Crispy on the outside and filled with sweet red bean paste on the inside, Imagawayaki is a popular street snack in Japan.
Snacks come and go, but some street snacks like Imagawayaki (今川焼き) have been enjoyed by Japanese generation after generation. A Japanese snack or dessert with sweet red bean paste filling encased on the inside, Imagawayaki is one of the popular wagashi (和菓子) that’s been around for over 300 years.
What is Imagawayaki (or Obanyaki)?
Imagawayaki (今川焼き) is like a stuffed pancake. The batter is poured into a special cast-iron round grilled pan and grilled until crispy on the outside, and filled with sweet red bean paste.
You might know this dessert by Obanyaki (大判焼き). Depending on the region of Japan, these treats go by different names. The name Imagawayaki is used in the Kanto region (Tokyo area) while Obanyaki is used in the Kansai region (Osaka and Kyoto area).
Imagawayaki was named after the Imagawa Bridge, which is close to where the dessert was first sold in the late 1700s during the Edo period, way before Taiyaki was invented back in the 1900s. Obanyaki was named as the shape of this dessert resembles Oban (an old Japanese coin used at the time).
You might think Imagawayaki is similar to Dorayaki and Taiyaki because they are all filled with sweet red bean paste but the texture of each treat is slightly different.
What Can You Fill Imagawayaki (Obanyaki)?
Traditionally, these round disc-shaped treats are filled with sweet red bean paste. Yes, the Japanese have a long history of affection for the sweet red bean. Kind of like the Americans’ love for peanut butter, we even have two types of red bean pastes: tsubuan (chunky) and koshian (smooth). However, in recent years, we are seeing more variety of fillings being offered. From sweet flavors such as vanilla-flavored custard (recipe), matcha (green tea), and chocolate, to savory fillings like curry and cheese, I just love how creative & fun we can get with these sweet snacks!
Where Can You Find Imagawayaki (Obanyaki)?
You can find the snack being sold at Japanese festivals, food stands/shops at Nakamise-Dori (shopping streets toward a popular temple), and underground floors of big department stores (aka Depa Chika).
Where to Buy Imagawayaki Pan
Unlike Dorayaki, you will need an Imagawayaki (Obanyaki) pan. I like this cast-iron pan to create a crisp outer shell. You can find one on Amazon and I bought it for $39.99. The current price is slightly outrageous, so you may want to wait and see if the price drops a little.
Warm and fluffy with delicious red bean goodness, it’s hard not to enjoy this traditional snack with great fondness. Not only do I get all nostalgic when eating them, I just love how my children’s face light up when they take a bite out of the sweet pancake. If you are planning to make the Imagawayaki recipe, find a relaxing weekend and enjoy the delightful snack with a cup of green tea!
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Imagawayaki (Obanyaki)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 14 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) (2 Tbsp (50 g) per piece; to use custard cream filling, see Notes below)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil (for greasing the pan)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Batter
- In a large bowl, mix 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) and 2 Tbsp sugar.
- Add 2 Tbsp honey and 1¼ cups whole milk and whisk it all together.
- Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 2 tsp baking powder together. Then, add it to the egg mixture.
- Mix until well combined and rest the batter for at least 15 minutes (to relax the gluten).
To Portion the Filling
- Meanwhile, scoop 2 Tbsp (50 g) of the 14 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) and make it into a round disc that fits in the center of the pancake. Repeat to get 8 portions of anko filling.
To Cook the Imagawayaki (Obanyaki)
- Slowly heat up an imagawayaki pan to 350ºF (175ºC) over low heat. If you use high heat, some parts will get hot and the heat will not even. Take your time to heat up the pan.
- Dip a small piece of paper towel in 1 Tbsp neutral oil and grease the wells of the pan (mine has 4 wells). Then, use a clean paper towel to wipe off the excess oil; this is key for even color on the imagawayaki.
- When the temperature reaches 350ºF (175ºC) over low heat, pour the batter into a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring. The batter makes about 2¼ cups.
- To half (two, in my case) of the wells of the pan, add the batter halfway full and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add one portion of red bean paste to the middle of each cooking batter in the pan. Set a timer for 3 minutes. After 1 minute, pour batter into the empty wells about one-third full and cook for the remaining 2 minutes.
- [Optional] If you‘d like to use custard cream filling instead of red bean paste, use an ice cream scooper to drop the custard in the middle of the batter in the pan.
- Using a small metal spatula or skewer, pick up the two pancakes with the filling and place them filling side down on top of the pancakes without the filling.
- [Optional] If you use custard cream for filling, you may want to add a few minutes of cooking time as the custard cream was probably chilled prior to use.
- Press down gently and cook for 2 minutes. Loosen up the edges of the pancakes and remove them from the pan.
- Let cool on a wire rack. Repeat this process until you’re done with the batter.
To Serve and Store
- Serve immediately while it‘s hot/warm. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2 days or in the freezer for a month. You can defrost overnight in the refrigerator or reheat the frozen piece in the microwave (reduce power so it won‘t explode). Then, bake at 350ºF (175ºC) in the toaster oven or oven until crispy outside.
Yum! I used your recipe to make obanyaki and it was great!
BTW, recently Amazon has had some “cheaper” obanyaki pans in stock, for ~$30 (this is July 2020). I bought one of these and used it on my gas stove.
I took advantage of being able to make all the components ahead of time (i.e. batter and custard; I used store-bought anko), and I froze the leftovers. They indeed thaw well (1 minute in microwave, followed by a couple minutes in the toaster oven).
Hi Obanyaki lover! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I’m glad you liked it!
Thanks for sharing your tip on the obanyaki pan. Currently what I used in the recipe is not available too. 🙁 I included a highly-reviewed pan in my Amazon shop. Thanks for letting me know!
Hey Nami, thank you so much for sharing the recipe. My girl loves Obanyaki Thinking about making it in a bigger batch and freeze some. I wonder if it is possible to do so. Would the texture be the same when I reheat it? Thank you in advance for your response.
Hi Sherry! Happy to hear your daughter enjoy Obanyaki! Yes, you can freeze them and reheat in the oven. 🙂 Hmm the texture is probably not exactly the same BUT it’s not that bad after freezing. 🙂
[…] Imagawayaki/Obanyaki (今川焼き・おばん焼き), Dorayaki […]
[…] Imagawayaki […]
hi there..
I want to learn how to make Obanyaki /Imagawayaki in Japan .
Would you please tell me where I can learn to make Obanyaki /Imagawayaki?
i want know about the fill in or the ingredient for the Obanyaki / imagawayaki
example : (Azuki Bean 紅豆 / red bean , Vanilla Custard , Matcha ).
some people tell me , about the recipe but , i need the one who can teach me in japan.
(how to make it from the basic)
I can go anywhere in Japan. Please let me know.
Thank you.
Hi winz! I’m sorry but I don’t know such information… I hope you can find the information online.
[…] Imagawayaki (Obanyaki) […]
[…] especially in the morning when the shops open for business, you can find freshly baked goods like Imagawayaki (Japanese style pancake with different kinds of fillings) or teriyaki-glazed meat skewers. For a […]
Hi Nami, I love eating this whenever I travel to Asia. I would like to try making it from home but I don’t have the Obanyaki pan where I currently stay, could I use muffin tin and bake in the oven? Thanks.
Hi Cynthia! I apologize for my late response (I just came back from Japan). I honestly don’t know. I’ve never tried using muffin tin or bake in the oven… I think you can probably be creative and try making it. But I’m afraid the result won’t be crispy outside and moist inside baking in the oven… that’s my instinct but that can be wrong… Sorry I wish I have a solution.
Have you looked into online shopping?
These cakes were the star of a beautiful film I saw recently here in France, called “Les Delices de Tokyo” (I saw it with french subtitles to the original japanese). I highly recommend if you don’t already know it, and it makes me want to re-visit Japan.
PS: your site has the best japanese recipes I’ve found on the net in any language. Arigato!
Hello David! Thanks so much for your kind words about my blog and I’m happy to hear you enjoy it. The original title of the Japanese movie is called “An” referring to the red bean paste inside Dorayaki (https://www.justonecookbook.com/dorayaki-japanese-red-bean-pancake/). I cried a lot watching that movie last summer. I’m glad you liked that beautiful film too!
To make Imagawayaki (Obanyaki), if I wanted a green tea flavored filling, how would I do this?
Also, to make Warabi Mochi, can I make that green tea flavored? Do you know how?
Hi Donna! Usually green tea flavor is mixed with white bean paste (made of kidney beans or other types of beans).
For warabi mochi, instead of kinako, you can sprinkle matcha on top?
https://www.justonecookbook.com/warabi-mochi/
I’ve eaten a similar red bean filled pancake dessert made hot and fresh by the “Red Bean Lady” at the 99 Ranch Market in San Diego. Sooooo delicious with either red bean or thick vanilla custard. Mmmmm. I can’t wait to make this at home!!
Red Bean Lady
https://www.yelp.com/biz/red-bean-lady-san-diego?utm_source=ashare&ref=yelp-android
What a cool place! I’d be visiting very frequently… 🙂
Do you think this cat iron biscuit pan would work?
Lodge L7B3 Cast Iron Drop Biscuit Pan, Pre-Seasoned https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00063RX7O/ref=pd_aw_sim_79_of_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C80ZAXT2HD7PQKH0HDFG
I think this probably works. It looks smaller than Imagawayaki though, but you can also make biscuit, which is nice. I like cast iron pan better than non-stick pan (once you burn it, you can’t use it…). 🙂
I figured that cast iron would get it crispy. Plus I can use this pan to make corn bread, biscuits and maybe mini pizzas when camping! I’ll give it a try.
I found this Lodge Cast Iron Mini Cake Pan L7B3 at Walmart for only $22. I’m so excited to try Imagawayaki (Obanyaki) and other recipes like pineapple upside down cake, brownies, and perfectly round baked eggs.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Mini-Cake-Pan-L7B3/22581772
Great! Thanks for sharing!
I bought that one. It is very close, each is only about 1/4 inch larger than the pan you used.
Hi Marilyn! Thank you for letting us know! It’ll be very helpful for many readers. 🙂
I found this plug in version on Amazon. Do you think it will work? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CDWPFMG?psc=1
CucinaPro Multi Baker Deluxe- 3 Interchangeable Skillets for Grilling, Baking or Dessert Making- Takoyaki, Sandwiches, Cake Pops and Much More
Hi Amelia! For making Imagawayaki as your priority, I don’t recommend this one. However, if you want to make takoyaki, sure. I’m not sure if it is worth it. If I was you, I won’t buy this one… 🙂
Good to know. Anyway this is so big and my storage is limited. I need to try takoyaki one day. I love seafood dishes!!!!!
Thanks for the recipe! Unfortunately the pan is too expensive where I am atm but I’m definitely going to try it when it gets cheaper! And thank you for the pastry cream – I didn’t know exactly what the cream filling in dorayaki was but now I know 🙂
Would you ever consider doing a recipe for Oyaki? It looks really interesting!
Hi Charlotte! Yeah the price of the pan is outrageous even on Amazon right now… hopefully it’ll go down (it has to! it’s ridiculous price). What type of Oyaki did you eat? There are so many kinds…
I don’t know exactly what was in it, but it had vegetables and was super yummy 🙂
Hi Charlotte! Okay, I’ll add that note too. 🙂
Hii Nami! Thanks for sharing another great recipe for a Japanese sweet with us; I can never get enough of them! Earlier this month, I spent two weeks in Japan, and made a food “wishlist” using my favorite posts from your blog. The travel posts from your blog were super helpful as well. I’ll have to bookmark obanyaki for my next visit. 🙂
Hi Kimmi! Thank you for reading this post! Oh you were in Japan! I hope you had a great time (wasn’t it too hot? I was dying…). I’m glad my travel posts were helpful too. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi Nami:
I love your website and all your recipes. I have made this a couple of times using Lodge cast iron mini cake pan. The issue I have is that the final pancakes are very chewy. Not soft and light, I remember eating on my trip to Tokyo.
I did use Cake flour, does this make a difference.
Thanks for your help.
Best
Hi Neha! Do you think you overmix the batter? The gluten in the flour can form elastic gluten strands – resulting in a more dense, chewy texture. This happens to pancakes, cupcakes, muffins etc. 🙂