4 Ingredient Homemade Alfredo Sauce (That You’d Never Guess Was Healthy!)

Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest, most flavorful sauce recipes I make. Only 4 ingredients needed and ready in just 10 minutes! 

Prepare yourself for creamy indulgence that is shockingly easy to make and actually healthy — not usually words to describe homemade Alfredo sauce, am I right?  This Alfredo sauce is rich, creamy, cheesy and with just the right amount of garlic. Plus it’s HEALTHY. How awesome is that?

I haven’t always made it this way though. There was a time when my Alfredo sauce wasn’t healthy. Gasp! Heck, I used to buy the canned stuff in the glass jar at some point. Yep, it’s true.  Unfortunately, it was full of preservatives and added chemicals to keep it stable on the grocery shelf so it was clearly not good for my body or healthy lifestyle.

Not cool.  This had to change. I needed homemade Alfredo and I needed it to be healthy! So I made that happen! And I’m gonna share the steps for how to make Alfredo sauce because I want you to enjoy this awesome homemade Alfredo, too.

And I hope you’re excited because this is the best Alfredo sauce!

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HOMEMADE ALFREDO SAUCE

To those of you who don’t think it’s that big of a deal to just use the canned stuff or the powdered sauce mixes for your Alfredo from time to time, try this recipe and tell me it doesn’t change your mind.  I dare you. Once you learn how to make Alfredo Sauce, you’ll never want to go back. Trust me.

Here are the ingredients for the Alfredo Sauce I used to use (and we bought the more expensive Bertolii brand stuff, too!): Water, Heavy Cream, Butter (Cream, Salt), Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk (Egg Yolk, Salt, Enzyme), Romano Cheese made from Cow’s Milk (Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Salt, American Sherry Cooking Wine (Wine, Grape Alcohol, Salt, Potassium Metabisulfite [Preservative]), Whey, Yeast Extract, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Phosphate, Garlic Powder, Spices, Natural Flavors.

And before that, we used to use the powdered stuff made by Knorr, which includes: maltodextrin, corn starch, wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), parmesan, romano, cheddar and blue cheeses (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), salt, whey, whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed corn protein, palm oil, natural flavor (soy), nonfat milk*, citric acid, lactic acid, sodium caseinate, soybean oil, spice.

And the ingredients for my homemade Alfredo sauce: cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, and garlic powder.

And, BTW, making Alfredo sauce at home is very easy so you have no reason not to try it. To make this easy Alfredo sauce, you have to follow only 3 simple steps:

1. add all ingredients for the healthy Alfredo sauce to a blender and blend until very smooth;
2. transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat;
3. heat through, stirring frequently.

Extra tip –-> make sure you don’t overheat because it will begin to separate!

WHAT IS ALFREDO SAUCE?

In case you’re unfamiliar with what Alfredo sauce is or you have always wondered, but were never really sure, Alfredo sauce is an Italian white sauce typically used in pasta dishes. I say typically because I like it on pizza and as a topping to baked potatoes, too. YUMMY.

Traditionally, Alfredo sauce is made with butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. I’ll explain why I don’t use heavy cream or butter in a bit!  It’s a very dense, thick, and luscious sauce and is absolutely delicious, in my humble opinion.

HOW TO THICKEN ALFREDO SAUCE

If you’ve tried homemade Alfredo sauce before and the reason you stopped making it at home it’s because it never turned out quite right texture wise, blame it on the cheese!

The answer to how to thicken Alfredo sauce is parmesan. I recommend freshly grated parmesan, not the one you can buy already grated. The Alfredo sauce thickens easily with freshly grated parmesan. However, if the homemade Alfredo is still not thick enough for you, allow the sauce to stand for a couple of minutes before serving. Alfredo sauce thickens while it cools.

Also, the fact that this healthy Alfredo sauce recipe requires cottage cheese helps because it’s naturally thick, especially when blended.

TIPS FOR MAKING HEALTHY ALFREDO SAUCE

To make this light alfredo sauce happen, I use only 4 simple ingredients. Before my clean eating era, I used to make Alfredo sauce with butter, garlic cloves, cream cheese, milk, parmesan, salt, and pepper.

Nowadays, I…

• replace cream cheese (or heavy cream) with cottage cheese for more protein and less saturated fat;
• use almond milk instead of milk– this is just a preference, you can use cow milk if you want;
• skip salt because parmesan and cottage cheese is salty enough.

Pretty simple substitutions, don’t you think? But they make this homemade Alfredo sauce healthy and still so creamy and delicious.

Oh, I almost forgot. I like my Alfredo sauce a little garlicky. So I add a little bit of garlic powder to make it extra special.  I use garlic powder, but you can easily sub in whole garlic cloves if you’d prefer.

WHAT TO MAKE WITH ALFREDO SAUCE

The most obvious answer to what to make with Alfredo sauce is fettuccine Alfredo. Because classics are always amazing. But, since this is healthy Alfredo sauce, you can replace the traditional Fettuccine with whole-wheat fettuccine to make a very healthy yet totes delicious dish. Or with zoodles aka zucchini noodles, like I like to do. Because zoodles are amazeballs and a great low-carb alternative for pasta. If you don’t know how to make them, check out my How To Make Zucchini Noodles post.  Spoiler: they’re super easy, too!

You can add chicken to your Alfredo Zucchini Noodles and turn the dish into Chicken Alfredo, another yummy classic.

For pizza night, you can also use Alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce if you wanna change up the taste of pizza. Make a whole-wheat pizza crust or a cauliflower pizza crust, top the Alfredo sauce with chicken, spinach, and red onions.

HOW LONG DOES ALFREDO SAUCE LAST?

Before answering how long does Alfredo sauce last in the fridge, let me tell you a little story about traditional Alfredo sauce (besides the fact that’s not very healthy). I always had problems when I wanted to reheat the homemade Alfredo sauce when following the traditional recipe. The Alfredo sauce always turned into a garlic butter sauce, as opposed to the rich and creamy Alfredo it was when first prepared.  Somehow, all the white creamy goodness that makes an Alfredo an Alfredo would just up and disappear. The good news is this doesn’t happen if you use cottage cheese! Hooray!

So, knowing this, how long does alfredo sauce last in the fridge?

If you store it properly in mason jars or any air-tight containers, homemade Alfredo sauce lasts for 4*5 days in the fridge.

CAN YOU FREEZE ALFREDO SAUCE?

I have more great news, friends – you can freeze Alfredo sauce too! How freaking amazing, right? You can double or even triple my Alfredo recipe and freeze it for later. If you do this, you can make your favorite Alfredo dishes whenever the cravings hit without settling for the canned Alfredo filled with bad ingredients. Alfredo dishes healthy and guilt-free? Yes, please!

To freeze Alfredo sauce…

1. allow the sauce to cool;
2. transfer the homemade Alfredo to Ziploc bags or freezer-safe airtight containers;
3. then place in the freezer.

Frozen Alfredo sauce lasts for 3-4 months.  It may not be quite as creamy and smooth when you reheat it, but it will still be creamy and delicious.

HOW TO REHEAT ALFREDO SAUCE

The best thing about this homemade Alfredo is that, when you’ll reheat it, you won’t run into the problems I had in the past. Thank you cottage cheese for making this possible!

However, whether you reheat Alfredo sauce from frozen or from the fridge, make sure you stir well while reheating. And reheat it in a saucepan gradually, stirring frequently, to keep it from burning.  This was will also help to prevent the cheese from curdling so the easy Alfredo sauce will be just as good as when you made it.

3 MORE HEALTHY SAUCE RECIPES

This Alfredo recipe is not the only sauce recipe I like to make. In fact, I really love to make my own sauce recipes. Homemade sauce recipes are just the best. You can adjust the taste and you have full control over the ingredients. I am all for that!

PESTO SAUCE

If you have fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan, you gotta make this Pesto Sauce!

This Pesto Sauce is super quick and easy to make (ready in just 5 minutes!) and it’s delicious and versatile. Get the recipe.

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SAUCE

Check out this Cauliflower Cheese Sauce and be amazed by cauliflower’s awesomeness. Cauliflower can turn many recipes into healthy recipes. Cheese sauce is not an exception.

The sauce is creamy, cheesy, and so yummy. And you won’t even notice the cauliflower. Get the recipe.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

Learn How to Make Roasted Tomato Sauce and enjoy the amazing flavors of tomatoes all year long.

This Roasted Tomato Sauce doesn’t compare to the canned one. It’s deep, vibrant, and at least 100 times more delicious. Get the recipe.

4 Ingredient Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest, most flavorful sauce recipes I make. Only 4 ingredients needed and ready in just 10 minutes! 

• 24 oz (3 cups) full fat cottage cheese
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice), (plus more, as needed, to thin)

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth.

2. Add to a saucepan and heat over medium heat.

3. Heat through, but take care not to overheat because it will begin to separate.
4. Toss with noodles and parsley.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.

The post 4 Ingredient Homemade Alfredo Sauce (That You’d Never Guess Was Healthy!) appeared first on A Sweet Pea Chef.

* This article was originally published here

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Banana oatmeal pancakes made right in the blender! These fluffy healthy pancakes are naturally gluten free, dairy free and contain no flour or added sugar. Get ready for a simple yet delicious breakfast! My latest mission in life is to become the Queen of Healthy Pancakes, mother of oat flour, first of her name, the [...]

The post Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (made right in the blender!) appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.

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12 Gluten Free Desserts Everyone Will Love

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that gluten free desserts can be some of the most delicious and splurge-worthy sweet treats out there.

Maybe you eat gluten free, or maybe you’re cooking for someone who is. Maybe you’re like Alex and me, who just feel better not overdoing it on the gluten. Either way, you probably already know this: gluten free desserts can be some of the most delicious sweet treats out there.

Our philosophy for gluten free desserts is to make them naturally gluten free. We typically avoid gluten free flour blends, since they can sometimes have wacky additives and preservatives. Instead, we opt towards nutrient dense whole foods, like almond flour, coconut flour, and oats. You’ll see that each of the gluten free desserts below represent a different way of making a dessert naturally gluten free: without GF flour blends or inaccessible ingredients. And we promise: these gluten free desserts will please everyone at the table, not just people who eat a gluten free diet.

OK, are you ready to get started?

Here are our top naturally gluten free desserts!

Easy Blueberry Crisp

First up in our gluten free desserts: crisp! This blueberry crisp is everything: it’s simple to make, it’s got a healthy spin, and it tastes SO, so good. The filling is like eating pure blueberry. And guess what: there’s no sugar in the filling! Only 1/2 cup of sugar is included in the crisp topping, but it’s the perfect amount of sweetness: just enough so that the blueberries shine but not so much that you have to brush your teeth immediately afterwards. Then the crisp topping is a mixture of almond flour, butter, oats and sugar that comes together into the perfect crumbly texture. While the blueberry filling has no sugar, somehow the crumble topping gives just the right amount of sweetness to the tangy berries. You’ve just got to try it!

Triple Cherry Cheesecake

At A Couple Cooks we love to lighten up traditionally rich desserts, and cheesecake is one of the richest there is. Super tall cheesecakes can call for up to 4 packages of cream cheese (whoa!) and loads of sugar. This cherry cheesecake has a healthy spin, but maintains big flavor. Greek yogurt helps add creaminess instead of the traditional cream or condensed milk. A thinner cheesecake means less calories per serving. And the icing on the cake, so to speak? It’s crustless! A crustless cheesecake also means fewer calories — you don’t even miss it because the filling is that creamy! It’s one of our favorite gluten free desserts.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Are you ready for the chewiest, salty sweet, delicious gluten free chocolate chip cookies? They’re made all from whole food ingredients, are downright delicious, and made dirtying only one bowl. Contrary to popular belief, dairy, all purpose flour, and eggs are not required to make a kickin’ cookie recipe. This recipe features almond flour: flour made of finely ground almonds. Because it has no gluten it’s quite dense, but it makes for perfectly chewy vegan chocolate chip cookies that are also gluten free desserts. They’ve got a touch of sea salt for that perfect salty sweet flair.

All-Natural Strawberry Yogurt Pie

This recipe came from a challenge: to create a healthy version of a strawberry yogurt pie. You know, those ones made with Cool Whip, strawberry yogurt, and graham cracker crust? Well get ready, because this all natural strawberry yogurt pie is even better than the original! We swapped out artificially sweetened yogurt for organic whole milk yogurt and real strawberries! The entire pie is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. And the kicker: instead of graham crackers, the crust is made of oats and cinnamon. This oatmeal cookie crust makes it into one of our fan favorite gluten free desserts.

Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Ready for a really, supremely delicious chocolate cake recipe? Because have we got one for you! It’s one of our top gluten free desserts that’s dairy free too. It’s an inventive way to eat real, whole foods in dessert form—and it’s got a fantastic secret ingredient too! The magic ingredients are…drum roll…almond butter and shredded zucchini! The almond butter adds the fat and texture instead of butter, and the zucchini brings in moisture and lightness. So it can really be considered a chocolate zucchini cake! And some dark chocolate chips are stirred in for chocolatey goodness, too.

Easy Bananas Foster

Here’s one of the most classic naturally gluten free desserts: bananas foster. Bananas are sauteed in a gooey sauce of caramelized sugar and rum, and served over ice cream. There’s usually a flame too, which brings in over the top drama! This recipe works for two, though the quantities can be enough for four small dessert portions. The best part: you can make it in 10 minutes!

Dark Chocolate Tahini No Bake Cookies

These dark chocolate no bake cookies feature tahini (sesame paste), maple syrup, and sea salt: they’re a salty sweet combination that you’ll go crazy over! Made with oats and coconut oil, we’ve served them at parties and they disappear in a flash! Pro tip: both no bake cookies recipes require the cookies to stay cool, so they’re best right out of the refrigerator. You can also freeze them.

Fudgy Vegan Brownie Recipe

These fudge vegan brownies are insanely fudgy. And surprisingly, they’re filled with nutrient dense whole foods! They’ve got almond butter and applesauce to make them extra fudgy, then they’re topped with chopped almonds and chocolate chips! (You could substitute another nut if you’d like.) After they’re baked, pop them in the refrigerator to get them extra fudgy. The secret to making them into one of our gluten free desserts: a touch of coconut flour. Take it from one of our readers: “I’m somewhat of a brownie snob. These are better than any brownie recipe I’ve tried, classic or adapted. Simply delicious!”

Perfect Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

These homemade peanut butter cups are truly perfect: and a fantastic gluten free dessert option. Our recipe shows you how to temper chocolate to get a glossy sheen, and make a mouthwatering peanut butter filling. The resulting peanut butter cups are so, so good! They’ve got a satisfying crunch, just the right amount of lightly sweet peanut butter filling, and a few flakes of sea salt on top for a salty flair. We will be making these for years to come: and we hope you will too.

Bliss Bites

Bliss bites are by far our most popular of gluten free desserts! They’re basically a homemade peanut butter cup combined with a no bake cookie, and people all over the world make and love them! Made with maple syrup, coconut oil, and oats, they’re naturally sweet, vegan, and gluten-free. Keep them in the freezer or refrigerator and nibble all week long. When we served them to guests as a sweet treat at the end of a meal, our guest pronounced they were “literally heaven”.

Fudgy Flourless Brownie Pie

Here’s one for your repertoire of delicious gluten free desserts: brownie pie. This flourless brownie pie recipe is fudgy and decadent. The crown jewel is the tahini maple sauce! It’s super simple to whip up: just mix together tahini, maple, espresso powder, and salt and it comes together into a gooey, salty sweet drizzle. It’s the absolute perfect finish for this brownie pie.

Chocolate Cherry Dessert Bites

These chocolate cherry dessert bites highlight all the best of that natural pairing: chocolate and cherries. They’re rich and chocolate-y but use natural sweetener and just a few whole food ingredients! How did we make them gluten free? The crust is made of almonds, oats, cocoa powder, coconut oil and maple syrup, blended into crumbles and pressed into a muffin tin. And the creamy chocolate mousse topping is made of just three ingredients: coconut oil, maple syrup and cocoa powder. Topped with delicious sweet cherries, each one is a little bit of heaven.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Cookies

And last but certainly not least in our list of gluten free desserts: our “famous” skillet cookie! This one has been made and loved by many. The trick to this one is almond flour, which makes the cookie turn out chewy, caramely, and dense like a blondie. Since the dough base is primarily almonds, it’s go more nutrients than the typical refined white flour cookie. And most importantly for us, it’s incredibly simple: mix all ingredients in a bowl, dump it in a skillet, and bake. You can’t get much easier than that!

Looking for more gluten free desserts?

Still not sure what to make? Here are some more of our favorite gluten free dessert recipes:

• Raw Brownies
• Blackberry Vegan Cheesecake Bites
• Salted Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream Recipe
• Berry Banana Ice Cream
• Flourless Chocolate Almond Cakes
• Cherry Quinoa Chocolate Bark
• Blood Orange Granita
• 47 More Gluten Free Desserts
• Jamocha Almond Fudge Dairy Free Ice Cream
• Healthy Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls Recipe

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Bliss Bites + More Gluten Free Desserts

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• Author: Sonja
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 9 large or 18 small

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Description

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that gluten free desserts can be some of the most delicious and splurge-worthy sweet treats out there.

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Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter, divided
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Grade A dark maple syrup, divided
• ¼ cup dutch process (or dark) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 cup rolled oats

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Instructions

1. Place 9 cupcake liners into a muffin tin (or 18 liners in a mini-muffin tin).
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt 5 tablespoons coconut oil and stir together 2 tablespoons peanut butter, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 pinch kosher salt. When fully combined, remove from heat and stir in 1 cup rolled oats. Spoon into cupcake liners. Refrigerate while making the peanut butter topping.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together ¼ cup peanut butter, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Spoon the warm peanut butter mixture over the chocolate oat mixture. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes until set, or refrigerate until serving. Store refrigerated.

• Category: Dessert
• Method: No Bake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Gluten Free Desserts

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A Couple Cooks - Healthy, Whole Food, Vegetarian Recipes

* This article was originally published here

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The post Weekend Favorites: Things We Loved in April appeared first on Ambitious Kitchen.

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Perfect Roasted Asparagus

It’s asparagus season, and I can’t get enough of it. Roasting asparagus brings out its best. The tips get a little crispy in the oven, which I love, and the flavor is more concentrated than it would be if you steamed or sautéed it.

Roasted asparagus is the perfect springtime side dish, whether for brunch or dinner. As a bonus, it’s simple to throw together while your main dish cooks on the stove.

For these photos, I decked out my asparagus with lemon, mint, red pepper flakes and the lightest shaving of Parmesan.

You can keep your roasted asparagus as simple as you’d like. I included the basic recipe below, plus ideas for changing up the seasonings!

Continue to the recipe...

The post Perfect Roasted Asparagus appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

* This article was originally published here

Garlic Dill Sunflower Dip

If you’re like us, sometimes you consume so much hummus on a weekly basis you just need an alternative to switch things up. Something without so many beans? Anyone else?

If this is you, look no further than our tasty hummus alternative: sunflower seed “hummus” dip! It has all of the amazing flavors of classic hummus, plus herbs (!), and it utilizes nutritious soaked sunflower seeds in place of chickpeas!

Garlic Dill Sunflower Dip from Minimalist Baker →

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Decoding Japanese Food Emojis

Are you familiar with the colorful, yummy looking but slightly mysterious Japanese food and drink emojis? Today we’re going to demystify some of the popular Japanese food emojis you have come across over text or email messages, and hopefully, this will give you a fun introduction to the ever-evolving Japanese cuisine.

 

We are emoji aficionados over at Just One Cookbook, particularly Japanese food emojis. If you are a subscriber to our email newsletter or a follower of our Instagram, you’ve probably seen different graphic icons that accompanying each recipe and travel & cultural post that we share. Not only they illustrate the recipes and various topics in such a delightful way, but these emojis are also essentially a representation of Japanese culture.

Hungry for some steaming bowl of 🍜 or maybe some fresh 🍣? Let’s dig in!

Emojis at a Quick Glance – Origin & Its Influence

Just like Super Mario that took the world by storm, Emoji is another digital invention by the Japanese in the late 1990s by a creator named Shigetaka Kurita. They are tiny pixel images that were initially used on mobile phones in Japan and the word ’emoji (絵文字)’ literally translates as “picture (絵) letter (文字)”.

These ‘picture letters’ are kawaii (cute in Japanese), playful, and imaginative. As the saying goes ‘A picture paints a thousand words’, it can’t be any more truth to that!

Rather than typing the text out, emoji has the power in capturing your attention instantaneously. Which is why it doesn’t take long for Emoji to infiltrate the modern world and become a sort of new language in human communication. I think the influence of emoji lies on its indigenous way of expressing one’s thought or emotion in the most succinct and charming manner.

Different Groups of Emojis

These days you can find emojis being used in all types of devices and platforms. In general, these emoji or emoticons can be grouped into a few main groups: people (the smiley face), objects, nature, places, and symbols.

Since they are originated in Japan, you’d find a lot of emojis related to Japanese culture. And with food being an integral part of the culture, you could find many food and drink-related emojis over the collection. Depending on your familiarity with Japanese cuisine, some of these icons may be more recognizable than the others.

Wondering what is the white and pink swirl emoji 🍥? What does 🍘 mean? What exactly are those colorful balls on a stick🍡? If you are curious about learning more, we’re going to decode these emojis in this post, and hopefully, it could well be your first steps in discovering iconic Japanese foods. What’s more exciting? We even have recipes for most of the emoji you’re going to learn today!

Japanese Food & Drink Emojis

Rice Ball Emoji

This triangular shape icon with a dark green square in the center is called the onigiri, also known as Japanese rice ball.

Onigiri is made from steamed rice formed into the typical triangular, ball, or cylinder shapes stuffed with a variety of fillings and usually wrapped with nori (dried seaweed). These rice balls are synonymous to sandwiches in Japan as they are portable and make a delicious quick snack or lunch-on-the-go.

Some of the popular fillings for onigiri include umeboshi (pickled plum), salted salmon, and tuna mayo. You can easily pick them up from the airport, convenience stores, train stations, departmental stores or even specialty stores in Japan as they make excellent travel food.

Did you know? Onigiri is not a type of sushi as they are made of plain steamed rice, while sushi is made of steamed rice seasoned with salt, sugar, and vinegar.

Wish to make these riceballs🍙 at home? Here are the recipes:

• Onigiri
• Yaki Onigiri (grilled version)
• Salmon Onigiri

Naruto (Fish Cake) Emoji

This pinwheel-shaped icon with a cutesy pink swirl is probably one of the most intriguing Japanese food emojis. It refers to a slice of Japanese narutomaki (なると巻き) or naruto, also known as Japanese fish cake that you often see as a topping served atop of ramen.

The fish cake is made with pureed whitefish that is cured, molded and steamed into a small log with ridges. On the inside of the cylinder fish cake is the decorative pattern of pink spiral swirls. You can purchase naruto from the refrigerated section at the Japanese grocery stores. It is already pre-cooked and ready to use. To serve, slice the fish cake thinly and top a few slices over each noodle bowl before pouring the broth over.

Did you know? The fish cake is named after the tidal whirlpools of the Naruto Strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku in Japan.

Recipes featuring naruto 🍥:

• Spicy Shoyu Ramen
• Kitsune Udon
• Oden (Japanese Fish Cake Stew)
• Chawanmushi (Japanese Savory Egg Custard)

Bento Box Emoji

This emoji should be easy to decipher. Even if you’re a novice to Japanese food, you can at least figure it has something to do with a Japanese lunch box. Known as bento (弁当 bentō) or obento (お弁当 obentō), the meal is packed in a compartmentalized box, usually consisting of rice with a variety of accompaniments such as grilled meat, fish or seafood, omelette or scrambled egg, vegetables, and fruits.

Compact and colorful, bento is the typical lunch that the Japanese bring to school or to work. But you can also purchase a bento box from convenient stores, train stations, and departmental stores in Japan. They make a filling and convenient food for a picnic or a long train ride.

Did you know? The little red circle in the middle of the rice you see on the emoji is a pickled plum (umeboshi). It has a very sour and salty flavor, which makes it a favorite pickle to serve with steamed rice or rice balls to awake the palate.

What’s in your 🍱 today? Learn how to make bento lunch boxes with the tutorial and recipes below:

• Bento 101: Tips and Tricks for Bento
• Back to School Easy Bento Ideas & Recipes

Tempura (Fried Shrimp) Emoji

Tempura refers to seafood, chicken and vegetables that have been coated with a light batter and deep-fried into golden crisp deliciousness. Some of the most popular tempura include shrimp tempura (as depicted in the tempura emoji) and sweet potato tempura. Tempura is not only enjoyed as a standalone dish, but they are also often served as part of donburi (rice bowl) or noodle soup.

Did you know? In Japan, you can even find specialized restaurants that serve only the best of the best tempura.

Wish to enjoy some crispy 🍤 at home? Don’t miss out these mouthwatering tempura recipes:

• Shrimp Tempura 
• Gluten Free Tempura
• Vegetable Tempura
• Chicken Tempura

Nabe (Hot Pot) Emoji

With steam drifting up from a warming soup-pot, this emoji comes in handy when all you could think about is a hot pot of food on a chilly day. The graphic icon makes reference to nabe 鍋 or nabemono, a variety of hot pot dishes that are very popular in Japan during the cold weather months.

Typically served from a clay pot or iron pot with simmering broth that is shared communally, nabe includes an amazing mixture of fresh vegetables, meat, seafood, tofu, and soybean products, or seasonal ingredients.

It’s surprisingly easy to make nabe 🍲at home, and here are just some of the popular nabe recipes you should try:

• Sukiyaki
• Shabu Shabu
• Nabeyaki Udon
• Nabemono: A Guide to Japanese Hot Pot

Senbei (Rice Crackers) Emoji

Now that you’ve learned the dark green square on the icon is nori sheet (seaweed), you could probably describe the brown circle piece as toasty and snacky. And you’re right! This emoji refers to Senbei 煎餅 or rice crackers, a popular savory snack you can find in Japan. Come in various sizes and shapes, the rice crackers are typically brushed with a soy sauce glaze and grilled, then wrapped with a piece of nori.

Did you know? Senbei originated from China, where flour was used to make the crackers. But the Japanese loved rice so much that they started making the crackers with rice instead.

You can easily find rice crackers 🍘 being sold at the airports, tourist destinations or at festivals.

Curry Rice Emoji

This may not be the most appetizing food emoji you’ve seen, but I can guarantee the real thing is so much more delicious that you could imagine. The emoji depicts the famous Kare Raisu カレーライス aka Japanese Curry Rice, characterized by the thick brown sauce that is served over fluffy steamed rice. The reddish circles are the red pickled daikon. Unlike Indian or Thai curry, Japanese curry has a stew-like consistency and a sweeter taste.  It is also less spicy which is suitable for children. The curry is always served with rice.

Did you know? The curry was brought to Japan in late 1800 by the British. As always, the Japanese habitually adapted the curry to their own version soon after. By 1950s S&B Foods company introduced curry roux in block form and started selling the instant roux everywhere, which resulting curry rice a very popular dish people make at home.

You too can make Japanese curry 🍛 at home with these delicious recipes:

• How to Make Japanese Curry Roux from Scratch
• Japanese Chicken Curry & Instant Pot version 
• Japanese Beef Curry

Dango Emoji

A type of traditional Japanese sweets (wagashi), dango are dumplings made with rice flour and skewered on a stick. The dumplings are mildly sweet with a chewy texture similar to mochi. There are different types of dango, but the one you see here is hanami dango 花見団子, which is typically enjoyed during the cherry blossom season.

Did you know? Hanami dango always consists of three colors, with pink, white and green in the order. The colors represent the life cycle of cherry blossom.

You can purchase 🍡 at the pop-up food stalls during cherry blossom season, or you can make them at home with this recipe:

• Hanami Dango

Oden Emoji

Loosely described as Japanese fish cake stew, oden is a type of one pot simmered dish, which includes a variety of ingredients such as fish balls, fish cakes, deep-fried tofu, hard-boiled eggs, konnyaku, and vegetables gently cooked in a soy sauce based broth. It is considered as a comfort dish during winter in Japan.

Did you know? Oden is also known as a food stall dish, and it’s especially popular among the salarymen after work where they enjoy the hot food and sake with their coworkers. You can even buy oden from convenience stores.

Wish to enjoy this simmered dish 🍢 out of the comfort of your home? Don’t miss out the recipe:

• Oden

Kakigori (Shaved Ice) Emoji

You’d see a lot of uses of this emoji during the summertime because it is the symbol of a dessert made of shaved ice flavored with syrups, and sometimes with additional toppings such as red bean paste, sweet dumplings, sweetened condensed milk, and ice cream. To make the dessert, you need a special machine so the ice is shaved into a fine and fluffy texture before it is served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon.

Did you know? Kakigori or shaved ice dessert has a long history where it is said to have already existed in the ancient time during the Heian period. The ice was shaved with a knife into a metal bowl and eaten with a sweet sap and doused with some golden syrup on top. It was considered a luxury treat and only enjoyed by the elites.

Nowadays kakigori is a popular sweet loved by all generations and you can find it sold at the summer festivals and food stalls in Japan.

Wish to enjoy some shaved ice🍧 at home this summer? We have an amazing shaved ice recipe just for you:

• Green Tea Shaved Ice

Purin (Custard/Flan) Emoji

This custard-looking emoji is indeed a popular Japanese dessert. Known as Purinプリン, it is basically a custard pudding with a layer of soft caramel on top. The texture is silky smooth and slightly firm, with a gentle wobble.

Did you know? Japanese “Purin” available at supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan is all made with gelatin.  They are not baked or steamed.

Wish to enjoy 🍮 at home? Here’s the recipe:

• Japanese Purin (No Bake Creme Caramel)

Matcha Green Tea Emoji

This teacup with an unmistakable bright green drink is the analog for a special Japanese green tea called matcha. Pronounced as “MA-cha” 抹茶, this iconic Japanese beverage has become just as mainstream as cappuccino in many parts of the world. It is made of finely milled green tea powder that is whisked with hot water using a bamboo whisk and served in special tea bowls at tea ceremonies. These days matcha, the green tea powder, is also widely used in flavoring desserts and sweets, and enjoyed in drinks like smoothies and lattes.

Did you know? Matcha is high in antioxidant and a perfect energy booster. Although it has as much caffeine as coffee, it is absorbed by the body a slower rate and doesn’t give you the jitters. If you are looking for a drink that can give you a longer lasting energy, matcha makes a great alternative.

Check out our matcha  🍵 recipes:

• How to Make Matcha 
• Matcha Latte
• Matcha Smoothie

Sake Emoji

Sake (pronounced as SAH-keh, not saki), also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice and water. Depending on the season or personal reference, sake can be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature, or heated. As seen on the emoji, it is drunk from small cups and poured from a small flask called tokkuri.

Did you know? Traditionally, it is a custom for allowing your drinking partner to pour your drink and vice versa. The practice has relaxed in recent years, but it is still widely observed in formal settings, especially when you partake a drink or a meal with an elderly or someone with higher social rankings.

Just like how wine is used in cooking, sake is widely used in Japanese cooking and is considered an important ingredient in many dishes. To learn more about sake 🍶 in Japanese cooking, read our article here.

Did you enjoy this article?

There are a lot more emojis we could list out here, but we hope the above give you a good start in familiarizing with the basic Japanese food. Do you have a favorite? Are there any Japanese food emojis you’d like to learn more about? Let us know in the comment below!

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Originally from Penang, Malaysia, Reese lives in Minnesota with her husband and their baby boy. She previously ran an Asian spice shop, and also worked on UNESCO Heritage projects in Penang in the areas of performing arts, history, and arts education. Reese loves spending time with her family, listening to podcasts, and reading up on art & design. And of course, dreaming of another trip to Japan to hike mountain trails and eat her favorite street food Okonomiyaki. More from Reese →