Welcome to The Woks of Life collection of Chinese New Year recipes! This collection grows every year, as we add more of our own family recipes and other popular celebration recipes to the list. Each year, we turn to these time-honored food traditions.
Chinese New Year Recipes
The Lunar New Year, known in China as chūnjié (春节) or Spring Festival, is a festive time for many all over the world. The holiday features fireworks, new clothes, money-filled red envelopes (or hóngbāo – 红包) for kids, lots of red, and most importantly, tons of good food.
Chinese New Year food traditions are hugely symbolic. Traditions include serving two whole fish and saving one for leftovers to represent surplus in the new year, serving a whole chicken to represent wholeness and prosperity, and serving items like spring rolls, which resemble gold bars and symbolize wealth.
If it seems like a lot to navigate, don’t worry! We’ve put together this menu planning guide to help you figure out what to make for the holiday.
We’ve organized the Chinese New Year foods on our site into several categories. These include Appetizers, Meat & Poultry, Seafood, Side Dishes, and Desserts. The recipes are shown in a grid view, as well as a list view for quick reference!
Chinese New Year Appetizers
These appetizers can be served just prior to dinner, for lunch, or really anytime during the two-week-long Chinese New Year festivities, between New Year’s Eve and the Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the celebration.
Cha Guo Savory Rice Cakes
Cantonese Spring Rolls
Chinese Carrot Rice Cakes
Chicken Mushroom Dumplings
Sticky Rice Pearl Meatballs
Shrimp Cakes
Crispy Stuffed Lotus Root
Fried Prawn Crackers
Braised Kaofu (Wheat Gluten)
Pork & Chive Dumplings
Savory Tang Yuan (Rice Dumplings)
Shandong Pork & Fish Dumplings
Shanghai Spring Rolls
Sticky Rice Mushroom Shumai
Taro Cake
Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)
Vegetable Dumplings
Basic Dumpling Recipe!
Money Bag Dumplings
Chinese Sesame Twists
Chinese Beef Dumplings
- Cantonese Cha Guo Savory Rice Cakes
- Cantonese Spring Rolls
- Chicken Dumplings with Shiitake Mushrooms
- Chinese Beef Dumplings
- Chinese Carrot Rice Cake (Hu Luo Bo Gao – 胡萝卜糕)
- Chinese Fried Ribs with Fermented Red Bean Curd
- Chinese Pearl Meatballs with Sticky Rice (珍珠丸子)
- Chinese Sesame Twists (Zha Ma Ye – 炸麻叶), a Chinese New Year Snack
- Chinese Shrimp Cakes
- Chinese Vegetarian Duck (素鸭)
- Coconut Firecracker Shrimp
- Crispy Stuffed Lotus Root with Pork (炸藕盒)
- Hong Shao Kao Fu: Braised Wheat Gluten with Mushrooms
- Money Bag Dumplings
- Pan-fried Spring Rolls
- Pork and Celery Dumplings
- Pork and Chive Dumplings
- Savory Tang Yuan
- Shandong Pork and Fish Dumplings (Jiaozi)
- Shanghai Smoked Fish, Xun Yu (上海熏鱼)
- Shanghai-Style Spring Rolls
- Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles
- Sticky Rice MushroomShumaiw/ Homemade Wrappers(Vegan)
- Taro Cake (Chinese Wu Tao Gou)
- The ONLY Dumpling Recipe You’ll Ever Need
- Turnip Cake (Chinese Lo Bak Go)
- Vegetable Dumplings
Meat & Poultry Dishes
These show-stopping meat and poultry dishes, along with a seafood dish or two, serve as the centerpiece of a Chinese New Year feast.
Chinese Fried Squab
Lion’s Head Meatballs
Egg Dumplings
Cantonese Poached Chicken
Sour Plum Duck
Steamed Pork with Rice Powder
Shanghai Braised Pork Belly
Braised Pork Belly with Arrowhead Root
Cantonese Roast Pork Belly
Tangerine Beef
Braised Pork Shank (Ti Pang)
Steak Stir-fry (Chow Steak Kow)
Stuffed Fried Gluten
Steamed Ribs with Sticky Rice
Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou)
Braised Pork Belly with Meigan Cai
Steamed Garlic Ribs with Taro
Mei Cai Kou Rou (Moy Choy Kow Yuk)
Chinese Fried Pigeon (Squab), A Hong Kong FavoriteChinese Pearl Meatballs with Sticky Rice (珍珠丸子)
Lion’s Head Meatballs – Shīzitóu (狮子头)Egg Dumplings, A Chinese New Year Must Have (蛋饺)Cantonese Poached Chicken w/ Ginger Scallion Oil (Bai Qie Ji)Sour Plum Duck
Steamed Pork with Rice Powder (Fen Zheng Rou – 粉蒸肉)
Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly (Hong Shao Rou)
Braised Pork Belly with ArrowRoot
Cantonese Roast Pork BellyTangerine Beef
Chinese Braised Ti Pang (Pork Shank)
Steak Stir-fry (Chow Steak Kow)
Chinese Stuffed Fried Gluten Balls
Steamed Ribs with Glutinous Rice (糯米蒸排骨)
Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou)
Braised Pork Belly with Meigan Cai
Seafood Dishes
Fish and shellfish are often a sign of celebration, and it’s no different at Chinese New Year. You’ll find some of our family favorites below!
Ginger Scallion Lobster
Red Braised Fish (Hong Shao Yu)
Fried Oysters with Dipping Sauce
Seafood Bird’s Nest
Shrimp Cakes
Pan-fried Flounder
Dried Oysters with Black Moss
Pan-fried Fish
Scallion Ginger Shrimp
Shanghai Shrimp Stir-fry (You Bao Xia)
Shanghai Smoked Fish (Xun Yu)
Steamed Whole Fish
Stir-fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce
Lobster Sticky Fried Rice
Boiled Shrimp with Dipping Sauce
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Lobster Cantonese
Sweet & Sour “Squirrel” Fish
- Cantonese-Style Ginger Scallion Lobster
- Chili Garlic Shrimp
- Chinese Boiled Shrimp with Ginger Scallion Dipping Sauce
- Chinese Braised Fish (Hong Shao Yu)
- Chinese Deep Fried Oysters with Dipping Sauce
- Chinese Seafood Bird Nest
- Chinese Shrimp Cakes
- Coconut Firecracker Shrimp
- Crispy Fried Flounder, Chinese-Style
- Dried Oyster and Black Moss (Ho See Fat Choy)
- How to Make XO Sauce
- Lobster Cantonese
- Lobster Noodles (Yee Mein / E-Fu Noodles)
- Lobster Sticky Fried Rice
- Pan Fried Fish: Chinese Whole Fish Recipe
- Salt and Pepper Shrimp
- Scallion Ginger Shrimp Recipe (Redux!)
- Shandong Pork and Fish Dumplings (Jiaozi)
- Shanghai Shrimp Stir-fry – You Bao Xia (油爆虾)
- Shanghai Smoked Fish, Xun Yu (上海熏鱼)
- Steamed Scallops with Glass Noodles
- Steamed Whole Fish, Chinese Style
- Stir-Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce
- Stir-fried Shrimp and Eggs (虾仁炒蛋)
- Sweet and Sour Shrimp
- Walnut Shrimp
Chinese New Year Side Dishes
Even some vegetable dishes are iconic Chinese New Year foods. Buddha’s Delight, consisting of at least 8 ingredients, is often eaten the morning of Chinese New Year after a ceremonial offering of food to honor family ancestors. You’ll also see stir-fried lettuce here, because in Chinese, the word for lettuce, “生菜” is a hom*onym for, “to grow money!”
Yan Du Xian Soup
Lo Han Jai (Buddha’s Delight)
Ru Yi Cai (As You Wish Vegetables)
Lettuce with Oyster Sauce & Garlic
Rice Cakes with Napa Cabbage & Pork
Rice Cakes with Mixed Vegetables
Stir-fried Lettuce
Stir-fried Pea Tips
Stir-fried Bok Choy
Shanghai Rice Cake Stir-fry
Steak & Scallion Rice Cake Stir-fry
Stir-fried Sticky Rice Cakes
Long Life Noodles
Shanghai Fried Noodles
Steamed Noodles with Green Beans
Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage
Young Chow Fried Rice
Chinese Vegetarian Duck
Yan Du Xian (Shanghainese Salted Pork Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Tofu)
Buddha’s Delight (Lo Han Jai)
Ru Yi Cai (“As You Wish” Vegetables)Stir Fried Lettuce
Pea Tips Stir-fry
A Basic Stir-Fried Bok Choy Recipe
Shanghai Rice Cake Stir-fry w/ Greens
Steak and Scallion Rice Cake Stir-Fry
Stir-fried Sticky Rice CakesLong Life Noodles – Yi Mein (伊面）
Shanghai Fried Noodles
Bian Dou Men Mian (Steamed Noodles and Green Beans)
Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage
Young Chow Fried Rice
Chinese Vegetarian Duck – 素雅
Chinese New Year Desserts
While dessert perhaps isn’t as significant to a Chinese celebration dinner as it might be to a Western dinner, a little something sweet to cap off the meal is always welcome.
Tang Yuan, or sweet rice balls, are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the new year, marking the final day of Chinese New Year celebrations.
Black Sesame Tang Yuan
Chinese Sweet Rice Cake (年糕)
Fermented Sweet Rice Wine (Jiu Niang)
Coconut Tapioca Dessert with Sweet Rice Balls
Chinese Walnut Cookies
Sesame Peanut Brittle
Snow Fungus Soup with Pears
Chinese Sesame Balls
Old-Fashioned Almond Cookies
Taro Sago Dessert Soup
Chinese Prosperity Cake (Fa Gao)
Tang Yuan Sweet Rice Balls with Sesame Filling
Nian Gao (Chinese New Year Sweet Rice Cake)
Sweet Fermented Rice (酒酿, Jiu Niang)Coconut Tapioca Dessert with Sweet Rice Balls
Chinese Walnut Cookies
Chinese Sesame Peanut Brittle
Snow Fungus Soup with Pears
Chinese Sesame Balls
Old-Fashioned Chinese Almond Cookies
Other Helpful Articles:
In addition to these Chinese New Year recipes, we have written articles and about our Chinese New year experiences throughout the years.
Peruse these past collections, and don’t hesitate to leave comments and/or questions. We’ll do our very best to answer each and every one of them, no matter how old the post is!
- Chinese New Year Recipes: Full Index!
- A Big “Fat” Chinese New Year Menu for All Skill Levels
- Chinese New Year Menu
- The Chengdu Temple Fair
- Chinese New Year: Fireworks Up Close
Happy Lunar New Year, and happy menu planning!
