As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, Asian consumers are thinking beyond flavour when it comes to mooncakes. Texture plays a crucial role in influencing consumer purchasing decisions, and consumers are paying closer attention to the feel, appearance and consistency in selecting their preferred mooncakes to enjoy and give as gifts this festive season. While traditional flavours and textures remain cherished, health-conscious and discerning consumers are increasingly seeking multi-sensory mooncakes that blend cultural authenticity with modern twists.
What do Asian consumers look for in mooncakes today?
According to 2025 market projections by Dataintelo, the Asia-Pacific region holds the largest share of the mooncake market due to its cultural significance, particularly in China, Vietnam, and Malaysia.¹ With more bakeries offering mooncakes, consumers are seeking innovative mooncake experiences that offer superior textures, unique flavours, and healthier options.
Traditional mooncakes usually consist of a baked outer layer and a smooth filling, such as lotus or red bean paste. While these textures are familiar, they may not provide the variety that some consumers are now looking for. This shift in preference opens up opportunities for novel creations, where tradition can meet innovation through textural appeal.
Texture is becoming a more noticeable attribute in mooncake selection. While flavour has always been the focus, the texture of mooncakes, how they feel when bitten into or chewed, is gaining interest. Consumers across the region have shown a preference for bakery products that are airy, tender, easy to chew, and offer a combination of textures.²
Other consideration, such as health claims, also plays an important role in consumer purchasing decisions. Ingredion’s 2025 global consumer research showed that more than 80% of APAC consumers are willing to pay up to 30% more for packaged food and beverages with ‘No added sugar’ or ‘Reduced sugar’ claims.³ In addition, a 2024 survey by iiMedia Research showed that over 80% of Chinese consumers are open to purchasing healthier mooncakes, and about half actively seek versions that are lower in sugar, fat, or oil.⁴
These preferences are also reflected in findings from Ingredion’s proprietary texture research study, which showed that fatty, sticky and oily are the least popular textures among Asian consumers. These findings showed that Asian consumers today are seeking the right balance of health, flavour, and texture, especially in mooncakes this Mid-Autumn Festival season.
Concept Spotlight: Mochi-filled Mooncakes
One example of texture innovation in mooncakes is the use of chewy, mochi-like fillings. Similar to mochi‑filled pastries or baked goods with stretchy mochi centres, there is something deeply indulgent and novel about the unexpected contrast between a baked or crispy exterior and a chewy interior.
While fewer than half of global consumers consider chewy textures alone to be indulgent, a key driver of consumer preference is multi-texture eating experiences, with 80% of Asian consumers associating products with multiple textures, like crispy and chewy, with indulgence.⁵
This shift in sensory preference is already reflected in the mainstream success of mochi-inspired products. Once a niche offering, there has been double-digit growth in new mochi-inspired product launches across the Asia Pacific from 2019 to 2023,⁶ signalling a strong consumer appetite for novel eating experiences and multi-layered textures.
Co-creating texture excellence with Ingredion
As mooncake manufacturers cater to changing consumers’ tastes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, texture may offer a meaningful way to engage consumers who are looking for something familiar but also seeking something new and exciting. The focus on multi-sensory eating, balancing taste, texture, and nutritional qualities, reflects a broader shift in how people experience festive foods.
Ingredion offers Texture and Healthful solutions that can create this sought-after mochi texture for mooncake skin and its fillings, all other kinds of baked goods, and even beverages and staple foods.
Ingredion works closely with its customers to co-create solutions tailored to their specific requirements. Understanding industry trends, brand challenges, and local consumer preferences, Ingredion can help brands develop unique solutions that meet the needs of their formulation and also align with consumers’ texture and flavour preferences.
Ingredion brings together decades of insights-driven expertise, technical mastery, and comprehensive solutions to support manufacturers in developing mooncakes that deliver on both tradition and sensory appeal. From navigating emerging trends like mochi-style fillings to solving formulation challenges related to fat or sugar reduction, Ingredion’s team of experts can help manufacturers deliver differentiated bakery products that consumers want and love.
Explore Ingredion’s latest bakery solutions brochure to discover what’s resonating with today’s consumers, and how brands can craft indulgent bakery products that deliver memorable and multi-sensory experiences.
The above editorial is contributed by Finna Natacia,
Application Lead Bakery & Savoury, Asia Pacific, Ingredion
¹ Dataintelo, 2024
² Ingredion Texture Research study, 2024
³ ATLAS, Ingredion Global Consumer Research, 2025
⁴ iiMedia Report, 2024
⁵ Ingredion Texture Research study, 2024
⁶ INNOVA Database
