What Is Mochi and How Do You Make It at Home? (2024)

Here's why everyone's going mad for mochi.

By

Vanessa Greaves

What Is Mochi and How Do You Make It at Home? (1)

Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table.

Updated on February 16, 2021

Mochi has become one of the most aesthetically pleasing desserts in the world. It's the sweet and sticky ice cream that you will be seeing and hearing a lot about this summer, and for a good reason. If you're not already familiar with this Japanese treat, here's what it is and why it's going to be everywhere soon.

What Is Mochi and How Do You Make It at Home? (2)

What's Mochi?

Mochi (pronounced MOE-chee) is a Japanese dessert made of sweet glutinous rice flour or mochigome. Mochi dough is often tinted with green tea powder (matcha) or other food colorings and wrapped around a sweet center to form a small, bite-sized confection with a chewy, smooth, elastic texture. In its traditional form, this kind of Mochi is filled with sweet red bean paste, but in a more modernized version, pastel-colored mochi dough is wrapped around mini scoops of ice cream to make some of the prettiest frozen treats in town. Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mango, coffee, green tea, and sweet lychee.

In traditional Japanese culture, mochi is considered a "food of the Gods" and a symbol of good fortune and happy marriages. One small piece of mochi is almost the equivalent of eating an entire bowl of rice, so in addition to being a treat, it was also used to provide much-needed sustenance. Mochi is often served as a central part of the Japanese New Year celebration and is used in religious rituals in the Shinto religion.

Where To Find Mochi?

Up to now, packaged mochi ice cream could be found in some market freezer sections (looking at you, Trader Joe's). However, what's all over food-lover's news feeds is what Whole Foods is doing with mochi ice cream. Behold the self-serve mochi ice cream bar: Lucky mochi ice cream aficionados in Chicago and Southern California can currently hit up their local Whole Foods for the full mochi bar experience. The rest of us are relegated to Trader Joe's, Asian specialty stores and restaurants, and some supermarkets. Or we can DIY.

How To Make Mochi at Home

Making Mochi at home is a fun and delicious feat. First, be sure to use the right kind of rice flour. Look for sweet rice flour, sometimes called sweet glutinous rice flour or glutinous rice flour. Despite its name, there's no gluten in glutinous rice flour.

Chef John has an excellent recipe for making mochi ice cream using a plastic-lined egg carton to mold the ice cream balls. So clever! It's vanilla ice cream wrapped up in homemade green tea mochi. The green tea's subtle bitterness works beautifully with the sweet vanilla ice cream.

Get the recipe: Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream

More Mochi Ideas

Wrapping mochi dough around ice cream is only one way to enjoy Mochi. Try these other recipes, too:

What Is Mochi and How Do You Make It at Home? (3)

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What Is Mochi and How Do You Make It at Home? (2024)

FAQs

What is mochi made of? ›

Mochi is made of mochigome, a Japanese variety of sweet glutinous rice, that is soaked overnight, steamed, pounded into dough and molded into various shapes. Some sweet mochi confections contain fillings such as bean paste, ice cream or fresh fruit.

What does mochi taste like? ›

On its own, mochi tastes like rice but has a sticky, stretchy, soft, and chewy texture. However, mochi is very versatile with endless flavor possibilities and is used in a number of different Japanese dishes. Different regions of Japan have different mochi specialties and mochi is also widely used in home cooking.

Is mochi ice cream healthy? ›

Our mochi ice cream is perfectly portioned and the calories in our mochi balls range from 60 to around 85, so it's pretty guilt-free indulgence! Mochi itself is low in saturated fat and very low in cholesterol. Made from starch, which is good for digestion, mochi contains a host of nutrients and vitamins.

Why do Japanese people eat mochi? ›

Mochi Matters

It's more than just a treat. In Japan, it's a symbol of good fortune that was widely consumed by the aristocracy. It represents sustenance for those that need it, as it's incredibly filling. More than that, it's something that we enjoy even today as a treat that many people love.

Do you eat mochi frozen? ›

Mochi ice cream should be slightly frozen when eaten. Although it shouldn't be completely frozen and solid, it should still be soft and cold.

Should mochi be refrigerated? ›

How Long Does Fresh Mochi Last in the Fridge? Fresh rice cakes can typically last in the fridge for about four weeks. It's necessary to store mochi in an airtight container to help keep it from drying out or cracking. You can also put fresh mochi in the freezer for up to three months.

Do you eat mochi in one bite? ›

Eat It Whole

This is the classic way to eat Mochi Ice Cream. The outer rice flour dough makes it easy to hold and it's small enough to eat in just a few bites. When you don't have time to sit down and are running out the door, it makes it convenient to just grab one and eat it on the go.

Can you eat mochi straight from the box? ›

Enjoying Your Mochi

Now that your mochi is prepared, it's time to savor the delicious flavors and textures. Here are some tips for enjoying mochi in a box: Use chopsticks or a fork to pick up a piece of mochi. Take a small bite and savor the chewy texture and sweet flavor.

Is mochi full of sugar? ›

A single serving of 44.0 g (1.55 oz) has 96 calories (kilocalories), 1.0 g (0.035 oz) of fat, but no trans or saturated fat, 1.0 mg (0.015 gr) of sodium, 22.0 g (0.78 oz) of carbohydrates, no dietary fiber, 6.0 g (0.21 oz) of sugar, and 1.0 g (0.035 oz) of protein.

Is mochi anti-inflammatory? ›

The glutinous rice of mochi absorbs all the dirt, oil and toxins of the skin which helps to make it soft and clear. In addition to this, it also helps to reduce sebum production, cleanse clogged pores and diminish inflammation.

What is the best flavor mochi? ›

Matcha and chocolate are the perfect flavors for a tasty daif*cku stuffed mochi dough. A slightly bitter green tea outside balances the creamy, rich chocolate-filling interior. It's an ideal Japanese dessert that's not too sweet yet very decadent.

Is mochi actually ice cream? ›

Mochi ice cream is a small, round confection consisting of a soft, pounded sticky rice dumpling (mochi) formed around an ice cream filling. The ice cream adds flavor and creaminess to the confection while the mochi adds sweetness and texture. The traditional ice cream flavors used are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

Do mochi balls have egg? ›

Traditional mochi does not contain eggs or gelatin. However, some modern variations and flavored mochi may include these ingredients. Always check the ingredients list on the packaging or inquire with the seller if you're not sure about a specific mochi variety.

What the heck is mochi? ›

Mochi (もち, 餅) [motɕi] is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape.

Why is mochi so sticky? ›

If you're wondering why it's so sticky the answer is the same as why most common glues are sticky: the molecules in the mochi are forming weak hydrogen bonds with everything they touch, even your skin!

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