Quick & Easy Hanami Dango (Japanese Sweet Dumplings)

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Hanami Dango. Chewy rice balls with a very subtle sweet taste skewered on a stick. A fun and delicious Japanese dessert or snack that is easy to make at home with minimal ingredients. This is gluten-free and dairy-free.

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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Hanami dango is a Japanese dessert that features rice balls made of rice flour, glutinous rice flour, icing sugar and hot boiling water. "Hanami" means "flower viewing" and "dango" means "skewered sweet rice dumplings" in Japanese.

These Asian rice balls are more subtle in sweetness, than overly sweet. They have a chewy texture and are best enjoyed warm with sweet red bean paste or sweet sesame paste.

Hanami dango is sold in Japan by food stalls during cherry blossom season, hence the light pink, green and white colors.

On the other hand, regular dango (not hanami), which is white in color, can be grilled and coated with a tasty sauce like soy sauce or other savory sauces.

This is a fun and easy dessert that you can make for kids or to impress guests as they are colorful and pretty! When I was first introduced to this years ago, I was amused by how cute this dessert looks from the shape to the colours.

Also, can we all agree that food on a stick always tastes better? I was so fascinated by this dessert that I knew I had to make my own version of it.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Shiratamako Glutinous Rice Flour: a Japanese branded ground glutinous rice flour that I recommend for this recipe. You can find it at Japanese grocery stores or online. As a last resort, substitute with Glutinous Rice Flour but the results won't be exact.
Joshinko Rice Flour: a ground rice flour and it's different from glutinous rice flour. I recommend using "Joshinko Japanese Short Grain Rice flour" versus other types for best texture. Other types use long grain to make their rice flour giving a different texture but they can be used as a substitute, but don't expect the same results.
Icing sugar: aka confectioner's sugar or powdered sugar. If you're vegan, substitute with vegan icing sugar.
Hot Boiling Water
Red Food Coloring: to make the dumplings pink. Or substitute with red food coloring powder or omit this ingredient to keep them white.
Green Food Coloring: to make the dumplings green. Or substitute with green food coloring powder or omit this ingredient to keep them white.

Required: 6 wooden skewers

Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.

Expert Tips

Whisk your dry ingredients well before adding hot boiling water to better distribute the ingredients.
Pre-roll your balls and then roll them again just before boiling. This will give you a more even sphere.
Once your balls hit the water, give it a quick stir with a spatula to prevent it from sticking to the pot as they will sink to the bottom.
Place hot dango in an ice bath to prevent the balls from sticking to each other.
When the balls are cool enough to handle, skewer and push them through and don’t worry about the wooden stick getting sticky with the green ball. This is normal and it’ll get covered by the white and pink ball.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make hanami dango:

Prepare Dough Mixture

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour, rice flour, icing sugar.
Add hot boiling water to the dry ingredients.
Then whisk together everything together. It's normal for the mixture to look clumpy and dry.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour, rice flour, icing sugar.
Add hot boiling water to the dry ingredients.
Then whisk together everything together. It's normal for it to look clumpy and dry.

Knead & Divide Dough

Then knead until you form a ball of dough inside the bowl. It may be tacky to begin with but when you knead it, it'll dry out a bit.
Dust a clean working surface with enough glutinous rice flour and transfer the dough ball onto the surface. Knead the dough into a smooth ball.
Then roll it into a thick log, about wide 4-inches wide x 9-inches long.
Slice the log into 3 equal portions.

Then knead until you form a ball of dough. It may be tacky to begin with but when you knead it, it'll dry out a bit. Dust a clean working surface with enough glutinous rice flour and transfer the dough ball onto the surface. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Then roll it into a thick log, about wide 4-inches wide x 9-inches long. Slice the log into 3 equal portions.

Color & Shape into Balls

Transfer each portion into three separate bowls. To the first bowl, add 1 drop of red food coloring and mix into the dough until well combined. Repeat this for the second bowl with green food coloring. Leave the third bowl as is so it's white.
Roll each piece of dough into a 1 inch thick log.
Cut each log into 6 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a small ball, so you have 18 balls in total.

Transfer each portion into three separate bowls. To the first bowl, add 1 drop of red food coloring and mix into the dough until well combined. Repeat this for the second bowl with green food coloring. Leave the third bowl as is so it's white. Roll each piece of dough into a 1 inch thick log. Cut each log into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball. You should have 18 balls in total.

Boil & Skewer

Bring a medium size pot of water to boil and reduce to medium high heat. Give each ball a quick roll before lowering into the hot water and stir occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Boil for 7-8 minutes until they float and until the inside is cooked.
Remove the rice balls with a slotted spoon and transfer into an ice bath.
Once they are cool to touch, skewer 1 of each colour onto your stick starting with the green, then white and lastly pink. There should be 3 balls per stick. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Bring a medium size pot of water to boil and reduce to medium high heat. Give each ball a quick roll before lowering into the hot water and stir occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil for 7-8 minutes until they float and until the inside is cooked. Remove the rice balls with a slotted spoon and transfer into an ice bath. Once they are cool to touch, skewer 1 of each colour onto your stick starting with the green, then white and lastly pink. There should be 3 balls per stick. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Storage

Hanami dango is best enjoyed fresh and warm.
Leftovers can last up 3-4 days stored into an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, re-boil them in hot boiling water with the skewers for a few minutes, strain and enjoy warm.
Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing hanami dango as the rice balls will turn hard.

Pairing Suggestions

Hanami dango serves well with:

sweet sesame paste
sweet red bean paste
honey or maple syrup (not traditional)
green tea, teas, or coffee

FAQ

Can I make hanami dango in advance?

Hanami dango can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored into an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, re-boil them in hot boiling water with the skewers for a few minutes, strain and enjoy warm.

Is Dango eaten warm or cold?

Dango can be eaten warm or cold. Both ways are delicious!

Is Mochi and Dango the Same?

They are similar but they are not the same. Dango is made with rice flour and glutinous rice flour whereas mochi is made with just glutinous rice flour.

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