Dango Recipes You Can Make At Home

Dango is a traditional and popular Japanese sweet dumpling. It has a squishy and chewy texture like mochi but is made from rice flour rather than steamed rice. There are many variations of this sweet treat to discover like traditional mitarashi dango or refreshingly cold matcha zenzai. With each one as delicious as the last, you’ll want to try them all, especially since they’re all simple to make! The only tricky part may be finding the ingredients.

To make it easy for you, we’ve partnered with the incredible Kokoro Care Packages to give away their “BAKING: “Amai” Care Package” to one lucky Chopstick Chronicles reader! This box features artisanal and locally sourced Japanese ingredients including mochiko (rice flour) and matcha powder so you’ll be set and ready to make delicious dango at home. The package also includes an in-depth English brochure with recipes so you can make even more delightful Japanese desserts. Read below to find out how to enter!

1. Yomogi Dango

Yomogi (Japanese mugwort) is a common ingredient used to produce a unique flavour and a pleasing colour. This dango pairs especially well with azuki (red bean) and kinako (soybean) powder. Yomogi is currently in season in Japan but isn’t easy to find fresh elsewhere. Luckily, if you don’t have yomogi or it is not easily accessible, the Kokoro Amai Care Package comes with yomogi powder!

2. Shiratama Dango

Shiratama dango is a cute little sweet served with condensed milk and made from glutinous rice flour. It’s perfect to eat in the springtime to celebrate the sakura season and the girl’s day festival but can be enjoyed at any time!

3. Mitarashi Dango

Mitarashi dango is one of the most common and well known ways to serve dango. The soft and bouncy rice balls are grilled then coated with a sweet soy sauce glaze, which creates the most delicious toasty sweet flavour. It is a popular snack in Japan and is widely sold in supermarkets, convenience stores, and street food markets but is just as easy to make at home.

4. Hanami Dango

With spring season in full bloom (for those in the northern hemisphere), now is the perfect time to enjoy Hanami dango! It is called “hanami”, which means cherry blossom viewing, as it is often consumed while viewing the sakura flowers in Japan. Hanami dango, also known as sanshoku (3 colour) dango, are sweet and bouncy and always served on a skewer. Although they’re perfect for spring, they’re also sold and enjoyed year round.

5. Matcha Zenzai

Matcha zenzai is a twist on the traditional Japanese red bean sweet soup known as “zenzai”. This refreshing chilled sweet has the perfect balance of flavours and textures and makes the perfect snack or dessert!

6. Anmitsu

Here’s another cold and refreshing dessert: Anmitsu! This traditional Japanese sweet is made from jelly, fruits, azuki bean paste, and dango topped with a tasty syrup. It’s perfect to enjoy as the warmer weather is upon us.

7. Anmitsu Yokan

This chilled sweet treat is a hybrid of two classic Japanese sweets: Anmitsu and Yokan. It features a base of red bean made with agar topped with fruits and dango.