List of Indonesian desserts facts for kids

Welcome to the delicious world of Indonesian desserts! In Indonesia, these sweet treats are called pencuci mulut or hidangan penutup. Indonesian desserts are super diverse and rich, mixing local flavors with influences from Arab, Chinese, Indian, and European (especially Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish) cooking styles. They are all adapted to local tastes and ingredients. Get ready to explore some amazing sweets!

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Sweet Jellies and Puddings

Agar-agar: Wobbly Fruit Jellies

Agar-agar is a popular dessert similar to puddings or jellies. It can be flavored like almond tofu or made into fruit aspics. It's a wobbly, refreshing treat!

Cincau: Cool Grass Jelly

Cincau is a unique jelly-like dessert made from a plant called Platostoma palustre. It has a mild, slightly bitter taste. People usually serve it chilled with other toppings like fruit, or in drinks like bubble tea.

Puding Sagu: Simple Sago Pudding

Puding sagu is a sweet pudding from Sumatra and Eastern Indonesia. It's made by boiling sago (a type of starch) with water or milk, then adding sugar and sometimes extra flavors. It's a simple yet tasty dessert.

Vla: Creamy Dutch Custard

Vla is a creamy dessert that came from Dutch cooking. It's made from fresh milk, eggs, and sugar. Sometimes, cornstarch is used instead of eggs. Vanilla is the most popular flavor, but you can also find chocolate, caramel, banana, orange, and apple vla.

Delicious Cakes and Pastries

Apem: Steamed Rice Flour Cakes

Apem is a steamed cake made from rice flour, coconut milk, yeast, and palm sugar. It's often served with grated coconut on top. This cake shows some Indian influence in Indonesian cuisine.

Bakpia: Bean-Filled Pastries

Bakpia is a famous Indonesian pastry that looks a bit like a moon cake. It's filled with sweet beans. A special kind, Bakpia pathok, is very popular in Yogyakarta and has a sweet mung bean paste inside.

Bibingka: Rice Flour Cakes for Christmas

Bibingka is a cake made with rice flour, sugar, butter, and coconut milk. It's often enjoyed during Christmas, especially in Java and Eastern Indonesia.

Bika Ambon: Spongy Honeycomb Cake

Bika ambon is a unique cake from Medan, North Sumatra. It's made with tapioca flour, eggs, sugar, yeast, and coconut milk. The yeast creates bubbles, giving it a special spongy texture with honeycomb-like holes. It usually comes in pandan (a fragrant leaf) or banana flavors, but you can also find durian, cheese, and chocolate versions today.

Bolu Gulung: Indonesian Swiss Rolls

Bolu gulung is Indonesia's version of a Swiss roll. It's filled with butter cream, cheese, kaya (coconut jam), or fruit jam. You can often buy it by the slice or as a whole roll.

Bolu Kukus: Steamed Sponge Cakes

Bolu kukus is a fluffy sponge cake that is steamed. It's mostly made with wheat flour and comes in common flavors like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry, using food flavorings.

Kue Cubit: Pinch-Sized Cakes

Kue cubit means "pinch cake" because of its small size. You can easily pinch it to eat! It's a small, delightful cake.

Kue Cucur: Fried Rice Flour Pancakes

Kue cucur is a pancake made from fried rice flour batter and coconut sugar. It's a sweet and chewy snack.

Kue Lapis: Colorful Layered Pudding Cake

Kue lapis is a traditional snack known for its beautiful colorful layers. It's a soft pudding-like cake made from rice flour. It's fun to peel off each layer as you eat it!

Kue Mangkok: Steamed Cupcakes

Kue mangkok is a traditional steamed cupcake, very similar to bolu kukus. It's a classic Indonesian sweet treat.

Lapis Legit or Spekuk: Spiced Layered Cake

Lapis legit, also known as spekuk, is a famous spiced layered cake. It's made mostly from egg yolks, flour, and butter or margarine. It takes a lot of effort to make its many thin layers, but it's totally worth it!

Pai Susu: Creamy Milk Tarts

Pai susu is a type of custard tart from Bali. It has a pastry crust filled with a sweet egg custard and condensed milk, then baked until golden.

Pastel de Nata: Portuguese Egg Tarts

Pastel de nata is an egg tart pastry sprinkled with cinnamon. This dessert comes from Portuguese cooking and is popular in Jakarta and Timor.

Poffertjes: Mini Dutch Pancakes

Poffertjes are small, fluffy pancakes that are similar to kue cubit. They have a light and spongy texture, making them a delightful snack.

Roti Bolen: Layered Pastry with Fillings

Roti bolen is a baked pastry with layers like a croissant. It's made with flour and butter or margarine layers, and often filled with cheese and banana. Some versions even use durian (a tropical fruit) as a filling. This cake shows how European pastries have influenced Indonesian sweets.

Roti Buaya: Crocodile-Shaped Bread

Roti buaya means "crocodile bread." It's a special crocodile-shaped bread often served during Betawi weddings and celebrations. It's a fun and traditional sight!

Roti Gambang: Cinnamon-Flavored Bread

Roti gambang, also called roti ganjel rel, is a rectangular brown bread with sesame seeds. It's flavored with cinnamon and palm sugar. People often enjoy it during special events like Dugderan and Ramadan.

Spekulaas: Crunchy Dutch Cookies

Spekulaas are thin, very crunchy, and slightly browned cookies with a caramelized taste. They come from Dutch cuisine and are a favorite crunchy treat.

Spiku: Three-Layered Cake

Spiku is a cake similar to lapis legit but usually has only three layers: plain and chocolate flavored. It's a simpler, yet equally delicious, layered cake.

Terang Bulan: Sweet Folded Pancakes

Terang bulan is a sweet, thick folded pancake. It was originally a Chinese snack but is now often called murtabak. There's also a smaller version called terang bulan mini which is perfect for a quick bite!

Unique Traditional Sweets

Brem: Fermented Rice Snack

Brem is a special snack from Madiun, East Java. It's made from fermented tapai (fermented rice). There's also a liquid version, which is a light alcoholic drink from Bali, also called Brem.

Clorot: Cone-Shaped Sticky Dough

Clorot is a sticky dough made from glutinous rice flour and sweetened with coconut sugar. It's filled into cone-shaped janur (young coconut leaves) and then steamed until cooked. It's a fun, natural package!

Dodol or Jenang: Sweet Glutinous Treats

Dodol or jenang are small, sticky, glutinous sweets made from rice flour and sweetened with coconut sugar. They are often molded into shapes and colored. Sometimes, fruit flavors like durian are added.

Geplak: Coconut and Sugar Sweets

Geplak is a sweet treat from Yogyakarta made from sugar and grated coconut. It's often colorful and has a chewy texture.

Getuk: Cassava Noodles

Getuk is a dessert made from cassava paste, sweetened with sugar. It's pressed into special tools that make it look like noodles! It's often served with fresh grated coconut.

Klepon: Green Rice Balls with Palm Sugar

Klepon are small, boiled rice cakes. They are stuffed with coconut sugar inside and then rolled in fresh grated coconut. They get their green color from pandan leaves, which also give them a lovely smell. When you bite into them, the warm palm sugar melts in your mouth!

Kue Bugis: Soft Glutinous Rice Cakes

Kue bugis is a traditional snack that is a soft cake made from glutinous rice flour. It's filled with sweet grated coconut.

Kue Kochi: Glutinous Rice Dumplings

Kue kochi is a cake dumpling made from glutinous rice flour. It's stuffed with coconut fillings and palm sugar, making it a sweet and chewy treat.

Kue Ku: Red Tortoise Cake

Kue ku is a small, round or oval-shaped Chinese pastry. It has a soft, sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling. It's often shaped like a tortoise, which symbolizes good luck.

Kue Putu: Cylindrical Steamed Cakes

Kue putu is similar to klepon but is cylindrical in shape, while klepon is round. It's also a steamed cake with a sweet filling.

Kue Putu Mangkok: Round Steamed Rice Cakes

Kue putu mangkok is a round-shaped, traditional steamed rice flour cake or sweet snack. It's filled with palm sugar and is very similar to kue putu.

Lupis: Glutinous Rice Triangles

Lupis is a glutinous rice cake wrapped and cooked in banana leaves, often shaped like triangles. It's served with grated coconut and drizzled with a thick coconut sugar syrup.

Madumongso: Fermented Black Sticky Rice Snack

Madumongso is a snack made from black sticky rice. The rice is fermented to become tapai (a sweet or sour fermented food) and then cooked into a dodol-like treat. It has a unique sweet and slightly tangy taste.

Meuseukat: Pineapple Dodol Cake

Meuseukat is a dodol-like cake from Aceh, but it's flavored with pineapple. It's a sweet and fruity treat.

Mochi: Chewy Rice Flour Cakes

Mochi are rice flour-based cakes often filled with peanut paste. Sometimes, they are sprinkled with sesame seeds. They have a wonderfully chewy texture.

Nagasari: Steamed Banana Cakes

Nagasari is a steamed rice cake wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with banana. It's a soft and sweet treat, perfect for a snack.

Nata de Coco: Coconut Water Jelly

Nata de coco is a jelly-like food made by fermenting coconut water. It's a fun, chewy addition to many desserts and drinks.

Onde-onde: Sesame Seed Balls

Onde-onde are glutinous rice cake balls filled with sweet green bean paste. They are rolled in sesame seeds and then fried until golden. They are crunchy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside.

Tapai: Fermented Rice or Starchy Foods

Tapai is a traditional fermented food made from rice or other starchy foods. It can have a sweet or sour taste, and it's used as an ingredient in other desserts like brem.

Timphan: Steamed Banana Dumplings

Timphan is a steamed banana dumpling from Aceh. It's made with glutinous rice flour, ground banana, and coconut milk. It's quite similar to the Javanese or Buginese nagasari.

Ting-ting Jahe: Chewy Ginger Candy

Ting-ting jahe is a chewy candy made with ginger. It has a warm, spicy kick that's perfect for ginger lovers!

Wajik: Diamond-Shaped Rice Cake

Wajik is a sweet glutinous rice cake, often shaped like a diamond. It's a compressed, chewy treat, especially popular in Java.

Refreshing Drinks and Porridges

Angsle: Warm Java Mix

Angsle is a warm and comforting mix from Java. It contains melinjo (a type of nut), glutinous rice, peanuts, sago pearls, white bread, coconut milk, screwpine leaf, ginger, and milk. It's a hearty and sweet drink.

Bubur Candil: Glutinous Rice Balls in Palm Sugar

Bubur candil features glutinous rice cake balls stewed in gula jawa (palm sugar) and served with thick coconut milk. It's similar to kolak biji salak and is a wonderfully sweet and soft dessert.

Bubur Cha Cha: Sweet Potato and Banana Porridge

Bubur cha cha is a traditional Betawi and Malay dessert. It's made with sago pearls, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, coconut milk, pandan leaves, sugar, and salt. You can enjoy it hot or cold!

Bubur Kacang Hijau: Green Bean Porridge

Bubur kacang hijau is a popular green beans porridge. It's sweetened with sugar and served with thick coconut milk, making it a creamy and satisfying dessert.

Bubur Ketan Hitam: Black Glutinous Rice Porridge

Bubur ketan hitam is a black glutinous rice porridge. Like bubur kacang hijau, it's sweetened with sugar and served with thick coconut milk.

Bubur Sumsum: White Rice Flour Porridge

Bubur sumsum is a white porridge made from rice flour. It's usually eaten with a delicious brown sugar sauce.

Cendol: Green Jelly Drink

Cendol is a sweet jelly drink. It has rice flour jelly pieces that are naturally colored green from pandan leaves. This is mixed with coconut milk, shaved ice, and palm or brown sugar, making it a super refreshing drink.

Dadiah: Traditional Buffalo Milk Yogurt

Dadiah is a traditional yogurt made from water buffalo milk, popular in West Sumatra. It's a unique and creamy dairy treat.

Es Buah: Mixed Fruit Ice

Es buah means "fruit ice." It's a refreshing mix of various fruits, often served with ice and syrup.

Es Campur: Shaved Ice with Toppings

Es campur is a popular shaved ice dessert. It includes coconut pieces, various fruits (like jackfruit), grass jelly, syrup, and condensed milk. It's a colorful and sweet way to cool down!

Es Cincau: Grass Jelly Ice

Es cincau is a simple yet refreshing drink with grass jelly and shredded ice, sweetened with sugar or syrup.

Es Dawet: Green Rice Flour Jelly Drink

Es dawet is a traditional drink from Banjarnegara, Central Java. It features green rice flour jelly, similar to cendol, often served with coconut milk and palm sugar.

Es Doger: Cold Coconut Ice Dessert

Es doger is a cold and sweet coconut ice dessert from Bandung, West Java. It's served with syrup and various delicious fillings.

Es Gabus: Sago Flour Ice Cream

Es gabus is a type of ice cream made from sago flour. The sago flour is boiled with coconut milk and then frozen. It's a unique, traditional ice cream.

Es Kelapa Muda: Fresh Young Coconut Ice

Es kelapa muda is a super refreshing drink made from fresh young coconut and its water, sometimes mixed with syrup. It's often served right inside the whole coconut!

Es Lilin: Ice Pops

Es lilin are basically ice pops! They come in various flavors and are served on wooden sticks, perfect for a hot day.

Es Puter: Traditional Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Es puter is a traditional ice cream made from coconut milk. It has a rougher texture than regular ice cream and is traditionally frozen by hand-churning.

Es Teler: Mixed Fruit Delight

Es teler is a popular mixed dessert with avocado, young coconut, jackfruit, and shaved ice, all topped with sweet condensed milk. It's a rich and creamy fruit explosion!

Lahang: Arenga Palm Sap Drink

Lahang is a natural drink made from the sap of the Arenga pinnata palm tree, also known as aren. It's a traditional refreshing drink from West Java.

Laksamana Mengamuk: Mango and Milk Drink

Laksamana mengamuk is a refreshing drink from the Riau Islands. It's a simple yet delicious mix of fresh mango with milk.

Legen: Siwalan Palm Sap Drink

Legen is a drink made from the sap of the Siwalan palm (Borassus flabellifer). It's a traditional sweet drink from East Java.

Putu Mayang: Noodle-Shaped Rice Flour Cake

Putu mayang is made from starch or rice flour shaped like noodles. It's mixed with coconut milk and served with kinca (liquid Javanese sugar). It's a unique and sweet noodle-like dessert.

Serabi: Rice Pancakes

Serabi is a rice pancake made from rice flour with coconut milk or shredded coconut. It's a simple, comforting pancake often served with sweet sauces.

Seri Muka: Two-Layered Dessert

Seri muka is a two-layered dessert from Banjarese and Malay traditions. The bottom half is steamed glutinous rice, and the top is a green custard layer made with pandan juice. It's both pretty and tasty!

Roti Tisu: Thin Tissue Bread

Roti tisu is a super thin version of the traditional roti canai. It's as thin as a piece of tissue, often shaped into a large cone, and can be 40-50 cm round! It's a fun, crispy treat.

Images for kids

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  Asida, a wheat flour dough dish

• Ombusombus.jpg

  Ombusombus, sticky rice with palm sugar filling

See also

• Cuisine of Indonesia
• Dessert
• Kue
• List of desserts
• List of Indonesian beverages
• List of Indonesian dishes
• List of Indonesian snacks
• List of Indonesian soups
• Street food of Indonesia