16 Crowd-Pleasing Recipes For Lunar New Year (That Are Just As Festive As They Are Delicious)
January 29 marks the start of the new year on the Lunar calendar — this year, the Year of the Snake. Lunar New Year is celebrated across many cultures, each with its own traditions and ways of saying "Happy New Year," like "新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè)" in Mandarin, or "새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo)" in Korean. Still, one universal language is vital for all Lunar New Year celebrations: food!
Many Lunar New Year recipes and dishes carry rich cultural symbolism and showcase generational knowledge. Whether you’re honoring tradition or exploring something new, these 16 recipes offer delicious ways to ring in the new year:
1.Long Life Noodles (yī miàn, 伊面)
I can't think of a better way to start the new year than with a deceptively easy noodle dish that symbolizes longevity. As Bill from Woks Of Life explains, this noodle dish is often one of the last dishes served during a meal at big celebrations like a New Year's banquet. Seeing as these garlicky noodles would be my first pick at dinner and fill me up before I got to try everything else, being served last makes total sense to me.
Recipe: Long Life Noodles (yī miàn, 伊面)
2.Steamed Whole Fish With Fresh Ginger
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Whole fish — like this steamed red snapper dish — is commonly eaten during the Lunar New Year for more than just its many health benefits. The word for fish in Chinese is 鱼 ( pronounced "yú"), which sounds like a word related to abundance, 余 (also pronounced "yú). Fish is served and eaten whole for the new year so as not to cut or sever the abundance it symbolizes.
If you are intimidated by working with whole fish, this recipe will surprise you with its ease and approachability. Steaming is a hands-off, quick cooking method, and the fish itself requires no butchering (as long as you remember to get it descaled by your fishmonger!).
Recipe: Steamed Whole Fish With Fresh Ginger
3.Sticky Toffee Persimmons Pudding Cake
This cake is a delightful fusion of the classic wintery British dessert, sticky toffee pudding, and hachiya persimmons, a fruit native to China and other parts of East Asia. Ripe hachiya persimmons with their naturally luscious sweetness are a dessert in their own right — but in this cake, they’re elevated to a whole new level of indulgence.
In Zen Buddhist tradition, a ripening persimmon symbolizes the journey from ignorance to wisdom. In Korean folklore, a dried persimmon is said to protect a baby from a tiger. In traditional Chinese porcelain painting, persimmons are a cherished motif representing longevity and joy. With these rich cultural associations and their irresistible flavor, persimmons are a popular gift during Lunar New Year celebrations across Asia.
4.Korean Braised Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim, 갈비찜)
Galbi Jjim (갈비찜) is often served on special occasions in Korean households. The braising method results in rich, fall-apart meat, and the sauce is a glossy, slightly sweet umami bomb. This one is also a hit with kids; one reviewer shared: "My first time making this, and it was a hit! My 12-year-old son rated it #1 of everything I’ve cooked!"
While this recipe uses beef, you can also try this recipe with pork short ribs for a more cost-effective dish!
5.Chinese Fried Sesame Balls (jiānduī, 煎堆)
Sesame balls — a common New Year's confection in China and other parts of Asia such as Vietnam and the Philipines — are nutty, chewy, and have such a satisfying bite. This recipe includes a process for making red bean paste, a typical sesame ball filling. One Tasty user noted that you could play with different ingredients you'd like to put inside the glutinous rice dough, such as peanut butter or ube. Another user commented that store-bought red paste works just as well, so have fun with this one!
Dumplings are a staple of Lunar New Year celebrations worldwide, and in Nepal, it's no different. These momo dumplings utilize warm South Asian spices like turmeric and garam masala to season a comforting chicken filling. They're typically steamed but can also be pan-fried, and they're best served with a chutney of your choosing, like the Szechuan pepper and tomato one in this recipe.
Recipe: Sanjana’s Momo (मोमो)
7.Buddha’s Delight (luóhàn zhāi, 罗汉斋)
As its name suggests, Buddha's Delight (luóhàn zhāi, 罗汉斋) is a vegetarian dish that originated in Buddhist monasteries. Over time, it became a beloved staple across China and other parts of Asia, as well as a familiar offering in Chinese American restaurants.
Traditionally, Buddha's Delight is served during Lunar New Year, often on the first day of the year, symbolizing a fresh and virtuous start (especially after an indulgent New Year's Eve celebration).
The ingredient list for this dish can vary widely, influenced by household traditions and what's available, but it typically includes an array of vegetables, tofu, and dried vegetables. Like this recipe, many versions of Buddha's Delight include mung bean noodles — known for their delicate, springy texture and translucent appearance — but this ingredient isn’t universal.
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8.Citron Tea (Inspired by Yuja-Cha, 유자차)
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If, like me, you're battling the sniffles and other cold-related symptoms around New Year's, this tea concentrate recipe is just what you need. It’s a soothing way to celebrate the abundance of citrus this season while enjoying the healing benefits of vitamin C and the anti-inflammatory properties of its key ingredients: citron and honey. If you can't get your hands on any citrons, no sweat! Use lemons instead.
Also, this tea makes a thoughtful and beautiful homemade gift for the Lunar New Year, symbolizing health, warmth, and care for your loved ones.
Recipe: Citron Tea (Inspired by Yuja-Cha, 유자차)
9.Korean Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk, 떡국)
Sue from My Korean Kitchen calls this brothy soup a "must-have food on New Year's Day." Some versions of tteokguk have an anchovy broth, while others, like this one, have a beef broth. The clear broth and white, hearty rice cakes in this dish emulate the fresh and prosperous start to the new year we all hope to have.
Korean rice cakes aren't like the crunchy puffed rice ones you find in the cereal aisle of American grocery stores. The rice cakes in tteokguk are made of rice flour and have a texture similar to gnocchi.
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Making dumplings for Lunar New Year is a cherished family tradition for many, and store-bought wrappers make it way more approachable for beginners and seasoned dumpling-makers alike. Gather some loved ones and celebrate the new year shaping these tofu, pork, and beef-filled mandu. Packed with aromatics like chopped ginger and kimchi, they’ll fill your home with a lovely aroma as you make some new memories. (And even if you can't fold them 100% perfectly, they'll still taste delicious no matter what. It's the thought that counts.)
Recipe: Daniel’s Mandu (만두)
11.Tiger Prawns In Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce
If you're looking for a celebratory recipe that comes together in less than half an hour, this is the one for you. As we know from the steamed fish recipe above, whole fish are considered good luck during the Lunar New Year, so leave the heads on these tiger prawns if you're feeling extra superstitious.
12.Candied Sweet Potatoes (BáSī DìGuā, 拔丝地瓜)
This four-ingredient dish blurs the line between dinner and dessert. Japanese sweet potatoes are fried, then coated in a glossy caramel and served immediately. The special and very celebratory element to this dish is the delicate strings of sugar that form when you pull a piece of sweet potato from the plate. According to tradition, the longer the sugar strand you pull, the more fortune you’ll have in the new year.
13.Sichuan Style Stir-Fried Chinese Long Beans
Long beans symbolize longevity, making them especially meaningful during Lunar New Year as people reflect on the past year and look forward to the one ahead. If Chinese long beans aren’t available at your local store, green beans or other pole beans can be substituted.
14.Turnip Cake (lo bak go, 蘿蔔糕)
A dim sum classic, turnip cakes are a wonderfully dense and flavorful side dish, perfect for complementing any Lunar New Year feast. Despite their name, turnip cakes are made with daikon radish rather than turnips — so don't let the name confuse you! Use daikon radishes! Even if you're not a fan of the root vegetable, remember that this recipe is packed with Chinese sausage and rehydrated dried shiitakes for extra umami, so it might just win you over.
The cakes can be prepared ahead of time, sliced, and stored in the freezer, making it easy to fry them up fresh whenever you're ready to serve.
Recipe: Turnip Cake (lo bak go, 蘿蔔糕)
15.Money Bag Dumplings (fúdài húntún, 福袋馄饨)
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Making these vegetarian dumplings is a not-so-subtle way to manifest abundance and prosperity in the new year. Little parcels of stir-fried bamboo shoots and vegetables are wrapped in Hong Kong-style yellow dumpling wrappers and tied with blanched cilantro stems. So cute! This recipe is fairly flexible, and tofu skin or napa cabbage leaves can be used in place of dumpling wrappers for gluten-free money bags that are equally fortunate!
Recipe: Money Bag Dumplings
16.Chinese New Year Almond Cookies
These crisp cookies resemble coins, symbolizing good fortune. Surprisingly, they originated in the United States, not Asia, and eating them is a cherished Chinese American tradition. Over time, almond cookies have become a beloved staple in Lunar New Year celebrations. Be warned — they’re so irresistible that one batch might not last through all the festivities!
Recipe: Chinese New Year Almond Cookies
Feeling inspired to make dumplings or try one of these recipes for the Year of the Snake? Tell us about your Lunar New Year cooking adventures in the comments!