The Best Japanese Desserts Recipes
We are not huge dessert people, but there’s something about the creativity and simultaneous simplicity and complexity of Japanese desserts that has me in awe. We’ve traveled to Japan a good amount over the last couple years and are constantly looking for ways to bring the flavor of all these tasty Japanese sweets home with us. In this post, we offer some of our favorite Japanese dessert recipes.
Making Japanese Desserts At Home
Japanese cuisine has a reputation for being complex. And it certainly can be. But, there are so many ways to take Japanese flavors and create easy-to-make recipes at home. It’s all about the ingredients and the flavors more than sticking to any strict idea of what is a proper Japanese dessert.
Traditional And Popular Japanese Desserts
This list includes some more traditional recipes but mostly focuses on creative and easy-to-make Japanese inspired dessert recipes. They are all recipes that certainly remind us of the treats we’ve eaten during our trips to Japan.
Included below are versions of taiyaki, a Japanese street food that is popular in Osaka. They are fluffy fish-shaped pastries filled with either sweet or savory fillings. Filings can include sweet potato or custard, but to me they are best with chocolate or Nutella.
We include a few versions of anmitsu, which is a Japanese parfait. It uses agar-agar jelly, which is melted to create a jelly-like substance. The best part? The agar-agar is vegan-friendly, making these vegetarian-friendly Japanese desserts.
There’s also an easy-to-make version of one of my favorite Japanese sweets – mochi balls!
Looking for more dessert recipes? Check out our recommendations for the Best Spanish Dessert Recipes.
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Learn more about Japanese food in our post about the Best Japanese Snacks To Try.
Matcha Tea Desserts
Any list of Japanese desserts has to have a few options that feature matcha tea. We saw loads of different types of matcha tea desserts when eating in Kyoto. Matcha is a special type of green tea that is ground into a fine powder. A traditional Japanese tea ceremony will often involve the powdered form of matcha tea expertly whisked into hot water. Most often, matcha is served in water or milk, but it can also be a tasty base for many Japanese sweets recipes.
People claim that matcha tea has all sorts of health benefits. Some of these benefits might be diluted when you start adding sugar and other dessert ingredients. The flavor is still there though. Using matcha in one of our recommended recipes for Japanese desserts is a great way to bring these Japanese flavors home.
Best Japanese Desserts
Here are our recommendations for fabulous Japanese dessert recipes. As we find and test out new recipes, we will continue to update. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed.
Many of these are quick and easy Japanese dessert recipes, often with many of the ingredients easily found at your local supermarket. For some of the more unique ingredients, search for them in Amazon's Grocery And Gourmet department.
Light And Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake Recipe
This light and fluffy Japanese style cheesecake is almost like a soufflé cheesecake. It will totally melt in your mouth – perfect for that cheesecake lover in your life!
Hojicha Ice Cream
A recipe for Hojicha Ice Cream! This rich and creamy treat is infused with Hojicha. Hojicha is a roasted green tea, which adds a light, toasted flavor. Look for Hojicha Kit Kat on Amazon. You can also buy the Hojicha dried tea leaves on Amazon.
Nutella Taiyaki
Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped pastry that is popular across the island. This version includes creamy Nutella inside. You can pick up a reasonably priced taiyaki maker on Amazon too. It makes a great gift or a fun appliance to have around the house to make snacks for the kids.
Matcha Checkerboard Shortbread Cookies
This Japanese inspired cookie recipe includes matcha tea. The resulting shortbread cookie is rich, crumbly, and because of the matcha, not all that sweet. They are also very easy to make. It reminds me of some of the treats I would see at the bakeries in the Japanese department stores.
Matcha Kanten Mizu Yokan
This is almost like a Japanese pudding recipe, with ingredients prepared like a parfait. It includes agar-agar, which is a jelly-like substance that is vegan friendly. The top layer is a matcha kanten and the bottom layer is a mizu yokan, a red bean paste. This makes it a very traditional Japanese dessert recipe.
Matcha Kanten and Strawberry Parfait
This is another matcha green tea recipe. It's a parfait as well with strawberries instead of the red bean paste. It's a colorful dish, with fresh strawberries, green-colored matcha kanten, and vanilla ice cream. This one is also a more easy Japanese dessert recipe than the prior one.
Matcha Green Tea Mochi Recipe
This gluten-free matcha green tea mochi is a delicious Japanese dessert that is so easy to make. It’s made even easier by being shaped into a pan rather than the typical mochi ball style.
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FAQs – Japanese Dessert Recipes
Where to begin? Everyone associates great Japanese food with sushi and ramen but don’t forget about Japanese desserts. Some of the best include Dorayaki, Sakura Mochi, and Taiyaki.
Surprisingly dessert in Japan is reserved for special occasions. Weddings are one of those special occasions where desserts are typically enjoyed. Today, however, younger Japanese are consuming more desserts compared to their parents and grandparents.
Mochi balls are delicious and not to be missed when in Japan. They come in a wide variety of flavors so there’s something for everyone.