Where To Find Healthier Mooncakes: Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free Options

Looking for lighter, leaner, allergen-free options this Mid-Autumn Festival? The traditional mooncake made from salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste is decidedly controversial: some people can’t get enough, others can’t stand them. Either way, there’s always room for more variety, especially of the healthier sort. We’ve got the ultimate guide of where to get your vegan/gluten-free/sugar-free mooncakes in Hong Kong so you can show your lunar appreciation no matter what your dietary requirement. 

Green Common Handmade Vegan Mooncakes

You can always count on Green Common to celebrate the most important holidays with special edition plant-based versions of Hong Kong’s most traditional foods. This Mid-Autumn Festival, gift some of the city’s healthiest mooncakes, packed with superfoods and of course egg and dairy-free. The mooncakes can be purchased in a box of four or combined with other products to create one of their delicious hampers. This year, they have two flavours:

• Blueberry Mixed Nuts Vegan Mooncakes made with fresh blueberries, walnuts, almonds, peanuts and a seed medley (melon, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower) – HKD 248 for a box of four
• Date & Fig Vegan Mooncakes made with date palm, figs, cashews, peanuts and pumpkin seeds – HKD 238 for a box of four

Available for purchase at all Green Common shop & deli locations.

The Cakery Gluten-Free Mooncakes

Specialty bakery The Cakery has debuted a selection of gluten-free, low-calorie nutrient- dense mooncakes with ingredients  inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients (think red dates and red beans). The mooncakes are freshly made to order (absolutely no preservatives) and can be made vegan if requested. They come in a gift box set containing 6 mini mooncakes (2 of each flavour) and a tin of Tea 7th Zi Juan Black tea for HKD 428. Below, their three flavours:

• Red Date Mooncakes made with red dates, cashews, dried apricots, walnuts and golden flaxseeds
• Bean Paste Mooncakes made with red bean and navy beans
• Five Nuts & Jinhua Ham Mooncakes made with almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds & candied melon

Available for purchase at The Cakery shops (Central or Causeway Bay) or you can order online (pickup in store) Make sure to email them or write a note on your online order if you want a vegan box. 

Greenwoods Raw Cafe Raw Vegan Mooncakes

Greenwoods Raw Cafe goes for the ultimate in healthy mooncake with a selection of four different raw vegan flavours. Full of nourishing enzymes and easy to digest, the mooncakes, which come frozen, are made with mostly organic ingredients and made with superfoods such as spirulina, chia seed, coconut flour,  and lotus seed. The various flavours include (HKD 58 per mooncake):

• Pink Color: Osmanthus with Jujube
• Yellow Color: Curry with Nuts
• Green Color: Durian
• Cream Color: Chinese Fermented Bean Curd

Available at Greenwoods Raw Cafe & Deli in Tsim Sha Tsui.

BONUS MENTION:

Sweetpea Cafe Gluten-Free & Sugar-Free Mooncakes

Sweetpea Cafe offers gluten-free and sugar- free Traditional Custard Mooncakes with Salted Egg and dairy-free and sugar-free Ice-y Mooncakes in Banana Salted Caramel, Double Earl Grey, Chocolate Orange, Vanilla Rose Lychee or Matcha; both HKD 380 for a box of four.

N*CE POPS Mooncake Ice Pops

THE MOONCAKE ICE POPS 2018 手工雪條月餅禮盒

N*ICE POPS is doing handmade ice pop mooncake boxes– each box features two vegan, gluten-free flavours with faux yolks: Yuzu Mango Coconut Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache Coconut Ice Cream – HKD 98 for a box of four.

Images courtesy of Green Common (lead photo), The Cakery and Greenwoods Raw Cafe.