack tastes crispy on the outside and sticky on the inside.

10. Osmanthus Cake

• Chinese name: 桂花糕 / guì huā gāo

Osmanthus Cake was created in Nanjing during the late Ming dynasty. It is used to pray for blessings and family harmony during festivals.

Main ingredients of Osmanthus cake are glutinous rice flour, sugar and osmanthus honey. Its cooking method is much more complicated than other sweet treats. An array of regional flavors is offered when Osmanthus cake is introduced across the country, such as sugar-free flavor and tea aroma.

Osmanthus cake, decorated with Osmanthus flowers, is visually appealing and has sweet-scented flavor and faint scent. It has a soft and sugary taste.

11. Egg Custard Tart (Egg Tat)

• Chinese name: 蛋挞 / dàn tà

Egg Custard Tart originates from Macao. It skillfully combines western pastry with Chinese style stewed egg.

Egg custard tart has been developed into a standard part of Guangzhou style morning tea since the 1920s. It now has become a common dessert throughout the country.

With crispy crust and tender egg custard, it has a strong fragrance of milk and fluffy taste.

12. Sesame Balls (Jian Dui)

• Chinese name: 芝麻球 (煎堆) / zhī má qiú ‌(jiān duī)

Sesame Ball, also know Jian Dui, was developed in the Tang and Song dynasties, and became a common street dessert in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ball-like appearance and golden color mean reunion and treasure.

It mainly consists of glutinous rice flour, sugar and sesame. This is not an easy homemade snack because you hardly keep it round while frying.

This dessert is popular in many regions and has savory and sweet flavors to offer. The frying method makes this traditional treat have crispy crust and sticky filling.

13. Steamed Creamy Custard Bun

Chinese name: 奶黄包

Steamed Creamy Custard Bun is a classic dessert in Cantonese morning tea. The dough used to make the bun is fermented and steamed, so the outer skin is exceptionally soft. While the fillings are carefully prepared with egg, butter, milk and sugar. It is the soul of the bun. When tasting, you will find its milk aroma is abundant, sweetness is moderate, and the texture is delicate.

Now, some creative flavors have appeared, such as matcha, chocolate, etc. It is highly recommended to eat it while hot and pair with a cup of Chinese tea, like green tea and Puer tea.

14. Pumpkin Cake

Chinese name: 南瓜饼

Pumpkin Cake is beloved by Chinese because of its natural sweetness of pumpkin and mild aroma of grains. The main ingredients are very simple, only pumpkin, glutinous rice flour and sugar. Usually, frying and deep-frying are the main cooking methods. So it is crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside.

Sometimes, the cake is pressed into various shapes like hearts using molds. To enrich the flavors, various fillings will also be added. The common ones include the red bean paste, purple sweet potato puree, etc.

15. Sweetheart Pastry

Chinese name: 老婆饼

In China, people often joke, “Why is there no sweetheart in the sweetheart cake?” Just like the saying, “There’s no ham in a hamburger”. It is a humorous expression to emphasize that it’s just a snack named after a sweetheart.

The Sweetheart Pastry is originated from Chaozhou District in Guangdong Province. It is also served as a snack for morning tea or afternoon tea. Flour, winter melon puree, sugar and sesame seeds are the main materials. Through baking, the pastry is extremely crispy outside with distinctive layers. When biting into it, some crumbs may fall off. It is also the charm of the Sweetheart Pastry. The inner filling is soft and smooth, and tastes sweet but not greasy.

Chinese Dessert Soups & Cold Treats

In addition to traditional iconic desserts above mentioned, China tour will be a culinary adventure to offer a unique glimpse into Chinese dessert soups & cold treats.

16. Black Sesame Soup

• Chinese name: 黑芝麻糊 / hēi zhī ma hù

This soup has black sesame as main ingredient, which is a food and medicine originating from the same source. This traditional treat centers on black sesame. It tastes smooth and sweet, and keeps good health.

17. Snow Fungus Soup

• Chinese name: 银耳汤 / yín ěr tāng‌

This soup centers on snow fungus that boasts yin-nourishing and dryness-combating‌ functions. It is warmly welcomed by women because it can maintain beauty and young, and provides a sticky and smooth flavor.

18. Grass Jelly with Syrup

• Chinese name: 烧仙草 / shāo xiān cǎo

Grass jelly is extracted from Chinese mesona. This cool dessert mixed with taro balls and sweet red beans can help you cool down from the summer heat. It tastes gelatinous and slippery.

19. Mango Sago

• Chinese name: 芒果西米露 / máng guǒ xī mǐ lù‌

This dessert is made from Mango, sago and coconut milk. It tastes chewy and milky, with a strong fruity aroma. The cool and slippery flavor makes it into one of most popular desserts in summer.

20. Sweet Fermented Rice with Glutinous Rice Balls

• Chinese name: 酒酿小圆子 / jiǔ niàng xiǎo yuán zǐ

This dessert is made from glutinous rice balls and sweet fermented rice, mixed with Goji berries and osmanthus flowers. It provides the mellow and luscious taste.

21. Mango Pomelo Sago

• Chinese name: 杨枝甘露

Mango Pomelo Sago is a classic Hong Kong-style dessert. It is popular all over China because of the abundant tastes. Its ingredients are more abundant, including mango, pomelo, sago and coconut milk or evaporated milk. The mango is mashed into a puree, so its texture is very smooth. The pomelo are added to neutralize the sweetness with its slightly sour and bitter taste. While the milk make the overall taste more mellow. To enjoy the best taste, it is strongly recommended to keep it in the refrigerator before eating.

See other iconic soup dishes in China

Chinese New Year Desserts

China boasts many desserts specially provided for Chinese New Year. It not only offers a delicacy but also creates a stronger festival atmosphere. Also, you can check out our list of traditional lucky food for Chinese New Year.

22. Nian Gao (Chinese Rice Cake)

• Chinese name: 年糕 / nián gāo

Chinese Rice Cake is a sticky and soft dessert made from glutinous rice, with a strong scent of rice. It can be stir-fried and boiled with greens or fried with sweet. It is the symbol of Chinese New Year.

23. Fa Gao (Steamed Sponge Cake)

• Chinese name: 发糕 / fā gāo

Steamed Sponge Cake is a steamed bun made from rice syrup. It is fluffy and soft, with a slight taste of sweet.

24. Mahua (Fried Dough Twists)

• Chinese name: 麻花 / má huā

Fried Dough Twists are a stir-fried food, with golden crust and fluffy taste. Due to regional different, this snack has savory and sweet flavors.

Regional Dessert Guide

China embraces a wide range of regional desserts. You may find a regional dessert sold in other places, but you’d better go to original place of regional desserts if you want to enjoy authentic bites.

25. Candied Hawthorns in Beijing

Chinese name: 冰糖糖葫芦 / bīng táng hú lu

Candied Hawthorns refers to hawthorn skewer covered with a piece of hard syrup. The sour hawthorns mix with sweet sugar to create a rich flavor. It has a unique icy flavor in winter due to low temperature. As a popular Beijing street food, you can find stalls selling Candied Hawthorns in any street or hutong during your Beijing tour.

26. Taro sago in Southeast Area

Chinese name: 芋头西米露 / yù tóu xī mǐ lù‌

Taro offers a mellow and dense flavor, while sago is sticky. They are mixed in coconut milk to create a unique snack of Southeast Asia style.

27. Egg Waffles in Hong Kong

Chinese name: 鸡蛋仔 / ‌jī dàn zǎi‌

Egg waffles refers to a honeycomb-like egg pancake with golden color and crispy crust. To cater for more diners, egg waffles are stuffed with chocolate, mocha and others.

28. Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake in Xian

Chinese name: 甑糕 / zèng gāo

Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake is mainly made from glutinous rice and red dates. Two ingredients are piled up together and steamed in wooden steamer. It has a sticky taste and faint scent. It is common to see during your Xian tour, especially when you making a visit to the Muslim Quarter.

Popular Snacks in Major Tourist Cities in China

Unique & High-End Chinese Sweets

Many Chinese desserts used to be imperial food. These high-end sweet treats now amass much popularity among ordinary people.

29. Bird’s Nest Soup (Sweet Version)

Chinese name: 燕窝 / yàn wō

Bird’s nest refers to the mixture of swiftlets’ saliva and fluff. It is rich in sialic acid and other active ingredients. It tastes smooth and smells great. It is hailed as a high-end supplement due to the role of rejuvenation.

30. Herbal Jelly with Honey

Chinese name: 龟苓膏 / guī líng gāo

Herbal jelly, a functional food, is made from Chinese medicinal materials, like tortoiseshell. It tastes bitter and has a faint scent of herbals. It can clear away heat and eliminate dampness. The slippery flavor makes it become a great summer snack.

31. Tuckahoe Cake

Chinese name: 茯苓糕 / fú líng gāo

Tuckahoe Cake is mainly made from Tuckahoe and glutinous rice. The texture is as soft as jade, with a fragrance of Chinese medicinal material. It can strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness.

Plan Your China Food Tour with China Xian Tour

Are you ready for a sweet adventure through China now? Whether you are dreaming of enjoying special sweet treats during certain festivals, savoring Candied Hawthorns on a winter stroll in Beijing, trying Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake while wandering Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter, or discovering more hidden sweet treasures, China’s diverse dessert landscape will not disappoint you.

For your convenience, you can either choose from our expertly curated preset tours or contact China Xian Tour to craft a personalized food tour based on your tastes and interests. With over 15 years of experience, our team have some foodie experts who have explored dishes and snacks of different cities. They are insiders of China’s culinary scene. Get ready to let them guide you in the diverse and delicious world of Chinese desserts.