5 from 2 votes

Here’s a great way to enjoy the taste of Japan at home. Learn how to quickly cook delicious, light Japanese Kabocha Tempura with this easy recipe!

Looking for more tempura recipes? Try my Sweet Potato Tempura, Eggplant Tempura, or Okra Tempura!

I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This kabocha tempura is perfectly crispy!
It’s naturally sweet and incredibly delicious!
Plus, it’s simple to make!

What is Tempura?

Tempura is fried food made by battering and deep-frying ingredients such as shrimp, fish, and vegetables. It’s a classic Japanese dish that you will see on the menu at Japanese restaurants. It’s also one of the popular home-cooked dishes as you can quickly make a delicious dinner for the whole family with several simple ingredients.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Kabocha Tempura:

Kabocha: Use Japanese kabocha squash in this recipe. You can substitute it with other similar squashes or pumpkins.
Oil: You can use any oil, such as vegetable oil or canola oil. I use non-flavored sesame oil in this recipe.
Tempura Batter: This recipe uses water, cake flour (or all-purpose flour), and baking powder—no egg is needed. For more variations, check out this post: 3 Easy Homemade Tempura Batter Recipes (Gluten-Free & Vegan).
Mentsuyu: This is for tempura dipping sauce. Mentsuyu is a multipurpose noodle soup base with a savory flavor made from dashi broth (Japanese soup stock), mirin, and soy sauce. I use store-bought one in this recipe, but if you like making it on your own, see this Homemade Mentsuyu Recipe.
Daikon radish: Make daikon oroshi and add it to the mentsuyu sauce. It is common to include grated daikon in the sauce as it helps to digest fatty foods like Tempura. You can also add a touch of lemon juice for digestion benefits.

How To Make Kabocha Tempura: STEP BY STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.

Step 1

Cut the kabocha into thin slices.

Step 2

Make tempura batter with flour, baking powder, and cold water.

Step 3

Dip the kabocha in the batter and deep-fry until cooked.

Step 4

Make a tempura sauce with mentsuyu and grated daikon.

Here you go! Our tempura kabocha is so crispy and tasty! Dip them in tempura sauce and enjoy this authentic Japanese dish!

Recipe Tips

Don’t mix the batter until it’s smooth. Overmixing can form gluten, making your tempura heavy and chewy. See ‘Homemade Tempura Batter Recipe‘ for more tips.
Also, avoid frying too many pieces at once to maintain a consistent oil temperature.
Don’t discard the leftover batter! You can make tenkasu (tempura flakes) and use them as a topping on noodles or rice bowls.

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Crispy Kabocha Tempura Recipe

5 from 2 votes

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Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Total: 15

Servings: 4 serving

Author: Juri Austin

Here's a great way to enjoy the taste of Japan at home. Learn how you can easily cook delicious, light Japanese kabocha tempura with this easy recipe!

Equipment

Frying pan 22cm (9 inches)

Ingredients

▢ ⅛ Kabocha Squash
▢ Oil for deep-frying

Batter

▢ 200 ml Cold Water
▢ 100 g Cake Flour
▢ ½ tsp Baking Powder

Tempura Sauce

▢ 600 ml Mentsuyu, Dilute with water according to the bottle instructions.
▢ 1 inch Daikon Radish

Instructions

Cut kabocha: Cut kabocha into thin slices.
Prepare a pan: Put oil about 2 cm (1 inch) high in a pan and heat it to 170C (335F).
Make the batter: Add cold water to a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder with a strainer, and mix.
Deep-fry: Dip the kabocha in batter, put them in the pan, and deep-fry until cooked (about a couple of minutes). Place them on a cooling rack to drip excess oil.
Make Tentsuyu: Grate the daikon radish (daikon oroshi). Dilute mentsuyu (noodle soup) with water according to the bottle instructions and add daikon oroshi.

Video

Notes

Don’t mix the batter until it’s smooth. Overmixing can form gluten, making your tempura heavy and chewy. See ‘Homemade Tempura Batter Recipe‘ for more tips.
Also, avoid frying too many pieces at once to maintain a consistent oil temperature.
Don’t discard the leftover batter! You can make tenkasu (tempura flakes) and use them as a topping on noodles or rice bowls.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 250kcal

Course: Main

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: kabocha tempura, vegetable tempura

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Crispy Kabocha Tempura Recipe