Mitarashi Dango are traditional Japanese rice dumplings smothered in an irresistible sweet soy glaze. The dumplings are skewered on a bamboo stick and enjoyed all-year round. Make this tasty street snack right in your kitchen!
Mitarashi Dango (みたらし団子) is a type of dango, sweet rice dumplings, skewered onto a bamboo stick. Typically, three to five dumplings (traditionally five) are on a skewer and covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze.
It is fairly easy to make these dango at home. These chewy dumplings are mildly sweet and get a hint of char from grilling. When we brush the glaze over the dumplings, each bite is gooey, savory, and satisfying without being overly sweet. You’ll love the contrasting textures and flavors. They make a fun, delicious snack with a hot cup of green tea.
Also, check out my Hanami Dango and Shiratama Dango recipes!
Table of Contents
Origin of Mitarashi Dango
Mitarashi dango originated from the Kamo Mitarashi Tea House in Kyoto. The dango was thought to be made as an offering for the gods, and the name was given after the bubbles of the mitarashi (御手洗), a font of purifying water placed at the entrance of a famous shrine in the city. Street vendors in Kyoto started selling dango as a snack, which quickly gained popularity among many visitors.
Today you can find mitarashi dango being sold at supermarkets, convenience stores, and specialty sweet shops all over Japan.
Ingredients for Mitarashi Dango
To make an authentic dango, you will need the following ingredients.
- A combination of joshinko and shiratamako (or dangoko instead) – I’ll discuss further on this topic below.
- Boiling water
- The delicious sweet and savory glaze – soy sauce, sugar, mirin, potato starch (cornstarch)
How to Make Mitarashi Dango
The recipe card below guides you through with detailed instructions and step-by-step pictures, but here’s a quick summary.
Jump to Recipe- To make the dough: Combine the joshinko and shiratamako (or dangoko) with (hot) water. Knead the dough until combined. The dough should have a texture of our “earlobe” (yes, it’s a strange expression, but it’s commonly used when making wagashi, Japanese sweets). Divide the dough and form into round dango balls.
- To cook the dango: Cook the dango balls in boiling water. Transfer to iced water and skewer 3 balls into each bamboo stick.
- Give a nice char: Use a kitchen torch or a frying pan to give dango a nice char. You can skip this process, but I think dumplings with a grilled mark look more delicious.
- To make the glaze: Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and cook the sauce until thickened.
- To serve: Drizzle the glaze on top of the dango. Serve immediately.
Learn about Japanese Glutinous Rice Flour and Rice Flour
To achieve the perfect texture for the dumplings, you need to use the following types of rice flour:
- Johshinko (上新粉) – a flour made from Japanese short-grain rice (uruchimai うるち米).
- Shiratamako (白玉粉) – a flour made from Japanese short-grain glutinous rice (mochigome もち米).
I recommend an equal proportion: 50–50 ratio for both flours. The combination will give you the bouncy, chewy but not too sticky texture. If you like the chewy mochi-like texture, you can decrease joshinko to 40% and increase shiratamako to 60%.
But be careful not to increase the amount of shiratamako too much, as the dango will get too soft and the texture becomes more like shiratama dango. The mitarashi dango needs to be firmer than the shiratama dango.
When you go to a Japanese grocery store, you may find the third type of flour called dangoko (団子粉), a combination of rice flour and glutinous rice flour (the ratio is up to the manufacturer).
If you have trouble finding joshinko and shiratamako, dangoko might be your best option. The texture of dumplings made with dangoko is firmer and chewier.
Where to buy johshinko and shiratamako?
You can find these flours at your local Japanese grocery store or on Amazon. Some online Asian grocers may carry them.
Can I use mochiko in place of shiratamako and joshinko?
Although mochiko is similar to shiratamako, it’s produced differently. Mochiko yields a very soft and tender texture, which is unsuitable for dango. However, a reader has shared her experience of achieving good results by adding a spoonful of cornstarch to mochiko.
How about Thai glutinous rice flour?
Thai glutinous rice flour is not at all the same as Japanese glutinous rice flour. It will not turn out right at all. To make the dango, you’ll need the flours I listed above.
FAQs
Q: Is it possible to make the dango a few hours ahead?
Sure you can. However, If you like to keep the texture softer and tender for a longer time, you can add sugar to the flour at the start. The recommended amount of sugar is 20% of the flour’s weight which is 40 grams.
If you plan on making the sauce ahead of time, remove it from the heat before the consistency gets too thick because the moisture will evaporate and thicken the sauce as it cools.
Q: If I make too much, can I store the leftover sweet soy sauce?
Yes. You may store it in the refrigerator for 2~3 days or freeze it. Reheat it in the microwave or heat it up in a pot to enjoy it again.
More Traditional Japanese Desserts & Sweets To Enjoy
- Hanami Dango
- Green Tea Mochi
- How to Make Mochi with a Stand Mixer
- Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
- Tsukimi Dango
- Homemade Sweet Red Bean Paste(Anko)
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Mitarashi Dango
Ingredients
For the Dumplings Using Joshinko and Shiratamako
- ⅔ cup joshinko (Japanese rice flour) (上新粉; made with short-grain rice; see Notes for details; sold at Amazon)
- ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (白玉粉; made with short-grain glutinous rice; see Notes for details; sold at Amazon; or substitute mochiko)
- ⅔ cup boiling water (joshinko requires hot water)
For the Dumplings Using Dangoko
- 7 oz dangoko (Japanese rice dumpling flour) (団子粉; found at Japanese grocery stores)
- ⅔ cup water
For the Sweet Soy Glaze
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- ⅔ cup water (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp, to be precise)
- 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients for the dumplings. Joshinko (上新粉) is flour made with Japanese short-grain rice and shiratamako (白玉粉) is flour made with short-grain glutinous rice; they are different from other Asian varieties. For more details, see Notes at the end of the recipe card. Joshinko and shiratamako are pictured on the left and dangoko (団子粉) is pictured on the right. Whichever you decide to use, the instructions below are the same.
- Gather the ingredients for the sweet soy glaze. Soak the bamboo skewers in water. You can start boiling a large pot of water on low heat (see Step 8).
To Make the Rice Dumplings
- Combine ⅔ cup joshinko (Japanese rice flour) and ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) in a bowl. (If you‘re making the dumplings using dangoko, add 7 oz dangoko (Japanese rice dumpling flour) instead to a bowl.) Using chopsticks, mix it all together until well blended.
- Stir in some of the ⅔ cup boiling water, a little bit at a time, while mixing with chopsticks. (Or, stir in some of the ⅔ cup water (cold) for the dangoko, a little bit at a time.) Please note: You can always add more water so go with a small addition. The dough should be on the dry side.
- When the flours start to stick together and eventually form clumps, stop adding water. Using your hands, combine the dough into one ball.
- Knead until the dough becomes smooth. The texture is like squeezing an “earlobe“ (that’s how we describe the tenderness of this type of mochi in Japanese).
- Form the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Then divide each piece into 2 smaller pieces. You will have 16 equal-sized pieces of dough. I always like to weigh mine. Each ball should be 20 grams. You may have some extra dough, but that’s okay.
- Shape each of the dough pieces into a smooth, round ball. If the dough is cracking or has some wrinkles, dip the tip of your finger in water and apply a small amount of water to the cracked area to smooth it out. You now have 16 equal-sized dumplings.
- Just before cooking the dumplings, prepare a bowl of iced water. Once the water in the pot is boiling, gently drop each dumpling into the pot with a smooth, continuous arm motion to avoid splashing. Cook them all at once. Stir the balls occasionally so they keep their round shape and don‘t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- The dumplings will stay near the bottom of the pot at first, but they will float once cooked. When they rise to the top, boil them for an additional 1–2 minutes.
- Transfer the dumplings to the bowl of iced water.
- Once the dumplings have cooled, drain them well and transfer them to a tray. Tip: Wet the tray so the dumplings don‘t stick.
- Skewer three pieces onto a bamboo skewer. Continue with the rest of the dumplings and set aside.
To Make the Sweet Soy Glaze
- In a cold saucepan, add 4 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp mirin, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, ⅔ cup water, and 2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Do not turn on the heat yet.
- Mix all the ingredients together well until smooth. The potato starch/cornstarch will become lumpy if you heat the sauce without stirring beforehand. Now, turn on the heat and continue to whisk.
- Keep whisking continuously, as the mixture can thicken suddenly.
- When the sauce thickens, remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the sauce to a container or bowl. If you are making it ahead of time, remove the sauce from the heat before the consistency gets too thick. The moisture will continue to evaporate as it cools and thicken the sauce.
To Serve
- Optional: Sear and enhance the flavor with a kitchen butane torch. You can also grill them over direct heat (if you are going to place them on a wire rack, grease it first, as the dumplings tend to stick). You can use a broiler to char the dumplings or use a nonstick frying pan to pan-fry the surface of the dango.
- Pour the sweet soy glaze on top of the Mitarashi Dango and serve immediately.
To Store
- Option 1: After you form the dough into round dumplings, you can store the uncooked dumplings in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze up to a month. When ready to use, boil the frozen dango without defrosting first.
- Option 2: After boiling and cooling the dumplings, pat them dry and pack them so they don‘t touch each other into an airtight container. Freeze up to a month. When ready to use, microwave or boil them until warm.
Hello! I tried this and I started cooking it before realising I didn’t have all the ingredients a bit too late. It wasn’t very nice and I’m pretty sure it was just my poor shopping. Any idea what to substitute Mirin for or where to get the different types of flour? Thx.
Hi Eliza! Unfortunately, this recipe would not work with other ingredients listed in the recipe. The texture would not be the same.
As for Mirin, You can substitute mirin with sake and sugar.😉 The ratio of sake and sugar is 3 to 1. For example, mix ¾ cup (or 1 Tbsp) of good quality drinking sake with ¼ cup (or 1 tsp) granulated sugar. https://www.justonecookbook.com/mirin/
We hope this helps!
Hello, I just tried making the recipe using shiratama dangoko I got online, the texture is kinda like bread and when I used my blowtorch to broil the char was funny, maybe because the surface was wet. The glaze came out great, can I use the glaze for other applications?
Hi Regina! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your feedback!
The Dango texture is usually chewy dumplings. If the texture is like bread, the difference could be from the type/brand of the powder.
Yes! You can use the glaze for other dishes and desserts! Adding it to vanilla ice cream or yogurt is good too.
We hope this helps!
I’m really bad at making sauces but this one came out amazing even though I substituted mirin for rice vinegar 🙂
We had international night at my school, and I was looking for Japanese snacks to make for my Japanese Club, and this was perfect! I made 3x the recipe and sold out just before time was up 😀
Hello! I want to make this soon and just wondering, when you said you can add sugar to keep the dango tender for longer, do you mean mix the sugar in with the flour at the start?
Hi Julie! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. Would you please add the sugar at Step 1?
We hope this helps!
Hello! Just to make sure, if I wanted to add sugar to keep it softer, how much should I add? I dont want to add too much or too little…
Hi Nino! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are not sure how much softer you would like, so it’s hard to tell. But how about trying 2~3 teaspoons of sugar and see how it goes?
To keep the Dango tender for a longer time, The recommended amount of sugar is 20% of the flour’s weight (which is 40 grams of sugar), and if you reduce the amount, it might not be as effective.
Hi. Should the Mitarashi be hot or cold when poured on the dango? How fresh does it have to be? You mention that if you make it ahead of time you should take it off the heat earlier. But what is meant by ahead of time?
Hi Øystein! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The Mitarashi sauce can be warm or room temperature and not too hot.
Ahead of time meaning, a few hours or a day before. If you have to leave Mitarashi sauce for more than a couple of hours, Nami is suggesting to take it off from heat earlier because it will become very thick later.
We hope this helps!
Just made this recipe and it turned out perfectly! I loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Adam! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are glad to hear it turned out perfectly!👏🏻
Had a 2am craving for dango and gave this a recipe a shot. Perfect. If I used instagram I’d def post a pic and give you a shoutout, but this comment will have to do. Thanks again!
Hi Jace! Thank you for trying this recipe! 😃 We are so happy to hear it turned out perfect!
Next time, please add a photo to this comment! With a new version of the comment plugin, it allows adding a photo to your comment now. Please click the little photo icon on the bottom right side corner. We can’t wait to see your photo! 😊
Hello, I got Kotteri Mirin (one of the mirin-like brands). Do you want think it could still work in place of real mirin? Thank you!
Hi Aileen, Kotteri Mirin contains salt and other ingredients, so we recommend adjusting the Sweet Soy Glaze ingredients for your liking if you use them.
Thank you for trying this recipe!
I don’t know if I didn’t cook them long enough or what happened, but the texture wasn’t what I remembered eating when I was younger. It was almost gritty? Like the directions had said, I waited until the dumplings floated and then 2 minutes after, I pulled them out using a mesh utensil. I didn’t torch them, but I did use both shiratamako and joshinko. The dough looked like the same consistency that was pictured ): So, I’m not sure what went wrong!
Hi Kenzie, Thank you very much for trying this recipe. We are sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out in the right texture.
We recommend making sure to knead the dough until it becomes smooth at Step 4. If that was done correctly and still had a gritty texture, we wonder Shiratamako or Joshinko may have something else in it. Or if that was the sugar that didn’t dissolve in the sweet soy glaze…🤔
We hope your next try will be a much better result.
Hi Nami, I was thrilled to see this recipe on your website! When I was in Japan, I became familiar with regular mochi, and then when I saw the little “rice balls” in the grocery store (which I came to love!) I always thought they were made of mochi. So I’m so happy to learn they are much easier to make at home, than making mochi from scratch! I will be sure to look for the two types of rice flour the next time I’m at an Asian market.
I was a little confused by the info about Mochiko (which I HAVE seen in grocery stores), but if I understand correctly, this is a type of glutinous rice flour, which can be used perhaps instead of the Shiratamako, but definitely needs to be mixed with another, non-glutinous rice flour to get the correct results?
Hi Julie, Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
Yes. It is up to your preference how much Mochiko or Shiratamako to use, but Nami prefers this ratio for the right texture. Please read the note at the bottom of the recipe card. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
It went horribly wrong before I even started to make the balls. I used glutinous rice flour alone ( which might be the problem?) Since I couldn’t find the Japanese flour.(Also the water i added might have been too hot ) but once i started to mix the water and flour together, i got this super sticky almost glue-like paste and it was really hard to roll the balls and get it off my hands. After I finished making it and tried it, I nearly choked. Thats just how sticky it was. So instead of making Dango I ended up making choking hazards. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Savannah, We are glad you were ok! This recipe called for both Joshinko (Japanese rice flour) and Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour), and if you are using just glutinous rice flour, it will not be Dango! We hope you can find the right ingredients next time.😉
Is it possible to store mitarashi sauce? I’ve made too much and I don’t want it to waste 🤔
Hi Eytelis,
Yes. You may store it in the refrigerator for 2~3 days or freeze it. Reheat it in the microwave or heat up in a pot to enjoy it again.
We hope this helps!😊
Hi. I love to eat dango everytime I visit Japan. Unfortunately, travelling is a no no during these times. Thanks to you, now I can make it at home.
As much as I want to to do it as authentic as it can be, can I substitute the Joshinko with All Purpose Flour and Shiratamako with regular glutinous flour?
Hi Aura,
Thank you for your kind feedback!
Joshinko is made from milled short-grain rice that has been washed, dried, and ground down into flour while Mochiko and Shiratamako are both made from glutinous rice (Mochigome). So we do not recommend using All-Purpose Flour as a substitute for Joshinko. But Shiratamako can be substitute with regular glutinous flour. If you can get Japanese short-grain rice, you may turn it to Joshinko by wash, dry, and ground into flour using a food processor or grinder.
I hope this is helpful.🙂
Hi i was just wondering if i put too much water in, is there a way to fix that?
Hi Mark! Did you add too much water to the dango dough or mitarashi sauce… If you added too much water for the dough, you need to add more flour. For the sauce, you just cook a bit longer to reduce the sauce?