Tasty examples of easy Chinese desserts to try - simple recipes for any home cook

Real-life examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes you’ll actually make

Let’s skip long theory and jump straight into the good part: real examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes that work in a regular home kitchen. Think minimal prep, supermarket-friendly ingredients, and flavors that feel both familiar and new.

Below, you’ll find several of the best examples, from fruity puddings to warm dessert soups. You can treat this like a menu: skim, pick one that speaks to you, and start there.

Mango pudding: the gateway dessert

If you want one example of an easy Chinese dessert that almost everyone loves, start with mango pudding. It’s popular in Chinese restaurants around the world because it’s creamy, bright, and not too heavy.

At its core, mango pudding is just mango puree, milk or cream (you can use coconut milk), sugar, and gelatin. You warm the liquid with sugar, stir in the mango, add softened gelatin, pour into small bowls, and chill. That’s it.

What makes it one of the best examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes is how forgiving it is. Use canned mango pulp if fresh mangoes aren’t in season. Swap dairy for coconut milk to make it dairy-free. Adjust the sweetness based on your taste or dietary needs. You can even set it in a baking dish and scoop it family-style instead of fussing with individual molds.

2024 twist: Many home cooks now lighten it up by using less sugar and more fruit. If you’re watching added sugars, you can look at general guidance on sugar intake from sources like the National Institutes of Health or CDC and adjust your recipes accordingly.

Almond jelly with fruit: light, jiggly, and refreshing

Another classic example of an easy Chinese dessert is almond jelly (sometimes called almond tofu, though there’s no tofu in it). It’s a gently sweet, milky jelly scented with almond extract, usually served in small cubes with canned or fresh fruit and a light syrup.

You make it almost like mango pudding: heat milk (regular or plant-based), a bit of sugar, and sometimes a splash of cream; dissolve gelatin; add almond extract; pour into a pan; chill until set; then cut into cubes. Serve it with lychees, mandarin oranges, or whatever fruit you have.

This is one of the best examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes because it:

• Uses pantry staples
• Keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days
• Feels light and not overly sweet

If you’re avoiding dairy, you can use almond milk or oat milk. Just keep the almond extract; that’s where the signature flavor comes from.

Tang yuan (sweet glutinous rice balls) in ginger syrup

If you like cozy, wintery desserts, tang yuan is your friend. These are chewy glutinous rice balls served in a sweet, usually ginger-infused syrup. They’re often eaten during festivals, but they’re easy enough for any cold night.

The dough is simply glutinous rice flour and water. You knead it into a soft dough, roll it into small balls, and cook them in simmering water until they float. The syrup is just water, slices of ginger, and sugar, simmered together.

For a fun example of a slightly more advanced version, you can stuff the rice balls with black sesame paste or peanut filling. But unfilled tang yuan are perfectly good and much simpler.

This is one of the most comforting examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes if you enjoy mochi-like textures. Glutinous rice flour is widely available in Asian grocery stores and increasingly in big-box supermarkets and online.

Sesame balls (jian dui): now with an air fryer shortcut

Sesame balls are those golden, crispy, hollow treats you see at dim sum: chewy glutinous rice dough, rolled in sesame seeds, traditionally deep-fried. They’re often filled with sweet red bean or lotus seed paste.

Classic sesame balls are a bit more hands-on, but modern home cooks have turned them into one of the best examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes by using two tricks:

• Pre-made fillings: Canned red bean paste or lotus paste saves a ton of time.
• Air fryer method: Instead of deep-frying, you can lightly oil the sesame-coated balls and cook them in an air fryer until golden, flipping once. They won’t be exactly the same as restaurant-style, but they’re much less intimidating and use less oil.

The dough is simple: glutinous rice flour, a bit of sugar, and water. Wrap small pieces of dough around a teaspoon of filling, seal well, roll in water then sesame seeds, and cook.

If you want a dessert that feels like a project but still falls under examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes, sesame balls are a satisfying weekend option.

Red bean soup: sweet, soothing, and surprisingly simple

Sweet red bean soup is a classic Chinese dessert soup that tastes far better than it sounds if you’re new to beans in desserts. It’s lightly sweet, earthy, and very comforting.

You simmer adzuki (red) beans with water and sugar until the beans are tender and start to break down. Some people blend part of the soup for a smoother texture, then add small tapioca pearls or glutinous rice balls.

This is one of the gentlest examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes because it’s mostly hands-off simmering. If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, you can dramatically cut down the cooking time.

You can control the sweetness and richness, which is helpful if you’re mindful of sugar or overall calories. For general background on beans and fiber, sites like Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offer solid, research-based information.

Coconut sago with fruit: tropical, chewy, and very TikTok-friendly

Coconut sago (sometimes called coconut tapioca) has become a social-media favorite in 2024 because it looks pretty in glasses and tastes like a vacation. It’s also one of the easiest examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes if you like creamy, fruity sweets.

You cook small tapioca pearls (sago) in boiling water until translucent, rinse them, then stir them into a mixture of coconut milk, a bit of regular milk or water, sugar, and sometimes a pinch of salt. Chill and top with mango, strawberries, or other fruit.

The texture is fun—chewy pearls in a silky coconut base—and you can easily make it dairy-free by using only coconut milk and water. Many home cooks now reduce the sugar and rely more on ripe fruit for sweetness, which lines up with broader trends toward moderating added sugars.

If you’re looking for a photogenic example of modern Chinese-style dessert that still fits into the category of examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes, this one is hard to beat.

Steamed egg custard (sweet version): comfort in a bowl

You may know Chinese savory steamed egg, but there’s also a sweet version that’s basically a gently set custard made with eggs, milk, and sugar, steamed instead of baked.

The method is simple: whisk eggs with sugar, add warm milk, strain for smoothness, pour into heatproof bowls, cover with foil, and steam over low heat until just set. The texture is silky, somewhere between flan and pudding.

This is a great example of a dessert that feels nostalgic and homey. It’s also a nice way to practice gentle steaming techniques without worrying about crusts or fancy toppings.

Because it’s mostly eggs and milk, you can tweak it to your needs—use lower-fat milk, reduce sugar slightly, or infuse the milk with ginger or citrus peel for more flavor without adding more sweetness.

Osmanthus jelly: floral, delicate, and very low effort

Osmanthus jelly is a lighter dessert that’s become more popular outside Asia thanks to food bloggers and social media. Dried osmanthus flowers are steeped to make a fragrant tea, which is then sweetened, mixed with gelatin or agar-agar, and chilled into a delicate jelly.

If you want a lighter example of an easy Chinese dessert, this is perfect. The flavor is floral and honey-like, and the flowers suspended in the jelly look gorgeous.

Osmanthus can be found online or in Chinese grocery stores. If you’re into tea culture or floral flavors, this dessert is a beautiful way to explore them.

How to choose which easy Chinese dessert to try first

With so many examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes in front of you, it helps to pick based on your mood and your pantry.

If you:

• Love fruit and cold desserts – start with mango pudding, almond jelly with fruit, or coconut sago.
• Crave something warm and cozy – try tang yuan in ginger syrup or red bean soup.
• Want a project-style dessert – sesame balls will scratch that itch.
• Prefer lighter, less sweet options – osmanthus jelly or lightly sweetened almond jelly are great picks.

You don’t need special equipment beyond a pot, a pan, and maybe a steamer setup (which can be as simple as a metal rack in a large pot with a lid). Glutinous rice flour, tapioca pearls, and canned red bean paste are the only ingredients you might need to pick up at an Asian market or order online.

When you look at these examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes, notice a pattern: many rely on simple techniques like steaming, simmering, and chilling, rather than heavy baking. That makes them very approachable if you’re not a confident baker.

Tips for making these easy Chinese desserts work in a Western kitchen

To make these examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes truly practical in a U.S. kitchen, a few adjustments help:

• Ingredient swaps: If you can’t find fresh lychees, use canned. No osmanthus flowers? Start with mango pudding or almond jelly instead.
• Sugar adjustments: American palates are often used to sweeter desserts. When following a recipe, taste as you go and remember you can usually cut sugar by about 10–20% without ruining texture. For general information on sugar and health, resources like Mayo Clinic or WebMD are helpful.
• Texture expectations: Many Chinese desserts are less rich and more about texture—chewy, bouncy, jiggly—than Western cakes or cookies. Go in expecting something different, not a copy of what you already know.
• Batching and storage: Puddings and jellies usually keep well for 2–3 days in the fridge, covered. Dessert soups are best within a day but can be gently reheated with a splash of water.

Once you’ve tried a couple of these examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes, you’ll start to see how flexible they are. You can swap fruits, adjust sweetness, or mix and match components (for example, serving almond jelly with coconut sago for extra texture).

FAQ: common questions about examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes

Q: What are some beginner-friendly examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes for someone who’s never cooked Chinese food?
For true beginners, mango pudding, almond jelly with fruit, and coconut sago are great starting points. They don’t require special equipment, and the ingredients are easy to find in most supermarkets. If you’re comfortable boiling water and using gelatin, you can make all three.

Q: Which example of an easy Chinese dessert is best if I’m short on time?
Almond jelly and osmanthus jelly are both quick to assemble; most of the time is just waiting for them to chill and set. Coconut sago is also fairly fast, especially if you use quick-cooking tapioca pearls.

Q: Are there examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes that are dairy-free?
Yes. Tang yuan in ginger syrup, red bean soup, sesame balls, and osmanthus jelly are naturally dairy-free. Mango pudding and coconut sago can be made dairy-free by using coconut milk or plant-based milks instead of dairy.

Q: Can you give an example of a Chinese dessert that’s not too sweet?
Osmanthus jelly, lightly sweetened almond jelly, and simple red bean soup (with reduced sugar) are all on the less-sweet side compared to many Western desserts. You can always start with less sugar, taste, and add more if needed.

Q: Do I need special tools to make these examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes?
Not really. A basic pot, a whisk, bowls, and a way to steam (a rack inside a lidded pot works) are usually enough. An air fryer is handy for the sesame ball shortcut, but you can also shallow-fry or oven-bake with some experimentation.

If you start with even one of these examples of easy Chinese desserts to try – simple recipes, you’ll see that Chinese sweets aren’t mysterious restaurant-only treats. They’re homey, adaptable, and very doable in a regular kitchen. Pick one, gather a few simple ingredients, and let your first batch be an experiment, not a test. You might be surprised how quickly these dishes become part of your regular dessert rotation.