Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan). A warm, delicious and sweet Chinese dessert soup with glutinous rice balls. It’s vegan and simple to make.
This glutinous rice balls recipe is one of my favourites in Chinese cuisine. I absolutely enjoy the light taste of the sweet soup made with ginger, water, Chinese rock sugar and pandan leaves. However, the best part are those soft chewy glutinous rice balls.
If you enjoy Chinese desserts, check out my super easy Chinese Tofu Sweet Pudding! This is definitely at the top of my books for sweet desserts.
Other recipes you may like!
Coconut Mango Sago Soup
Hanami Dango
Filipino Taho
Kuih Seri Muka
Hawaiian Butter Mochi
Another name for this dessert
Another name for glutinous rice balls in Chinese is traditionally "Tang Yuan". Tang means soup and Yuan means balls.
Great for guests!
My glutinous rice balls soup is perfect for entertaining guests if you want to serve a dessert that can be made in large batches. Usually one guest would receive a bowl of the sweet soup and 3-4 balls.
Fun Fact about this glutinous rice balls dessert
This tang yuan dessert is usually served to a Chinese Bride and Groom on the day of their tea ceremony or sometimes the night before to symbolize success and family unity. The round rice balls represent a wholeness in marriage.
In fact, the night before I got married my mom and her sisters made this for me and my husband. I still remember the moment. Definitely a sweet memory for me.
How are glutinous rice balls made?
It is also easy to make tang yuan rice balls as you're essentially rolling dough in your hand to create a ball. It's when you stuff them, that's when it can get more complicated. So I've decided not to stuff them with filling for this recipe.
You also have the option of not making them colourful like I did and just keeping it simple by using the glutinous rice flour that you have. If you don’t want to sweeten the rice balls you can omit the icing sugar as well as the soup can act as your sweetener if you boil the balls for longer.
How to make Tang Yuan
Simple Method:
- In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, rock sugar and knotted pandan leaves. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add glutinous rice flour, icing sugar and whisk together. Then add hot boiling water and whisk again to form a dry ball of dough.
- Roll the dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter and coat with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
- Once complete, boil as many rice balls as desired in your sweet broth until they float. Enjoy!
Coloured Method:
- In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, rock sugar and knotted pandan leaves. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in 4 separate bowls add 50 grams of rice flour, 10 grams of icing sugar and ½ -1 teaspoon of coloured powder to each bowl (except the fourth which will be plain). Whisk dry ingredients.
- Then add 30 ml of hot boiling water. Whisk again to form dry dough ball.
- Roll the dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter and coat with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
- Once complete, boil as many rice balls as desired in your sweet broth until they float. Enjoy!
Tips to Making Glutinous Rice Balls
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. Unfortunately, a measuring cup in millimeters is not reflective of grams.
- Ensure that you use 30 ml of hot boiling water and no more. Any more and your dough will be too soft and malleable that you won’t be able to roll the dough into a ball form.
- If you decide to use natural coloured powder, you can use ½ - 1 teaspoon of each powder. I would suggest sticking to ½ teaspoon in order not to overpower the taste of the balls. However if you are looking for colour, then add 1 teaspoon but you will taste the powder, specifically the matcha powder.
- Use the glutinous rice flour to prevent the balls from sticking to your surface after they have been rolled out
For the sweet broth
- I highly recommend using pandan leaves for the tang yuan soup. They may be available at specific Asian or Vietnamese grocery stores either in the fresh or frozen aisle. Make sure you knot the leaves prior to adding them to the broth.
- I also leave the ginger skin on, it keeps the recipe simple
- For the Chinese Rock Sugar, this can also be found at most Asian grocery stores in the Dessert aisle for the dessert tang yuan soup
FAQ
Where can I find these ingredients?
The glutinous rice flour, pandan leaves and the Chinese rock sugar can all be found at asian grocery stores.
What is Tang Yuan made of?
Glutinous rice balls or tang yuan are simply made of glutinous rice flour, warm water, and in some recipes icing sugar to sweeten it. Some contain delicious fillings such as sesame paste or peanut butter.
Are glutinous rice balls gluten free?
Yes! Even though the rice flour is glutinous, there is no wheat and it is 100% gluten free.
Can I freeze these Glutinous rice balls for later?
Yes you can keep these frozen tang yuan balls in an airtight container and freeze them for up to 4 months to re-boil for later!
Why do we eat Tang Yuan?
Tang Yuan are a symbolic and delicious food in Chinese culture. It represents wholeness and union. Hence why it's often served at the bride's hair combing ceremony or the night before a couple's wedding to wish them a good marriage.
Is tangyuan healthy?
I wouldn't say it's a health food as the broth is quite sweet and high in sugar.
How do you eat glutinous rice balls?
The best way to have them is with a taste of that sweet broth as you bite into that chewy doughy ball!
Give it a try!
Well I hope you give my Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan) recipe a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed this glutinous rice balls recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture if you've made my recipe and tag me on Instagram @christieathome in your feed or stories so I can share your creation in my stories with credits to you!
Made this recipe and loved it?
If you could leave a star rating for my tang yuan ginger soup, I would greatly appreciate it 🙂 Thanks so much!
Take care,
Christie
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Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)
Ingredients
Rice Balls
- 200 grams glutinous rice flour
- 40 grams icing sugar
- 120 ml hot boiling water
OPTIONAL Colouring Powders (Note: natural colouring powders will add a slight taste as they're made with natural ingredients. If you're not used to this, please replace with food colouring)
- ½ teaspoon blue butterfly pea powder (or sub with a 1-2+ drops of blue food colouring)
- ½ teaspoon red beet root powder (or sub with a 1-2+ drops of red food colouring)
- ½ teaspoon matcha powder (or sub with a 1-2+ drops of green food colouring)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (or sub with a 1-2+ drops of yellow food colouring)
Sweet broth
- 144 grams Chinese Rock Sugar
- 4 cups water
- 4-5 pandan leaves tied in a knot
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Sliced
Instructions
Simple Method:
- In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, rock sugar and knotted pandan leaves. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add glutinous rice flour, icing sugar and whisk together. Then add hot boiling water and whisk again to form a dry ball of dough.
- Roll the dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter and coat with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
- Once complete, boil as many rice balls as desired in your sweet broth until they float. Enjoy!
OPTIONAL Coloured Method:
- DISCLAIMER: Natural food colouring will add a taste as they are made with natural ingredients, such as green matcha powder, blue butterfly pea powder, red beet root powder and yellow turmeric powder. If you'd like to avoid tasting these natural ingredients, please substitute with 1-2+ drops of food colouring until you reach your desired colour of choice. Now proceed with recipe....
- In a large pot, add water, sliced ginger, rock sugar and knotted pandan leaves. Cover with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in 4 separate bowls add 50 grams of rice flour, 10 grams of icing sugar and ½ -1 teaspoon of coloured powder to each bowl (except the fourth which will be plain). Whisk dry ingredients.
- Then add 30 ml of hot boiling water. Whisk again to form dry dough ball.
- Roll the dough into little balls about 1 inch in diameter and coat with rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
- Once complete, boil as many rice balls as desired in your sweet broth until they float. Enjoy!
Letscurry
Christie, this is such a unique colourful recipe. That bowl looks so glittery.I also enjoyed the fun fact about serving this dish to the new couple. Indeed such a sweet memory and we have similar tradition in Indian culture too.
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
This is such a fabulous recipe - and what beautiful colours!
Lena
Probably the easiest dessert I've made in awhile. The balls were so chewy and delicious.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your adorable little rice balls looks so delicious... and the colors add such a fun, whimsical twist!
OnLYiMA
This was a simple lovely dessert soup. Nothing too intricate or difficult. I’ve made both the non-colored and colored version. I had matcha, turmeric and got beet root powder to color the balls. However, because these natural powders have flavor of their own, they ended tasting of them, which was off-putting. Next time I will use powdered food color so the taste will be neutral as possible.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I'm glad it wasn't too intricate or difficult! Yes, the natural powders definitely have a slight taste of their own so if you're not used to that, you can replace with powdered food colour.
Sidharth
Thanks Christie for the recipe.
I cooked a big batch of rice ball. I left them in a sugar water overnight but the next morning they were hard. Do you have any tricks to keep them soft for longer after cooking?
christieathome
You're very welcome! I would actually suggest not to cook them until you're ready on that day. So after rolling the balls, dust them with some additional starch and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. When you're ready to cook them, you can easily boil them in the leftover sugar water. This way they stay moist and soft. The sugar water lasts up to 4 days. Unfortunately since rice goes hard overnight, it's something that is hard to avoid. Hope this helps!