8 Traditional Chinese Breakfast Dish Ideas

China offers a delicious range of diverse breakfasts that are perfect for enjoying in the morning. You'll often find Chinese breakfast foods revolve around savoury items, featuring strong flavours that aren't as common in the UK.

Typical Chinese Breakfast Foods

While a typical UK breakfast might involve something like cereal or toast – usually with a sweet flavour profile – Chinese breakfasts tend to be slightly heartier and usually served hot. The following breakfast ideas offer a great way to kick off the day!

Congee

Congee is a comforting dish that makes for a particularly good start to the day! It's Chinese rice porridge and can be enjoyed plain or with a variety of sweet or savoury additions, such as mushrooms, peanuts and a soft-boiled egg!

Jian Bing Crepe

This tasty street food is enjoyed across China as a savoury breakfast. The ingredients often include an egg and some deep-fried crackers drizzled in a sweet or savoury sauce! With one bite, you'll experience a whole spectrum of tasty textures!

Ji Dan Bing Crepe

Unlike the Jian Bing crepe above, Ji Dan Bing is made from eggs and spring onions, making this crepe much softer in comparison. This breakfast is easy to make and is enjoyed every day across China!

Steamed Bao Buns

No matter if you prefer sweet or savoury flavours, you’re sure to enjoy these soft, fluffy Chinese buns for breakfast - they make an especially tasty start to the day. You can make bao buns yourself with relative ease, and there are endless fillings or flavour combinations to experiment with.

Pork Dumplings

Otherwise known as Sheng Jian Bao, these pan-fried dumplings offer another tasty morning bite! When bitten into, you'll discover a crispy coating and a mouth-watering, juicy filling! You can find all sorts of Chinese dumplings at Oriental Mart, offering ultimate convenience.

Cong You Bing

Cong You Bing is a form of Chinese pancake flavoured with spring onion. These are often pan-fried to create a flaky, crispy texture. Unlike Western pancakes, this Chinese recipe uses dough instead of a batter, giving it a crisp coating and chewy texture.

Youtiao

Youtiao are Chinese fried dough sticks, somewhat similar to churros. However, they do differ slightly; the Chinese version is not sweet at all. Instead, it is enjoyed by being dipped into warm soy milk.

Shanghai Breakfast Rice Rolls

This sticky rice ball is one of Shanghai's infamous breakfast creations and is filled with a great selection of ingredients. Just in one bite, you’ll be treated to youtiao, pork sung and pickled vegetables!

For more authentic bites, discover our full range of Chinese groceries online, perfect for stocking up on all the essentials and finding some new favourites!