Bring home a taste of Hawaii with this oh-so-delicious Butter Mochi! Made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour), this classic Hawaiian sweet treat will have everyone drooling. You’ll love the chewy, buttery texture and tropical flavor of this dessert that’s part Japanese mochi and part local coconut cake. It’s so simple to make and perfect for your next potluck party or family get-together.
Crisp caramelized edges, chewy and gooey in the middle with fragrant coconut flavor, butter mochi is one of the most popular desserts in Hawaii. It’s a sort of hybrid dessert combining Japanese mochi with local coconut cake.
My family has enjoyed our fair share of butter mochi—from Shueido, a Japanese confectionery store in San Jose, to souvenirs from Hawaii to Naomi’s homemade one (she’s a JOC team member). Today I’m sharing our family’s favorite version. It’s rich but not too sweet with subtle hints of vanilla, butter, and coconut. The interior is wonderfully chewy and the crust is addictively crispy.
If you love a sweet treat and all things mochi, you have to make this!
Table of Contents
What is Butter Mochi?
Butter mochi is a favorite local Hawaiian sweet made of butter, mochiko flour, coconut milk and some kind of other milk (evaporated or whole milk). It’s pretty much a coconut custard glutinous rice cake that is chewy and slightly sticky on the inside and crispy on the outside. Baked in a pan and cut into squares, butter mochi may look plain but it’s a true staple dessert in Hawaii. The locals would serve it at potlucks, parties, or any gatherings.
Like many things in Hawaii, it can be difficult to trace the exact origins of butter mochi, but it is certainly a result of many layers of cultural influences. Some claim that it is based on a bibingka, a Filipino coconut rice cake, and another popular Hawaiian sweet, chichi dango (乳団子), which was originally from Hiroshima.
Butter mochi started getting more popular even outside of Hawaii, and now you can find a pre-mix box version at Trader Joe’s in the US. It’s a simple dessert but that’s the allure of it.
The Recipe Inspiration
Since butter mochi is not something I grew up eating, I had to do a bit of tinkering to achieve the perfect one that gets the final votes from my family. I started by researching online and creating a spreadsheet to compare everyone’s ingredients, just like how I did with my Furikake Chex Mix.
Soon I realized that all the top ten recipes have the same ingredients with a slight difference in amount, so it was all about finding the right ratios that suit our taste. I think my kids loved this recipe testing stage more than any other tests I’ve done. After I’ve done 8 different trials in total, we all agree this final version was the best. Luckily, my neighbors enjoyed the multiple butter mochi drop-offs.
You’d find that most recipes say it only last for 3 days, but I’ve also tested freezing my butter mochi and it tastes just as amazing after defrosting and microwaving to warm it up a little.
Just like any other home cooking, it’s really up to you how you and your family enjoy it. Experiment with what you like, and use the recipe I share today as a base and adjust from there.
How to Make Butter Mochi
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter
- Mochiko (glutinous rice flour) – I’ll talk more about this ingredient below.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Unsweetened coconut milk
- Evaporated milk
- Vanilla extract
As you see above, ingredients for this recipe are all pantry-friendly. If you have butter and eggs, you can make this any time! If you have an unexpected guest over, butter mochi is a great dessert to make, especially when you serve it warm.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Preheat the oven, grease the baking pan, and melt the butter in the microwave.
- Mix all the ingredients (I used my stand mixer, but you can hand-whisk).
- Pour the batter into the baking pan.
- Bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.
- Let cool slightly, cut into pieces, and enjoy!
What is Mochiko?
Mochiko (餅粉, もちこ) is a fine white gluten-free flour made of glutinous/sweet rice. It’s an ingredient in wagashi (Japanese traditional sweets), such as daifuku mochi, yatsuhashi, senbei rice crackers, and dango.
It’s also used in Korean desserts, Filipino bibingka-style confections, and some Chinese dim sum dumplings. In Hawaiian cuisine, it’s used as a coating for mochiko chicken, butter mochi, chi-chi-dango, and cakes.
Mochiko from Koda Farms is most well-known product in the U.S. and can be found in Japanese, Asian, and well-stocked American grocery stores.
Butter Mochi Toppings
I highly recommend sprinkling unsweetened coconut flakes on top of the batter before baking. You could also add them to the batter and mix them all up.
Butter Mochi Tips
- Thoroughly grease the baking pan. This will help to achieve clean-cut pieces when you slice the cake. I love the buttery crispy crust (they are all mine!) so I take it seriously. If the butter wrapping has some residual butter, use it to grease the pan. You can also use the leftover in the bowl/measuring cup after melting the butter for greasing. No waste!
- Mix until no lumps! No need to worry about overmixing! Since mochiko (glutinous rice flour) is not wheat flour, we don’t have to worry about overmixing this batter.
- For crispy edges and a chewy center, bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes. I should mention that every oven is different (size, gas/electric, etc), so you may want to test and adjust. A lot of recipes online suggest baking at 350ºF (177ºC) while only a few suggest 375ºF. I personally like to bake mine at 375ºF for 45 minutes for crispy edges and a chewy center. Make sure an inserted skewer comes out clean.
FAQs
Can I make this recipe in two 8×8-inch baking pans?
Yes, you can either use two 8×8-inch baking pans or cut the recipe ingredients in half to make one 8×8-inch baking pan.
How can I make a small portion?
I know you’d ask because I used to think the same!
I used to make one 8×8-inch pan. Then, I realized that I preferred to empty out the entire box of mochiko and two cans (coconut and evaporated milk) instead of keeping the half. I don’t use these ingredients for other recipes. If you do, please feel free to make half portion!
So for those of you who feel this portion is too much, may I suggest:
- Give half of freshly baked butter mochi to neighbors, friends, and family. They will love you and wait for your next delivery of butter mochi!
- Enjoy the quarter for yourself and family (next 3 days).
- Freeze the rest when the butter mochi is completely cooled. See below.
Can I freeze the butter mochi?
Yes, I highly recommend freezing on day 1 (don’t wait till day 3) while the butter mochi is fresh!
Wrap each piece in plastic to avoid freezer burn, drying, and sticking. Then, place them in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze them for up to 1 month (for better taste) to 2 months (I think it still tastes ok).
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Microwave for 5-10 seconds before serving.
I miss eating butter mochi once in a while. It’s really nice to be able to enjoy a few pieces with my afternoon tea!
Can I use other types of milk instead of evaporated milk?
Yes! As I explained in my post earlier, many recipes online use whole or reduced milk to make butter mochi instead of evaporated milk. Evaporated milk makes the batter creamier and thicker than regular whole milk. We don’t keep whole milk in my house so I like using evaporated milk for this recipe as I can keep one can of both evaporated milk and coconut milk in my pantry all the time, and when I feel like I want to make butter mochi, I can quickly make it.
If you’re from Hawaii and have a family recipe that you’d like to share, please do so in the comment below.
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Butter Mochi
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick; plus more for greasing the pan)
- 1 lb mochiko (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (1 box Koda Farms brand)
- 1½ tsp baking powder (use 1 tsp for a slightly less fluffy version)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 (13½-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).
- First, melt ½ cup unsalted butter: Place the butter in a liquid measuring cup and microwave for 60–70 seconds (W1000). Alternatively, you can melt it in a pot on the stovetop. Set the melted butter aside. Keep the butter wrapper for the next step.
- For one batch, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (or two 8 x 8 x 2-inch pans) with the butter left on the wrapper; you also can use neutral-flavored oil, if you‘d like. I use the leftover butter on the wrapper first, then use additional butter if needed. Later, once you pour the melted butter into the batter, you also can use the leftover butter in the measuring cup to grease the pan with a pastry brush.
To Make the Batter
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 lb mochiko (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour), 1½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and whisk to combine. It‘s important to equally distribute the baking powder and salt into the mochiko flour. Set it aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl or a large bowl, crack 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) and add 2 cups sugar. Tip: You will stir the batter at low speed (Speed 2 on the stand mixer), so you can use a hand whisk, electric hand mixer, or stand mixer for this job.
- Whisk at low speed (by hand or on mixer Speed 2) the eggs and sugar together until creamy.
- Add 1 (13½-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Add 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk and stir to combine.
- Add 2 tsp pure vanilla extract and mix. Then, slowly add the melted butter to the mixture while mixing.
- Whisk well to combine everything.
- Next, add the dry ingredients all at once to the mixing bowl and whisk to incorporate everything.
- Stop mixing and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula to make sure there are no lumps. Then, start mixing again until the batter is homogeneous and smooth.
To Bake
- Pour the batter into the center of the prepared pan. Using the silicone spatula, draw a zigzag around the center of the pan to smooth out the batter. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Tip: If you don‘t smooth out the batter, the finished butter mochi may have a ripple mark or air bubbles on the surface. Note: If you like to add unsweetened coconut flakes, sprinkle them on top.
- Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. The mochi should be set and golden brown on top.
- Set the baking pan on a wire rack and let the butter mochi cool. You can either slice it into clean-cut pieces or serve it directly from the baking pan. To serve from the pan, leave it to cool completely on the wire rack for about 1 hour before slicing and serving. To slice clean pieces, let the mochi cake cool for 30 minutes. Remove it from the pan while it‘s still warm by running an offset spatula or butter knife along the edges to release it.
- Then, invert the butter mochi cake onto a tray or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Next, flip the butter mochi right side up: Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the cake, followed by a cutting board. Then, hold the cookie sheet and the cutting board together, with the butter mochi sandwiched in between, and flip it over onto the cutting board. Remove the cookie sheet and parchment paper and save it for wrapping the butter mochi later.
To Serve
- Slice the mochi cake into small pieces. I cut 6 columns and 4 rows from one 9 x 13-inch baking pan to make 24 pieces that are about 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm). I read that a plastic knife won‘t stick to the butter mochi, but I don‘t have one, so I just rinsed my knife once halfway through slicing.
- I usually cut the 2 x 2-inch pieces in half because it‘s easier to eat. To keep them from sticking to each other, I separate each piece on the bottom and sides with small squares of parchment paper that I cut using the two sheets I repurposed from flipping over the butter mochi cake.
- Enjoy the butter mochi at room temperature. I personally like mine slightly warm, so I microwave it for 5–10 seconds before eating.
To Store
- Keep the butter mochi in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you‘d like to keep it longer, wrap each piece (or the portion you will serve at one time) in plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn and drying out. Then, place them in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving. Serve at room temperature or heat in a microwave for 5–10 seconds, if you‘d like.
Thanks for this delicious recipe, Nami! I had too much to eat within 3 days so I freezed the remainder. Thawing (while I was travelling for 5 h) and steaming it was still delicious.
Hi Rosalie, Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We are glad to hear that the freezing technique worked well for you! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Happy Baking!
Soo good!!! Tried this for dessert this evening. My family is also crazy about your furikake Chex mix recipe!! Thank you Nami
Hi Jill! Aww. Nami and all of us at JOC are so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed Butter Mochi!
Thank you so much for trying many of our recipes from our site and for your kind feedback!
Happy Baking!
Hello,
Following your recipe, my butter mochi came out very dense like nian gao and without the crumb-like texture you appear to have for yours. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might have gone wrong?
Hello, Amelia! Thank you for attempting Nami’s recipe!
The dense texture might be due to the way you mixed the ingredients or to a lack of power in your baking powder. Use fresher baking powder, and combine the eggs and sugar until very creamy.
We hope this helps!
Thank you so much!
Hi,
This may seem like a silly question, but is evaporated milk the same as condensed milk? I’m Irish living in France and the only milk that I have ever seen in a can is condensed milk (usually made by Nestlé) – it can be either sweetened or unsweetened. It’s what we use to make the caramel for banoffee for example! Really keen to try out this recipe as I bought some glutinous rice flour a while back but never made anything with it!!
Hi Elaine, Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe! The main difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk is consistency. The evaporated milk is thin and easily poured into a stream.
If you can’t find evaporated milk, it would not be exactly the same, but you may replace it with half and half or whole milk. Even combining unsweetened condensed milk with milk should work.
We hope this helps!
Thank you for this! I had tried other recipes and they never quite came out. Yours works like a charm. I adjusted a few things when making a batch of pumpkin pie butter mochi. And then a guava based version. Both came out great with your recipe as a basic guideline. My mom and the rest of my family thank you! We love all your recipes!
Hi Kelli, Wow! Pumpkin pie butter mochi and guava butter mochi both sound amazing.🤩
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
Hello Kelli, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I was curious about your adjustments for a pumpkin pie version? I have made the original butter mochi here and thought it was amazing, and now I am considering making it a a bit festive to share at Thanksgiving potlucks!
What is the bake time for 2 – 8×8, instead of the 9×13?
Hi Carey! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
The baking time should be the same as for 9×13, but keep an eye on it and adjust as needed.
We hope you enjoy the Butter Mochi!
Looks delicious. Can I make in a muffin tin?
Lisa! Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post and try her recipe!
The muffin tin should work, but the baking time needs to be adjusted. Try the same temperature with half the baking time and see how it goes.
We hope this helps!
Hi, thank you for all your great recipes! I am looking forward to trying this recipe. Question- have you ever added sweetened coconut flakes to this cake? If not, do you think that would work?
Hi, Susan! Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post and try her recipe!
We’ve never used it in this recipe, but in other recipes, 1/2 cup of coconut flakes are sprinkled on top of the butter and baked.
We hope this was helpful!
This was so delicious I just made this! I didn’t want to use so much sugar, and I only had expensive turbinado sugar, so I only used one cup instead of two cups. Also I used regular whole milk instead of evaporated milk. Mine turned out much more mochi than cake, which is actually what I wanted. So delicious and chewy! Also, I love that the recipe uses a whole box and the whole can of coconut milk.
Hi Cindy! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and experimenting with her recipe!
We are glad to hear it worked out well for you and that you enjoyed the new texture!
Thank you for sharing the experience. 😊
If I only have 400g of glutinous rice flour, do I need to add an extra 54g to the AP flour? Or make it as is without the missing 54g?
Hi Jane, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
The texture will be different if you use all-purpose flour. How about adjusting the amounts of the other ingredients to achieve the same ratio? Try changing the serving scale to 21 pieces.
We hope this was helpful!
OMG, I LOOOOVE butter mochi! A local restaurant makes an ube variation that is to die for (do you have any tips on coverting this recipe to use ube flour, since I have some already?). I can’t wait to try this version here at home! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kelly! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
We don’t have an Ube butter Mcochi recipe, but it sounds delicious! We will add it to the requested list.
Thank you for your request!😉
Could I use brown sweet rice flour?
Hi Kit! Thank you for reading Nami’s post and experimenting.
We’ve never tried this recipe with brown sweet rice flour before, so we’re not sure what to expect.
We anticipate that it will require slightly more liquid than the recipe calls for. Please let us know how it goes if you try it! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I’m on a dairy free diet. Can I substitute the evaporated milk with coconut milk?
Thanks,
WS
Hi Wan, Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post and try her recipe!
We’ve never tried it, but we’ve seen other recipes that use coconut milk instead of evaporated milk. So it should work, but the texture will be different and the coconut flavor will be much richer.
We hope this was helpful!
I use evaporated coconut milk and vegan butter, comes out amazing. Coconutty and chewy.
Hi Naebi! Thank you so much for experimenting with Nami’s recipe and sharing the experience with us! 😊
Your comment will also help many others. Thank you very much!
How can I make it cookies instead of cake
Hi Kazuto, Thank you for taking the time to read Nami’s post!
You could try flattening the batter and baking it like a flat cake. However, changing the ratio of dry to wet ingredients may make it more suitable for cookie dough.
We hope this makes sense to you.
Namiko,
I can’t wait to make your Butter Mochi cake. However, can you recommend another milk products to use instead of coconut milk?
Thank you,
Nikki
Hello, Nikki! Thank you so much for taking the time to read Nami’s post and try her recipe!
Coconut milk is the most important ingredient in this recipe and omitting it results in a completely different texture and flavor.
If you must omit it, you can substitute whole milk or half and a half for the coconut milk, but the flavor will be different.
We hope this was helpful!
thank you for the suggestions.
Nut Free Wok has a coconut-free version that has been highly received by my co-workers who are allergic to coconut.