Pineapple bun with butter 菠萝油
Pineapple bun with butter is featured among the local specialties of Hong Kong.
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A soft bun with a crisp, sugary topping and a slice of butter, a classic tea-restaurant snack.
How it is made
A soft sweet bun is baked with a crackled sugary topping, then split and filled with a slab of butter. The warm bun softens the butter as it is served.
Flavour & texture
The contrast is between a crisp, crumbly top, fluffy bread and cool or melting salty butter. Pineapple is not required; the name comes from the topping's appearance.
Local roots & traditions
Bolo yau is a familiar Hong Kong cha chaan teng snack.
How to order Pineapple bun with butter
Eat it promptly and ask whether the bun is warm before the butter is inserted.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Cheung Chau lucky buns 長洲平安包 →
The filled bun is steamed until soft. The familiar peace-and-safety wording is normally printed on top of the real bakery product. Expect fluffy dough and a sweeter, denser centre, rather than the crisp topping of a pineapple bun.
Shrimp dumplings 虾饺 →
Shrimp filling is enclosed in a thin starch-based wrapper and pleated before steaming. The wrapper becomes translucent, revealing the pinkish shrimp inside. The dumpling has a delicate, slightly elastic skin and a crisp-tender shrimp bite. A well-balanced filling tastes savory and marine without overwhelming the shrimp's own sweetness.
Questions before you order
What name should I show when ordering?
Show 菠萝油 for Pineapple bun with butter. Eat it promptly and ask whether the bun is warm before the butter is inserted.
Sources & reading
Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.