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20 Best and Cheap Asian Candy to Buy!

Asian candy has so many varieties, it can occupy one whole store from top to bottom. They have so many varied flavors from sweet to sour and the packagings are so colorful you will want to have them all!

asian candy
Asian candy store

What’s more, there are some chewy with fruity flavor or full of milk flavor. Hunting for Asian candy in Asian grocery stores turned out to be an exciting adventure for me and my husband this weekend. We got to reminisce about our childhood candy experience.

asian candy
Asian candy display

The candies that we bought are varied from sour, sweet, and spiced. The texture of the candies come in hard, chewy, and soft. After you read this article, you might want to buy some to try the candies on the list!

Candies have symbolic meanings and most Chinese households buy a lot of candies for special occasions. It represents sweetness in life. Chinese people wish prosperous days in the new year filled with many sweetness.

1. Tamarind Asian Candy

This is a traditional Asian candy made of tamarind and sugar. It is actually a sticky candy covered with white sugar crystals on the outside.

tamarind candy
Tamarind candy

It is sweet and sour from the tamarind at the same time once you chew it. It gives out a refreshing feelings. This candy is very helpful when you feel nausea.

Tamarind is a tropical fruit rich in fiber. It is a heart-friendly fruit that contains flavonoids. It helps lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol, thus preventing fat buildup in the blood vessels.

Despite its sweetness, tamarind candy has low glycemic index, so it does not rise the blood sugar level.

2. Kopiko (Asian Coffee Candy)

kopiko coffee candy

Claimed to be no. 1 coffee hard candy in the world, it is really the best coffee tasting candy I have ever tried. It is a hard candy with cappuccino flavor.

This coffee candy is produced in Indonesia with Java coffee beans, so there is a strong flavor of bitter robusta coffee once you pop it in your mouth.

coffee candy
Kopiko Coffee Candy

This sweet candy gives a caffeine boost when you feel drowsy after a big lunch. That explains why a  lot of Indonesian people keep this candy in their car or on the work desk, so it’s within reach when they are sleepy.  

3. Hopjes (Asian Coconut Candy)

This is one famous candy back in my childhood. There were not many candy options at that time but this one was certainly everyone’s favorite.

coconut candy
Hopjes Coconut Candy

It is a coconut flavored candy with a taste of caramel and toffee. It’s a semi hard candy. You can bite into it after chewing it for a while. It tastes milky and coconut-y and smells fragrant, too.

hopjes coconut candy

This hard candy does not stick to the teeth, it simply melts once you chew it. There are not many options on coconut hard candy. This one is definitely a must try!

4. Haw Flakes

Haw flakes is a stack of coin-shaped hawthorn fruit candy wrapped in a bright-colored magenta pink paper.

haw flakes asian candy
Haw Flakes

The candy is a dark pink colored, two milimeters thick coin-shaped. It tastes sweet and sour. Be careful, it is very addictive. You can’t just have one disc! It’s never enough!

Many Asian kids love to share this candy as a symbol of friendship. Everyone loves Haw Flakes.

Hawthorn fruit can help prevent heart disease and help control high blood pressure and high cholesterol level.

Despite the health benefits, I would not recommend you to eat too much of the Haw Flakes because of its sugar content.

5. Ting Ting Jahe (Asian Ginger Candy)

Another famous candy from Indonesia is Ting Ting Jahe. It is a super sweet chewy candy. The more you chew into it, the more ginger spicy flavor will come out. You will feel the hot ginger taste in your mouth and throat.

ginger candy
Ginger candy with sesame

Ginger candy in Asia is chewy, sticky but it doesn’t stick to the teeth. It is usually covered in sugar crystals or sesame seeds. Ginger candy is chewed to overcome nausea and digestion problems.

ginger candy
Ginger candy with sugar

6. New York Asian Nougat Candy

It’s a Asian version of nougat candy. New York nougat candy comes in a bright orange wrapper with a polo rider logo.

nougat candy
Nougat candy

The chewy, milky nougat is definitely a must try! Back in the old days, a lot of Asian kids love to have this nougat. It’s almost everyone’s favorite!

nougat candy

7. White Rabbit Milk Candy

I think almost everyone from my generation has tasted this candy. It is a soft, chewy milk candy wrapped with a piece of edible rice paper. This is one of the many nostalgic candies many Asians love!

white rabbit
White rabbit milk candy

This candy comes from China. It has grown very popular throughout many Asian countries and the white rabbit logo with blue, red, and black color is so distinct.

8. Fruity Chewy Candy

It is orange fruit chewy candy shaped like a piece of orange. It tastes like jelly and the color is also orange with cute orange shape.

fruity chewy candy
Fruity chewy candy

9. Plum Candy

Chinese people usually give out plum candies after a big meal as a dessert. There are many versions of plum candy in the candy store we visited so I bought and tried several of them.

plum candy
Plum candy

plum candy
Plum candy

plum candy
Plum candy

10. Jello Candy

This variety of candy is a gelatinous, jello-like treat sold in small cups. With a gentle press on the cup, it smoothly slides into your mouth. Typically, it comes in an array of colors and is flavored with artificial fruit essences.

jello candy

This candy is best eaten cold from the fridge. It comes in different colors and flavors mostly fruits. Some has coconut cubes in it. It is juicy, jiggly, and melts in the mouth.

11. Chocolate Truffle Candy

truffle candy

They are chocolate wrapped with a one twist on the upper side of the wrapper, shaped like a bell. The wrappers are brightly colored silver paper with photos of each flavor on the outside. 

truffle candy

There are many flavors for this truffle candy from coconut, chocolate milk, and dark chocolate.

For me, they are too sweet. I prefer the fruity flavor candies and sour taste ones. But they can brighten up a package of candies mixed together.

12. Fruity Hard Candy

fruity hard candy
Fruity cherry hard candy

Fruity hard candies are a timeless treat enjoyed by people of all ages around the world. These fruit-infused candies covered with granulated sugar, are known for their long-lasting flavors and vibrant colors.

What I found was cherry-flavored hard candy with granulated sugar covered all over it.

13. Naraya Sour Plum Candy

Naraya sour plum candy is a crystal clear caramel engulfing the big sour plum in the heart of the candy. It is a unique candy with sweet and sour taste in the middle.

naraya sour plum candy

14. Preserved Seedless Plum Candy

This is a preserved seedless plum wrapped with candy wrapper. It is sour and sweet with powdery flour on the outside coat.

plum candy

The modern versions of plum candy come in many attractive colorful packages.

Many Asians eat this after a big meal as a dessert. This candy is a must during Chinese New Year celebrations.

15. Toll Milk Hard Candy

Toll candy is a hard candy with so many fruity flavors from mango, cherry, strawberry, orange,

milk candy

16. Chocolate Coin / Ancient Money Candy

Chocolate coin candy is one of so many Asian kids’ favorite candies. Its coin shape comes in many sizes. The appearance of this candy is similar to gold coin, with bright gold wrapper.

chocolate coin

The ones shaped like ancient money really is an eye-catching candy.

chocolate coin

17. Wang Wang Rice Crackers

Wang wang rice crackers are very famous rice crackers from Taiwan. It is a crispy thin cracker made of rice with a thin layer of sugar on top. It is light, soft, with a mild sweetness in it.

This is not real candy but during Chinese new year you can find this served together with other Asian candies.

wang wang rice cracker

The name wang wang meaning calling out prosperous luck into your life. Wang wang brand is the first to produce this sweet rice cracker. Later, there are many other brands for sweet rice crackers.

Serve rice crackers with a cup of Rose Milk Tea. It is a wonderful choice for dessert!

18. Mango Candy

Mango is popular tropical fruit in Asia. They are easily found throughout the year. Consequently, there are many kinds of desserts created!

mango candy

Asian mango candy is a small, chewy delight bursting with rich mango taste and features a vibrant yellow color. For mango enthusiasts, this treat is definitely a must-try!

19. Durian Candy

Malaysia is renowned for its celebrated Musang King durian, and in fact, this popular fruit is even transformed into delightful candies.

durian candy
Durian candy

The candy, bursting with the rich fragrance of durian, has a delightfully chewy texture. Its vibrant yellow hue, encased in a clear plastic wrapper, is incredibly tempting to durian enthusiasts.

20. Hacks Cough Drop Asian Candy

This cough drop candy is  from Malaysia. Many Asian people consume this candy to help treat mild cough and sore throat.

The ingredients of this hard candy are pure clove, apple oil, and herbal extracts with menthol and eucalyptus with liquorice.

hacks cough drop candy

Now it comes in so many flavors. There are blackcurrant, lime, and lemon flavor.

21. Ting Ting Peanut Sesame Nut Candy

This is a traditional snack made of roasted peanuts and sesame seeds crushed and pressed like a nougat candy with caramel. Since people often serve them as candy, I also include this in Asian candy list.

peanut candy
Ting ting peanut candy

The Ting Ting peanut sesame candy, known for its addictive quality, features a rectangular shape with a brown hue from its caramel coating. While it’s crunchy and somewhat firm, it easily softens when chewed.

22. Corn Candy

Shaped like a mini corn with bright yellow color, it tastes like corn with mild sweetness.

corn candy

Conclusion

Many Asian candies have symbolic meaning for special celebrations like Chinese New Year, wedding or engagement. Chinese people serve candies especially during Chinese New Year to wish people sweet life full of prosperous days ahead.

For that reason, a few weeks ahead of Chinese New Year you will see so many crowds in those candy stores.

Asian candy can also make a great gift for Halloween with its colorful wrappers and flavors. So, it’s an option for you to consider less sweet candies for the kids.

If you happen to eat any of these candies, please tag me on my Instagram or leave a comment below.

After the candy hunting session, we both went to have Turkish coffee and tried several of the Asian candies. Indeed, they are perfect with black coffee.

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