The Best Frozen Japanese Snacks You Need to Try
Fancy yourself a nice cold treat but can’t quite get to Japan? Don’t worry, we got you covered, with a complete list of the best frozen Japanese sweets and snacks you can find at your local Japanese grocery store.
Some of these popular snacks also pair well with Japanese green tea and are great to try in Summer or eaten for dessert.
1. Azuki Bar
At the top of our list, we have Azuki Bar manufactured by Imuraya. It’s a strong contender for the top spot but this traditional favorite has held its place as the number one selling Japanese authentic frozen dessert in Japan, since 1973! The company sold a record 292 million in the past financial year.
Azuki beans, or red beans, are a popular ingredient that is used in many traditional Japanese desserts and sweets like mochi and Wagashi.
There’s nothing fancy or complicated about this frozen treat. In fact, it is only made with five simple ingredients: sugar, Kazuki beans, corn syrup, corn starch and salt. It’s a frozen sweet red bean ice cream popsicle, what more could you ask for?
You can come to expect a satisfying taste with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Which is a great alternative for new-age consumers looking for a tasty treat that is dairy-free and gluten-free.
Azuki Bar is already available for sale in Australia at local Asian grocery stores and is now making its big debut in stores across Malaysia. The long-awaited frozen treat that is hugely popular back in Japan, is expanding production to the South East Asian market from September 2021.
Imuraya plans to launch three flavors, with the final recipe tweaked to be less sweet than the Japanese versions, to cater to local taste. With a large Muslim population in the country, the ice cream popsicles will also be made with Halal-certified ingredients.
2. Mochi Ice Cream
Highly recommended and coming in at number 2 on the list, we have mochi ice cream. Being a very popular frozen treat, you will find a few different brands that produce mochi ice cream but Lotte is by far the most widely available.
Popular flavors by Lotte include Mango, Green Tea, Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. In our article, we also mention this popular frozen favorite that mochi goes particularly well with a green tea flavor.
Deserving an honorable mention in second place on this list is another mochi product, cream daifuku. Traditionally daifuku is filled with anko, a sweetened red bean paste, but a more popular and new version of this is mochi filled with flavored fruit creams and whipped cream. Handy tip: this is not a frozen treat but can be served chilled.
Produced by Minato Seika, the manufacturer has been making wagashi since 1936 and began creating frozen wagashi since the 1970’s. You can now enjoy the new type of mochi confectionary in different flavors including matcha cream and strawberry cream fillings.
3. Sacre
Shaved ice in Japan is a vastly popular Summer treat and now you can try Japan’s favorite frozen sweet in refreshing Summery flavors.
Manufactured by Futaba Foods, the company was first founded in 1945 and is well known for producing other yummy snacks like ice cream, dairy products, frozen foods and sweet confectionary to name a few.
Sacre comes in 4 delicious flavors including melon, azuki, lemon and orange.
4. Taiyaki Ice Cream
Made popular by the same cute Taiyaki shaped pancakes sold as a favorite snack in Japanese street stalls, Taiyaki Ice Cream is another popular frozen confectionary.
So now you can enjoy a yummy Taiyaki filled with azuki paste AND creamy vanilla ice cream.
5. Vanilla Soft Cone
There’s just something comforting about the delicious and smooth extra milky taste you can really only get from a soft serve. When hard ice cream doesn’t cut it, the Futaba Vanilla Soft Cone is the next best thing you can get in the frozen aisle.
Another great variation to try, also manufactured by Futaba, is their collection of Minisoft Ice multi-packs that are available in 5 different flavors including vanilla, chocolate, vanilla-chocolate, matcha green tea and vanilla-matcha green tea.
The super cute mini sizes are a favorite treat amongst children or the perfect after-dinner dessert.