Also known as 雞尾包, Gai Mei Bao, Coconut Bun, Hong Kong Cocktail Bun, Chicken Tail Bun.
The cocktail bun is a soft oval bun filled with a paste of shredded coconut, sugar, butter and milk powder, topped with sesame seeds. It was invented in the 1950s to use up day old bread. Every Hong Kong bakery has it, HK$6 to HK$12.
350kcal / 1 bun
One cocktail bun is about 350 calories, according to a Hong Kong dietitian ranking of bakery items that put it at the top of the list, above the pineapple bun (310). The filling is the reason: about 25g of coconut, sugar and butter paste adds around 130 calories and gives the bun 14g of fat, nearly half again more than a pineapple bun.
Nutrition facts
Per 1 bun (90g)
Amount
Per 100g
Calories
350 kcal
389 kcal
Protein
7 g
8 g
Carbs
48 g
53 g
Fat
14 g
16 g
Where the calories come from
Sweet bun dough65g
200 kcal
Coconut, sugar and butter filling22g
130 kcal
Sesame topping and egg wash3g
20 kcal
The real talk
This bun beats the pineapple bun and most people assume it is the other way round. A cocktail bun is 350 calories to a pineapple bun's 310, and the fat is where the gap opens: 14g versus 10g. The pineapple bun's crust is a thin layer on top. The cocktail bun's filling runs through the whole thing and it is made from butter, sugar and desiccated coconut, three of the densest ingredients in a bakery. A dietitian in am730 called it the one to be most careful with if you are watching weight or blood sugar.
Sugar is the second problem. Between the sweet dough and the filling, one bun carries around 18 to 20g of sugar, which is 4 to 5 teaspoons. Hong Kong bakery bread rankings put it near the top for sugar as well as calories, which is why dietitians flag it for anyone with diabetes. It hits fast: 48g of carbs, very little fibre, 7g of protein, so an hour later you are hungry again.
Size varies by shop. A small neighbourhood bakery bun is around 75g and closer to 290 calories. The big glossy ones at the chain bakeries near MTR stations push 110g and can hit 420. The tell is how much filling shows when you break it: if the coconut paste runs edge to edge, it is the high end. Two of these with a milk tea on the way to work is a 810 calorie breakfast with almost no protein.
How many calories in 2, 3 or 4 buns?
How many
Calories
Protein
1 bun
350 kcal
7 g
2 buns
700 kcal
14 g
3 buns
1050 kcal
21 g
4 buns
1400 kcal
28 g
5 buns
1750 kcal
35 g
6 buns
2100 kcal
42 g
How the portions compare
290 kcal
Small bakery bun (75g)
350 kcal
Standard bun (90g)
420 kcal
Large chain bakery bun (110g)
Cocktail Bun (Gai Mei Bao) variants, ranked by calories
Variant
Calories
Notes
Raisin bun (提子包)
274 kcal
Lowest in the same ranking
Sausage bun (豬仔包)
290 kcal
Plain crusty roll
Pineapple bun (菠蘿包)
310 kcal
Less fat than cocktail bun
Cocktail bun (雞尾包)
350 kcal
Highest of the classic buns
Cocktail bun with butter
425 kcal
10g butter slab inside
How to eat it lighter
Have one, not two. The second bun is a full 350 calories you will not notice eating.
If you want a bakery bun, the sausage bun (豬仔包) is about 290 and the raisin bun 274, both lower than the cocktail bun.
Pair it with a boiled egg or a cup of milk. That gives the 350 calories some protein and keeps you full longer.
Skip the butter some cha chaan tengs slide inside. That adds another 75 calories.
Common questions
How many calories in a cocktail bun?
About 350 calories for a standard 90g bun, per a Hong Kong dietitian ranking of bakery items. That is 40 more than a pineapple bun and about 14g of fat.
Why is it called a cocktail bun?
Bakers in the 1950s mashed unsold bread with sugar and coconut into a filling, a mix or cocktail of leftovers, and baked it into a new bun. The name stuck.
Is a cocktail bun or pineapple bun healthier?
The pineapple bun, slightly: 310 calories and 10g fat versus 350 and 14g. Neither has much protein, so both are a snack rather than a meal.
Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical cha chaan teng, dai pai dong or dim sum serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.
Calorie figure based on am730 Hong Kong dietitian bakery ranking (cocktail bun 350 kcal, pineapple bun 310, sausage bun 290, raisin bun 274). Macros estimated from the ingredients.