Mitarashi dango

Name: Mitarashi dango
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 100 g glutinous rice flour; 100 g rice flour; 150 ml water; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 4 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp mirin; 100 ml water; 1 tbsp cornstarch

Vegetarian

みたらし団子 · mitarashi dango

Skewers of chewy rice-flour dumplings, lightly charred and coated in a glossy sweet-salty soy sauce glaze.

Mitarashi dango is a Japanese sweet, ready in about 30 minutes and made with glutinous rice flour, rice flour and soy sauce. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Mitarashi dango — Photo: 13748526 / Pixabay · Pixabay Content License

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 249

Ingredients

4 skewers

100 g Glutinous rice flour (opens in a new tab)Shiratamako or mochiko.
100 g Rice flour (opens in a new tab)Joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour).
150 ml Water (opens in a new tab)Warm; add gradually.

Glaze

2 tbsp (34 g) Soy sauce (opens in a new tab)Contains soy, wheat, gluten
4 tbsp (50 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (16 g) Mirin (opens in a new tab)
100 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (8 g) Cornstarch (opens in a new tab)Potato starch (katakuriko) is traditional.Swap: Potato starch

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Mix both flours and add warm water gradually, kneading to a smooth dough with the feel of an earlobe. Roll into 16 balls about 2.5 cm across.
- 8 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
2
Step 2
Boil in plenty of water; when they float cook 2 minutes more, then lift into iced water. Drain and thread 4 onto each skewer (opens in a new tab).
- 6 min
- high heat
- Slotted spoon (opens in a new tab)
- Skewers (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels
3
Step 3
Whisk the glaze ingredients in a small pan and simmer, stirring, until thick and glossy, about 1–2 minutes.
- 3 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels
4
Step 4
Char the skewers (opens in a new tab) lightly on a hot grill pan (opens in a new tab) or over a flame, turning, for 2–3 minutes. Spoon over the warm glaze and eat while soft.
- 3 min
- high heat
- Grill pan (opens in a new tab)

About this dish

Origin: Kyoto, Japan · Commonly attributedAssociated with the Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto, where tradition places their origin.More food from Japan
Dish: Snack · Dessert · Sweets & confectionery · Dumplings
Cooking method: Boiled, Grilled, Simmered
Taste: sweet & savoury, umami
Diet: Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Street food
Cook more with: Glutinous rice flour · Rice flour · Soy sauce · Sugar · Mirin · Cornstarch
Techniques: Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Boiling · Simmering · Kneading

Allergens

Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce
Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce
Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

249 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 139 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 6%
Carbohydrate 91%
Fat 3%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	249 kcal	179 kcal
Protein	3.7 g	2.6 g
Carbohydrate	55.1 g	39.5 g
Net carbohydrate	53.8 g	38.6 g
Sugars	12.6 g	9.1 g
Added sugars	—	—
Fibre	1.3 g	0.9 g
Fat	0.8 g	0.5 g
Saturated fat	0.2 g	0.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	469 mg	336 mg
Salt equivalent	1.2 g	0.8 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 76 mg
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 0.3 mg
Magnesium: 25 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 3 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Glutinous rice flour: White rice flour (FDC 169714) used as a stand-in; glutinous rice flour has a near-identical macronutrient profile.
Mirin: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in; true mirin is sweeter, so sugar is underestimated.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Storage

Best the same day; dango harden in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 3 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Glutinous rice flour100 g
Rice flour100 g

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

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