Kinako
Roasted soybean flour
title: "Kinako" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["soy-based-foods", "japanese-cuisine", "food-powders"] description: "Roasted soybean flour" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinako" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Roasted soybean flour ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Kinako |
| image | Soy powder.jpg |
| image_size | 300px |
| caption | Kinako, or roasted soybean flour |
| country | Japan |
| main_ingredient | Soybeans |
| :: |
| name = Kinako | image = Soy powder.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = Kinako, or roasted soybean flour | alternate_name = | country = Japan | region = | creator = | type = | served = | main_ingredient = Soybeans | variations = | calories = | other = Kinako (黄粉 or きなこ "yellow flour") is roasted soybean flour, used in Japanese cuisine. In English, it is usually called "roasted soy flour". Kinako is mostly used as a topping to flavor rice cakes like mochi.
History
Usage of the word kinako appeared in Japanese cookbooks from the late Muromachi period (1336–1573).
An early record of the word comes from the text Sōtan Chakai Kondate Nikki (Sōtan's Tea Ceremony Cookery Menu Diary), written in 1587 by Sen no Sōtan, a tea ceremony master.
Production
Kinako is produced by finely grinding roasted soybeans into powder. The skin of the soybean is typically removed before pulverizing the beans, but some varieties of kinako retain the roasted skin. Yellow soybeans produce a yellow kinako, and green soybeans produce a light-green product.
Usage
Kinako is widely used in Japanese cooking, but is strongly associated with dango and wagashi. Dango, dumplings made from mochiko (rice flour), are commonly coated with kinako. Examples include ohagi and Abekawa-mochi. Kinako, when combined with milk or soy milk, can also be made into a drink. One example of its use in popular foods is warabimochi, which is a famous kinako-covered sweet.
Kurumi mochi.jpg|Kurumimochi (rice cake) covered in kinako 140614 Yagyu Iris Garden Nara Japan07s.jpg|Kuzumochi with kinako Oharano-jinja Kyoto13s4592.jpg|Kusa mochi covered in kinako Dango for Okuridango.JPG|Dango (rice flour dumplings) covered in kinako みつだんご (34100732711).jpg|Dango with kinako
Nutrition
Being composed of soybeans, kinako is a nutritious topping and source of flavor, containing B vitamins and protein. Compared to boiled soybeans, however, the protein in kinako is not easily digested.
References
References
- (2012). "Kinako". Shogakukan.
- Ishige, Naomichi. (2011). "History Of Japanese Food". Routledge.
- (2012). "Kinako". Shogakukan.
- Clarkson, Janet. (2014). "Food History Almanac: Over 1,300 Years of World Culinary History, Culture, and Social Influence". Rowman & Littlefield.
- (2012). "Kinako". Shogakukan.
- (2012). "Kinako". Shogakukan.
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