Japanese Sweets for Vegetarians & Vegans

Japan is famous for its delicious food, but it also has delicious sweets. Japanese sweets are called Wagashi and are enjoyed with Green tea. Most Japanese sweets are made of azuki paste called Anko, which is made by mashing boiled azuki beans and seasoning them with sugar.And originally, wagashi is a vegan and vegetarian-friendly food since it is often made without animal ingredients. Wagashi can be found in Japanese restaurants, Japanese-style cafes, temples and gardens.Here are nine famous Japanese sweets and restaurants and cafes where you can eat them.

Dorayaki

Dorayaki is a classic Japanese sweet consisting of a fluffy disk of dough filled with red bean paste. The moist sponge cake style dough with a lightly browned surface has a faintly sweet aroma. The moderately sweet taste is popular among children and adults of all ages.

Here's where you can eat Dorayaki

Taiyaki

Taiyaki is a sweet in the shape of a sea bream, with a dough made from flour and filled with red bean paste. Depending on the shop, there are various kinds of taiyaki, some with moist dough, others with crispy dough.

Here's where you can eat Taiyaki

Warabimochi

Warabimochi is a Japanese sweet made from the root of the bracken plant, and is eaten with soybean flour and molasses. It is a delicious sweet with a chewy, plump texture and just the right amount of sweetness.

Here's where you can eat Warabimochi

Anmitsu

Anmitsu is a sweet made of azuki bean paste, agar made from seaweed, and various fruits and topped with molasses. There are many different types of anmitsu depending on the store, with different fruits and ice cream in it.

Here's where you can eat Anmitsu

Kakigori

Kakigori is a sweet made by shaving ice and pouring syrup on top of it. It is the most delicious thing to eat on a hot summer day.

Here's where you can eat Kakigor

Dango

Dango is made by kneading rice or other cereal flour into a ball and then steaming or boiling it. It is eaten with sweet and sour soy sauce sauce, soybean flour or red bean paste.

Here's where you can eat Dango

Daifuku

Daifuku is a sweet made by rolling out a thin layer of rice cake to make a skin, and wrapping it with red bean paste. It is delicious with its sticky texture and sweet and sour taste. Recently, there are many kinds of Daifuku, such as Fruit Daifuku, in which various fruits are added instead of red bean paste.

Here's where you can eat Daifuku

Oshiruko and Zenzai

Oshiruko and Zenzai are sweets made by making red bean paste into a soup, adding sugar to it to make it sweet, and then adding baked rice cakes. In Japan, people often eat it in the cold winter.

Here's where you can eat Oshiruko/Zenzai

Yokan

Yokan is a sweet made by steaming azuki bean paste with sugar or adding agar, which is made from seaweed, and kneading it.

Here's where you can eat Yokan