Classic azuki ice cream bar gets a new twist with amazake

Ice cream bars made from azuki red beans are one of Japan's classic iced treats. While many other iced selections come and go, the Azuki Bar made by Imuraya Co., Ltd., is usually a permanent fixture in the freezer box or ice cream section of any convenience store, grocery store, or supermarket in Japan. Cheap and delicious, the company sells 250 million of them every year (2019 numbers)

But Imuraya hasn't been resting on their laurels. In addition to the original Azuki Bar, they've also introduced other versions, ones coated with green tea, milk, coffee and yuzu, for example. They even have an organic version of their Azuki Bar.

Now, they're turning to another sweet traditional Japanese ingredient, and one which has been gaining renewed attention lately: amazake.

Amazake Azuki Bar

Chock full of enzymes and amino acids, B-vitamins and fiber, amazake, particularly amazake made with koji and rice has so many health and nutritional benefits that it is often called a "drinkable IV." Imuraya Co. Ltd. found that the taste of amazake goes very well with azuki, so they were inspired to create a new ice cream bar featuring it.

The amazake coating of the Amazake Azuki bar is a blend of amazake ice cream with 25% double-concentrated Marukome koji amazake to create an unmistakable amazake flavor profile without any alcohol. Moreover, Imuraya slightly adjusted the flavor and hardness of the azuki ice cream center to make the perfect match for the amazake coating.