The day-old buns were ground up, with sugar and coconut added in, to create a tasty filling mixture; fresh bread dough was wrapped around this mixture to make the first filled "cocktail bun".

Newer versions saw the addition of shredded coconut and butter or margarine to the recipe, which are now key ingredients in the cocktail bun filling.

The bun itself is soft, pliable and lightly sweet, typical of Hong Kong–style breads.

A final egg wash to the exterior lends a shiny, golden-brown color to the tops, which are further decorated with stripes or other simple designs using some of the buttery coconut filling, and often finished with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

The Taiwanese version of the cocktail bun is slightly firmer than its Hong Kong counterpart, but still maintains the same filling and sesame seed dusting.