Hanami Dango. Subtly sweet chewy rice balls on a stick. A fun and delicious Japanese dessert that is simple to make at home!
What is Hanami Dango?
Dango is a Japanese dessert. It features sweet chewy rice balls that consist of rice flour, glutinous rice flour, icing sugar and hot boiling water. Hanami Dango is usually sold in Japan by food stalls during cherry blossom season hence the light pink, green and white colors. Other times, dango can be grilled and coated with a tasty dango sauce or dressed with different flavored pastes like sesame, sweet potato and more. It's a fun and easy dessert that you can make for kids or to impress guests.
When I was first introduced to dango 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. So after lots of recipe testing and research, I realized the best way to approach this was to keep it simple. And that's how this recipe was born and I'm happy to share it with you all!
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Shiratamako Glutinous rice flour: this is a Japanese brand made with short grain rice.
- Joshinko Rice Flour: this is different from the glutinous kind. Also a note, if you want the right texture it's best to use the Joshinko Japanese Short Grain Rice flour versus other types. Other types use long grain to make their rice flour giving a different texture.
- Icing sugar
- Hot boiling water
Optional:
- Red food coloring
- Green food coloring
Required: 6 wooden skewers
How to make Hanami Dango
Create Dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour, rice flour, icing sugar. Add hot boiling water and whisk together 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.
Knead & Divide Dough
Dust a clean working surface with glutinous rice flour and knead the dough into a smooth ball. Roll it into a thick log. Divide the log into 3 equal portions. Place each portion into a bowl.
Add Food Coloring
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.
Roll into a log
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.
Boil Rice Balls
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. Stir so the balls do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Boil for 7-8 minutes until they float and until the inside is cooked. Stirring occasionally.
Strain & Rinse
Strain and place balls into an ice bath.
Skewer Them
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!
Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Storage
Store in the fridge in an airtight container and they should last 3-4 days. To make them softer again, you can re-boil them for a few minutes to enjoy.
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 green matcha dough. This is normal and it’ll get covered by the white and strawberry ball.
FAQ
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.
Is Dango eaten warm or cold?
Dango can be eaten warm or cold. Both ways are delicious!
Other recipes you may like!
- Glutinous Rice Balls (Tang Yuan)
- Japanese Mochi Donuts
- Mochi Pancakes
- Hawaiian Butter Mochi
- Kuih Seri Muka
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Hanami Dango
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp Shiratamako glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup Joshinko rice flour
- 5 tablespoon icing sugar
- 10 tablespoon hot boiling water
- 1 drop red food coloring
- 1 drop green food coloring
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour, rice flour, icing sugar. Add hot boiling water and whisk together 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 glutinous rice flour and knead the dough into a smooth ball. Roll it into a thick log. Divide the log into 3 equal portions. Place each portion into a bowl.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. Stir so the balls do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Boil for 7-8 minutes until they float and until the inside is cooked. Stirring occasionally. Strain and place balls 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 at room temperature.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The texture and the playful colors of these tasty little treats are so fun! What a fabulous dessert idea!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
These dango are so cute with all the various flavours and colours!