# Daifuku (大福)

**Daifuku** (大福) is a Japanese confection in which sweet bean paste is wrapped in a soft dough of mochi, pounded steamed glutinous rice, or gyuhi, a kneaded rice-flour dough.<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup> It belongs to the *mochimono* (rice cake sweets) category of wagashi, the traditional Japanese confections, and is one of the most familiar wagashi to Japanese and foreign customers alike.<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | Bean paste wrapped in mochi or gyuhi dough<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup> |
| Wagashi category | Mochimono (rice cake sweets), made from glutinous rice or rice flour<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup> |
| Name origin | Once called *harabuto-mochi* ("big belly mochi") for its plump shape; the auspicious characters meaning "great fortune" were given later<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup> |
| Age | The bean-paste version has been on the scene for about 250 years<sup>[3](https://www.japan.go.jp/letters/ebook33/book.pdf)</sup> |
| Main varieties | Mame-daifuku (red peas in the dough), kusa-daifuku (mugwort), shio-daifuku (salt), ichigo-daifuku (whole strawberry)<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup> |
| Shelf life | Classified as namagashi, a fresh confection with a short shelf life<sup>[4](https://www.foodinjapan.org/japan/daifuku/)</sup> |
| Typical price | 150 to 300 yen for classic daifuku; 300 to 600 yen for fruit daifuku<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup> |

## What daifuku is

A daifuku consists of a small, round mochi shell wrapped around a filling, most commonly *anko*, a sweetened [red bean paste](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-bean-paste) made from adzuki beans.<sup>[5](https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/nicoleharripersad-eportfolio/files/2017/05/Final-Mochi-interactive-PDF_Nicole-Harripersad-3.pdf)</sup> The Tokyo Wagashi Association defines the standard form as adzuki *tsubushian*, a coarse bean paste, wrapped in a dough made by pounding steamed glutinous rice until smooth.<sup>[6](https://www.wagashi.or.jp/japanesesweets-wagashi/en/types/)</sup> Some versions use gyuhi, a softer dough kneaded from rice flour, sugar, and water, instead of pounded mochi.<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup>

The distinction from plain mochi is the filling: mochi is the pounded rice cake itself and is not inherently sweet, while daifuku is mochi wrapped around a sweet filling, so every daifuku contains mochi but not every mochi is daifuku.<sup>[4](https://www.foodinjapan.org/japan/daifuku/)</sup> Compared with dango, which is made by steaming rice flour, pounding it, and rolling it into skewered balls, daifuku is defined by its enclosed filling and softer shell.<sup>[6](https://www.wagashi.or.jp/japanesesweets-wagashi/en/types/)</sup>

## Name and history

Because of its plump shape the confection was once called *harabuto-mochi*, literally "big belly mochi," and it is said that the auspicious characters for daifuku, meaning "great fortune," were given to it later.<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup> The bean-paste version has existed for about 250 years.<sup>[3](https://www.japan.go.jp/letters/ebook33/book.pdf)</sup> Daifuku has been sold as a street sweet in Tokyo since the [Edo period](https://www.edgepedia.org/edo-period), and grilled daifuku became a small street-food craze during the Kansei era in the 1790s.<sup>[4](https://www.foodinjapan.org/japan/daifuku/)</sup>

Daifuku sits within a wagashi tradition that reaches back to Jomon-era nut-flour dumplings and developed through contact with Chinese confections and the tea ceremony; the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries lists daifuku among the *mochimono* category alongside ohagi.<sup>[7](https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2002/spe2_01.html)</sup>

## Varieties

The best-known varieties are distinguished by what is mixed into or wrapped inside the dough:<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup>

- **Mame-daifuku**: boiled red peas are mixed into the mochi dough itself, giving a textured surface.<sup>[6](https://www.wagashi.or.jp/japanesesweets-wagashi/en/types/)</sup>
- **Kusa-daifuku**: mugwort is pounded into the mochi, adding aroma and a green color.<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup>
- **Shio-daifuku**: a touch of salt in the dough.<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup>
- **Ichigo-daifuku**: a whole strawberry wrapped with bean paste. It appeared in the later Showa era, about 30 years before the early 2010s, and is now a firm favorite of spring.<sup>[1](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.japan.go.jp/letters/ebook33/book.pdf)</sup>
- **Fruit daifuku**: seasonal fruit combined with bean paste, popular for its cross-section.<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup>

## How it is made

A standard recipe published by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology gives the coating dough as glutinous rice flour 300, non-glutinous rice flour 200, caster sugar 50, soft wheat flour 50, boiled water 350, shiratamako 50, water 40, boiled Japanese wormwood 89, and potato starch 1, with a bean paste of adzuki beans 200, caster sugar 280, and salt 1.<sup>[8](https://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/12/20/1385123_Notes-on-food_r11.pdf)</sup> The finished mochi is dusted with potato or corn starch to prevent sticking; a small amount used for dusting is fine, though raw starch in quantity is not easy to digest.<sup>[9](https://www.justonecookbook.com/daifuku/comment-page-9/)</sup>

The chewy texture depends on both ingredients and method. A 2025 food-science study of glutinous rice flour found that differences in amylopectin structure change gelatinization behavior and therefore daifuku quality, and that consumers favor a complete, plump, smooth appearance, no off-flavors, a distinct glutinous rice aroma, and a soft, non-sticky texture.<sup>[10](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12005919/)</sup>

## Eating and buying

Daifuku is classified by shops as *namagashi*, a fresh confection with a short shelf life, and most should be eaten the same day; versions containing cream, custard, or fresh fruit should be refrigerated.<sup>[4](https://www.foodinjapan.org/japan/daifuku/)</sup> Pairing with sencha, hojicha, or matcha is said to enhance the sweetness of the filling and leave a clean finish.<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup> Classic daifuku generally costs 150 to 300 yen and fruit daifuku 300 to 600 yen.<sup>[2](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)</sup>

## The daifuku bean

The word daifuku also names an unrelated agricultural product. **Daifuku bean** (大福豆, read *oofuku-mame*) is a large, white, kidney-shaped common bean grown mainly in Hokkaido, where the Iburi region produces over 50 percent of the crop. It is used for amanatto (sugar-glazed beans), boiled beans, and wagashi, with amanatto accounting for about 40 percent of demand, and it is classed among Hokkaido's premium beans alongside tiger beans and white hanamame.<sup>[11](https://www.mame.or.jp/syurui/feature/syurui_06.html)</sup>

## References

1. [What Is Daifuku? 大福, Wagashi Glossary, Kyoto Wagashi ISSHO](https://www.wagashi-issho.com/english/glossary/daifuku/)
2. [What Is Daifuku? Japanese Mochi Types & Fillings, JeePe Japan Travel Guide](https://www.jeepe.jp/en/articles/daifuku-guide-japan-1560)
3. [Japan.go.jp Letters, book 33 (PDF)](https://www.japan.go.jp/letters/ebook33/book.pdf)
4. [Daifuku Mochi: Japan's Soft Wagashi with Anko, Food in Japan](https://www.foodinjapan.org/japan/daifuku/)
5. [Desserts with Mochi, NYC College of Technology OpenLab](https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/nicoleharripersad-eportfolio/files/2017/05/Final-Mochi-interactive-PDF_Nicole-Harripersad-3.pdf)
6. [Types of Wagashi, Tokyo Wagashi Association](https://www.wagashi.or.jp/japanesesweets-wagashi/en/types/)
7. [和菓子の歴史, 農林水産省 aff 2020年2月号](https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2002/spe2_01.html)
8. [Notes on Foods (Chapter 3), MEXT](https://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/12/20/1385123_Notes-on-food_r11.pdf)
9. [Daifuku 大福, Just One Cookbook (comments page)](https://www.justonecookbook.com/daifuku/comment-page-9/)
10. [The impact of gelatinization property differences based on amylopectin structure variations on the glutinous rice flour properties and quality of Daifuku, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12005919/)
11. [大福豆, 公益財団法人 日本豆類協会](https://www.mame.or.jp/syurui/feature/syurui_06.html)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Seed plants › Monocots › Grass family (Poaceae) › Cereal crops › Rice: crop and cuisine › Rice cakes, mochi, and rice sweets*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license