Vegan Anmitsu (GF)

This Vegan Anmitsu is the perfect colourful and refreshing summer treat. It consists of:

• cubes of green matcha jelly
• pillows of purple sweet potato mochi
• sweet red bean paste
• vanilla ice cream

...all topped off with some sticky date syrup!

Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert, which consists of cubes of jelly served in a bowl with sweet adzuki (red bean) paste, fresh fruit, little balls of mochi and ice cream, all drizzled with a black syrup called kuromitsu.

The version I've made here is healthier than its more traditional counterpart, as it's naturally sweetened. It also happens to be vegan and gluten-free.

This dessert might look quite complicated as there are so many different elements to it, but it's honestly pretty easy to put together as everything can be made in advance and can keep in the fridge for up to a few days.

So you just need to make the different components and then assemble them when you're ready to eat.

Now let's go through all the different steps.

Let's start with the matcha jelly. In Japan, jelly is traditionally made with agar, which is a natural jelly-like substance that comes from algae that grows in the sea.

It was first discovered in Japan in the 17^th century, where it is known as kanten. It's very healthy as it's around 80% fibre, as well as being vegan-friendly, unlike gelatine.

You will be able to find agar flakes in most local health stores or Asian supermarkets, if not your local supermarket.

Although for anmitsu the cubes of jelly are usually made with fruit juice, I decided to make these ones here with matcha green tea, both for the beautiful colour as well as the delicious flavour!

Matcha powder also has the added benefit of being full of antioxidants and other such health benefits. You can buy matcha powder from local health stores or Asian supermarkets.

Next, the purple sweet potato mochi. Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice (don't worry, it's still gluten-free, like normal rice) beaten into a sticky paste and moulded into shapes.

Although for anmitsu the mochi is usually plain, I decided to make it with purple sweet potatoes for extra flavour, aesthetic appeal and the added health benefits. And as the purple potatoes are naturally sweet there's no need to add any sugar.

These little mochi balls may look pretty intimidating to make, but there's no need to be scared of making mochi yourself (as long as you can get hold of glutinous rice flour, which you can buy in Asian supermarkets).

You don't need to spend hours beating rice into a sticky paste as they traditionally do in Japan - just cook the sweet potatoes, add rice flour, mould into shapes and boil them for a few minutes. It's basically like making gnocchi but with purple potatoes and rice flour.

Next, you just need to mix together some tinned adzuki beans with a sweetener of choice and mash them slightly with a fork to get the right texture.

Adzuki beans are used in a lot of traditional Japanese desserts and inadvertently contain lots of health benefits too - they're full of protein and fibre and some people even say they're a superfood.

You can also add some fresh fruit - I went with mango and cherries, but you can use whatever you want. Strawberries, raspberries or even kiwi would all work well.

I like to top off this Vegan Anmitsu with some (dairy-free) vanilla ice cream.

And finally, I like to drizzle over some date syrup, which is a great healthier substitute for kuromitsu (a Japanese sugar syrup that's similar to molasses but milder and thinner).

Looking for more summery desserts? You might like my:

• Healthy Snickers Ice Cream Bites
• Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Ice Cream
• Chocolate Sweet Potato Ice Cream
• Purple Sweet Potato Ice Cream
• Matcha Sweet Potato Ice Cream

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I'd really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Helpful tools to make this Vegan Anmitsu:

glass mixing bowl

measuring jug

Vegan Anmitsu (GF)

This Vegan Anmitsu is the perfect colourful and refreshing summer treat - cubes of green matcha jelly, pillows of purple sweet potato mochi and sweet red bean paste paired with vanilla ice cream, all topped off with some sticky date syrup. Gluten-free and refined sugar free.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: anmitsu, japanese dessert, vegan anmitsu

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 220kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the matcha jelly:

• ▢ 400 ml (1 ½ cups) water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon agar the amount you need may vary between brands - check instructions on the packet
• ▢ 2 tablespoons agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon matcha powder

For the purple sweet potato mochi:

• ▢ 140 g (5oz) purple sweet potatoes, peeled
• ▢ 90 g (¾ cup) glutinous rice flour
• ▢ 60 ml (¼ cup) water

For the adzuki bean paste:

• ▢ 400 g (14oz) tin of adzuki red beans, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons date syrup to taste (or sub any other sweetener)

To serve:

• ▢ Fresh fruit e.g. cherries, mango, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi
• ▢ Vanilla ice cream (ensure dairy-free if necessary)
• ▢ Date syrup

Instructions

For the matcha jelly:

• Add the water, agar, agave syrup and matcha powder to a saucepan and bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for a couple of minutes
• Turn off the heat and pour into a large, shallow, flat-bottomed dish and leave to cool
• Place in the fridge once cool and leave for at least a few hours until it sets
• Cut into cubes and keep in fridge until ready to serve

For the purple sweet potato mochi:

• Boil or steam the purple sweet potatoes until soft
• Place them in a large bowl and mash with a fork
• Add glutinous rice flour and water and mix well – it should form a sticky paste-like mixture that’s easily moulded into balls (add a tiny bit more water if necessary, but be careful not to add too much)
• Mould the mixture into small balls
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add about a handful of the balls once the water’s boiled, leaving the pan on high heat throughout – it’s very important to wait until the water’s boiling and you mustn’t add too many at a time otherwise the temperature of the water will drop and they won’t cook properly!
• Cook the balls in a few batches – they’ll be ready about 1 minute after they’ve risen to the surface of the water
• Scoop them out with a spoon once they’re done and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water
• Repeat this process until all the balls are cooked
• Leave them in the cold water for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a dry bowl or plate
• Keep in fridge until ready to serve

For the adzuki bean paste:

• Place adzuki beans in a bowl with sweetener of choice and gently mash with a fork (the texture should be lumpy)
• Adjust amount of sweetener according to taste
• Keep in fridge until ready to serve

To serve:

• Arrange the jelly, purple sweet potato mochi, adzuki bean paste and fresh fruit on a plate or in a bowl
• Top with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with date syrup
• All elements of the Anmitsu keep well covered in the fridge for up to a few days - best stored separately

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Anmitsu (GF)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 220

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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