How To Make Mochi (Coconut, Matcha, Mango, + Strawberry Daifuku!)

Beloved in both Chinese and Japanese culture, mochi is an ancient and sacred food. With the help of sweet, glutinous rice flour, it turns out making it at home isn’t that crazy– it’s even easy!

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So What Exactly Is Mochi?

Mochi can be a lot of different things, so it isn’t only what’s pictured here!
Mochi is the product of a glutinous short grain rice called mochigome. “Glutinous” meaning it contains a high starch content, not gluten.
Traditionally, mochi is prepared in a labor intensive ceremony called Mochisuki. The mochigome rice is soaked overnight and steamed. Then, while hot, the rice is ground and pounded with mallets in a large mortar until it forms mochi. This preparation is done by a team of two people: one to stir and flip, and one to grind and pound. It’s really amazing to watch, but I won’t be making mochi this way at home any time soon (but ya never know.)
At home, I use mochiko, a sweet glutinous rice flour that hydrates and develops gluten for a similar sticky and chewy texture to pounded mochigome rice. Mochi made with mochiko can be used to make daifuku, like the ones pictured here, little mochi bits to top frozen yogurt or ice cream, dango 🍡🍡🍡(Dango even has its own emoji!), and a myriad of baked goods such as butter mochi.

Know Your Mochi Ingredients

Generally, mochi is 3 parts mochiko sweet rice flour, 3 parts water, and 1 part sugar. A pinch of salt helps the flavor shine!

Sugar plays a big role when it comes to flavor and texture: it keeps the mochi soft and pliable, and adds flavor. Too little sugar means the mochi will be rubbery and tough. Be sure to use confectioner’s sugar rather than granulated sugar to keep the texture smooth.
The addition of corn syrup keeps the mochi’s texture soft and smooth, and will also help keep it soft and pliable if it is stored in the refrigerator. During recipe testing, I felt that the texture produced by the addition of corn syrup was more true to what I feel mochi should be.

To add flavor, I use dry ingredients like matcha powder and freeze dried fruits (I get my freeze dried fruit at Trader Joe’s!) Flavor can also be added with juice or coconut milk in place of water. Food coloring and flavor extracts can be added as well.

For dusting, I prefer mochiko or potato starch. Potato starch is superior because of its fine, smooth texture, but mochiko is easy because it’s usually on hand, already being inside the mochi! Alternatively, cornstarch can be used, but cornstarch is VERY clingy, meaning it easily forms a thick layer on the mochi giving you a mouthful of cornstarch. Since it doesn’t taste all that great, cornstarch is my least favorite option. During recipe testing I thought I was a genius when I decided to dust with confectioner’s sugar– but my moment of pride was short lived because confectioner’s sugar dissolves and turns wet and sticky on the surface of mochi. Coconut mochi can be rolled in dessicated coconut, which is lovely.

Daifuku Mochi Fillings

In Japan, the most common fillings for daifuku are red bean paste (aka koshi an) and whole strawberries.
Try filling your daifuku with diced mango or ice cream too! To fill with ice cream, freeze small scoops of ice cream on a baking sheet for 24 hours. Instead of simply flattening the mochi into disks with your hands, use a rolling pin (a dumpling rolling pin is ideal) to roll the mochi out to slightly less than ⅛”– a thinner layer of mochi will be nicer to bite into when frozen. Wrap the ice cream scoops and freeze again until firm. Allow to soften for a few minutes before enjoying!
Daifuku with wet fruit fillings, especially chopped fruit, should be eaten as soon as possible. The juices from the fruit will make the mochi wet and melty inside after a few hours in the fridge.

Preparation Methods:

Mochi can be made in the microwave, a quick option that takes around 3 minutes, or on the stovetop in a double boiler, which takes about 20-30 minutes. I never use my microwave for anything (it lives in the garage) and I STILL haul it out to make mochi. It is much, much easier to make in the microwave, and I suggest it.
In either preparation, be sure to allow the mochi to steam long enough. When the mochi is done, it will change in color from white to almost translucent, and will no longer taste flour-y and gritty. It will also be very, very gummy. It’s better to cook for a longer time than too short a time, and as far as I can tell, it’s hard to overcook. If the mochi hasn’t been steamed enough, it will not hold its shape.

Handling:

Allow the mochi to rest until cool enough to handle on a heavily mochiko-dusted surface. There is no need to work with it while it is burning hot. Over time, mochi will form a skin as it cools, so if you can work with it before the skin forms, that is best. But, if a skin does form, it can be kneaded away pretty well.
I also feel there is no need to roll it out or cut it into circles. Just divide the dough with a mochiko dusted knife, bench scraper, or pinch apart with your fingers!
Pinching closed and shaping takes some practice, so be kind to yourself if your daifuku doesn’t look perfect the first time.
Warning: too much flour call keep the mochi from sticking to itself and pinching closed, so brush excess flour off whenever possible.

Step-By-Step Mochi Preparation Photos

Keep scrolling for the recipe!

Mochi Recipe

Note: Double or triple batches can be made, but the steaming process will take longer for both microwave and stovetop preparations.

Plain
Makes 4 daifuku mochi cakes
½ cup mochiko sweet rice flour
1 tbsp + ½ cup water
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
2.5 tsp corn syrup
Pinch salt
2-3 tbsp red bean paste, 4 strawberries, or diced fruit for filling

Coconut
Makes 4 daifuku mochi cakes
Note: because of the fat content in the coconut milk, this mochi is less sticky and softer in texture. This coconut mochi also hardens in the fridge quicker than mochi made with water or juice, so its best eaten the day it is made.
½ cup mochiko sweet rice flour
¾ cup coconut milk
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
Pinch salt
2-3 tbsp red bean paste, 4 strawberries, or diced fruit for filling

Matcha Green Tea
Makes 4 daifuku mochi cakes
½ cup mochiko sweet rice flour
2 tbsp + ½ cup water
1 tsp matcha green tea
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
2.5 tsp corn syrup
Pinch salt
2-3 tbsp red bean paste, 4 strawberries, or diced fruit for filling

Mango
Makes 4 daifuku mochi cakes
Note: mango tends to be stickier than the other flavors. If it is too sticky to handle, knead in mochiko after steaming.
½ cup mochiko sweet rice flour
1 tbsp ground freeze dried mango (pound in a bag with a meat tenderizer or pulse in a food processor. Its okay if there are some bigger pieces, they will dissolve!)
1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
Pinch salt
2 tbsp + ½ cup water or mango juice
2-3 tbsp red bean paste, 4 strawberries, or diced fruit for filling

Strawberry Mochi Recipe
Makes 4 daifuku mochi cakes
½ cup mochiko sweet rice flour
1 tbsp ground freeze dried strawberries (pound in a bag with a meat tenderizer or pulse in a food processor. Its okay if there are some bigger pieces, they will dissolve!)
1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
Pinch salt
2 tbsp + ½ cup water
2-3 tbsp red bean paste, 4 strawberries, or diced fruit for filling

Microwave Preparation (Suggested):

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl until smooth. The bowl should not be more than ⅔ of the way full of batter. The mixture will be similar in consistency to a cake batter.
2. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. (If the plastic wrap is too tight, condensation will not be able to escape and will drip back down into the mochi. It can also overflow!)
3. Microwave on high power for 1 minute, then stir with a heat proof silicone utensil. When you stir it, it will be lumpy, and that’s okay! It doesn’t need to be smooth. Use oven mitts and be careful of steam when removing the plastic wrap and stirring. Re-cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and continue microwaving and stirring one minute at a time until the mochi is no longer white, but has a more translucent quality and is very gummy. This usually takes about 3-4 minutes, but will vary depending on your microwave. It’s better to cook longer to be safe than to undercook– undercooked mochi will not hold its shape.
4. Turn out the mochi on to a plastic cutting board or work surface that has been generously coated in a solid layer of mochiko. Sprinkle more mochiko on top of the mochi. Pat the mochi out to a half inch thick disk. (Be careful, it will still be hot!)
5. While still warm but cooled enough to handle, shape your mochi. For daifuku, use a knife or your fingers to divide into four pieces. Use your fingertips to knead each piece into a ball, then flatten into a disk with your palms. Fill each disk with 2 tsp of red bean paste or fruit and use your fingers to pinch closed around the filling. Roll the daifuku in mochiko or potato starch, and place in a paper cupcake liner.
6. For mini mochi pieces, coat the blade of a knife in mochiko or potato starch, and cut into ¼” square pieces. Coat the pieces in more mochiko or potato starch.
7. Mochi can be kept at room temperature for several hours, or, wrapped individually in plastic wrap (this will keep it from drying out and becoming hard) and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or two weeks in the freezer. But mochi is best eaten the same day it is made!

Stovetop Preparation:

1. Make a double boiler by fitting a heat proof bowl into a pot. Fill the pot with a few inches of water, being sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Bring the water to a boil and set the bowl aside. (The water should remain fully boiling throughout the cooking process. If the water isn’t boiling, the mochi will take much longer to cook.)
2. Whisk together all ingredients in the heat proof bowl until smooth. It will be similar in consistency to a cake batter.
3. Return the bowl to the boiling pot, cover with a clean kitchen towel, then cover with a lid. The towel will absorb condensation so it doesn’t fall back into your mochi.
4. Steam for 20 minutes over boiling water, stirring once halfway through. When you stir it, it will be lumpy, and that’s okay, it doesn’t need to be smooth! Use oven mitts and be careful of steam when removing the lid. Steam until the mochi is no longer white/opaque, but has a more translucent quality and is very gummy. This usually takes about 20 minutes, but can vary. It’s better to cook longer to be safe than to undercook– undercooked mochi will not hold its shape.
5. Remove the bowl of mochi from the double boiler and turn out on to a cutting board or work surface that has been generously coated in a generous layer of mochiko. Sprinkle more mochiko on top. Pat out to a half inch thick disk with your hands. (Be careful, it will still be hot!)
6. While still warm but cooled enough to handle, shape your mochi. For daifuku, use a knife or your fingers to divide into four pieces. Use your fingertips to knead into a ball, then flatten into a disk with your palms. Fill each piece with 2 tsp of red bean paste or fruit and use your fingers to pinch closed around the filling. Roll the daifuku in mochiko or potato starch, and place in a paper cupcake liner.
7. For mini mochi pieces, coat the blade of a knife in mochiko or potato starch, and cut into ¼” square pieces. Coat the pieces in more mochiko or potato starch.
8. Mochi can be kept at room temperature for several hours or wrapped individually in plastic wrap (this will keep the it from drying out and becoming hard) and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or two weeks in the freezer. But mochi is best eaten the same day it is made!

I teach this guide as a hands on class at The Works Seattle. Come see me and make your own mochi in class! 

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