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You are here: Home / Desserts / Brownies & Bars / How to Make the Japanese Wagashi – Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

August 1, 2021

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi – Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

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Gluten Free
Vegan
Grain- Nut Free
Egg Dairy-Free

Gluten-free and vegan, these thick and fudgy neri yokan bars studded with chestnuts are easy-to-make Asian treats that are made with sweetened red bean paste and agar-agar powder.

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Here’s one of my favorite Asian confectionaries I grew up eating as a child. Slick and shiny, Neri yokan (also called by many names, such as Red Bean Jelly or Red Bean Cake outside Japan) is a jelly-like treat that’s made using sweetened bean paste and agar agar, a plant-based alternative to gelatin that’s frequently used in Asian cuisines. While these luxurious desserts are sold in confectioneries and bakehouses all across East Asia, it’s actually pretty easy to make at home and only takes about 30 minutes to make from scratch.

What I love the best about neri yokan is its texture. It’s fun, not so much like jelly or jello, but thick, dense with a firm bite and fudgy mouthfeel. It melts in your mouth. And with the extra creaminess from the cooked chestnuts, neri yokan is just glorious. You’ll love the stuff!

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
What You'll Find in this Post:
1. Ingredients Used to Make This
2. More Recipes Using Bean Paste HERE
3. How to Make Neri Yokan
4. Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:
5. How to Store
6. More Yokan Recipes You’ll Love
7. Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

Ingredients Used to Make This

**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂

  • Sweetened Red Bean Paste (a.k.a. Koshi An): I eat this stuff by spoonfuls! It’s a versatile ingredient that goes inside my sweet rice mochi recipe as well my tofu mochi recipe, but it’s also used as fillings inside sweet breads, pancakes, cookies and more. You can find Sweetened Red Bean paste in most Asian grocery stores, and online (Amazon). There are Fine and Coarse kinds (I used coarse).
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

or,

  • Sweetened White Bean Paste (a.k.a. Shiro An) – the white bean version of the sweetened red bean paste.
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
  • Agar Agar Powder (also called Agar Powder) – a gelatinous substance that’s derived from seasweeds and commonly used in Asian cuisines. It’s also becoming more popular as a plant-based alternative to gelatin. Agar Agar is sold in the form of flakes, powders, bars or strands, but I used the powder form as I think it gives me the most consistent results. I used the agar powder from NOW Foods (below), which is in Amazon (here) and also stocked in the grocery store near where I live.
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
Agar Powder (sold in Amazon, here)
  • Sugar
  • Corn Syrup or Honey – Maple syrup and agave syrup works, but they don’t produce the thick, fudgy mouthfeel of neri-yokan as the ones made with corn syrup or honey.
  • Chestnuts (optional) – these can be bought online, pre roasted, shelled and ready to eat. You can find them on Amazon, like below:
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
https://amzn.to/2Vbvx8R

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How to Make Neri Yokan

Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

STEP 1

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Stir agar powder in water and let sit for at least 5 minutes at room temperature.

STEP 2

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

After 5 minutes, heat the water-agar mixture on medium-high heat, until it becomes thick and bubbly.

STEP 3

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Stir in the white sugar and corn syrup and boil for another minute.

STEP 4

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi – Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

Lower the heat to low-medium, then add in the bean paste.

STEP 5

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Heat the mixture over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly.

STEP 6

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Pour the mixture into a clean pyrex glass or silcone molds.

STEP 7

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Drop or stir in cooked chestnuts

STEP 8

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Set aside and let cool for about 2-3 hours until the middle is set.

STEP 9

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

Cut into bite sized blocks. Enjoy!

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

  • You don’t have to keep this plain. Add some nuts, dried fruits or flavoring/extracts to keep this yokan interesting.
  • You can also pour the yokan mixture into silicone molds.
  • How to Make the Japanese Wagashi – Neri Yokan with Chestnuts
  • How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
  • How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan

How to Store

  • You can store these yokan covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, you can place them in a plastic ziploc bag or airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze up to 4 weeks.

More Yokan Recipes You’ll Love

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
How to Make White Bean Jelly (Neri Yokan) from Scratch
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Japanese Neri Yokan Cake with Ladyfingers
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
Vegan Japanese Matcha Neri Yokan (Bean Jelly)
How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokan
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How to Make the Japanese Wagashi – Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

Neri Yokan with Chestnuts

How to Make the Japanese Wagashi - Neri Yokan with Chestnuts - neri yokanAll Purpose Veggies
4.70 from 10 votes
Pin it Print it Leave a Comment
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 8 servings
Calories 125 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tsp agar powder
  • 1 T white sugar
  • 2 T corn syrup
  • 250 g fine red bean paste ( 1/2 package of this brand)
  • 9 cooked chestnuts

Instructions
 

  • Stir agar powder in water and let sit for at least 5 minutes at room temperature.
  • Heat the water-agar mixture on medium-high heat, until it becomes thick and bubbly.
  • Stir in the white sugar and corn syrup and boil for another minute.
  • Lower the heat to low-medium, then add in the bean paste.
  • Heat the mixture over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly.
  • Pour the mixture into a clean pyrex glass or silcone molds.
  • (optional) Stir in cooked chestnuts
  • Set aside and let cool for about 2-3 hours until the middle is set.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mgZinc: 1mg***Net Carbs: 28g
Keyword anko
Did You Like this Recipe?I’d love to know more about it! Please leave a rating or comment below so I know what to add and which recipes to share with you next!

Filed Under: Brownies & Bars, Dessert, Gluten-Free, Instagram, Nut-Free, Snacks, Top Posts, Vegan Tagged With: anko, asian-inspired, chestnut, glutenfree, i, jello, no-bake, NutFree, Vegan

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Connie Lin says

    December 3, 2021 at 9:25 am

    Hi Bora, I came across your recipe on the internet, and I am looking forward to trying out the recipe. My question to you is what brand of agar agar powder you use. I searched Amazon in Canada, and there are so many brands. There are agar agar powder with ‘average’ gel strength and ‘excellent’ gel strength. Can you please share a picture of the brand you use? Thank you.

    Reply
    • All Purpose Veggies says

      December 12, 2021 at 3:49 pm

      Hi Connie, I didn’t know how many agar agar brands there were until I searched it today! My grocery store sells the agar powder from NOW Foods so that is what I’ve been using. The picture is up on the post now. You can find the product on Amazon, here, as well

      Reply
  2. Christian Johnson says

    December 30, 2021 at 12:26 am

    Can I use regular gelatin and if so how much

    Reply
    • All Purpose Veggies says

      January 16, 2022 at 3:57 pm

      Hey Christian, unfortunately, gelatin does not work for this recipe. The texture will be completely different and it won’t have that “fudgy” density you’d want.

      Reply

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