Asian Dessert Recipes for Sweet Celebrations

By

Food & Wine Editors

Updated on May 23, 2023

mochi mooncakes — Photo: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee

From China to Indonesia, India to Japan, and Sri Lanka to the Philippines, the desserts featured here celebrate the flavors and techniques used throughout Asia to produce an array of sweet treats. Ube, pandan, matcha, sesame, mango, miso, and coconut all make their way to the forefront of desserts from Asian cuisines. Whether you're looking for a festive Diwali dessert, a special something for Lunar New Year, or just a delicious way to punctuate a meal, this collection of Asian dessert recipes is sure to pique your tastebuds.

01 of 21

Cardamom Yogurt Cake with Mango Lassi Icing

Cardamom Yogurt Cake with Mango Lassi Icing — Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

A sweet riff on India's mango lassi, this cake’s batter is imbued with yogurt to keep it moist during the bake. Mango preserves and a yogurt icing glaze offer layers of fruity sweetness while a pistachio garnish adds a nutty, satisfying texture. Finally, fresh mango slices create the crown of this delectable treat.

02 of 21

Ba Bao Fan (Eight-Treasure Rice)

Ba Bao Fan — Charissa Fay

Any variety of dried and candied fruits can decorate this lightly sweet sticky rice dessert, but using a lucky assortment of eight is traditional. The Chinese word for the number eight, ba, sounds similar to fa, which means prosperity and confers fortuitous meaning on the dessert.

03 of 21

Ube Basque Cakes

Ube Basque Cake — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kay E. Clarke

These tender and flaky mini cakes created by the dynamic duo of Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon at Kasama, a modern Filipino bakery and restaurant in Chicago, highlight the cultural phenomenon of ube, a purple tuber native to the Philippines. The buttery cakes are filled with a creamy, mildly sweet ube pastry cream and tart huckleberries, and are finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. If you can't source fresh ube, store-bought ube jam (ube halaya) can be used instead.

04 of 21

Chè Khúc Bach

ChÃ¨ KhÃºc Bach — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Doris Hô-Kane, who runs Ban Bè, a Vietnamese-American bakery in Brooklyn, is particularly fond of chè khúc bach, or "white chunk dessert soup." ("It doesn't sound as beautiful in [English] as it does in Vietnamese," she says.) Drizzled with sweet coconut cream, this Vietnamese dessert of flavored panna cotta, tropical fruits, and shaved ice is a riot of color and texture.

05 of 21

Tropical Jackfruit–Ginger Ale Sorbet with Charred Pineapple

Tropical Jackfruit Ginger Ale Sorbet with Charred Pineapple — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Chef Sam Fore of the pop up Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites in Lexington, Kentucky, created this summer fruit dessert recipe for an icy, quenching sorbet of jackfruit, pineapple, and ginger ale. The sorbet has become an ever-present treat at her summer pop-up dinners, combining pineapple and jackfruit, both popular in Sri Lanka, with the spicy flavors of Ale-8-One, a Kentucky ginger ale.

06 of 21

Royal Falooda

Royal Falooda — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas

There is no incorrect way to layer falooda, the milky, traditionally rose-flavored dessert beloved in India, Pakistan, and other parts of South Asia. This dessert stars bouncy cubes of rose jelly suspended in rose syrup–sweetened milk over layers of tender corn vermicelli and chewy chia seeds. A crowning scoop of vanilla ice cream adds a creamy finish.

07 of 21

Orange-Cardamom Butter Cakes with Rosewater Icing

Orange Cardamom Butter Cakes with Rose Water Icing — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Heather Claire Spollen

Perfect with afternoon tea, these delicate Sri Lankan cakes from cookbook author Ruwanmali Samarakoon-Amunugama are light with a buttery, moist crumb and a hint of citrusy cardamom. The sweet frosting gets flavor and a floral aroma from rosewater and orange blossom water; a drizzle of raspberry jam thinned with orange juice adds the perfect sweet-tart contrast.

08 of 21

Microwave Bánh Deo (Mochi Mooncakes) with Black Sesame–Chocolate Filling

mochi mooncakes — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee

These Vietnamese mochi mooncakes use a combination of black tahini and chocolate to create a nutty, smooth, and creamy filling. The chewy mochi coating can be kept plain, or you can add flavor and color by mixing in some matcha powder. Black tahini is especially nutty in flavor, but in a pinch, regular tahini will do.

09 of 21

Yin-Yang Tang Yuan (Sweet Sticky Rice Balls in Soup)

Yin-Yang Tang Yuan (Sweet Sticky Rice Balls in Soup) — Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

This soothing, sweet Chinese dessert soup of rice flour dough balls stuffed with black sesame seeds in a rock sugar–sweetened broth is typically served during reunions because the round rice balls symbolize harmony and togetherness. Lucky Chow producer Danielle Chang likes to make it as a sweet treat for her Lunar New Year celebration.

10 of 21

Mini Mangonada Floats

Mini Mangonada Floats — Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Mango float, or mango royale, is a beloved Filipino icebox cake that consists of layers of graham crackers, sweetened whipped cream, and fresh mango. For a twist, Abi Balingit of The Dusky Kitchen wanted to combine the spicy and tangy flavors of one of her favorite summertime desserts, Mexican mangonadas, with this Filipino classic.

11 of 21

Ombré Coconut Burfi Cake

Ombre Coconut Burfi Cake — Andria Lo

Underneath the purple and white ombré coat of sweetened coconut, cookbook author and blogger Hetal Vasavada's slim, tall layer cake is bound with a cloud-like layer of Swiss meringue buttercream. But the best part is the chewy coconut filling, inspired by burfi, a type of fudge-like, milk-based Indian sweet. Coconut milk keeps the cake layers incredibly moist with a tender crumb.

12 of 21

Mango-Cashew Kulfi Pops

Mango Cashew Kulfi Pops Recipe — Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Thom Driver

Canned mango pulp works better than fresh mangoes in these frozen ice pops from India because of its concentrated flavor, which helps cut through the rich cashews and sweetened condensed milk.

13 of 21

Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan-Flavored Indonesian "Snow White" Cookies)

Putri Salju Pandan (Pandan- Flavored âSnow Whiteâ Cookies) — Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Traditionally in Indonesia, Putri Salju cookies are made with almonds, peanuts, or cashews inside and are popular during the holidays. League of Kitchens cooking instructor Shandra Woworuntu's version adds pandan flavoring and omits the nuts. Pandan, a tropical plant with fragrant leaves that's a popular flavoring in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, imparts a vanilla-citrusy flavor and a naturally vivid green color to these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

14 of 21

Coconut Mochi Ice Cream Sandwiches

Coconut Mochi Ice Cream Sandwiches — © John Kernick

Pastry chef Jen Yee makes these fun and pretty sandwiches with a simple Japanese dough that combines sweet glutinous rice flour, sugar, water, and coconut milk.

15 of 21

Matcha Mochi

Matcha Mochi — Photo © Molly Yeh

This version of mochi — a sweet Japanese rice cake — gets its pretty green color from matcha powder and a creamy sweetness from coconut milk.

16 of 21

Sweet Sticky Rice with Mangoes and Sesame Seeds

Sweet Sticky Rice with Mangoes and Sesame Seeds — © Cedric Angeles

Mango sticky rice has been a popular dessert in Thailand and in Thai restaurants around the world for centuries. This is a simple recipe, but it depends on getting the right ingredients. The type of rice is most important. When shopping for Thai sticky rice, make sure you purchase one labeled "glutinous rice" or "sweet rice," so it will produce the right texture.

17 of 21

Japanese Chestnut Tea Cake

Japanese Chestnut Tea Cake — Greg DuPree

Ayako Watanabe, the founding pastry chef of Dominique Ansel Bakery in Tokyo, created this not-too-sweet chestnut cake with a fine, light crumb. Using cold butter and chestnut paste incorporates plenty of air and volume when whipping the batter, which will make the cake nice and light.

18 of 21

Chocolate Puddings with Miso Caramel

Chocolate Puddings with Miso Caramel — Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Miso-enriched caramel intensifies the deep, chocolaty flavor of these silky Asian-inflected puddings from pastry chef Clarice Lam. A touch of cornstarch in the custard base helps thicken the puddings and keeps them from curdling or breaking. Be sure to bring the leftover caramel to the table; its savory, bitter, and sweet flavor will have guests reaching for more.

19 of 21

Vietnamese Coffee Sundaes with Crushed Peanut Brittle

Vietnamese Coffee Sundaes with Crushed Peanut Brittle — © Kana Okada

The Vietnamese love drinking super-strong iced coffee combined with copious amounts of sweetened condensed milk. Joanne Chang created this simple ice cream sundae as a way to enjoy the same flavors. Shards of peanut brittle made with a generous pinch of cinnamon add great flavor and crunch.

20 of 21

Green Tea Fortune Cookies

Green-Tea Fortune Cookies — © Con Poulos

Baker Joanne Chang likes having fun with the fortunes she puts inside these large cookies, like "Give the chef a big kiss." Shaping the tuiles while they're hot can be tricky, so consider using cotton gloves.

21 of 21

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango and Lime

Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango and Lime — © Christina Holmes

Chunky, fresh mango with tangy lime is a great counterpoint to the creamy Cantonese-style tapioca pearl puddings here.

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