Delightful Japanese Fruit Parfait recipe made with delicious layers of sponge cakes, granolas, fresh whipped cream, and ice cream, topped with fresh fruits! Enjoy 2 versions – Chocolate Banana Parfait and Strawberry Parfait!
Whether you are reading this post during scorching hot and humid summer or chilly wintertime, you’re in for a Japanese treat! We enjoy these tall and fancy Fruit Parfait (フルーツパフェ) all year round, and I’ll show you how to make them with simple ingredients!
What is Japanese Fruit Parfait?
If you walk around Japan and pass by coffee shops (kissaten 喫茶店) and family restaurants, you will often see these huge parfaits (plastic food that looks realistic) in the windows.
Japanese parfaits are made mainly of ice cream, fruits, and whipped cream along with some other sweet ingredients. If you ask folks who live in the US, they would be considered these sundaes rather than parfaits. Usually, US parfaits are made with yogurt.
For the Japanese, Strawberry, chocolate, and matcha (green tea) are popular year-round parfait menu items but you might see some seasonal parfaits such as peach and melon.
They are almost always served in a tall decorative glass, which fascinates everyone from kids to adults. It is a classic menu item for coffee shops and family restaurants.
How to Make a Fruit Parfait
It’s really easy to make your ordinary dessert into a fancy Japanese parfait with just a few ingredients. Here are the easy steps.
Step 1 – Get A Tall Glass
What makes it a Japanese parfait? A tall glass!
I looked everywhere to find a Japanese parfait glass but the closest one I could find is Tulip Sundae Glass Bowls (set of 8) by Libbey.
Do we really need them? Not really, but you’ll need a wide-opening glass or glass bowl.
Step 2 – Get 3 Fillers
Sponge cakes: Parfaits usually include some kind of sponge cakes to fill up the tall glass as well as your tummy.
Use your favorite sponge cake, brownies, or Castella cake as fillings. It’s a great way to use leftover brownies!
Fresh Fruits: Most parfaits include fresh fruits. Fruits are quite expensive in Japan, so large chunks of fruits on parfaits definitely catch our hearts!
We particularly enjoy seasonal fruits such as melon and peaches on this delicious dessert.
Fresh Whipped Cream: Besides ice cream, whipped cream fill up the voids in the tall glass.
Japanese whipped cream is not overly sweet, and I use the 8% of sugar to heavy whipping cream ratio (same in my Strawberry Shortcake recipe).
Step 3 – Get Your Favorite Ice Cream
One to two scoops of ice cream is a must in Japanese parfaits.
Vanilla is a good choice for most parfaits, but be adventurous and get creative with it!
Step 4 – Make Several Layers
Alternate the ingredients to make layers and fill the space with whipped cream.
It’s important to create a good mixture of all the ingredients, not just whipped cream for example.
Step 5 – Give it Crunch
Sponge cakes, ice cream, and whipped cream are all soft in texture, so give it some crunch!
Most parfaits include cornflakes (cereal), granolas, and/or sliced almonds between layers so that they will provide a nice contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
Step 6 – Garnish
Finally, make sure to insert one or two Pocky’s or cigarette cookies in your parfait! They add more texture and dynamics to the parfait. 🙂
What’s Your Favorite Japanese Parfait?
Make your own parfait this summer and let me know what you like to include in your parfait! Today I made Strawberry Parfait for my daughter and Chocolate Parfait for my son as per their request. I think I’ll be back with my favorite Matcha Parfait in the future. 🙂
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Delightful Japanese Fruit Parfait recipe made with delicious layers of sponge cakes, granolas, fresh whipped cream, and ice cream, topped with fresh fruits! Enjoy 2 versions - Chocolate Banana Parfait and Strawberry Parfait!
- Fresh whipped cream (recipe follows)
- Castella cake (Recipe)
- Strawberries
- Cornflakes
- Chocolate syrup
- Vanilla and/or strawberry Ice Cream
- Toasted sliced almonds
- Mint
- Pocky
- Fresh whipped cream (recipe follows)
- Brownie
- Chocolate granolas
- Chocolate syrup
- Chocolate/Vanilla ice cream
- banana
- Mint
- cigarette cookies
- 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream (480 ml)
- 3 Tbsp sugar (38 g; sugar to heavy cream ratio should be 8%, 480 x 0.08)
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Gather all the ingredients.
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And more...
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Prepare ice bath by placing ice cubes and water in a large bowl. Place a clean and dry mixing bowl in the ice bath and add 2 cups heavy whipping cream, and 3 Tbsp sugar to keep cool.
- Once cooled, transfer the mixing bowl to the stand mixer and whisk on high speed until medium to firm peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag. You can put the bag in a tall glass and fold the top half of the bag outward as you see in the picture below.
- Cut sponge cakes/castella/brownies into small cubes.
- Slice fresh fruits of your choice.
- Put cornflakes on the bottom of the glass. Place the strawberry slices vertically around the inner glass so that we can see the strawberry from outside the glass. Fill the void with whipped cream.
- Add the chocolate syrup and some Castella cubes.
- Add a scoop of ice cream and strawberry halves around the glass rim. Decorate with almond slices and whipped cream.
- And put one whole strawberry, mint, and 2 pockys on top.
- Put granolas on the bottom of the glass. Add some whipped cream and brownie cubes. Squirt some chocolate syrup vertically on the inner glass so you can see chocolate marks from outside the glass.
- Add whipped cream, granolas, and sliced almonds, then two scoops of ice cream, decorate with whipped cream and banana slices.
- Top off with sliced almonds, chocolate syrups, mint leaves, and cigarette cookie on top.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Beautiful desserts … both the vanilla and the chocolate versions.
Hi Nami,
I love eating Japanese parfaits! During our last trip to Japan, I told hubby that it is a must to eat Japanese parfait there!! Haha~ We had a green-tea/black sesame one with red beans at a green tea shop. It was yummy. 🙂
Amy
Parfaits used to be really big when I was a kid. There were often a company dessert, because they looked kinda fancy. Anyway, fun post! Haven’t thought of parfaits in years, and now I’m craving one. 🙂
Oh my! それはとっても美味しい見ますね。I think I am gaining weight just looking at it. Lol!
Haha thank you Jerry! 🙂
This parfait looks exactly like the ones on cafe. Great one!
Thank you so much for such a sweet compliment. 🙂
Oh yum these look delicious.
Thank you Linda! 🙂
The first thing i thought was ‘ Aren’t these banana splits in glasses?’ lol Here in Brazil we also eat them decorated but with the banana cut horizontally. But I loved loved the pictures and will try it!
Hi Lih! We don’t have “banana splits” in Japan, although we have the imported word “sundae” too. I think in Japan everything looks like this is called “parfait”… 😀
If your interested in something a bit larger for your parfaits, if you search for soda fountain glasses you can find some nice large ones like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Hocking-Soda-Glass-Set/dp/B000RZTJ0A
or this which is more for things like trifles:
https://www.amazon.com/Libbey-6-Piece-Fountain-18-Ounce-Distribution-Drop/dp/B017Z73WWS/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1471610436&sr=1-5&keywords=fountain+shoppe
Hi Tom! Thank you so much for the links! I think I’ve seen the soda fountain glasses on Amazon when shopping. I wish the opening was wider for Japanese parfait as we have to put lots of ingredients on top/opening area. The bowls are great for multi use besides parfait. Thank you for these links! I’m sure JOC readers appreciate them! 🙂
Oh my gawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd!!! That looks amazing!!! I’m in Japan right now and just looking at all that fattening goodness is making me drool! I’m so glad you posted this! Now I can make this back in Canada instead of feeling jealous of everyone in Japan!
Hi Megumi! Are you still in Japan? If so, try one before you head home. 🙂 I love seasonal fruits one but they are quite expensive. It’s a really special treat…
Sadly I left Japan today with a bit of a fiasco with the flights… I did not have any parfaits but did have lots of kakigouri (with sweetened condensed milk)!!!
I’m jealous that you had lots of kakigoori! I feel so cold in SF that I don’t even dare to eat kakigoori. I miss Japan’s summer so I can enjoy lots of cold treats. I can eat Matcha kakigoori (Uji Kintoki) every single day if I can! 😀
I think uji kintoki kakigoori is my favourite! I’ve had it a couple times but I have this special place where they call it “Kobayashi no Kakigoori” and they’re famous for their strawberry shaved ice which has real strawberries on top, and of course, sweetened condensed milk. That’d have to be my favourite strawberry shaved ice. I don’t know where else you can get it, but I visited a small inaka area called Hosoe-cho. Kobayashi no Kakigoori was near there in a service area kind of place with lots of other food stands!
Hi Megumi! I found it!!!
http://hama2.jp/archives/1007901670.html
My god, ONLY 500 yen ($5)! I’ll eat it EVERY DAY if I could! Looks amazing!!! I’ll remember when I’m in that area!
Yup!!! That’s the place! Give it a try whenever you can!
This is really a summer saver, Nami. I am enjoying near 40 degree C for the past week. Will try this soon. My daughter will love this.
What, where you are is 40C!!! When I was in Taiwan in June, it was 37C and I thought I’d die. Wow… I think I’ll be eating everything cold in 40C weather. And you have a daughter?! Awwww!!!! It was a nice little surprise. xoxo
These parfaits are beautiful, Nami! It’s been so hot here and these would definitely make the perfect treat to cool down with! I love all the yummy goodies you packed into these too!
Thank you for posting this gorgeous Japanese parfait
It looks so yummy and I would like to make one too.
Have a great day!
Thank you so much Jan! Hope you try it one day! xo 🙂
I LOVE Japanese ice cream parfait! There was a Japanese cafe in Hong Kong that my mom used to take me when I was little. When it was my birthday, my mom would treat me a chocolate parfait. I still love it to this day! Pocky sticks and cigarette cookies is a must! 😀
I’ve been looking for Japanese parfaits recipes forever! Thank you for making this recipe. I wanted to make this so bad. Oh, and I have ate matcha parfait when I go to Japan and it was HEAVEN. Can you make a recipe for matcha parfait? Thank you
I’ll add to the list. It’s my favorite too! Thank you Melissa! 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. The steps are clear and detailed. I’m gonna try this yummy dessert soon 🙂
In the US, parfaits were always made with ice cream and whipped cream until yogurt became popular in the 1980. Now virtually all recipes feature yogurt, but it was not always so. I still make ice cream parfaits. At Christmas I make parfaits with vanilla ice cream and green creme de menthe, a liquor, which was very popular in the 1950s and is delicious!
Hi Patricia! Wow thank you so much for sharing your story! It’s interesting yogurt became popular in 80s! I didn’t know that. And your Christmas parfaits sound so fancy and delicious. What a perfect treat!