From beans to black sesame: 10 savoury ingredients used in Asian desserts
Asian desserts often defy Western expectations by blending sweet and savoury elements in ways that feel deliberate rather than surprising. Ingredients commonly associated with main courses or condiments appear in sweet contexts, creating layers of flavour that balance sugar with salt, umami or spice. From mung beans and black sesame in East Asia to pandan and coconut milk in Southeast Asia, these components demonstrate how Asian desserts are rarely one-dimensional. Understanding their use offers insight into culinary traditions where sweet is part of a spectrum rather than an isolated taste.
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Mung beans and red beans
Mung beans add creaminess and subtle earthiness to layered desserts (Photo: Jcomp/Freepik)
Mung beans and red beans are frequently used in Asian desserts, especially in China, Korea and Japan. Sweetened pastes from these beans provide a creamy texture and mild sweetness that pairs well with glutinous rice, pancakes and steamed buns. The beans’ subtle earthiness tempers sugary toppings, resulting in a balanced dessert rather than a purely sweet experience. In the Philippines, red beans are a key ingredient in halo-halo, where they are simmered until soft and lightly sweetened before being layered with shaved ice, fruit and milk. Their gentle savouriness helps anchor the dessert’s many components.
Lotus seed paste
Lotus seed paste is a key ingredient in Chinese desserts, including mooncakes and steamed buns. The seeds have a neutral, slightly nutty taste that absorbs sweetness while adding subtle savoury undertones, offering a smooth, dense texture. The paste is made by boiling dried lotus seeds until soft, removing the green germ to prevent bitterness, then blending and cooking the mixture with sugar and oil until it becomes thick and pliable. Cantonese mooncakes often feature lotus seed paste with salted duck egg yolks, a combination that uses the yolk’s savoury salinity to balance the sweetness and highlight the paste’s mild flavour.
Black sesame
Nutty and slightly bitter, black sesame paste deepens flavour in cakes, mochi and puddings (Photo: Jcomp/Freepik)
Black sesame is common in Asian desserts from Japan to Taiwan. Its nutty, slightly bitter flavour is often ground into paste, incorporated into cakes, dumplings and puddings. While it sweetens desserts with sugar or condensed milk, its inherent savoury undertone ensures the taste is never cloying. In China, black sesame soup is made by grinding toasted seeds with rice, then cooking the mixture with water and sugar until smooth, creating a dessert where the savoury aroma of the seeds anchors the sweetness. In Japan, black sesame paste is also folded into mochi fillings, adding depth to the soft rice dough.
Salt and fermented ingredients
Salt appears in Asian desserts both as a seasoning and a flavour enhancer. In Korean rice cakes or Japanese wagashi, small amounts of salt balance sweetness. Some desserts also use fermented pastes or soy-based sauces in minor quantities, creating complexity by introducing umami into traditionally sweet dishes.
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Coconut milk and pandan
Rich coconut milk paired with fragrant pandan balances sweetness and adds aroma (Photo: Rawpixel.com/Freepik)
Coconut milk is a staple in Southeast Asian desserts, adding richness and a creamy mouthfeel. Often paired with pandan, a fragrant leaf with grassy notes, it contributes depth that offsets sugar. Desserts such as kueh in Malaysia, sticky rice puddings in Thailand or buko pandan in the Philippines rely on this combination, demonstrating how savoury aromatics enhance sweetness without overtaking it.
Sweet potato and taro
Sweet potato and taro are often included in Asian desserts, particularly in steamed or baked forms. Their mild starchy taste lends body and earthiness, balancing sugar without overwhelming the palate. They are frequently combined with coconut milk or beans to create a layered, textural experience. In Taiwan, taro and sweet potato balls are cooked until chewy and served in shaved ice desserts, where their subtle savoury notes contrast with syrup and beans. In the Philippines, sweet potato appears in ginataan, a warm coconut milk dessert that includes taro, plantain and sago, with the vegetables providing structure and gentle flavour beneath the sweetness.
Rice and grains
Glutinous or regular rice provides chewy texture and a neutral base for sweet-savoury layers (Photo: Jcomp/Freepik)
Rice, both glutinous and regular, is foundational in many Asian desserts. It carries sweetness while providing texture and chewiness. When combined with subtle savoury ingredients, such as coconut milk or sesame, rice forms a canvas for balanced flavours rather than acting purely as a filler. In Thai mango sticky rice, for example, the rice is cooked with coconut milk and a small amount of salt, which enhances the fruit’s sweetness while adding gentle savoury depth.
Ginger
Ginger is used in Asian desserts for both spice and warmth. Candied, fresh or powdered, it appears in puddings, jellies and sweet soups, providing a hint of heat that contrasts with sugar and enhances aroma. In Chinese ginger milk pudding, hot sweetened milk is mixed with freshly grated ginger juice, which gently curdles the mixture and adds a clean, warming note. Ginger syrup is also common in tong sui across Hong Kong and parts of Southeast Asia, where its savoury edge supports ingredients such as taro, sweet potato or black sesame.
Matcha and green tea
Bitter, vegetal matcha cuts through sweetness in cakes, jellies and shaved ice (Photo: Freepik)
Matcha and powdered green tea appear in Asian desserts across Japan and parts of China. Their slightly bitter, vegetal flavour cuts through sweetness, providing a counterpoint that prevents desserts from becoming cloying. Cakes, ice creams and jellies often rely on this balance. In Japan, matcha is whisked into shiratama zenzai, where the tea’s bitterness offsets the sweetness of red bean soup and glutinous rice dumplings. Matcha is also used in steamed castella-style cakes, where the tea adds colour and depth without overwhelming the sponge.
Chestnuts
Soft, nutty chestnuts add richness and texture, often paired with beans or rice (Photo: 8photo/Freepik)
Chestnuts feature in Asian desserts during autumn and winter. Roasted or sweetened lightly, their nutty flavour adds richness and texture. Often combined with beans or rice, chestnuts bring depth without dominating the dessert. In Japan, kuri kinton blends mashed chestnuts with sweet potatoes to create a smooth, slightly savoury mixture served during New Year celebrations. In China, candied chestnuts appear in sweet soups alongside red beans or lotus seeds, where their soft texture and gentle sweetness integrate easily with other ingredients.
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