12 Japanese Cherry Blossom Food & Drinks to Try This Spring

Cherry blossom, or sakura, is a Japanese national symbol and springtime staple. The ‘flower viewing’ festival of Hanami celebrates these iconic flowers when they come into bloom from late March to early May.

Even if you don’t get to see a cherry blossom tree spectacle in person, spring is the perfect time to enjoy some tasty sakura-inspired treats, ideal for honouring the season!

How are Cherry Blossoms Used in Food?

Sakura petals and leaves are used in a range of traditional Japanese dishes, both sweet and savoury. They are typically pickled with salt and plum vinegar to enhance their flavour and help preserve them. Various dishes may use the petals and leaves themselves while others may incorporate the sakura flavour via powder or syrup.

What is Sakura Flavour?

The flavour is often described as being delicate and floral, with sour and salty hints due to the pickling process. The flavour profile is often likened to rose and green tea, along with a subtle nuttiness or earthiness.

The Best Sakura Food & Drink For Hanami

Want to embrace the Hanami spirit this year? Discover some of the best ways to enjoy cherry blossom and sakura flavours.

Sakura Mochi

Mochi comes in all kinds of flavours and cherry blossom is no exception. Sakura mochi will usually involve a sumptuous chewy, pink-coloured rice cake filled with red bean paste and wrapped in a salted cherry blossom leaf. The leaf adds a lovely balance to the sweetness within, creating the perfect bite.

Sakura Yokan

Another popular form of wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) enjoyed during spring is sakura yokan. This is a kind of agar-agar jelly, often coloured pink to match the sakura flavour. It has a mild, sweet flavour and tends to feature embedded cherry blossom leaves or petals for a stunning botanical finish.

Sakura Manju

Manju is a type of sweet steamed bun that works excellently with a cherry blossom twist. The soft flour bun is typically filled with red bean paste, coloured pink and decorated with pickled sakura flowers and leaves for the perfect flavour combination.

Sakura Macarons

While macarons originated as a French cuisine, these sweet bites have become very popular in Japan, and sakura versions are often enjoyed in the spring. Sakura is incorporated in various ways, such as the flowers being used to decorate the top of the meringue or their flavour being infused into a cream filling.

You will often find other western treats flavoured with cherry blossom in Japan when spring rolls around. From doughnuts, biscuits and ice cream to sweets and chocolate, lots of things get a pink sakura makeover!

Hanami Dango

Another classic Japanese treat is dango, which consists of three mochi-like rice cakes presented on a skewer. The rice cakes in Hamani dango are coloured green, white and pink, with the different colours representing the changing seasons: green for the grass growing in summer, white for melting winter snow and pink for the sakura flowers of spring. The pink ball is often flavoured with sakura and the green with matcha.

Sakura Cake

Cakes made using fresh whipped cream are particularly popular in Japan, and in springtime, these cakes will be baked with a sakura twist! Salted sakura petals may be baked into the cake itself, and the cream may get a cherry blossom infusion. In terms of decoration, the icing or cream will be given a pink tint, and cherry blossoms flowers might adorn the top

Sakura Onigiri

Sakura also works wonderfully with savoury bites, including the perfect picnic food, onigiri. These iconic rice ball snacks are typically made from seasoned rice and wrapped in seaweed . For a sakura twist, the rice is cooked in water that has had cherry blossoms soaking in it, so the flavour of the sakura becomes infused in the water and then the rice. For decoration, colouring, or small bits of cherry blossom or leaf may be included in the design of the rice ball.

Sakura Inarizushi

This is a similar concept to the above, with cherry blossom-infused rice giving the traditional dish a bit of seasonal flair. Instead of seaweed, the rice here is encased in a deep fried tofu pocket. The delicate floral notes of the sakura complements the slight sweetness of the tofu wonderfully.

Sakura Tea

You can buy (or make) a few different versions of sakura tea. Sakura-yu is made from pickled cherry blossom petals steeped in water. It has a delicate floral, somewhat salty taste, combining a range of complex notes for an unmistakable spring-inspired refreshment. Other sakura tea variations might blend dried cherry blossom petals with Japanese teas from green, white or black tea to add an extra floral aroma.

Sakura Milk Tea

Because of its popularity in spring, sakura is also incorporated into various instant drinks and other ready-to-go snacks. Milk tea lends itself very well to the delicate, sweet notes of cherry blossom, adding to the creamy indulgence of the drink.

Sakura Flavoured Ramune

Fizzy drinks get the sakura treatment too, particularly beloved soda ramune. The refreshing soft drink combines the fragrance of cherry blossom with a satisfying fizz, perfect for sipping on when you want to get that spring feeling.

Sakura Sake

As cherry blossoms are only present on trees for a matter of weeks, both locals and tourists make the most of the beautiful scenes by enjoying a hanami picnic. As a celebratory time, a glass of sake is commonly enjoyed at these picnics. In the spring, special sakura-flavoured sake will be released, offering a delicate floral aroma and taste to this classic Japanese drink.

Whether you're lucky enough to enjoy cherry blossom trees in-person or just want to mark the emergence of spring in sakura style, there are plenty of ways to appreciate this beautiful bloom!

Want more snacks and treats from Japan? Our Japanese supermarket is stocked with an array of fan favourites and more. Make sure to keep an eye on our seasonal offers for all the latest deals!