Practical Guide
You had amazing snacks in China and want to bring some home. Here's what you need to know about customs, packaging, and the exact brands worth the suitcase space.
Commercially packaged and sealed snacks are generally allowed. Fresh produce, meat products, and homemade items are prohibited. Always declare food items on your customs form.
Packaged snacks are fine. Meat and dairy products from non-EU countries face restrictions. Check the UK government website before traveling.
Australia has some of the strictest biosecurity laws. Most packaged snacks are okay if commercially sealed, but declare everything. Homemade items are almost never allowed.
Our full ranked list of 15 packaged snacks — every one passes the sealed-packaging customs test. The 12 marked Bring-home safe are the easiest to pack and most stable in a suitcase.
大白兔奶糖 · dà bái tù nǎi táng
Brand: White Rabbit (大白兔)
The most famous Chinese candy worldwide. Creamy milk chews wrapped in edible rice paper. A Beijing Reddit favorite and the #1 souvenir candy in China for over 60 years.
Buy: Supermarket / Buy online
$3-6 per bag on Amazon
卫龙魔芋爽 · wèi lóng mó yù shuǎng
Brand: Weilong (卫龙)
The most recommended snack in the r/beijing 'favorite Chinese snacks' thread. Chewy konjac jelly strips in a fiery Sichuan-style marinade. Addictive, cheap, and sold everywhere.
Buy: Supermarket / Convenience store / Buy online
~$1 per pack on Amazon / Oriental Mart
糖炒栗子 · táng chǎo lì zi
Brand: Street vendors (街头摊贩)
Winter street classic — chestnuts roasted in a giant wok with sugar and black sand. Reddit users note supermarkets don't sell these: you buy them from the street vendor with the iron wok and the heavenly smell.
Buy: Street-fresh
Not available online — eat on the street
驴打滚 · lǘ dǎ gǔn
Brand: Supermarkets (Wumei, Meilianmei, Hualian) (物美 / 美廉美 / 华联)
Glutinous rice roll filled with red-bean paste, coated in soybean flour — named for its resemblance to a donkey rolling in the dirt. Reddit's Beijing locals say it must be eaten the day it's made, sold fresh at local supermarkets.
Buy: Fresh at supermarket / Beijing
Not available online — buy fresh in Beijing
辣条 · là tiáo
Brand: Weilong / various (卫龙 / 各品牌)
China's most iconic cheap snack — chewy seasoned wheat gluten strips drenched in chili oil. Reddit describes it in one word: 'goated'. Sold at every convenience store for pocket change.
Buy: Convenience store / Supermarket / Buy online
~$5-10 per box on Amazon
黄飞红麻辣花生 · huáng fēi hóng má là huā shēng
Brand: Huang Fei Hong (黄飞红)
Crispy peanuts with dried chili and Sichuan peppercorns — the numbing, crunchy snack Reddit users call 'perfect with ice-cold beer'. A Sichuan export that conquered the whole country.
Buy: Supermarket / Buy online
~$6-10 per bag on Amazon
洽洽香瓜子 · qià qià xiāng guā zǐ
Brand: Cha Cha (洽洽)
Roasted and spiced sunflower seeds — the quintessential Chinese road trip, mahjong, and movie-night snack. Cha Cha is the market leader; caramel-flavored seeds are a modern cult favorite.
Buy: Supermarket / Convenience store / Buy online
£1.35-3.05 per bag on Oriental Mart
老四川五香牛肉干 · lǎo sì chuān wǔ xiāng niú ròu gān
Brand: Lao Sichuan (老四川)
Chewy, intensely savory five-spice beef jerky — a Reddit-recommended classic that's been a Chinese pantry staple for generations. Pricier than other snacks but worth it.
Buy: Supermarket / Buy online
~$10-15 per bag on Amazon
山楂片 / 山楂条 · shān zhā piàn / shān zhā tiáo
Brand: Various (各品牌)
Discs or strips of pressed hawthorn fruit — sweet-tart and nostalgic. Listed by Reddit users and every 'childhood snack' list as a must-try. Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Buy: Supermarket / Convenience store / Buy online
~$4-8 per bag on Amazon
稻香村糕点 · dào xiāng cūn gāo diǎn
Brand: Dao Xiang Cun (稻香村)
Beijing's most famous bakery brand since 1895. Red-bean cakes, walnut cakes, and the legendary su-style pastries — the #1 gift box locals actually buy. Found in every Beijing supermarket.
Buy: Supermarket / Bakery
Limited on Amazon; buy in-store
旺旺仙贝 · wàng wàng xiān bèi
Brand: Wangwang (Want Want) (旺旺)
Light, crunchy rice crackers dusted with savory seasoning — the childhood snack of a generation of Chinese kids. Reddit lists them alongside the white-and-blue milk drinks as nostalgia staples.
Buy: Supermarket / Convenience store / Buy online
~$5-10 per bag on Amazon
虾片 · xiā piàn
Brand: Various (Oishi, Nongshim) (各品牌)
Puffy, crispy prawn crackers that dissolve on your tongue. Sold in spicy and original flavors at every corner store. Deep-fried fresh versions are a Cantonese home-cooking classic.
Buy: Supermarket / Convenience store / Buy online
£1.25-1.50 on Oriental Mart
煎堆 / 麻团 · jiān duī / má tuán
Brand: Fresh or frozen (现做或冷冻)
Fried glutinous rice balls coated in sesame, filled with sweet red-bean paste. Best fresh from the fryer, but frozen versions are sold in Asian grocers worldwide.
Buy: Street-fresh / Asian grocer
Frozen at Asian grocers
核桃酥 · hé táo sū
Brand: Various (Dao Xiang Cun, local bakeries) (各品牌)
Crumbly, buttery shortbread packed with chopped walnuts. A classic Chinese bakery staple sold in gift tins — pairs perfectly with tea.
Buy: Supermarket / Bakery / Buy online
~$8-15 on Amazon
龙须糖 · lóng xū táng
Brand: Street vendors / gift shops (街头摊贩 / 特产店)
Thousands of impossibly thin sugar threads wrapped around a peanut-sesame center, hand-pulled like silk. A traditional Beijing street snack that doubles as a performance — and a perfect gift.
Buy: Street-fresh / Gift shop
Limited; best bought fresh at tourist streets