Creamy with a natural mild sweetness, Amazake or sweet sake is a lovely drink enjoyed during Japanese New Year and Hinamatsuri (Girl‘s Day). I‘ll show you how to make this traditional beverage two ways: Alcohol-free with rice koji or low-alcohol with sake lees.
When I was younger, I always associated amazake (甘酒) with the taste of alcoholic sake. It was that distinct aroma of sake in the drink that gave me the impression that it would be too strong, so I would always pass on the drink when someone offered it. I didn’t know there was a non-alcoholic version then.
What is Amazake?
Amazake (pronounced ah-mah-ZAH-kay) is a traditional Japanese drink made of fermented rice. Literally means “sweet” (甘) “sake” (酒), it has a creamy, thick consistency with a sweet flavor, served either chilled or warm/hot. Although it is commonly called sweet sake, Amazake can be made either with low-alcohol or non-alcohol.
The history of amazake goes back to the Kofun period (250 to 538 AD), mentioned in The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) or The Chronicles of Japan – the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history.
There are 2 Types of Amazake. Alcoholic amazake made with sake lee (the one I didn’t like growing up), and the non-alcoholic amazake made with rice koji. I now enjoy both types of amazake and they have been my favorite winter comfort drink for many years.
By the way, if you are familiar with the Korean sweet rice drink (sikhye) that is served complimentary at the end of a meal at a Korean restaurant, you may think amazake is the same drink. It is not. Amazake is made with rice, water, and sake lees (酒粕) or rice koji (米麹), while sikhye is made of malted barley flour, rice, sugar, and water.
Non-Alcoholic Amazake Made with Rice Koji
- Non-alcoholic; can be enjoyed by everyone including small children and pregnant ladies
- Made with rice, rice koji, and water
- Can be time-consuming to make
- Temperature control is very important
Rice koji (kome koji 米麹) is rice that is covered with kōji mold (Aspergillus oryzae). As you may already know, kōji mold is used in making many Japanese fermented foods such as miso, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. It helps create some of the most important Japanese ingredients, and maybe one of the contributing reasons to Japanese longevity!
You can buy rice koji (including one above from Cold Mountain) at Japanese grocery stores (refrigerated section near miso), or Amazon.
To make amazake, ferment the rice with rice koji at 125-140 ºF (50-60 ºC) for 8 to 10 hours. This particular temperature range is the most suitable temperature for the enzyme to break down the starch into glucose/sugar.
Low-Alcohol Amazake Made with Sake Lees
- Alcoholic (8%)
- Made with sake lees, sugar, and water
- Easy method
Amazake made with lees left from sake production (sakekasu 酒粕) is a low-alcoholic drink (8% alcohol). Sake lees are dissolved in hot water and sugar is added to sweeten the lees.
Benefits of Drinking Amazake Made with Rice Koji
Amazake made with rice koji has more nutritional value than the one made with sake lees, and it’s called the “IV drip to drink”「飲む点滴」in Japan.
This fermented rice drink is packed with nutrients, including vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, folic acid, ferulic acid, dietary fiber, glutamine, and a large amount of glucose – which are almost the same components as an IV drip, hence the catchy nickname for amazake.
Benefits of drinking amazake:
- anti-aging
- improved skin (prevent spots and freckles, skin lightening, moisturizing)
- increased metabolism
- fatigue recovery
- improved digestion
- strengthened immune system
Even though amazake is good for you, it is important to enjoy the sweet drink in moderation, especially if you’re diabetic. Just one cup (200-250 ml) of amazake in a day is enough to provide you with these health benefits.
Tips to Make Amazake at Home
Amazake with Rice Koji
- Temperature control is the key! You need to maintain the rice and rice koji mixture between 125 and 140 ºF (50-60 ºC) at all times (8 to 10 hours).
- If the temperature is too high, the enzyme of koji does not work sufficiently and won’t become sweet. Conversely, if the temperature is too low, the fermentation of lactic acid progresses too much and the bacteria propagate, causing the drink to become too sour.
- Use whatever device you like (a rice cooker, yogurt maker, thermos pot/jar, etc). To me, the rice cooker is the easiest option. Instant Pot Ultra has a “custom” temperature setting in the yogurt function so you can set the temperature to 125-140 ºF (50-60 ºC) throughout.
Amazake with Sake Lees
- Let the sake lees soften first and dissolved completely.
- Adjust the amount of sugar according to your preference.
- Get sake lees at Japanese grocery stores or sale manufacturers (usually they give it for free!).
Drinking Amazake in Japan
If you have traveled to Japan before, you might have had a chance to try complimentary amazake at your ryokan, or even some souvenir shops. It is a popular drink served during New Year’s in Japan as well. Many temples and shrines provide it free of charge to worshippers on New Year’s Day and sell it for visitors to bring home.
Amazake is also served during Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) held on March 3rd every year, as a non-alcoholic option to shirozake (白酒) – a sweet white sake with less alcohol, which is traditionally served on this day.
Amazake is the perfect winter drink. It’s healthy, comforting, sweet & creamy! Just what you need to keep warm and cozy until springtime.
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Amazake
Ingredients
For the Non-Alcohol Amazake with Rice Koji
- ¾ cup uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (1 rice cooker cup, 180 ml)
- water (for cooking the rice porridge)
- 1 cup water (for cooling the porridge; you may need more or less)
- 1 cup rice koji
For the Low-Alcohol Amazake with Sake Lees
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup sake lees (sake kasu) (packed tightly)
- ¼–⅓ cup sugar (start with less sugar, taste, and add more as needed)
- 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions
★ To Cook Amazake with Rice Koji
- Gather all the ingredients. Rinse and drain ¾ cup uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice and add to the inner pot of a rice cooker. Add water up to the 1 cup porridge water line. If there is no porridge water line, add water to the regular white rice 4 cup line. Select the Porridge menu on your rice cooker and press Start, or cook the porridge according to your rice cooker’s instructions.
- Once the porridge is cooked, the temperature is around 175ºF (79ºC). Take out the inner pot with the porridge from the rice cooker.
- Gradually add 1 cup water, ⅛ cup at a time, to the porridge, stirring thoroughly after each addition. Measure the temperature of the porridge with an instant-read thermometer. The temperature must cool down to 140ºF (60ºC) as koji mold cannot live above that temperature.
- Once the porridge reaches 140ºF (60ºC), crumble and add 1 cup rice koji. Stir thoroughly to incorporate. Make sure there is enough water to cover the porridge and rice koji so they are sufficiently soaked. If not, add warm water so it maintains 140ºF (60ºC).
- Put the inner pot back into the rice cooker. Turn the rice cooker on to the Keep Warm (or Extended Keep Warm) setting and cover the opening with a cloth towel. Leave the rice cooker lid fully open so it does not get too hot. Allow the mixture to cook for 8–10 hours, stirring occasionally and checking the temperature every hour for the first 2–3 hours. Make sure it stays between 125ºF and 140ºF (50–60ºC) at ALL TIMES.
- Toward the end of 8 hours, the mixture will start to release a sweet fragrance. Once it’s done cooking, the mixture should smell sweet. Turn off the rice cooker and transfer the inner pot in a large bowl of ice water to let cool and stop the cooking. When cooled, transfer the Amazake to a large sterilized container.
To Serve
- Take out the portion you need, dilute with either hot or iced water to your preferred consistency (I like mine thicker and undiluted), and serve chilled or warm (reheated). If you heat the Amazake above 140ºF (60ºC), the koji enzyme will die, so reheat it to lukewarm to retain the live enzyme. You can add grated ginger, if you‘d like. My kids love smoothies made with amazake, banana, and soymilk.
★ To Make Amazake with Sake Lees (Sake Kasu)
- Gather all the ingredients. Tear ½ cup sake lees (sake kasu) into small pieces.
- Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Using a mesh sieve, dissolve the sake lees into the water. This step may take some time, but it‘s best to soften the lees first in the water so they will dissolve more easily. You don‘t want any chunks left in your amazake.
- Once dissolved, add ¼–⅓ cup sugar and 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Let it cook and reduce to your preferred consistency. I like a slightly thicker consistency, so I cook and reduce the amazake for 15 minutes or so. Serve hot/warm and enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep in the refrigerator up to one week, or in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition
Other Japanese Drinks You May Enjoy
- Plum Wine (Umeshu)
- Buckwheat Tea (Sobacha)
- Japanese Cream Soda
- How to Make Matcha (Japanese Green Tea)
- Japanese Iced Coffee
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 8, 2018. The post has been edited in February 2020.
If I could, I would have 3 amazake a day. I love it! with banana, matcha, ginger…you name it. The question is wether it’s a problem to have amazake every morning as it has very high clucose levels in it.
Hi ilan! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe! 😊
If you have health concerns, we recommend you ask your doctor first. We believe they can give you a better answer for your health condition.😉
We hope this helps!
This is very different from anything I’ve made before. Is there any instant or pre-made version that I could buy that would give me a clue what this is supposed to taste like? I cook by ‘feel’ and having something to guide me would really help me. Sadly, I don’t live close to a Japanese area, so I couldn’t purchase freshly-made amazake in person. Thank you for any suggestions you might have! 🙂
Hi Skyblue! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Pre-made Amazake in the can or package (usually sweeter than homemade) is available in Asian or Japanese stores. You can find it in an online shop like Amazon too. Look for letter “甘酒” – Amazake.
We hope this helps! 🙂
I’m very excited to try your recipe for the koji version, but the only rice I have is short grain haiga rice. I’m sure it would work, but would amazake made with haiga rice taste good? Let me know what you think!
Hi Gary, Yes, you can make amazake with Haiga rice.
The texture and flavor will be different but delicious. You can add soybean powder (Kinako) when you serve it too.
We hope you will give it a try!
I thought I had seen an Amazake recipe for a ceramic pot from your website? I do not have a rice cooker and make rice in a ceramic donabe. Do you have such a recipe?
Hi Gloria, Thank you very much for checking this post.
Hum…We don’t have the Amazake with Rice Koji recipe using Donabe.
Hi Nami-san / Naomi-san
I am hoping to try out the rice koji version of this recipe early next week, and have a really basic question. Does the note on storage at the very end of the recipe apply to both versions of amazake (i.e. made with rice koji and sake lees)? Thanks a lot for your advice! : )
Hi J, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! Yes, it will apply to both versions of amazake! We hope you enjoy this yummy drink soon.☺️
Thank you for your speedy and very helpful reply, Naomi-san : ) I’ve decided to try making shio koji first, to build my confidence cooking with koji (its recipe looks a bit easier to execute!). Hopefully that will work out well, and then I will move onto amazake, because it sounds so delicious and healthy! 😋Thank you again. Regards to you, Nami and the team : )
Hi J, You are welcome! We hope you will enjoy both types of Amazake! Let us know how it goes.😊🥂
Hi Nami,
I was wondering if you have to soak the rice as before you cook it, since on your page on how to cook short-grain rice you stated that it should be soaked for at least 30 mins! Also, do you think I can make Amazake with whole wheat short-grain rice? I currently don’t have access to Koshihikari so I experiment with cooking with another type for the while.
Kind regards from Germany,
Annie
Hi Annie, Thank you very much for trying this recipe from Germany! You do not need to soak the rice to start making Amazake! However, if you are using a whole wheat short-grain rice, it will be a good idea to soak it to be a softer finish. The texture may be different, but sure you can make Amazake with a whole wheat short-grain rice. We hope this is helpful!
Hi Nami.
I bought the rice koji but would like to know for sure a rice cooker or whatever you use that works for sure before I try this. So what machine do you use? Thanks!
Hi Laurence,
Nami used her rice cooker for this recipe.
Any machine that can ferment the rice with rice koji at 125-140 ºF (50-60 ºC) for 8 to 10 hours will work.
We hope this helps!🙂
I’ve purchased three jars of Amazake (Arroz integral) La Finestra sul Cielo is the brand it don’t look as white as what you show, in fact it looks a bit beige, should I add some warmed purified water and drink it or what. I have been reading about this wonderful drink and the benifits of consuming it and I can’t wait to try it, please give an old girl some help all of the print on jar is in Japanese unfortunately for me I can;t read what it says. Thank you in advance for any and all help with this.
Hi Sharon! Could you send me the picture of the jar (where instruction is)? I’ll check it out and see if you can drink as it is or how to consume it. 🙂
Hi Nami-San, Thank you for this and all your other great recipes!
I don’t have a fancy rice cooker, so I was really scratching my head on how to maintain the temp between 125-140°F without constant monitoring for 8-10 hours, and then I realized the answer was sitting on the backyard patio: My electric smoker! (Masterbuilt MES 140S) It maintained temperature between 132-138°F perfectly, and the amazake turned out great!(no, it didn’t taste smokey- no wood chips 😂)
Thanks Nami-San!
Hi Mike! WOW! That is so smart! I would never think of making amazake “outdoor” (you might be the only person! 😉). So cool. Thanks so much for sharing this tip! I have to tell Mr. JOC who also loves his smoker. 😃
I followed the recipe and the consistency was correct at the end, but it was odorless. Might it still be beneficial, and do we know what could have lead to that? The temperature was steady at 135 for 10 hours.
Sorry, 8 hours!
Hi Christopher! Interesting, I know “bad smell” can be caused by bacteria (maybe equipment wasn’t clean?) and it’s spoiled (failure), but I haven’t read anything about “odorless” If there is no sweet smell or sweetness in the amazake, it’s possible that bacteria might have somehow got in. No sour or bad odor?
Some people suggest using failed amazake in pancake batter, miso soup, and dressing, instead of throwing away (source: https://cocoaru.net/4936).
Hi Nami,
I followed your Koji recipe and used a similar rice cooker. Checking as suggested for the first 2-3 hours that proper temp was maintained. I let it go for another couple of hours and the last time I checked my digital thermometer read 143.78. At this point I was at the 7th hour mark. I quickly pulled off the tea towel and released some heat. Is my Koji ruined? What do you do when the mixture fluctuates at any point beyond the desired temp? Do you scrap the batch? I’m disappointed. I bought this rice cooker specifically for its extended warm setting so it wouldn’t be too hot.
Thanks,
K
Hi Kaj! Does your amazake turn to be sweet but sour? When the temperature is too low or too high, it can become sweet and sour (while it should be just sweet). If you don’t feel that way, I don’t think it’s ruined. I hope it didn’t ruin… Next time if you make this, it’s possible your rice cooker gets too high, so use a thinner towel or leave some corner open or try to keep the temperature in that safe range. 🙂
Hi Nami!
I took it off the heat right around the 7-hr mark when I found the temp had raised to over 140. I tasted it and it was mellow and sweet. I decided to go ahead and drink it even if I had ruined it. So I placed it in the refrigerator. I think the probiotic probably died but it still delicious. Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. I’ll try again.
K
Thank you Kaj! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi! Been wanting something warm and comforting and this looks perfect. However, I have Cold Mountains Creamy Koji do you know if it will work with the creamy koji?
Hi Monica! I just checked the product. What you have is Shio Koji: https://www.justonecookbook.com/shio-koji/
It’s koji and salt together and we use it as a condiment. I have a lot of recipes using Shio Koji here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/search/?q=shio%20koji
Unfortunately, you can’t use Shio Koji to make Amazake… sorry…
Thank you so much for the response and linking to ways I can use the koji. I can’t wait to try some if these dishes!
Hi Monica! I love Shio Koji and use it often to replace salt. The umami taste is bonus! It’s such an amazing condiment! Hope you enjoy!
Question: Would the yogurt setting on the Instant pot work for fermentation of this rice sake?
Hi Molly! As I mentioned in the blog post, you can use the Instant Pot Ultra which has specific temperature control but based on a model you have, you may not be able to set a specific temperature. Then it can be risky…
“Instant Pot Ultra has a “custom” temperature setting in the yogurt function so you can set the temperature to 125-140 ºF (50-60 ºC) throughout.”
Hey 🙂
Unfortunately I don’t have a rice cooker or an instant pot, these are not really popular here…
Can I make Amazake regulary on a stove? I mean maybe I can make the porridge, then “incubate” it with the Koji rice for 8 hours in a 60 ºC oven?
Tell me if you think it’s possible 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Liav! As long as you can maintain the temperature, you can use any equipment. 🙂 Make sure it stays between 125 and 140 ºF (50-60 ºC) at ALL TIMES.
good morning all!!!
has anyone made MOCHI from scratch?
i need a GOOD recipe??
thanks!!
kim {NYC
Hi Kim! You will need a mochi pounding machine or you can follow this recipe using the kitchen aid (it’s messy but you “can” make mochi from scratch).
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-mochi-with-a-stand-mixer/
Or you can use mochiko or Shiratamako to make mochi.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/daifuku/
NAMI
thank you SO much!
kim
Hi Nami!
I really love home made amazake but koji is very expensive and hard to obtain where i live. If i add new rice to freshly made amazake (say, 1-2 days old), and try to have it start fermenting again, is there any success chance? I tried a couple of times and it didn’t work, but i probably overheated it. But, before ruining spoons of my beloved amazake once more…i’d like yo know your opinion about it. It should work, after all, if it keeps fermenting in the fridge! Or am I wrong? I am used to baking with sour dough but perhaps i shouldn’t treat koji mould as an everlasting, refreshable starter…i’ve also tried to propagate koji spores on steamed rice to have my personal koji reserve, but my house is too damp and the success rate is low – 4 out of 5 times i just end up in figuring out how to dress the rice gone sour in order not to waste it…thank you!
Hi Lucjusz! Honestly, you’re more advanced than me when it comes to koji and amazake making. I’ve never used freshly-made-amazake as a base to make amazake. I’m only familiar with the rice porridge + rice koji method.
I did a bit of research in Japanese and found that it does not work (please double check). Amazake does not ferment koji mold. It increases the activity of yeast produced by koji mold and decomposes starch in rice. Yeast is not a fungus and cannot be increased. Since the number of yeasts in amazake does not increase, it can be said that even if rice is added, the amount of yeast will gradually decrease.
Hi again Nami,
of course, you are perfectly right. It doesn’t work, and cannot work in any way. I had misunderstood the nature of the whole thing, didn’t get that the yeast itself dies right at the beginning of the process, and that enzymes cannot go on transforming freshly added rice on their own. It’s a shame. I’ll just try to improve the growth environment in order to cultivate perfect new koji on steamed rice- at least that does work, as long as you can fight the mighty bacilli… :-). Thank you again, all the best!
Hi Lucjusz! All my best to you! xo
If want Koji grow, The temperature should be around 36C. Also, Amazake does not mean it has active Koji because it could deactivated/kill off to increase its shelf life. You can put Koji gome with Rice, and that would work. If you want Amazake keep it at 50-60C,but if you want grow of Koji you need lower the temperature.