Name: Peanut Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 80 g whole peanuts; 20 g granulated sugar; 60 g peanut butter (crunchy or smooth); 10 g icing sugar; 120 g glutinous rice flour; 70 ml hot boiling water (*must be hot!*); 40 ml room temperature water; 500 ml water; 4-5 slices of fresh ginger; 30-50 g Chinese yellow rock sugar (or granulated sugar, to taste)

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These Peanut Tang Yuan are soft, chewy glutinous rice balls filled with a sweet, nutty peanut filling. Served in a light ginger syrup, this classic Chinese dessert is comforting and perfect for family gatherings or festive occasions such as Winter Solstice (Dongzhi) and Lunar New Year.

Bitten peanut tang yuan resting on a spoon in a bowl with tang yuan dumplings.

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What are tang yuan?

Tang yuan (汤圆 -- transliterated as "soup rounds") are glutinous rice balls (or "dumplings") traditionally enjoyed in Chinese culture as a symbol of togetherness and unity.

The character yuan 圆 means "round," representing family reunion and harmony.

Tang yuan glutinous rice balls can be sweet or savory, and filled (with black sesame, red bean paste or peanut) or unfilled.

Dessert tang yuan is typically served in a warm, lightly sweetened ginger syrup, or in a dessert soup such as red bean soup, or black sesame soup.

They are similar to Japanese-style dango.

Why you'll love this recipe

Nutty, aromatic filling: roasted peanuts add crunch and flavor to the peanut tang yuan.

Soft & chewy texture: these sweet dumplings are made from glutinous rice flour for that signature bouncy mouthfeel.

Not too sweet: it's a light dessert that isn't heavy.

Make-ahead friendly: you can make a large batch, freeze the glutinous rice balls and cook straight from frozen.

Peanut tang yuan in a white spoon resting on tang yuan in a bowl.

Ingredients you'll need

For the dough:

glutinous rice flour: is different than rice flour; it's also known as sticky rice flour, or sweet rice flour and can be made from short-grained or long-grained rice
hot water: denatures the flour which results in a softer, pliable dough
room temperature water: makes it easier to handle the dough

Peanut filling:

peanuts: whole peanuts that will be processed in a food processor
granulated sugar: adds some sweetness to the filling
peanut butter: helps bind the crushed peanut filling together; you can use either crunchy or smooth peanut butter
powdered sugar: also known as icing sugar, helps stiffen up the filling

How to make Chinese peanut tang yuan

Make the peanut filling:

Lightly toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan, until slightly aromatic. Let cool.

Add the peanuts to a food processor and grind until roughly chopped. If you prefer a finer texture, grind until fine.

Dump the ground peanuts into a bowl. Add in granulated sugar, powdered sugar and peanut butter.

Stir the mixture until combined.

Place into the fridge to firm up, about 10-15 minutes.

Divide and scoop into 1 teaspoon portions (about 10g each), roll into balls and keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Step by step photos on how to make peanut tang yuan filling, with number overlay.

Make the dough:

In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour with hot water to scald the flour, and then pour in the room temperature water.

Knead to form a soft, pliable dough. It should be malleable but not sticky. Note: Depending on the humidity, if the dough is too dry, add a tiny bit of water to help it come together, and add a little more glutinous rice flour if it's too wet.

Divide dough into 15 equal pieces (about 15g each) and roll each into a ball.

Divide dough into small round balls, about 15g each. Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out.

Shape the tang yuan:

Gently flatten the dough into a disc with your fingers.

Place a 10g ball of chilled peanut filling in the center, and pinch the dough edges to seal, ensuring the filling is enclosed. Roll gently between your palms to smooth.

Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Make the ginger syrup:

In a small saucepan, simmer water, ginger, and rock sugar (or granulated sugar) until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is fragrant.

Cook the tang yuan:

Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil.

Gently drop in tang yuan and stir to prevent sticking.

Once they float, let them cook for 1-2 more minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon.

Step by step photos on how to make peanut tang yuan, with number overlay.

How to serve

It's best to enjoy tang yuan immediately after its cooked, while still warm.

Only cook as many glutinous rice dumplings as you are able to consume.

How to store

If you're not able to finish tang yuan, store the cooked dumplings in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can gently reheat the tang yuan in boiling water prior to serving.

Freeze: store uncooked tang yuan glutinous rice balls in a single layer on a tray in the freezer.

Once frozen solid, transfer to a sealed container.

Expert tips

Keep the peanut filling chilled for easier handling and less mess.

Don't overfill the dough or it may leak during cooking.

You can easily freeze uncooked tang yuan -- boil from frozen when you're ready to enjoy.

If the dough feels too tacky or wet, add a teaspoon of glutinous rice flour and work it in. Conversely, if the dough feels too dry, add a *tiny* bit of water -- not too much, or the dough can turn to glop.

Change it up: try a different filling such as red bean paste, lotus seed paste, or black sesame.

Other tang yuan recipes you may like

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Close up of bitten peanut tang yuan resting on a spoon in a bowl with tang yuan dumplings.

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5 from 12 votes