Amazake (甘酒)
A sweet, thick drink made in two distinct ways - from koji alone, or from sake lees. The two kinds differ in alcohol and in taste.
| Koji amazake | Made from rice koji and rice (or just koji and water). The sweetness comes from starch converted to glucose by the koji enzymes. No alcohol is produced |
|---|---|
| Sake-kasu amazake | Made by dissolving sake lees (sake kasu) in water and sweetening. It can contain a small amount of alcohol from the lees |
| How served | Warm in winter at shrine and festival stalls; chilled or in smoothies in summer |
Amazake's sweetness is not added sugar in the koji type - it is the taste of rice starch broken down by enzymes, the same saccharification step that starts sake brewing. That is why koji amazake tastes like sweet rice pudding in drink form.
The distinction matters when buying: products labelled as made from koji (koji amazake) are alcohol-free by method, while sake-kasu amazake may carry a trace of alcohol and is labelled accordingly in Japan. For children, drivers and anyone avoiding alcohol entirely, the koji type is the one to choose - and the ingredient list, not the front label alone, is the place to confirm it.
Amazake is also a cooking ingredient: it sweetens dressings and marinades and is the base of some festival drinks sold at shrine approaches in winter.
See also
Sake kasuRelated page in this guide.What is koji?
Related page in this guide.
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), 'Traditional Foods in Japan'; JAS soy sauce standards; Umami Information Center; Kikkoman official information; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Checked 6 November 2026.