25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (2024)

    They're typically not overly sweet — at least compared to some traditional American desserts — and many of them are easier to make than you think.

    by Michelle NoBuzzFeed Contributor

    Japanese desserts are classic, versatile, and contain some of the most universally accessible recipes out there. (In fact, you may have already tried your hand at a few of these!)

    They're typically not overly sweet — at least compared to some traditional American desserts — and many of them are easier to make than you think. From taiyaki and mille crepe cakes to purin and kasutera sponge cake, here are all the classic Japanese dessert recipes you should try at home. If I missed your favorite, leave it in the comments!

    1. Matcha Roll Cake

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (2)

    humblebeanblog.com

    No coffee break is complete without a slice of this matcha roll cake, which is light and delicate, and melts in your mouth. Don't be alarmed if you finish the entire roll in a day.

    Recipe:Matcha Roll Cake

    2. Taiyaki

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (3)

    pickledplum.com

    You might be aware of this dessert from its popular pairing with ice cream. Turns out, the fish-shaped pastry was served without ice cream for a very long time before the ice cream hybrid went viral. To make this recipe (which, to be clear, tastes nothing like fish), you'll need to get a taiyaki pan. Just consider it an investment into the funnest snack/party favor you'll want to show off for years to come.


    Recipe:Taiyaki

    3. Fluffy Japanese Pancakes

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (4)

    tasty.co

    If you're looking for the jiggliest, fluffiest pancakes in the world, you've come to the right place. You'll want a hand mixer to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, but other than that, this recipe — and the best Sunday brunch ever — is yours for the taking.


    Recipe:Fluffy Japanese Pancakes

    4. Dark Chocolate Terrine

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (5)

    matchaandtofu.com

    Chocolate terrine is by origin a French flourless chocolate dessert that's become popular in the Japanese food world. This recipe uses mascarpone cheese in lieu of the usual cream. Since chocolate is the overpowering flavor, try to find an especially high-quality kind.

    Recipe:Dark Chocolate Terrine

    5. Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (6)

    justonecookbook.com

    Don't worry: You won't need to make a thousand layers for this mille crepe cake. But you willneed a lot of patience and an entire afternoon to carefully create and stack the layers of this gorgeous matcha dessert.

    Recipe:Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

    6. Dorayaki

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (7)

    justhungry.com

    This pancake "sandwich" is traditionally made with sweet azuki bean paste, which is widely used across East Asian desserts. It's the perfect snack or sweet breakfast.

    Recipe:Dorayaki

    7. Kabocha Shiruko

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (8)

    humblebeanblog.com

    This sweet porridge is made using kabocha, coconut milk, and condensed milk, and is swimming with firm but chewy rice dumplings (also known as shiratama). It's a comforting and not-too-sweet dessert that people of all ages can love.

    Recipe:Kabocha Shiruko

    8. Purin

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (9)

    chopstickchronicles.com

    This recipe may call for just a few simple ingredients (eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla), but it does involve careful observation and timing so you don't overcook the egg mixture. You'll be rewarded with an elegant, tasty dessert that'll impress all your dinner guests.


    Recipe:Purin

    9. Kasutera Sponge Cake

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (10)

    cookingwithdog.com

    Also known as Castella, this moist sponge cake is an essential pastry found in most East Asian bakeries, but especially Japanese ones. It's lightly sweetened with honey and sugar, and has a soft, pillowy texture you could really sink into.


    Recipe:Kasutera Sponge Cake

    10. Green Tea Mochi

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (11)

    izzycooking.com

    Highly chewy and sticky, these mochi rice balls are fun to eat and even easier to make. Just mix together glutinous rice flour with sugar, green tea powder, and water to get the dough started. Then, flatten it out into equal circular shapes. Fill it with red bean paste, and pinch the ball closed to finish. Ta-da!

    Recipe:Green Tea Mochi

    11. Chakin Shibori Sweet Potato With Cinnamon

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (12)

    kyotofoodie.com

    You'll need Japanese sweet potatoes for this dessert, but the result is a delicious, crumbly, dense dessert that you'd never guess uses potatoes as its base.

    Recipe:Chakin Shibori Sweet Potato With Cinnamon

    12. Strawberry Shiratama Dango

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (13)

    okonomikitchen.com

    Shiratama dango is a mochi dessert usually served in a bowl and drizzled with condensed milk or served with ice cream for flavor. Like most mochi recipes, it's straightforward to make, so don't be shy.


    Recipe:Strawberry Shiratama Dango

    13. Chocolate Cake Roll

    indulgewithmimi.com

    As you might've realized, you can personalize Swiss cake rolls however you want, whether it's with matcha flavor, or, as in this version, double chocolate flavor.


    Recipe:Chocolate Cake Roll

    14. Matcha Pound Cake (Vegan)

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (15)

    chefjacooks.com

    Fun fact: Pound cake named as such because the original recipe called for one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. This recipe is vegan and replaces the butter and eggs for sesame oil and baking powder, but you'll still get the same soft, sweet bread you can enjoy all day long. And by the way, you can browse through all of Chef Ja Cooks' recipes for vegan takes to tons of classic Japanese recipes.

    Recipe:Matcha Pound Cake (Vegan)

    15. Sweet Potato Yaki Mochi

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (16)

    okonomikitchen.com

    These panfried sweet potato mochi totally redefine how to incorporate sweet potato into desserts, proving once again what a versatile vegetable it is. Oh potato, what can'tyou do?

    Recipe:Sweet Potato Yaki Mochi

    chopstickchronicles.com

    A classic Japanese shortcake is made with airy sponge cake that pairs perfectly with fluffy whipped cream that just barely weighs down the cake. Use the freshest, ripest strawberries for the best result.

    Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

    17. Sweet Black Sesame Soup

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (17)

    okonomikitchen.com

    This might not be a soup in the traditional sense, but it does have all the makings of a nutty, sweet, and filling dessert. For an extra lil' something, feel free to top it with a few chewy mochi.

    Recipe:Sweet Black Sesame Soup

    18. Shokupan (Milk Bread)

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (18)

    chopstickchronicles.com

    This is the pillow soft, not-too-sweet bread to end them all. And like most good breads, you'll need to commit at least a day to getting the perfect bread. But if you're a true bread aficionado, have you ever known a good bread that's not worth the wait?

    Recipe:Shokupan (Milk Bread)

    19. Matcha Tiramisu

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (19)

    matchaandtofu.com

    You won't need any lady fingers for this tiramisu, but you will need a ready-made chocolate sponge cake that you can either buy or make at home.

    Recipe:Matcha Tiramisu

    20. Candied Sweet Potatoes

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (20)

    okonomikitchen.com

    Japanese sweet potatoes have such a caramelly taste that they're perfect on their own. This recipe levels them up with a glaze made of sugar and soy sauce.

    Recipe:Candied Sweet Potatoes

    21. Cream Pan

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (21)

    princessbamboo.com

    For the best cream pan, make sure the ratio of cream to bread is at minimum, half and half. You won't regret it.

    Recipe:Cream Pan

    22. Melon Pan

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (22)

    justonecookbook.com

    This bakery mainstay might not taste like melon, but it's just as sweet and textured, with a crispy crust that makes every bite a delicious experience.

    Recipe:Melon Pan

    23. Coffee Jelly

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (23)

    onolicioushawaii.com

    This refreshing treat can be purchased in many Japanese shops or whipped up at home with just a few ingredients. It's the perfect pick-me-up after a summer meal in the backyard.

    Recipe:Coffee Jelly

    24. Fluffy Cheesecake

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (24)

    tasty.co

    Unlike a dense American cheesecake, a Japanese cheesecake is known for its jiggly and airy texture, achieved by whipping eggsand baking it in the oven using a water bath. Serve with powdered sugar or some fresh berries on the side.


    Recipe:Fluffy Cheesecake

    25. Mitarashi Dango

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (25)

    sudachirecipes.com

    "Dango" come in several varieties, but always involve sweet rice dumplings. In this variation, they're served in a skewer and coated with a sweet soy glaze.

    Recipe:Mitarashi Dango

    What's your favorite Japanese dessert? Share in the comments!

    25 Easy Japanese Dessert Recipes You Can Make At Home (2024)

    FAQs

    What is Japan's most popular dessert? ›

    Taiyaki. A must-try on any visit to Japan, these popular fish-shaped pastries are typically stuffed with all sorts of fillings, but most commonly you'll find sweet red bean paste.

    What is an unusual Japanese dessert? ›

    Japanese zenzai is an unusual dessert which combines thick red bean soup with mochi, the famous sticky rice cake. It can be made by boiling dried red beans or diluting anko (sweetened red bean paste) in water. The soup can either have a coarse or a completely smooth texture.

    What is dessert called in Japan? ›

    In Japanese cuisine, traditional sweets are known as wagashi, and are made using ingredients such as red bean paste and mochi.

    What was the first Japanese dessert? ›

    The history of Japanese sweets begins with mochi, a sticky rice cake, known as the oldest processed food in Japan. After the year 630, the sweets were influenced by karagashi (Chinese pastries) which kentoshi (Japanese envoys to China) brought back to Japan during the period when they were sent to China 19 times.

    What is the purple dessert in Japan? ›

    These delectable Japanese Purple Sweet Potato tarts are made with 100% Okinawan purple sweet potatoes and have a crunchy tart that is made using a secret recipe. This exclusive Okinawan snack uses real purple sweet potatoes, and does not contain any preservatives or unnatural food colors.

    What is the Japanese jelly like dessert? ›

    Kanten is a popular traditional Japanese jelly that people enjoy most as a summer dessert. It's made of Kanten powder which is also called Vegan Gelatin and is similar to Agar powder. Usually, a mixture of kanten and fruit juice is used to create Fruit Kanten.

    What is the Japanese dessert with ice? ›

    Kakigōri (かき氷) is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and a sweetener, often condensed milk.

    What is Moshi dessert? ›

    Mochi (pronounced MOE-chee) is a Japanese dessert made of sweet glutinous rice flour or mochigome. Mochi dough is often tinted with green tea powder (matcha) or other food colorings and wrapped around a sweet center to form a small, bite-sized confection with a chewy, smooth, elastic texture.

    What is cake called in Japan? ›

    The English word “cake” spelled in katakana is ケーキ (which is pronounced something like “keh-kee” in Japanese).

    Is Pocky a Japanese dessert? ›

    Pocky (ポッキー, Pokkī, Japanese pronunciation: [poꜜkkiː]) /ˈpɒki/ is a Japanese sweet snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico food company. Pocky was first sold in 1966, and was invented by Yoshiaki Koma. It consists of coated biscuit sticks.

    What is Japanese cheesecake called? ›

    Japanese cheesecake (Japanese: スフレチーズケーキ), also known as soufflé-style cheesecake, cotton cheesecake, or light cheesecake, is a variety of cheesecake that is usually lighter in texture and less sweet than North American-style cheesecakes.

    What are the best desserts in Japan? ›

    10 Must Try Japanese Sweets And Desserts
    • Wagashi. These beautifully crafted and delicate sweets made from mochi (a kind of sticky rice) and red bean paste are as quintessentially Japanese as it gets. ...
    • Manju. ...
    • Kakigori. ...
    • Dango. ...
    • Taiyaki. ...
    • Anmitsu. ...
    • Crepes. ...
    • Fluffy Pancakes.
    Dec 16, 2018

    What is the oldest Japanese sweet? ›

    One of Japan's oldest forms of sweets is known as wagashi (和菓子), a traditional confectionary that has been enjoyed for centuries. The history of wagashi can be dated back to around the time of the Edo Period in Japan, in the 1600s up to the mid 1860s.

    What is the world's oldest dessert? ›

    Ashure (Noah's Pudding) is thought to be the oldest dessert in the world, first made by Noah after his fabled landfall at Mt Ararat. It is a delightful mix of dried fruit, nuts, grains and beans (yes, beans!) made in Turkey and all over the Middle East. Give it a try - you'll be glad you did!

    What is the most eaten thing in Japan? ›

    There are various kinds of sushi dishes, such as nigirizushi (hand formed sushi), makizushi (rolled sushi) and chirashi (sushi rice topped with raw fish). Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes inside Japan, as well.

    What is the most popular cookie in Japan? ›

    Japan's number one cookie option is the Shiroi Koibito, which translates to "white lover." This delightful cookie features crispy langue de chat biscuits, which are filled with a white or dark chocolate filling. The cookies are buttery, while the filling is rich and melts in your mouth.

    Do Japanese eat a lot of sweets? ›

    In Japan, people often enjoy eating sweet things like fruit or confectionery in between meals. Many different sweets and snacks have been created using uniquely Japanese ideas.

    What does dango taste like? ›

    The flavour is delicate, providing a gentle sweetness and subtle taste of rice. The green and pink dumplings are either coloured or flavoured and coloured to add variety. I used matcha to create the green colour, which also added that nice subtle green tea flavour to the green dango.

    References

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