Japanese Candy Strawberries

Japanese candy strawberries are juicy berries coated with amazingly delicate and crisp candy coating. These are so tasty, unique, and they come together with just three ingredients plus water! A precise food thermometer is required to make these, so grab one and let’s get started.

On Japanese produce..

Japan is famous for its amazing quality of fruit. You can even buy incredibly expensive, designer fruit there. Each fruit is carefully and individually cared for by hand. But you know, the prices are worth it once you try them.. There is such a shocking difference in flavour and quality from what we are experienced to having here. Even in their regular marketplace fruits.

For example, my favourite fruit in the world is the Japanese white peach. It comes into season near the end of July and is a specialty of the Okayama region of Japan. The flavour and texture of the Japanese white peach is so different from the varieties that we have in North America that I hardly have them here now.

Now, while you won’t be able to get actual Japanese ones (unless you happen to be reading this from there), for this recipe you should try to get very red and sweet berries. They should be small to medium in size and have a nice shape to them.

How to make Japanese Candy Strawberries

Let’s start by washing the strawberries. In order for the candy coating to adhere well, it’s very important that the strawberries are completely dry and at room temperature. Pat them dry and set them out until they are no longer cool to the touch.

When they are room temperature, pull off the leaves but leave the cores of the strawberries intact. The core will help to anchor the skewer in place. Take bamboo skewers and pierce one into each of the berries. Technically, you could do this with a toothpick, however, working with the liquid candy syrup will be quite hot so I recommend using a skewer.

Candy Syrup

Add the water, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Give it a gentle stir to make sure that there is no sugar sticking to the bottom.

Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a boil, letting it continue to boil down for about twelve minutes while you keep an eye on it with your thermometer. We need the syrup to reach between 300°-310°. Any lower and the candy coating won’t harden, any higher and it will become rock hard. After 260° the temperature will rise quite rapidly, so keep a very close eye on it. Don’t be concerned if the syrup turns a light amber colour.

Dipping the berries

Once the ideal temperature is achieved, remove the saucepan from the heat. Holding onto a skewer, dip each strawberry into the syrup, rotating the skewer until the berry is thoroughly coated. I tilted the pan to make it easier.

Continue turning the skewer while lifting the strawberry out of the syrup, allowing all of the excess to drip off. You can even touch the berry to the side of the pan to help the excess run off. You want to achieve a thin and crispy candy coating as that is the most delicious.

Move quickly so that the syrup doesn’t adhere thickly. If the syrup in the pan begins to thicken as you are working, return the saucepan to the heat for a few seconds to loosen it up again.

Set the berries down on something that they won’t stick to, such as a baking sheet, parchment paper, or aluminum foil. Allow them about thirty minutes to cool and harden.

You should eat these treats soon after they have hardened. If you leave them for too long, the candy coating will begin to dissolve. Time to enjoy!

Interested in other Japanese recipes? I will feature many of them here on my site, such as this delicious Japanese Royal Milk Tea. Subscribe to my email list to be sent fresh recipes like these straight to your inbox.

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