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Sake Lees

Sake lees are the rice-based solids remaining after pressing fermented sake mash and are used in marinades, soups, pickles, and sweets.

Sake Lees — illustrative ingredient image

About Sake Lees

Sake lees are the moist rice-based solids separated when fermented sake mash is pressed. They are commonly called sakekasu in Japanese and are used in marinades, soups, pickles, sauces, and sweets. They retain rice particles, fermentation-derived compounds, and some liquid.

They have a soft, crumbly, or paste-like texture and a pronounced fermented aroma. Their flavour is typically savoury, alcoholic, mildly sweet, and strongly aromatic, although storage and residual moisture can affect firmness and sensory intensity.

Sake lees may be sold as loose pressed pieces, blocks, or a smoother paste. Colour and firmness vary according to pressing, storage, and residual moisture; drying or reconstituting them changes the texture and liquid content. Cooking can evaporate, retain, or dilute alcohol.

Ingredient type
derived ingredient

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Where sake lees appears

1 linked foods

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Sides

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for sake lees

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Sake Lees

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Sake Lees nutrition & diet

Sake Lees nutritional value

"Sakekasu" (sake lees) — MEXT 17053

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the explicitly named reference form.

Calories
215kcal
Protein
14.9g
Carbs
23.8g
Fat
1.5g

Per 100 g edible portion. Values use MEXT 2023 with March 2026 corrections; the English food name is matched by food code from the official English edition. Carbohydrate is total carbohydrate by difference. Values in parentheses in the source are estimates reported by MEXT. This reference does not cover other preparations or brands.

Portions & preparation

Specify whether the lees are fresh, pressed, pasteurized, dried, or dissolved into a preparation. The edible amount may include residual mash components and added seasonings. Marinades, soups, pickles, and sweets should be evaluated as recipes rather than treated as equivalent to plain sake lees.

Compare the right form: Match the reference to pressed sake lees, identifying moisture level, pasteurization, residual fermentation, and whether the product is plain or seasoned.

Diet considerations

Sake lees are rice-based fermentation solids and may contain residual alcohol and fermentation products. Compatibility changes with added fish, meat, dairy, egg, soy, wheat, or other cereal ingredients. Plain lees differ from seasoned or sweetened preparations, so recipe composition and processing must be checked.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 2023 supplement, corrected March 2026 ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .