When it comes to Chinese New Year, food is one of the most important parts of the celebrations. It’s when family and friends reunite, sharing joy and fortune over an abundant feast. There’s a variety of dishes that are typical for the occasion, such as fish, dried scallops, poon choi, and more. But if there’s one thing that you can find on almost any table during this time, it’s Chinese New Year puddings. These chewy, sticky treats are a staple for a reason. They symbolise luck and prosperity, so your year can start on the right note. And of course, they simply taste delicious. If you’re looking for some puddings to add to your festivities, then look no further. We’ve compiled some of the best Chinese New Year puddings to celebrate the Year of the Snake 2025 in Hong Kong.
Right after Christmas and the New Year, it’s time to kick off the Chinese New Year festivities. There are plenty of ways to celebrate around the city, such as events or exclusive menus. However, the celebrations at home are just as important, and that calls for festive puddings. Whether you’re looking for sweet glutinous rice cakes or savoury turnip cakes, these puddings are sure to delight your taste buds.
You can never go wrong with the classic versions, upholding recipes that have been passed down for generations. But if you’re looking for something new, then there are plenty of brands that are putting their own modern twist on this tradition. The packaging is often a treat on its own too, making it the perfect gift for your loved ones during the season. Or, if you’d prefer keeping them for your own self-indulgence, then we won’t judge. Here are some of the best Chinese New Year puddings for your Year of the Snake 2025 celebrations.
Where to find the best Chinese New Year puddings for 2025
1 /10
Led by Chef Silas Li, the team at Hong Kong Cuisine 1983 has prepared three puddings to share with your loved ones. Each flavour was chosen for its symbolic meaning and presented in festive boxes decorated with auspicious symbols, inviting prosperity and fortune. The first flavour is the Turnip Cake with Conpoy and Smoked Preserved Meats (HK$268), made with Hokkaido conpoy. Smoky, savoury, and sweet, this pudding is meticulously crafted to balance the texture and taste of each element.
Next is the Sweet Pudding with Okinawa Brown Sugar (HK$228), offering a modern take on the classic. The imported Okinawa brown sugar imparts a deep caramel-like aroma to the soft pudding. Lastly, the Water Chestnut and Red Bean Sweet Cake (HK$218) was chosen for its symbolic meanings: vitality and happiness respectively. The crunchy water chestnut meets rich red beans in this harmony of textures and flavours. Place your order by January 19 to enjoy an early bird discount of HK$30–50 off. Order two or more puddings to receive another 10% discount.
2 /10
Complete your Chinese New Year celebrations with puddings from one-Michelin-starred Yat Tung Heen. Crafted by Executive Chef Tam Tung, the Turnip Pudding (HK$268) uses premium dried shrimp, conpoy, Chinese preserved sausage, and air-dried preserved meat. The Chinese New Year Pudding (HK$248) honours traditional flavours, enriched by cane sugar to give a hint of that candy cane aroma. Each pudding comes wrapped in minimalistic boxes adorned with peonies and swallows to wish you health, longevity, and good fortune.
The restaurant also has a Signature Gift Box (HK$318) to elevate your gifting options. Housed in a wooden decorative box, the set includes house-made premium XO sauce, candied walnuts, and Ginseng Oolong tea leaves. Afterwards, keep the box to upcycle, whether that’s to display sweets or even jewellery and other precious items.
3 /10
Savour both traditional and contemporary flavours with the selection from The Peninsula Boutique. You can never go wrong with the Classic pudding (HK$238), crafted from a time-honoured recipe. The Red Date with Ginger Juice pudding (HK$268) elevates it with double the layers for double the fortune.
For more premium flavours, opt for the Star Chef Collection by Michelin-starred Chef Tang Chi Keung. The Dried Fig with Walnut and Honey (HK$498) as well as the Turnip Pudding with Whole Abalone and XO Chilli Sauce (HK$688) are sure to impress any party. Purchase these puddings on their own, in an assorted gift set, or as part of the Chinese New Year hampers from The Peninsula Boutique.
4 /10
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with the innovative puddings from Cuisine Cuisine. The highlight of the collection is the Roselle, Rose Purée and Osmanthus Chilled Pudding with Bird’s Nest and Gold Foil (HK$498). Featuring layers of rose and roselle pudding, osmanthus pudding, and coconut pudding, this cake tastes as good as it looks. Classics like the South Dates Layered Pudding with Ginger Juice (HK$388) and the Coconut Cream Pudding with Brown Sugar (HK$388) are also available for purchase. At Cuisine Cuisine, the turnip cake gets a Western twist with the Turnip Pudding with Parma Ham (HK$458).
To impress your family even more, check out the Auspicious Lion Pudding Premium Box (HK$888) and the Prosperous Koi Fish Pudding Deluxe Box (HK$888). Shaped after auspicious animals, these puddings will bless you with good luck and abundance. Place your order before 21 January 2025 to receive up to HK$110 off your puddings. Members of Mira Plus, Tsui Hang Plus, and Henderson Club as well as Citi Credit Card and BOC Henderson Club Visa Card holders can enjoy an even bigger discount.
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Gift your loved ones with Rosewood Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year collection, “Infinite Blossoms.” The puddings are the work of Chinese Executive Chef Li Chi-wai from one-Michelin-starred The Legacy House. Shoppers can choose between two sizes for the Conpoy Turnip Cake (HK$328 for 600g; HK$428 for 900g) and Chinese New Year Pudding (HK$328 for 700g; HK$428 for 1,050g). These puddings are made using premium ingredients and come wrapped in beautifully designed packaging, making it the perfect gift.
The puddings are also available in gift sets. Try both puddings in this convenient gift set (HK$656). For an elevated experience, check out the gift box that pairs the Chinese New Year Pudding (700g) with Premium Puerh Tea (HK$528) and the Conpoy Turnip Cake (600g) with the restaurant’s signature XO sauce (HK$528). A gift set featuring a bouquet from Blooms & Blossoms and the puddings in both sizes are also available.
6 /10
Celebrate the Chinese New Year while upholding sustainability with the puddings from Michelin-starred Ming Court — Cordis, Hong Kong. The eco-friendly pudding containers are made of a biodegradable oyster shell powder, making it 100% recyclable. The Abalone, Conpoy, Air-Dried Preserved Meat & Turnip Pudding (HK$388) embraces the farm-to-table concept. Each turnip pudding was handcrafted with local turnips from Fanling that the chefs planted and harvested themselves. It’s elevated even further with rose wine Chinese preserved sausage, preserved pork belly, conpoy, and a whole abalone.
For sweet treats, the traditional Coconut Chinese New Year Pudding (HK$298) is also available, symbolising good luck and progress. The Premium Red Dates Pudding with Coconut (HK$368) is imbued with red dates syrup from Xinjiang and coconut milk. Thanks to the red dates, the pudding also nourishes the body, enhancing blood circulation and skin rejuvenation.
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Regal Hotels has six Chinese New Year puddings for you to bring home and share with your loved ones. Spanning both classics and wellness-focused puddings, the collection is crafted in Hong Kong and symbolises good fortune for the year ahead. The classics include Turnip Pudding with Assorted Air-dried Meats (HK$288), Taro Pudding with Assorted Air-dried Meats (HK$288), Coconut New Year Pudding (HK$268), and Water Chestnut Pudding (HK$268).
This year, Regal Hotels is introducing the Wellness Collection. The Purple Sweet Potato, Purple Rice and Fig New Year Pudding (HK$268) still has the familiar chewy texture of leen goh/nian gao but with fibre-rich ingredients. Meanwhile, the Bird’s Nest and Sweet Osmanthus Pudding with Gold Flake (HK$268) features ingredients that nourishes the skin. Gift sets (HK$528) with the turnip and taro puddings or turnip and New Year puddings are also available for easier gifting.
8 /10
Choose from nine different puddings, crafted by Kowloon Shangri-La’s Michelin-starred culinary team at Shang Palace. A variety of classics are available: the Chinese New Year Pudding (HK$368), Water Chestnut Pudding (HK$368), Red Bean Pudding with 30-Year Tangerine Peel (HK$438), and Red Date Pudding with Ginger and Brown Sugar (HK$368). Savoury cakes like the Signature Turnip Pudding (HK$398) and Traditional Taro Pudding (HK$398) are also an option.
The hotel also offers modern flavours like the Custard Pudding with Salted Egg Yolk (HK$368) and the Pistachio Pudding (HK$398). The showstopper of the collection is the Shangri-La Chinese New Year Pudding with Rose, Bird’s Nest, Trehalose, and Coconut Juice (HK$438). Fragrant, soft, and imbued with spring flavours, this pudding is perfect for sharing with your family.
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Looking for Chinese New Year puddings that are more unconventional? Chef May Chow of Little Bao and Happy Paradise fame is launching her own brand, starting with the Festive Cake Series. Featuring six flavours, these cakes are a new take on the traditional puddings we know and love.
The Beetroot Turnip Cake (HK$288) incorporates beetroot, adding a natural auspicious colour and sweetness. Meanwhile, the Purple Sweet Potato Taro Cake (HK$288) is a vibrant purple — symbolising good fortune and wealth — thanks to the Nai Po taro chunks and mashed purple sweet potatoes. The Golden Salted Egg Yolk Pumpkin Cake (HK$298) has six salted egg yolks in each cake, balancing the sweet pumpkin. Customers can also enjoy the Classic Turnip Cake (HK$278), featuring three distinct cuts of turnip for the perfect texture. Each cake uses Sam Hing Lung rose wine sausages and other premium dried ingredients while boasting its own distinct flavour.
Exclusive to the online retail store are the Ruby Red Date Glutinous Rice Cake (HK$108) and “Jade” Matcha Coconut Glutinous Rice Cake (HK$138). The Ruby Red Date Glutinous Rice Cake features Xinjiang red dates to get its natural colour and the perfect amount of sweetness. Meanwhile, the “Jade” Matcha Coconut Glutinous Rice Cake blends the old and the new with the addition of ceremonial-grade matcha to the traditional glutinous rice cake. Gift sets are also available for those who want to try multiple flavours. The cakes and gift sets are available in the online retail store or at city’super in ifc mall (only savoury cakes) with pick-up available at both Little Bao branches.
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If you need a vegetarian version of Chinese New Year puddings, then you’re in luck. Veggie Kingdom offers all the traditional flavours with meat-free ingredients so that everyone can enjoy the celebrations. Savoury puddings normally feature dried Chinese sausage and scallops. At Veggie Kingdom, they’re swapped out for dried mushrooms, which pack just as much umami and texture. This includes the Turnip Cake with Mushroom (HK$128) and Taro Cake with Mushroom (HK$128). Those with a sweet tooth can opt for the Red Date Cake (HK$158), Organic Cane Sugar Rice Cake (HK$168), and Water Chestnut Cake with Osmanthus (HK$108).
