Kabocha Dango with Mitarashi Glaze
Try this easy kabocha dango recipe made with Japanese pumpkin! It’s chewy, lightly sweet, and perfect for a quick fall snack!
Looking for simple Japanese pumpkin dishes? Try these 16 easy kabocha recipes!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Kabocha Dango:
How To Make Kabocha Dango: STEP BY STEP
Here’s a quick visual guide! Check the recipe card below for the video and full details!
Step 1
Set a steamer basket in a pot and water and steam kabocha squash.
Step 2
Mash steamed kabocha and mix in potato starch to make the dough.
Step 3
Make a round shape with the kabocha dough, and pan-fry over medium heat.
Step 4
Put mitarashi glaze ingredients in a small pot and stir until thickened.
Serve and enjoy these yummy kabocha dango while they’re still warm! We love them just as they are, but adding the glaze makes them an extra special treat. You can also try making potato mochi or Japanese sweet potato mochi using the same easy method!
Storage
It will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. For freezing, store the uncooked dango and pan-fry them straight from frozen when ready to eat.
Kabocha Dango Variations
There are many delicious ways to enjoy kabocha dango beyond the classic mitarashi glaze!
Dive Deeper into Cooking Kabocha!
To learn more about kabocha, you can explore these articles:
Your Guide to Cooking with Kabocha
Easy and Tasty Kabocha Recipes
More Kabocha Recipes You Will Love
Leave a Rating!
I hope you enjoy this Kabocha Dango! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!
Kabocha Dango with Mitarashi Glaze
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Steam kabocha: Cut kabocha into small pieces and steam them in a pot for about 10mins
- Make a dough: Transfer the kabocha to a bowl, add potato starch, and mash to make a dough.
- Make a round shape: Grab a piece of dough, roll it, and press it with your palm to form a shape.
- Pan-fry: Heat a frying pan over medium heat, pour some oil, place the kabocha dango and pan fry for 2 minutes for each side
- Mitarashi glaze: Add sugar, soy sauce, and mirin to a pot over medium heat, bring it to a boil, add a mixture of water and potato starch, and cook until thickened
Notes
- Storage: It will last for 3 days in the refrigerator and 1 month in the freezer.
- You can boil or microwave the kabocha instead of steaming.
- The kabocha skin is edible, and I keep it on for this recipe, but feel free to peel it if you prefer a smoother texture.
- If the dough feels too soft or wet, add a little more potato starch (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time) until it comes together nicely.
- When pan-frying, gently press the kabocha pieces with a spatula. This helps cook the surface evenly and brings out a fragrant, toasty flavor.
Video
Nutrition
This nutritional information is estimated and provided for general reference only.
Hi! This sounds so delicious. especially stuffed with cheese. I want to try it. I was wondering, tho, could I substitute mochiko flour for potato or corn starch? I’m curious to try..
Thanks for your comment, Lacey! I haven’t tried it with Mochiko yet, but since it’s rice flour and often used for making chewy desserts, it should work! Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
I have a lot of pumpkin steamed after we got an extra pumpkin on top of the ones we carved for Halloween. Recipe reminds me of similar dish I ate in Poland where I grew up we call them kluski or kopytka. Since I was familiar with preparation (Polish ones are usually made with mashed potato and potato starch) I just went fir it with my super watery pumpkin. A bit if extra starch and some coconut flour got me the consistency I needed. The sauce was really good with slight sweetness of the pumkin. Had some leftover japanese curry on the side. Tasty, filling with a hint of homemade Polish food nostalgia. The husband loved it, and I ll make it again. Perfect Halloween midweek dinner 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Happy cooking, and I hope you make it again soon!
this is such a great idea for kabocha squash! The simple ingredient list and easy preparation was great. The taste is so yummy. I took your suggestion to add cheese and I think I like it better that way (is there anything cheese doesn’t improve?). Thank you for the out-of-the-box use for kabocha!
Hi Julie, Glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying the kabocha dango recipe!!
Hi! This is my first time seeing this interesting recipe, and would love to try it! However, I cannot eat starches. Do you think the potato starch can be replaced with something like coconut flour or a nut flour as a binder to hold the patties together? Without the starch, the texture will probably not be chewy and be more like a flat pancake?
Hi Sharon, Thanks for your comment! I haven’t tried but regular flour should work ok (less chewy though) so coconut flour or nut flour might be ok too. I hope it helps!
Can I use corn starch instead of potato starch?
Yes, you can!
Hi. I would like to make this, but I don’t have Mirin. Is that required for the sauce? Is there something non-alcoholic as a substitute? Thank you.
Hi Chava, thanks for your question! Mirin adds sweetness so you can add more sugar (1/2-1 Tbsp) instead or you can just omit it. I hope you will like the recipe!
I tried to make this recipe tonight but messed it up! The dough ended up really stretchy and mochi-like. I think I oversteamed the pumpkin so it was too wet and added too much potato starch. Very annoying as in the recipe they look delicious!
Hi Bron, Thanks for trying kabocha dango recipe! I’m sorry it didn’t come out good…I understand cos that happens to me many times too. This recipe is pretty simple so taste and texture is pretty depend on kabocha itself. Some kabocha contains more water and it’s so wet when it’s cooked. In that case, please add potato starch gradually. So I suggest try to pick a starchy kabocha when you go to a store. If the seeds are full and stringy pulp is tightly packed(if you buy cut kabocha), it is a sign that it’s aged good and starchy and sweet. I hope you will have a good result next time!
Flavor is great and the sauce is a wonderful recipe to have as well! So simple and so delicious. _/\_
Same happened to me, with an aged kabocha that was olive green and orange with dry pulp. My mistake though was to use a pressure cooker instead of a steamer. Maybe letting the squash sit in the water, plus the pressure, added too much moisture.
My solution was to spread it on an oiled baking sheet, 350°F oven for 20 minutes to dry out before then frying it in squares. Still a bit mochi-like inside, but better!
Hi Ricky! Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing your solution! That is a great idea 😉
I have written a children’s vegetable cookbook and have never heard of pumpkin Dango. Can you tell me where the name comes from and if this dish is served with anything else? I definitely will try it! I ailso have a children’s cooking column in Grandparents Day Magazine-4waystoyummy. Thank you very much!
Thanks for your comment! Children’s vegetable cookbook sounds great! Pumpkin dango(sweet dumpling) is local food from hokkaido(north island of japan) where is main produce area of pumpkin. It’s perfect snack for kids and our children love it. We usually eat as it is but sometime i cook it in miso soup or red been soup which is good too. Hope you like it!
You so much for this recipe! Does the steamed kabocha need to be cooled before adding starch? Thank you!
Hi Luka, thanks for your comment! No need to cool it down. It’s easier to add potato starch while kabocha is hot. I hope you enjoy the recipe!