Learn how to make Shiratama dango, which is similar to the traditional Japanese sticky mochi. This is a quick and easy recipe with simple ingredients. Enjoy it with your favorite tea!
Shiratama dango are chewy rice balls that are made from a mixture of glutinous rice flour and water.
Making a real mochi can be a daunting task, but this shiratama dango is much easier to make! Mix the ingredients, shape, boil, cool, and you're done!
- This recipe is for you if:
- You love Japanese sweets.
- You love Japanese mochi.
- You are looking for shiratama dango recipes.
Shiratama dango doesn't have much taste, so we typically serve with syrup or sweet toppings.
In addition to the plain shiratama dango recipe, I introduce the topping recipes and variations of shiratama dango.
If you want to check the recipe, please jump to the recipe card below. Let's get started!
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About This Recipe
- Japanese simple dango dessert
- An easy recipe that is under 15 minutes
- In addition to the plain shiratama dango recipe,
- 4 dango variations
- 5 kinds of topping recipes
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).
You will need only 2 ingredients:
- Shiratamako
- Water
Shiratamako is glutinous rice flour. "Shiratama" means white ball, and "ko" means flour. The smooth and chewy texture is unique to this flour.
Shiratamako is not a smooth powder but a small chunk, as you can see from the picture. But if you mix it with water, it becomes a smooth dough.
🔪Instructions
I will show you the flow of this recipe. Please see the recipe card below for more detailed instructions. You can also watch this video.
- Make the dough by mixing Shiratamako and water.
- Make balls.
- Boil for a few minutes.
- Cool in ice water.
Making balls should take the longest time, but the following steps are quick, and you will finish in 15 minutes.
Please enjoy them with your favorite topping (The toppings are explained below.) The photo above is with Mitarashi syrup!
Variations of Dango
After making the plain shiratama dango, why don't you try these variations? You can add one more ingredient, and you will have this colorful dango!
Here is the ingredient to add:
- Matcha powder
- Tofu
- Sweet potato
- Kabocha (pumpkin)
Steam sweet potatoes and pumpkin and remove the skin before using. After that, mix the ingredients and make them in the same way as the plain shiratama dango.
The nice color is added, and the nutrition is added, so if you want more than plain dango, please try them! This colorful dango cheer you up!
Toppings
Here are 5 different toppings that are perfect for shiratama dango.
- Anko: Anko is a red bean paste made by boiling red beans with sugar. Dilute the Anko with water, then easier to eat with dango.
- Mitarashi syrup: It's a sweet and salty glaze made from soy sauce. And it's one of the most popular dango syrup.
- Miso Sauce: It's a sweet and a bit salty sauce with miso and honey.
- Kinako: Kinako is a roasted soybean flour that has a nutty flavor. It's a popular garnish for Japanese sweets.
- Kuromitsu syrup: The key ingredient is Kokuto, which is Japanese black sugar. It has a deep and rich flavor and also a popular garnish for Japanese sweets.
For Anko, Miso, and Kinako, mix the ingredients. For Mitarashi and Kuromitsu, cook the ingredients in a pot until thickened. See the recipe card below for details.
A photo above (Clockwise from top left):
- Sweet potato shiratama dango + Mitarashi syrup
- Pumpkin shiratama dango + Anko
- Tofu shiratama dango + Miso
- Matcha shiratama dango + Kuromitsu syrup
- Plain shiratama dango +Kinako
Any combination of toppings and dango is delicious. Feel free to match them and find your favorite. (By the way, my favorites are tofu dango and miso!)
Storage
3 days in the fridge. It will become hard the next day, so warm them up in the microwave before eating.
They can be stored in the freezer as well for up to one month. When eating, warm them in boiling water or heat them in the microwave.
Thank you for stopping by
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's really simple to make, and they're so good that they will disappear quickly at any party or get-together!
If you are interested in learning more about Japanese food, I have many other delicious recipes to try! Please come visit me again!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
More Japanese Dessert recipes you might like
📖 Recipe
Shiratama Dango (Mochi Balls)
Print Pin SaveIngredients
- Shiratama Dango
- 50 g Shiratamako
- 45 g Water
Matcha Shiratama Dango
- 50 g Shiratamako
- 50 g Water
- 3 g Matcha powder
Tofu Shiratama Dango
- 50 g Shiratamako
- 10 g Water
- 50 g Silky tofu
Sweet Potato Shiratama Dango
- 50 g Shiratamako
- 45 g Water
- 50 g Sweet potato, Steam and remove the skin
Kabocha Shiratama Dango
- 50 g Shiratamako
- 45 g Water
- 50 g Kabocha, Steam and remove the skin
Mitarashi syrup
- 2 tablespoon Sugar, 18g
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce, 18g
- 1 teaspoon Potato starch, 3g
- 5 tablespoon Water, 75g
Kuromitsu syrup
- 2 tablespoon Kokuto, Japanese black sugar (18g)
- 2 tablespoon Water, 30g
Anko
- 1 tablespoon Anko, 25g
- 2 teaspoon Water, 10g
Miso sauce
- 1 tablespoon Miso paste, 18g
- 2 teaspoon Honey, 10g
- 2 teaspoon Water, 10g
Kinako
- 1 tablespoon Kinako, Soybean flour (8g)
- ½ tablespoon Sugar, 9g
Instructions
- Shiratama dango (Same steps for any variations)
- Make the dough: Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand. (Mash pumpkin and sweet potatoes before mixing with other ingredients).
- Make balls: Pinch the dough and roll it in the palm of your hand to make a ball.
- Boil: Put them in boiling water, and when they float (within a few minutes), put them in a bowl of ice water to cool them.
- Serving: Serve dango on a plate and put a topping of your choice over.
Toppings
- Mitarashi/Kuromitsu: Put the ingredients in a pot and cook until thickened on low heat.
- Anko/Miso/Kinako: Mix the ingredients.
Video
Notes
- Storage: 3 days in the fridge. They will become hard the next day, so warm them up in the microwave before eating. Also, they can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.
- Pumpkin and sweet potatoes: Steam and remove the skin. This recipe uses starchy pumpkin. If the pumpkin is watery (you can tell by steaming it), reduce the amount of water.
- Step 1: If the dough is too soft (stick to your hand), add Shiratamako, and if it is too hard, adds water little by little to adjust the consistency.
- Step 2: If you boil them while making balls, they are not cooked evenly, so please finish making balls before boiling.
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