Chinese Recipes for the Lunar New Year (2024)

[heart_this] · Jan 14, 2024 · 26 Comments

The best Chinese recipes to celebrate the Lunar New Year!

The Lunar New Year, aka the Chinese New Year, is February 10 in 2024, and it’s the year of the Dragon, and it’s the perfect excuse to to pull out some of my favourite Chinese recipes in addition to trying some new ones! I am a big fan of Chinese cuisine, both traditional style Chinese and American style Chinese, ie. Chinese takeout, and luckily they are both easy to make at home! Below you will find a mix of both traditional and takeout style Chinese recipes that are really easy make and most of them can be made with ingredients that are already in your pantry! I always find that it’s fun to try to recreate recipes that I have had at restaurants and this is especially true for Chinese takeout where I can make the dishes much lighter and healthier than the takeout version and what’s more, the homemade version tastes even better! Whether you are celebrating the Chinese New Year or not, you really cannot go wrong with making any of these tasty recipes at home!

Recipes for the Chinese New Year

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
Baked Firecracker Chicken
Szechuan Pepper Ground Beef
Quick and Easy Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
20 Minute Light Mongolian Beef
General Tso’s Chicken
20 Minute Light Orange Chicken
Shrimp Wonton Soup
Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice
Kung Pao Chicken
Char Siu Bao (Chinese BBQ Pork Buns)
Honey Lemon Chicken
Crispy Honey Lemon Cauliflower on Chili and Garlic Stir Fried Zoodles
Honey Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
Cashew Chicken
Bang Bang Chicken
Sticky Honey Sriracha Chicken Bites
Bang Bang Shrimp
Crispy Lemon Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Sesame Chicken
20 Minute Light Sweet and Sour Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken Salad with Sichuan Dressing
Shrimp Kung Pao
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Dandan Noodles (Tantanmen Ramen)
Mapo Eggplant
Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
Sesame Chicken
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
Pineapple Char Siu Pulled Pork Sliders
Honey Garlic Chicken
Egg Foo Young
Ham and Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice
Mongolian Ground Beef
20 Minute Skinny Sesame Chicken
Asparagus and Cashew Chicken Stir-fry
Dan Dan Mian (Noodles in Spicy Chinese Peanut Pork Sauce)
Sweet and Sour Pork
20 Minute Light Honey Garlic Chicken
Quick and Easy Beef and Pepper Stir-fry
Blackberry Hoisin BBQ Ribs
Cold Shanghai Wontons in Peanut Sauce and Chili Oil
Sichuan Poached Beef (Shuizhu)
Egg Drop Soup
Crispy Orange Chicken

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Comments

Sharon @ Lilikoi Joy says
February 5, 2013 at 4:22 pm

Really great post, I think I'll be cooking up a Chinese feast this weekend! Sharon
Reply
Worktops girl says
February 5, 2013 at 4:54 pm

I love tofu and oh, I so incredibly muchly please dear goodness want some now.
Reply
Stephanie says
February 5, 2013 at 5:45 pm

I just love your recipes and your blog. Always very creative. I too will be posting about the Chinese New Year this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Reply
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Stephanie says
February 5, 2013 at 5:46 pm

I love your recipes and your blog. I am a subcriber and always get excited to see what you do next. I too will be blogging about the New Year this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Reply
Lady Tee says
February 5, 2013 at 7:33 pm

I'm definitely going to try the honey lemon chicken! It looks delicious and it seems simple enough. I'm new to your site, but I'm officially addicted! Kevin, you're awesome!
Reply
Pauline says
February 6, 2013 at 4:46 am

Mapo eggplant deceived me! It looks so scrumptious like some meat thing slathered in thick oyster sauce, but wait! It's eggplant in homemade mapo sauce!? I gotta try this out.
You got me extra excited for Chinese New Year!
Reply
Joanne says
February 6, 2013 at 11:35 am

I don't think I've tried any of these! Need to change that.
Reply
Ruth Daniels says
February 6, 2013 at 1:07 pm

As usual, Kevin – you ROCK!! The photos just keep getting better and better and the dishes… well I'm drooling. This Chinese New Year could keep on going until the next one.
Reply
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
February 6, 2013 at 7:23 pm

I am truly hungry now and don't know where to start!
Reply
the actor's diet says
February 7, 2013 at 5:48 am

thank you for this! i can't wait for chinese new year…
Reply
DK says
February 8, 2013 at 1:11 am
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I LOVE chinese food, esp. Sichuanese. Given that we are vegetarians most of these listed here would be with tofu. Kung Pao and Mapo are like eternal favs. Can't wait to try the Mapo Eggplant (never heard of that one before!) and the dumplings. Yum!
Reply
Angela Pemberton says
February 8, 2013 at 3:07 am

love this recipe roundup…we are loving asian foods right now so i am getting lots of ideas!
Reply
Kevin says
February 9, 2013 at 8:35 pm

Pauline: The eggplant make a wonderful substitution for the tofu in mapo eggplant!
Reply
Pat Nayar says
February 10, 2013 at 12:59 am

I'm looking forward to cooking some of these deliciously looking dishes.I cook most of my meals at home and any new ideas are always appreciated. Could you bring from time to time some info about new or interesting grocery stores where one can get the ingredients mentioned in the recipes? I live in the greater Toronto area and when I'm to cook a Chinese or Asian dish I tend to turn to usual suspects in the city. It would be nice to know about other places, too.
Reply
Kevin says
February 10, 2013 at 2:10 pm

Pat Nayar: Nice list of stores! For my Japanese groceries I normally head down to Sanko on Queen West. I like this small grocery store opposite PatMart and west a few blocks that is on the lower level for Korean grocery needs.
Reply
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
January 24, 2014 at 2:23 pm

Loving all these Chinese recipes you've made Kevin! Traditionally, we have Chinese hot pot or a collection of "lucky" Chinese dishes for the New Year. I'm making some Buddhist Delight this year.
Reply
Gaby says
January 24, 2014 at 5:00 pm

I'm going to pretend this is a buffet and I want it all!
Reply
Linda says
January 25, 2014 at 4:52 am

The honey lemon chicken sounds amazing! Lovely presentations.
Reply
Anonymous says
January 29, 2014 at 1:40 am

Please stick with cooking white people food
Reply
Yzenith says
November 11, 2014 at 10:57 pm

That Chinese Hot and Sour Soup looks really good
Reply
Pam says
February 17, 2015 at 4:16 pm

Kevin! I hope all is well with you. It looks like you are still making the tastiest recipes. Great collection of Chinese New Year dishes. I am loving that Hot & Sour Soup. YUM.
Reply
Cathleen says
February 17, 2015 at 10:14 pm

Oh my goodness, what a collection! I would love to try all of these!
Reply
HipFoodie Mom says
February 17, 2015 at 11:16 pm

Kevin, oh my gawd, I am SO impressed with your Chinese food repertoire!!! WOW!! Where do I start . . I'm seriously going to have to cook my way down this entire list! Love it all!!
Reply
Vanilla says
February 21, 2015 at 2:15 am

Oh my god!! These look amazing!! But i cant eat pork and beef.. is there any other option of meat other than chicken avail for these? Needa try them!
Reply
kevin says
February 22, 2015 at 4:35 pm

Vanilla: Shrimp would work in a lot of these otherwise, lamb, turkey, etc.
Reply
Lauras Coupons says
February 5, 2019 at 8:43 pm

Man so many of these recipes look great. Looks like I need to have a Chinese food-themed party soon so i can enjoy a few of them.
Reply

Chinese Recipes for the Lunar New Year (2024)

FAQs

What is a typical Chinese New Year menu? ›

Traditional Lunar New Year foods include longevity noodles, a whole steamed fish for abundance, sticky rice balls for togetherness, and more. Below you'll find some of those lucky foods, along with other traditional dishes like dumplings and rice cakes.

Learn More ›

What do you give Chinese for Lunar New Year? ›

Tangerines, oranges and other citrus fruits are some of the most common food gifts given on Lunar New Year; their color symbolizes prosperity, and they're believed to bring happiness and good luck.

Read On ›

What colors to wear on Chinese New Year? ›

You can't go wrong with a new set of clothes that are red or gold in colour. The key word here is new. In Chinese culture, buying and wearing new clothes to welcome the lunar new year symbolises a fresh start. New clothes are representative of a clean slate and help usher in plenty of good fortune in the coming year.

What to put in red envelopes for Chinese New Year? ›

During Lunar New Year, red envelopes are traditionally given by elders to younger family members. They usually have money inside.

What is the traditional food gift for Chinese New Year? ›

Common Chinese New Year food gifts include dumplings, fish, chicken, and noodles.

Know More ›

What is traditionally done on Lunar New Year? ›

Members of the family sit around a big table to have a New Year's Eve dinner. This is known as Nian Ye Fan (年夜饭). Families burn incense to worship their ancestors. Older and senior members of the family give the younger ones good luck pocket money known as Ya Sui Qian (压岁钱) contained in a red envelop (Hong Bao 红包).

Learn More Now ›

What are customs for Chinese New Year dinner? ›

The majority of Chinese families will gather at a family member's home instead of a restaurant to eat the New Year's Eve dinner. It is customary for fish and dumplings to be served. These two dishes mean “prosperous.” Other dishes are served depending on personal preference.

Find Out More ›

Can you do dishes on Lunar New Year? ›

Make sure you clean up and throw out your trash BEFORE midnight. Otherwise you're going to have to wait till the second day of the new lunar year. Cleaning of any kind on the first day is strictly forbidden. Don't even wash the dishes.

Chinese Recipes for the Lunar New Year (2024)

Recipes for the Chinese New Year

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FAQs

What is a typical Chinese New Year menu? ›

What to put in red envelopes for Chinese New Year? ›