30 Japanese Desserts and Wagashi to Try

Japanese desserts range from centuries-old tea sweets to modern cafe treats, and almost all of them share a love of gentle sweetness and seasonal feeling. This guide to Japanese desserts and traditional wagashi (和菓子, Japanese confectionery) rounds up 30 favourites you can look for in shops, markets, and restaurants. For each one you will find the Japanese name, its reading, and a short note on what it actually is.

Many of these sweets use the same handful of ingredients in different forms: glutinous rice, sweetened red bean paste called anko (餡子), kinako soybean flour, and agar. Once you know those building blocks, the whole world of wagashi starts to make sense. Traditional sweets are also closely tied to the seasons and to the tea ceremony, where a small, carefully chosen confection balances the bitterness of matcha. Modern Japanese desserts, meanwhile, happily borrow from French patisserie and American baking, giving the country one of the most varied dessert cultures anywhere.

Mochi-Based Sweets

Mochi is pounded glutinous rice with a soft, chewy texture, and it forms the base of many beloved sweets.

1. Mochi (餅, もち): pounded glutinous rice shaped into soft, chewy cakes; eaten sweet or savoury
2. Daifuku (大福, だいふく): a round mochi filled with anko; the name means great luck
3. Ichigo daifuku (いちご大福): daifuku with a whole strawberry tucked inside the bean paste
4. Dango (団子, だんご): small rice-flour dumplings served on a skewer
5. Mitarashi dango (みたらし団子): dango glazed with a sweet and salty soy sauce syrup
6. Sakura mochi (桜餅, さくらもち): pink mochi filled with anko and wrapped in a pickled cherry leaf; a spring sweet
7. Kashiwa mochi (柏餅, かしわもち): mochi wrapped in an oak leaf, eaten around Children’s Day
8. Warabimochi (わらび餅): a soft, jelly-like sweet made from bracken starch and dusted with kinako

Filled Cakes and Pancakes

These sweets pair a baked or steamed wrapper with a soft filling, usually anko or custard.

1. Dorayaki (どら焼き): two small pancakes sandwiched around anko
2. Taiyaki (たい焼き): a fish-shaped cake with a crisp shell and a sweet filling; the name means baked sea bream
3. Imagawayaki (今川焼き): a thick round cake filled with anko or custard, also called obanyaki in some regions
4. Manju (饅頭, まんじゅう): a steamed bun with a sweet bean filling
5. Monaka (最中, もなか): crisp wafer shells sandwiched around anko
6. Anpan (あんぱん): a soft bread roll filled with red bean paste, one of Japan’s most popular sweet breads

Jelly and Agar Sweets

Agar, called kanten (寒天), sets into a clean jelly that is less wobbly than gelatin and holds its shape well.

1. Yokan (羊羹, ようかん): a firm, sliceable jelly of red bean paste and agar
2. Mizu yokan (水羊羹): a softer, more watery yokan served chilled in summer
3. Anmitsu (あんみつ): cubes of agar jelly with anko, fruit, and sweet syrup
4. Kuzumochi (葛餅, くずもち): a translucent jelly made from kudzu starch, served with kinako and syrup
5. Uiro (ういろう): a steamed cake of rice flour and sugar with a gentle, chewy bite

Cold and Frozen Treats

When the weather turns hot, these chilled sweets appear everywhere.

1. Kakigori (かき氷, かきごおり): fluffy shaved ice topped with flavoured syrup and sometimes condensed milk
2. Matcha ice cream (抹茶アイス): ice cream flavoured with powdered green tea, lightly bitter and creamy
3. Mochi ice cream (もちアイス): a scoop of ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of mochi
4. Zenzai (ぜんざい): a warm sweet red bean soup with pieces of grilled mochi, enjoyed in colder months

Western-Influenced Sweets

Japan has adopted and reshaped many European sweets over the past few centuries.

1. Kasutera (カステラ): a moist honey sponge cake brought to Nagasaki by Portuguese traders centuries ago
2. Purin (プリン): a smooth baked custard pudding topped with caramel
3. Japanese cheesecake (スフレチーズケーキ): a light, jiggly souffle-style cheesecake
4. Fruit sando (フルーツサンド): soft milk bread filled with fresh fruit and whipped cream

Seasonal and Regional Sweets

Some sweets are tied to a particular place or time of year.

1. Yatsuhashi (八ツ橋, やつはし): a Kyoto speciality of cinnamon-scented rice sheets, often folded around anko
2. Daigaku imo (大学芋): candied sweet potato chunks with a glossy syrup and sesame; the name means university potato
3. Namagashi (生菓子, なまがし): fresh, hand-shaped seasonal sweets served with tea, often sculpted to look like flowers or leaves

Tips for Trying Japanese Desserts

• Pair with tea. Many wagashi are designed to balance the slight bitterness of green tea, so the two taste best together.
• Eat fresh wagashi the same day. Sweets like namagashi and daifuku have little preservative and are at their best within hours.
• Look for the season. Shops rotate their sweets through the year, so ask what is seasonal right now.
• Check for allergens. Some sweets contain soy, wheat, egg, or dairy, so check the label or ask if you need to.

Final Thoughts

From a skewer of dango at a festival to a quiet cup of tea with a single sculpted namagashi, Japanese desserts reward slow, mindful enjoyment. Many are only lightly sweet by Western standards, which lets the flavour of the rice, bean, or tea come through clearly. Start with a few on this list, notice how often anko and mochi reappear, and let your tastes guide you deeper into the world of wagashi. Whether you prefer the chewy comfort of mochi, the clean snap of an agar jelly, or a slice of honey-rich kasutera, there is a Japanese sweet to suit every mood and every season.