The dish consists of various vegetables and other vegetarian ingredients (sometimes with the addition of seafood or eggs[citation needed]), which are cooked in soy sauce-based liquid with other seasonings until tender.

[1] If 18 ingredients are used, the dish is called luóhàn quánzhāi (simplified: 罗汉全斋; traditional: 羅漢全齋; Jyutping: lo4hon3 cyun4zaai1).

In China and Hong Kong, when served exclusively using only the most flavor-packed vegetarian ingredients, such as pickled tofu or sweet bean curds, it is known as tián suān zhāi (simplified Chinese: 甜酸斋; traditional Chinese: 甜酸齋; literally "sweet and sour vegetarian dish").

Alliums and some other vegetables (wǔ hūn) are not used in Buddha's delight, as they are frowned upon in Buddhist cuisine.

The following is a list of ingredients often used in Buddha's delight, each of which, according to Chinese tradition, is ascribed a particular auspicious significance.