Super Easy Spring Asian Desserts For Your Next Picnic
Make these super easy Spring Asian Desserts for your next outdoor hangout with your friends! Springtime is coming, and it’s time for picnic season. I always love ending my picnics with a fresh dessert, so here are some of my favorite easy Asian desserts to pack for a spring adventure outdoors. Most of these recipes won’t require elaborate storage, and can handle a little jostling from being moved around. They’re all incredibly simple to make, easy to bring around, and convenient to eat!
Japanese Fruit Sando With Homemade Whipped Cream
This Japanese Strawberry Fruit Sando is my favorite solo-picnic dessert to bring! Biting into juicy strawberries covered in homemade whipped cream under the sun is a great way to enjoy the warming weather outdoors. Since it’s already wrapped in saran wrap, it’s so easy to just grab them and go. It’s a fun way to welcome the spring, and to reminisce of my trips with my parents to Japan.
- 4 slices of Japanese Milk Bread
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream (at least 35% fat)
- 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
- 10-12 large strawberries
Tanghulu: Super Easy Candied Fruits
Fresh Fruit Tanghulu literally only takes fresh fruit, water, and sugar, and is so easy to make. With all the berries and fruits ripening in the Spring, this is a great way to make fruit a lot more fun. You can make this recipe with any study fruit, like strawberry, grapes, and banana. In Asia, they sometimes also use cherry tomatoes as well.
Once you make them, they’re actually super easy to transport with no issue, since they’re protected by that hard outer sugar shell. It’s a fun way to bring fruit to your next picnic, especially if you’re bringing the family. If you’re bringing a cooler, I highly suggest storing your Tanghulu with the ice packs for an extra chill.
- 12 Strawberries
- 2 Banana sliced
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 24 Black Sesame Seeds
Sticky Mochi Pancake with Red Bean Paste
These Sticky Mochi Pancakes with Red Bean Paste are so easy to make – and so easy to take around! It’s the perfect afternoon walk treat to put in a resealable bag and tucked into a backpack. They’re great as breakfast, dessert, or a quick snack. The mochi inside make it so satisfyingly chewy, and gives it an amazing mochi pull as well. They keep well after pan trying, and can be stored in room temperature.
- 2 cups of Flour
- 1 cup of Warm Water
- 4 Red Bean Paste Balls
- 8 tbsp of fresh Mochi
- 2 tbsp of Black Sesame Seeds
Fresh Strawberry Mochi
These Strawberry Mochi are probably the easiest and CUTEST dessert you can bring to your next spring picnic. Made with ripe, plump strawberries, this might be the best way to enjoy the freshest strawberries of the season. One bite of this mochi brings me right back to my trip to Tokyo with my parents!
I made these during the holidays, but you can decorate them to be anything you want. For a spring picnic, I would decorate this mochi with a sliced strawberry flower instead.
MOCHI
- 80 g Glutinous Rice flour
- 15 g Cornstarch
- 25 g Sugar
- 150 g Milk
- 15 g Butter
FILLING AND TOPPINGS
- 6 strawberries
- 1 cup homemade whipped cream
- ½ cup chopped strawberries
- 12 black sesame seeds
- ½ cup glutinous rice flour, prevent it from getting sticky
Taiwanese Honey Castella Sponge Cake
This moist Taiwanese Honey Castella Sponge Cake is a sweet way to end your picnic meal. Made with simple ingredients you probably already have at home, you can whip up this cake easily. It’s my go-to sweet snack to make for last minute company. It’s also a great base to pair with other dessert elements, like fresh strawberry jam, fresh berries, or ice cream.
The best part about this honey castella cake? This light, bouncy cake can keeps its shape without being too delicate. There’s no frosting or decorations that could get messed up while you’re bringing it to your favorite outdoor spot.
- 8 Eggs (separate egg white and egg yolks)
- 130 g of Cake Flour
- Butter – 130g
- Milk – 130g
- 2.5 tbsp of Honey
- 1 tbsp of Vanilla
- 130 g of Sugar
4 Ingredient ONLY Milk Pudding with Coconut
These creamy, chewy Milk Pudding covered in shredded Coconut are so great as a picnic dessert. It takes only 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make this tasty treat. It doesn’t require any refrigeration, and doesn’t melt in the sun. You can pop them in your mouth as you walk, or share this treat with a larger group of people. Try this Milk Pudding as is, or add your favorite fun dessert flavors, like rose water, matcha, chocolate, or more.
- 500ml milk
- 50g cornstarch
- 50g sugar
- 1 cup coconut shred
Mango Pudding
If you find fresh mangos at the supermarket, this Mango Pudding should be your next picnic dessert! This mango pudding is so easy to carry to your picnic in small containers. It only takes 5 ingredients to make pudding, so you might be making it all the time. The sourness of fresh mango cutting through the creamy and sweet pudding makes this the perfect spring dessert.
- 3 cups of Fresh Mango Chunks
- 0.5 cup of Water
- 2.5-3 tbsp of Sugar
- 2 tbsp of Gelatine (2 packs ~ 13g)
- 150 ml of Water
- 250 ml of Heavy Cream
