These easy traditional Chinese New Year desserts are ideal for cheering in the new year, but they’re also delicious any time of year.
Chinese New Year is an important event in Chinese culture when families meet to eat the most important meal of the year — tuán niánfàn, or New Year’s Eve dinner.
Dessert is a course meal that most people take at the end of their meal to round out their meal. It is mostly made up of sweets and occasionally fruits. It may also include a beverage, which is typically in the form of wine or another type of liquor.
Chinese New Year desserts
Chinese desserts differ from those seen in the West. Their texture, form, flavor, and make-up composition are all completely different.
Another significant distinction is that, unlike Western desserts, which are typically served after the meal, Chinese desserts are typically served between meals.
You’ll come across treats throughout the day. Other desserts, on the other hand, are even eaten for breakfast.
Easy Traditional Chinese New Year’s Desserts
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1. Tang Yuan (Chinese glutinous rice balls)
Get the full recipe from Red House Spice
Traditionally, Chinese New Year celebrations last 15 days, with a wonderful dessert known as Tang Yuan (Chinese glutinous rice balls) eaten as part of the family reunion supper on the last day, known as the Lantern Festival.
Tang Yuan is one of my favorite Chinese sweet treats, with a unique texture and flavor that I make year-round as a dessert for dinner parties.
2. Homemade Chinese Sesame Peanut Brittle (Chinese New Year desserts)
Get the full recipe from The Woks of Life
A handcrafted Chinese Sesame Peanut Brittle and a Sesame Walnut Peanut Brittle are Chinese New Year desserts that symbolize sweetness and happiness for the future year.
3. Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Pudding (Ba Bao Fan)
Get the full recipe from What To Cook Today
Ba bao fan is a sweet and sticky glutinous rice pudding with candied fruits, nuts, and seeds. An easy-to-make Chinese New Year dish.
This dish may be prepared in an Instant Pot as well.
4. Nian Gao (Chinese New Year desserts)
Get the full recipe from Healthy Nibbles
Nian Gao, a steamed rice cake consisting of glutinous rice flour and brown sugar, is a Chinese Lunar New Year treat.
5. Rose Ginger Steamed Sponge Cake (Ma Lai Go)
Get the full recipe from Goodie God Mother
It’s also quite cool to bake a cake without really baking it.
Steaming gives this cake its airy, bouncy texture.
Because I didn’t have a steamer, I used two large stock pots with aluminum foil wrapped over the bottom as an improvised insert to keep my 6′′ bamboo steamer baskets above the water.
6. Sesame Seed Dessert Balls (Jian Dui – Chinese New Year desserts)
Get the full recipe from The Spruce Eats
Sesame seed balls are a traditional dessert in China and Taiwan, where they are sold by street vendors and eaten in dim sum restaurants.
The outside is crispy, the middle is chewy, and the flavor is toasted, nutty, and sweet.
The balls are deep-fried till golden brown after being wrapped in a basic dough of sugar, water, and rice flour and filled with red bean paste.
7. Rice Dumplings (TANG YUAN)
Get the full recipe from What To Cook Today
For Chinese New Year, try these Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings (Tang Yuan).
They’re scrumptious black sesame dumplings with a gooey filling. With a roasted flavor and a hint of sweetness, it’s a little nutty.
8. Fried Dough Twists (Chinese New Year desserts)
Get the full recipe from Chinese New Year
Fried dough twists come in both savory and sweet varieties. They’re usually fried till golden brown.
They’re made up of huge, thick strips that are packed with a variety of healthy and tasty ingredients.
9. Chinese Fa Gao (Fortune Cake)
Get the full recipe from China Sichuan Food
Fa Gao is a popular steam cake found across China, both north and south.
Every spring festival in China is celebrated on several different sites. “Wealth and development” is how its name translates.
10. Chinese Almond Cookies (Chinese New Year dessert recipes)
Get the full recipe from Simply Recipes
Chinese almond cookies are buttery, sweet cookies that are similar to sugar cookies but are prepared with almond flour for a distinct, nutty flavor.
They are essential during the Chinese New Year!
11. Taro Ball Soup
Get the full recipe from Panda Cheffy
Taro Soup is a popular snack in the Fujian region, and it is part of Fujian cuisine.
It is also one of Taiwan’s most popular snacks. Taro soup can be served hot or cold, and it is appropriate for both winter and summer as well as Caramel Cashew Clusters.
12. Hong Kong Egg Tarts (Chinese New Year desserts)
Get the full recipe from The Woks of Life
Hong Kong egg tarts are small, flaky pastries (about 3 inches across) with a smooth, lightly sweet egg custard filling.
You’ll often find them at dim sum spots and Chinese bakeries.
These tasty treats are popular in Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Chinatowns all over the world.
12 Easy Traditional Chinese New Year Desserts
Ingredients
- Tang Yuan (Chinese glutinous rice balls)
- Homemade Chinese Sesame Peanut Brittle
- Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Pudding (Ba Bao Fan)
- Nian Gao
- Rose Ginger Steamed Sponge Cake (Ma Lai Go)
- Sesame Seed Dessert Balls (Jian Dui)
- Rice Dumplings (TANG YUAN)
- Fried Dough Twists
- Chinese Fa Gao (Fortune Cake)
- Chinese Almond Cookies
- Taro Ball Soup
- Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Instructions
- Select your choice of Chinese New Year desserts from the article.
- Click on the link to get the full recipes and instructions.
- Get ready to prep, cook, and enjoy!
Video
I hope this list of 12 Chinese New Year dessert recipes helps you plan your menu this Holiday season.
What are your favorite Chinese New Year desserts? Tell me more about them in the comments!
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