A popular Japanese sweet, Daifuku is a small round mochi stuffed with sweet red bean paste. This recipe shows how you can make this delicious snack at home with quick steam over the stovetop or in the microwave.
Daifuku (大福) or Daifuku Mochi (大福餅) is a type of wagashi (和菓子), Japanese sweets. It’s a small round mochi stuffed with anko (sweetened red bean paste) made from azuki beans. Daifuku is a popular Japanese snack and usually served with green tea.
Watch How to Make Daifuku Mochi 大福餅の作り方
Sweet red bean paste (anko) wrapped around with a thin soft mochi shell. You can quickly steam mochi on stovetop or in the microwave.
I’ve previously shared Strawberry Daifuku recipe on Just One Cookbook, which includes a whole strawberry inside a mochi surrounded by anko filling. While strawberry daifuku is seasonal and available during the springtime, daifuku is available all year around at Japanese confectionery stores and supermarkets.
Mochi is made of short-grain japonica glutinous rice (mochigome). Traditionally, mochi is made through a labor intensive method. The glutinous rice is cooked and pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). We call this mochi-pounding process “mochitsuki (餅つき)”. Then mochi is then formed into round or rectangular shape.
Since it takes quite a bit of time to make mochi from scratch (oh but freshly made mochi does taste amazing!), so we can also make mochi with shiratamako or mochiko (glutinous rice/sweet rice flour). The flour is mixed with water and steamed either on the stovetop or in the microwave. With this quick method, sticky tasty mochi is ready in no time. Today I will show you how to make mochi with these quick methods.
Daifuku is most commonly filled with red bean paste, but some are filled with white bean paste (Shiroan, 白餡). There are also mochi which is colored and flavored with kinako (soy bean flour), yomogi (Japanese mugwort), matcha green tea powder, or a touch of red food coloring.
Red bean filling has usually two types: koshian (fine texture) and tsubuan (coarse texture). Personally I prefer tsubuan with its coarse texture and azuki bean skin still kept in the paste, but it’s up to you which red bean paste you prefer as filling. Homemade red bean paste tastes much better (recipe here), but if you like to save time, purchase premade red bean paste from a Japanese supermarket.
If you are interested in learning about wagashi, check out Wagashi Guide: History of Japanese Confectioneries.
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- ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (¾ cup = 100 g)
- ¾ cup water (¾ cup = 180 ml)
- ¼ cup sugar (¼ cup = 50 g) (See Notes)
- ½ cup potato starch/cornstarch (½ cup = 100 g)
- 1½ cup red bean paste (anko) (I use “tsubuan”, see Notes for homemade recipe)
- ¾ cup Mochiko (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (¾ cup = 115 g)
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Gather all the ingredients.
- Combine shiratamako and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk all together.
- Add water and mix well until combined.
- Microwave Method: If you’re using a microwave to cook mochi, cover the bowl with some plastic wrap (do not cover too tight). Put the bowl in the microwave and heat it on high heat (1100w) for 1 minute. Take it out and stir with wet rubber spatula. Cover again and cook for 1 minute. Stir again, cover, and cook for 30 seconds to finish cooking. The color of mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
- Steaming Method: If you’re using a steamer, cover the steamer lid with a towel so the condensation won’t drop into the mochi mixture. Put the bowl into a steamer basket and cover to cook for 15 minutes. Half way cooking, stir with wet rubber spatula and cover to finish cooking. The color of mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
- Cover the work surface with parchment paper and dust it generously with potato starch. Then transfer the cooked mochi on top.
- To prevent from sticking, sprinkle more potato starch on top of the mochi. Once it’s cool down a bit, you can spread the mochi into a thin layer with your hands or with a rolling pin. Make sure to apply potato starch on your hands and the rolling pin. I recommend using a rolling pin because it’s easier to evenly spread out.
- Transfer the mochi with parchment paper onto a large baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the mochi is set.
- Take out the mochi from the refrigerator and cut out 7-8 circles with the cookie cutter.
- Dust off the excess potato starch with a pastry brush. If you find some sticky part, cover the area with potato starch first then dust off. Place a plastic wrap on a plate and then mochi wrapper on top, then lay another layer of plastic wrapper down. Repeat for all wrappers. With leftover mochi dough, roll into a ball and then flatten into a thin layer again and cut out into more circle wrappers (I could make about 12 mochi wrappers).
- Now we’re ready to make daifuku mochi. On the work surface, place one sheet of plastic wrap with a mochi layer on top. Using the cookie scoop, scoop out anko on top of the mochi wrapper.
- Pinch the four corners of the mochi layer together to wrap the anko. Then pinch the remaining corners together.
- Put some potato starch on the sealed area and set aside. Continue making the rest of daifuku mochi. Store in a cool dry place (refrigerator in summer months) and enjoy within two days.
Granulated sugar: Do not omit sugar as it helps mochi stay softer.
Red bean paste (anko): Homemade recipe, click here.
Equipment you will need:
- A cookie dough scoop (smaller than an ice cream scooper)
- A rolling pin
- 3.5 inch (9 cm) cookie cutter or a round bowl
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Holy moly, I can’t believe you make this! Wow, this is AWESOME. I am obsessed with mochi in any shape or form. (Ps I love your spam test below. It always makes me giggle when I’m feeling a bit slow and I have to stop to think what the answer is to a question like “X + 3 = 6”? I wonder if any of my comments haven’t gone through because I got the answer wrong!!
These are just so beautiful with the strawberry inside! I also like the fully red bean version.
Although I’m unlikely to make mochi myself, the ones I’ve tasted (sesame seed filling) were delicious. I’m looking forward to buying and tasting other flavours soon. The mochi ice cream is very tempting however. 🙂
Thanks for the Mochi dough recipe. Just made a batch and the consistency is perfect!
Hi Kat! I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks for your kind feedback. 🙂
Love Daifuku.
Made them ages ago and nearly burn my palm 🙁
Next time I made daifuku, I’ll definitely use your method 😀
Oh these look cute and delicious 🙂 Something I have never tried thought 🙂
These are one of my favorite type of Japanese snacks. It takes practice to make them chewy. A good tip is to mix the dough 100 times! You can even add a little food coloring to the water to make the dough a pretty pastel color.
Thank you for the tip, Dee! 🙂
I’d definitely want to make mochi the quick way, at least at first. Such an interesting dish — it’d be fun to experiment with different fillings. Super recipe — thanks so much.
Wagashi are the real jewels and every time I saw a shop or a stall in a department store selling wagashi I thought I could stare at them for ages… I do remember your strawberry daifuku very well. They are among the most gorgeous things you have ever posted. These look so cute and as always you make the process seem so easy…
I made them the other day but it was a little difficult to fold them together. Do you have any tips for that? Flavour wise, they are absolutely delicious! I love daifuku with shiroan and strawberry! Thank you for the recipes!
Hi Joyce! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Glad you enjoyed the taste (I love that you made this with shiroan and strawberries!). I’m not sure if you are aware but I have Strawberry Daifuku recipe here where I shared step by step instructions.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/strawberry-daifuku/
Hope that helps?
I LOVE daifuku mocha and can’t to make my own! Will you be posting recipes for other fillings (sesame seed, green tea, etc) soon?
Hi Linda! Hmm maybe one day! Thank you for your suggestion! 🙂
Oh yes, please pleeeeeeease post a recipe of green tea daifuku! I tried them once in Kamakura and it was love at first sight <3 I think with sesame filling would be interesting as well 🙂 Thank you, Nami!
Thank you for your interest, Alina! I love matcha desserts… and there are so many matcha desserts I haven’t made for the blog. 🙂
OH MY! Nami, I remember eating this daifuku in a bakery in Hong Kong, called Yamazaki. I loved these every time I ate them. Sadly, I have not seen daifuku anywhere here in Mumbai. So your recipe is a boon. Thanks!
I love watching you make mochi! Is your rolling pin specially coated with Teflon? And if I were to add matcha powder to the mochi, would it be about a teaspoon? Thank you in advance!
Hi Donna! Yes it is! I don’t use it enough to give you a review, but mochi sticks to it, if I didn’t put potato starch a little bit. 😀 For 100 g shiratamako, I think 1 tsp. match is perfect. I can’t wait to make mine with matcha too!
Thank you for your prompt response! 🙂
Beautiful dessert Nami…I dont believe I’ve had these before.
Everything that is home made is better, but sometimes we do not have the time for that, so we have to buy most of the products.
So this mochi is the same you used for the ice creams, rigth?
Thanks for introducing me to them 😀
Delicious recipe!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I absolutely love mochi and would love to try making them. Yours look perfect and so tasty! I can’t wait to try making some for my family, thanks so much for sharing another great recipe Nami 🙂
Such an unusual dessert! These little white balls excited my taste buds!
Quick homemade mochi? With red bean filling (my favorite filling, of everything I’ve tried) – yum! This sounds wonderful. I definitely plan on trying it myself 🙂
Nami-san, making mochi from scratch is not anything I have ever attempted before however with your great step by steps, why not? Every time my husband travels back to Japan, he knows that the obligatory box of sweet mochi treats for the boys and I are a very welcome treat. Perfect for any matsuri or to give away as gifts. How long do you think you can safely keep them in the refrigerator? (Not like that would ever be a problem here as I am sure they would be inhaled on the first day) Take Care, BAM
Hi Bam! Store in a cool dry place (refrigerator in summer months) and enjoy within two days. 🙂
Lovely lil dessert!!!
my grandma used to made a mochi fron black glutinous rice too, it’s delicious even without any filling but dredging in sugary peanut crush
The dough looks very easy to handle I thought it would be stickier. Would love to try these. I think Japanese desserts are probably healthier than the ones I make.
So these are stuffed with beans right? I love how you can totally change the concept of the dish by using fruit or in this case beans. Really versatile and looks yummy!
How pretty is this complete with step by step instructions? I miss daifuku as a treat for sure!
WOW! You would have never know that that little gem was hiding that wonderful sweet paste inside and a strawberry! HOW COOL IS THAT!So love this
へえー、大福こういう風につくるのかあ。 ふんふん、電子レンジでも出来るのね。 正直作ったことないです。 わあーあんこがマジでいっぱい、店で買うのより２倍くらい入ってない？ 食べた～い！
Exquisite! The kind of treat I could eat any time…
Cheers,
Rosa
Those treats looks pretty! I bet they also taste amazing specially those ones filled with stawberries
I love mochi…and these little treat just look delicious…so delicate. I yet have to try with strawberry…
Thanks for the recipe Nami…awesome!
Have a wonderful week 😀
I love all your detailed recipes and photos. You make things look so do-able! : ) I just love these – the texture is so wonderfully addicting and red bean paste filling is my favorite. I’m with you – I also prefer the coarser texture red bean. : ) Your family is so, so lucky to enjoy these homemade daifuku mochi!
What pretty sweets, Nami and I love how there’s a strawberry on the inside. I’ve never seen daifuku being made before and I’m glad you have a quick and easy method for making it. Love how it all gets pinched together xx
After looking at your pictures I want to make some too 🙂 … Have to go shopping!
Those looks exactly like the one from those fancy gift shop! I love daifuku. Your step by step pictures are very helpful, the recipe looks less intimidating now. Nice to learn how to use sweet rice flour, I love mochi a lot and would like try to make them at home 🙂
Super mochi! I love this!!!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
素敵！こしあんと粒あんでもなみさんの大福を食べさせられましたら嬉しいです。（笑）
I love Mochi and always wanted to make it at home. You make it seem so easy. I have these ingredients so now you inspired me to try it. Thanks for sharing. Have a great week, Nami.
Nami, could you send some Daifuku Mochi my way?! 🙂 Would love to have a taste of these delicate sweets. Your images and video are done so professionally!
Nami your daifukus remind me of the Austrian sweet knoedel (dumplings) which they serve as sweets with fruit sauces or just plain. Interesting that our cuisines have so many things in common at times. 😉 Hope you are fine! xo
And I just so happen to have some leftover sweetened red bean paste in the fridge! These mochis looks delicious
Holy cow, these look terrific and I can’t believe they’re home made. Gorgeous!
This sounds wonderful. Never tried daifuku.. hopefully one day I’ll have the chance.
You read my mind Nami! I bought some adzuki beans the other day with the intention of making a red bean paste. My original intention was to make sesame seed balls, but I think I’m changing my mind. Thanks for the instructions and the video!
Nami, I have never tasted Mochi in my life – but I keep looking at your wonderful pictures and your fabulous step-by-step instructions and I must admit that I would love to try them some day. It looks like so much work but I know that it is worth it – these daifuku/mochi look incredibly elegant and so delicious. You always make everything look so “doable” even for peolple like me with not much experience in Asian cooking and dessert making – you keep my hope up that I too will manage some of these lovely recipes of yours – I am totally intrigued by your daifuku for today!
I have been following you on Pinterest and your recipes are so inspiring! I am gonna try my hand at Japanese food soon! 🙂
Oh my..as I was watching it my mouth was watering! What a cool video, and easy recipe when you make it! Now I want some…you know how much I love sweet red beans and on top addicted to mochi. Amazing post!!!!
I love them, I made them only once with a Japanese ‘pastry chef’ and it was quite difficult, I still need the courage to try by myself 🙂
I am so glad you share each step, it makes enjoying your recipes that much easier!! I love this recipe, it sounds and looks so delicious! Gorgeous, Hugs, Terra
Yeeeeeeyyy, I <33333333 Daifuku especially the ones with azuki beans paste! Genius idea using strawberries! Mmmm I must make them!!!!! These Daifuku look so beautiful!!!!!!
Ah, gosh, yours look so perfect! I made regular and ichigo daifuku the other day… They tasted great, but the texture was off, and they were hideous.
I mean, really, they were…super ugly. The next day I made dorayaki with the leftover anko and they were just perfect.
I guess I need more mochi-related practice. Way out in the middle-of-nowhere Southeast U.S. gives me little options when it comes to buying it, so I have to satisfy the craving somehow.
Hi Kai! Well, I had enough practice while I was developing the recipe. 😉 I think the first trial was not as pretty as the picture for sure. Then I start to understand the trick and it got easier to make. When you make next time, I’m sure it will look much better! 🙂
What a perfect little treat!!
Mochi are yummo! I haven’t tried all the flavors yet, but the red bean and green tea mochi are my favorites so far. I definitely want to try the strawberry version. Many thanks!
Hi Ethel! The strawberry daifuku is really wonderful. It’s not easy to make it perfect looking, but with practice and patience, you can make pretty one. Besides the look, the flavor is amazing… Hope you get to try strawberry version! 🙂
Gosh! I am a fan of this Japanese dessert. Will look for the shiratamako this weekend to try out this yummy dessert 🙂
If I can’t find shiratamako or sweet rice flour. Can I substitute it with normal glutinous rice flour with castor/icing/fine sugar?
Hi Sharon! Thank you for asking! 🙂
Personally I have never tried making daifuku or any types of mochi with non-Japanese glutinous rice flour so I can’t tell. But some readers told me that the taste and texture is different and I assume it’s because the ingredient is different. Japanese use short grain rice for glutinous rice flour but Chinese brand (for example) uses long grain rice. I am not sure how different it is as daifuku/mochi… However, if you haven’t tried daifuku/mochi before, maybe you may not notice the difference? I’m not sure how different it could be. Wish I could help you more.
Do we need to cook the potato starch first before using?
Hi Ann! Nope, we don’t need to cook the potato starch at all. 🙂
Holy crap is this ever sticky to work with. I used cornstarch and it still stuck to me, stuck to the bowl, to the rolling pin, to the spoon, everything! Let’s just say mine didn’t look at nice as yours, but still taste delicious. I made matcha and kinako daifuku.
Hi Jenn! Well, mochi is definitely sticky! As long as you coat the surface of mochi AND wherever mochi will attach to with corn starch, it should not stick. But if you miss a spot, even tiny bit, it will stick… And once mochi sticks something and don’t remove it, it gets sticky everywhere. It requires some practice though. I made many times before sharing this recipe, so I know what you are talking about. 🙂 I like your matcha and kinako version!! thank you so much for trying this recipe! 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if I could use regular flour instead of potato starch when flattening out the mochi. Is it possible?
Hi Louise! Unfortunately you cannot use regular flour. Potato/corn starch is edible without being cooked but flour is not. 🙂
We just made this amazing recipe, the explanations are very helpfull, it’s very easy to do! Thank you very much. It’s the birthday sweet for my husband, he don’t like birthday cakes… but he likes mochis 🙂
I’m happy to hear your husband enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
What kind of sugar do you use? Is honey okay?
Thanks!
Hi Tom! Thanks for asking! I updated the recipe – now it says “granulated sugar” instead of just “sugar”. 🙂
Amazing recipe! But keep note that the mochi sticky rice is super sticky when it is out of the boiling pan. Make sure you let the “dough” to cool down before resuming in the shaping of the mochis. View my process here: http://vickywritesblogs.com/mochi-in-the-making/
Hi Vicki! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for sharing your feedback. 🙂 I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Can you use Erawan thai glutinous rice flour (I have this at home) or Bob’s Red Mill sweet rice flour (see this at Wal-Mart)?
Hi Hondo! I was actually surprised that Erawan Thai Glutinous Rice Flour actually uses short grain rice (instead of long grain). Not sure if it’s Japanese short grain rice, but I think texture should be okay. Bob’s Red Mill didn’t say what kind of rice though, but it says you can use for mochi. Let me know if you try both or either one. I’m sure other readers would love to know the result. 🙂 Thanks so much!
Have to figure out how to adapt these mochi recipes to use in my Mochi machine, then I’ll be back to share. I also want to mention, I just use my pressure cooker to cook the adzuki beans – don’t even have to soak them first.
Hi Davilyn! You have a mochi machine! Awesome! You’ll be making from Mochigome (the rice itself) and it will taste so good! I am going to try making with a pressure cooker too!
I made these and your anko recipe over the weekend and they turned out amazing! Soooo easy to make, too. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes 😀 I don’t know if I used the right flour (it was just called “sweet rice flour”) but it seemed to work, anyway!
I was wondering, does the mochi turn out the same if I were to double the recipe (or more)? I guess the cooking/microwave time for it would be a little different, yeah?
Hi Zuza! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for trying my recipe!! The taste of Shiratamako is the best for mochi flavor, but mochiko or sweet rice flour works fine. 🙂
You can double or triple, BUT make sure to work fast as you don’t want to let the mochi sit for a long time while you’re making. The cooking time might need to be increased a bit, but do incremental so you don’t over cook it. Good luck!
I am making these right now! My husband and I tried daifuku for the first time not too long ago and have been dying to eat some more. I love your instructions and how easy you make it. I’m using the same red bean paste you did; do you know how I should store the leftover paste? Does it need to be refrigerated?
Hi Lauren! Hope your daifuku came out well. 🙂 Yes keep in the airtight container and store in the fridge for a week or so. Or I use up all of it to make Zenzai (red bean soup).
I just finished making this and the outside was really doughy and chewy? What did I do wrong?
Hi Calum! The mochi is “chewy” and elastic BUT it’s not doughy… so from your description, it seems like your dough wasn’t cooked completely. Was it somewhat translucent when you heat up? My microwave setting is 1100W. Maybe yours weren’t cooked through yet?
Love this recipe. Where do you get the prong utensil that you serve it with?
We call it Yoji or Kashi Kiri in Japanese… it’s a bamboo fork for wagashi (Japanese confectionery). Usually you can purchase it in Japanese grocery stores, Japanese tea store, and Daiso (Japanese $ store)… I couldn’t find it on Amazon. I brought these back from Japan…
Hey Nami! I’ve been really wanting to try Mochi desserts for a while now and finally got around to making some today! Your recipe for Daifuku turned out great and even though mine came out extra mini, they still tasted amazing! I even added a chocolate truffle to some for variety and those tasted yummy as well 😉 Thanks again for another awesome recipe 😀
P.s. For making savory Mochi, would I either have to buy packs of kirimochi and/or make it from scratch using sweet rice, right? I don’t think I can use shiratamako/mochiko instead to make it but correct me if I’m wrong! Thank you!! 😀
Hi Lexi! Chocolate truffles! Ah I never thought of that idea and I’ll have to make one someday! 🙂 So happy to hear you liked the recipe. Next time will be easier and look better because of this first experience. 🙂
For savory mochi, we use kirimochi. I shared a video/recipe on this post. Hope this helps!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-enjoy-japanese-mochi/
Thanks for the speedy reply Nami! And that post is perfect and really informative thank you. Oh man, now I’m craving all sorts of Mochi goodies late at night! D: Heehee xD
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze them? Or is there any way to extend their shelf life? I’m hoping to make a ton of them for a baby shower of a friend and keep them for three days instead of two because there’s so much else to cook!
Hi Ginny! I think, freezing works IF there is no strawberry inside. When it is defrosted, strawberry might give too much moisture and may end up with soggy mochi. Same reason why I don’t recommend to keep it for more than 2 days. Even for chocolate covered strawberries, it’s hard to keep longer than 2 days. Sorry, I wish there is a solution for your party…
Hi Nami,
I used your recipe for dough, but substituted water for mango nectar. I made the filling from fine desicated coconut and fresh mango, definitely a delicious fusion.
In Japan i found mochi being sold in gift shops everywhere that was simply a folded square of mochi with a little ball of filling in the center, they looked like little flat triangles, do you by any chance know what these are called?
Thank you!
Hi Laura! That sounds really delicious!! I love mango and your mango coconut mochi ice cream sounds amazing!
Hmmm there are so many kinds of mochi and I can’t tell what it is by your description. Unique part about this particular one is flat triangle ball filling? What color was it? If you have a picture, it will be helpful…
Perhaps this is what you had in mind:
Yatsuhashi 八つ橋
A Kyoto specialty 🙂
Oh my gosh, DD! You’re right! What I was thinking, Yatsuhashi is such a typical souvenir sweet, yet I completely didn’t think about it. I was thinking “flat triangle ball filling”… I read the description wrong…. You totally helped us!
Laura, DD is right, I think you mean Yatsuhashi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yatsuhashi
Yes! That is it. I only saw them in gift shops around temples in Kyoto, I thought it may have been a specialty.
Thank you DD!
Hi! Is there any possible way to replace rice flour? It isn’t available very easily for me,and I was wondering if regular flour could work? Thanks in advance!
Hi Lismar! I understand very well that some Japanese ingredients are very hard to find in some countries/areas. Unfortunately, glutinous rice (or same thing if it’s called sweet rice) is absolutely necessary to make mochi / daifuku. There is special stickiness and elasticity and that only happens with glutinous rice/sweet rice. I’m so sorry you can’t find it.
I’m not sure where you live, but you can try online shops. 🙂
I just made these using your microwave method. It was my fist time to make mocha of any type. This is such an easy recipe to follow and such a fun dough to work with. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Melanie! I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! xo 🙂
Hi, if I freeze and then defrost mochi, will the taste be a lot different?
Hi Sam! Do you mean, after you make you freeze? That’s okay. It’s better than keeping in the fridge for a few days. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
I tried and it turned out really well!
But the shop where I usually go to didn’t have azuki beans this time so I switched with peach jam, unespectedly it isn’t that bad.
Anyway I like the anko version more.
Thank you again! 🙂
Hi Lotty! Thank you for trying this recipe! Ohhh peach jam! That sounds delicious though. 🙂 Hope you can try anko version next time! xo
Is it possible to substitute the sugar with stevia on the mochi? I mean, i know you say not to omit the sugar. I may just try it on my own later once I can get some beans. I also wanted to add matcha powder about 1tsp to the mochi. Also substitute sugar in bean paste with stevia as well. I love eating these from.the asian store but they are so high calorie for me when I have to eat every 2hrs for a medical condition. Ao trying to lower the carbs and calories and also trying to loose weight. Both of which the matcha and Azuki Beans may help with my health.
Hi Swift! I haven’t tried the mochi and anko recipe with stevia, so it’s hard for me to say if it works how how it will turn out. If you end up trying, please let us know – maybe other people might think it’s helpful. Hope it’ll work so that you can enjoy! Otherwise… enjoy smaller serving? I know these are addicting!
These are my absolute favorite! I’ve made them three times now, and they’re easy and quick to make. Thank you for your recipe!
Hi Tammie! So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Is there any difference between the microwave version and the steamer version?
Hi Lyn! The result will be the same. 🙂
Hi Nami, I just made this using your recipe. When I added the water to the mochiko, the mixture is watery but it’s kind of thick. I microwaved it like you said but the dough didn’t turn translucent and when I tasted it, it was grainy and paste-y. The dough was very glue-like rather than a dough. Do you know what could be wrong? Thank you!
p.s. we stilled enjoyed the mochi 😉
Hi Asl! Did you use a kitchen scale or cup measurement? Remember, your 1 cup and my 1 cup will be very different so I always recommend using a kitchen scale. That’s one thing. And from what you wrote, it is possible that you didn’t have enough water to mochiko. In the video around 3:00, you will see the color of mochi. It’s not white and it’s kind of jiggly, was yours like that? Since you said grainy and pasty, maybe it didn’t cooked properly. Also each microwave is different Wattage, so you will need to check with yours. I’m thinking it’s the combination of less water and overcook was the issue for your case. 🙂
Hi Nami, thanks for the reply! Yes, I used a ktichen scale for the mochiko. The mochi dough wasn’t translucent nor jiggly, it was pretty much just white even after I microwaved it for 2 1/2 minutes. I thought it wasn’t cooked through, so I microwaved it for another minute but it didn’t change color 🙁 My microwave is 900 watts.
Anyways, thank you and I’ll try to make it again next time!
Hi Asl! I don’t have this microwave anymore but the one I had was 1100W (now 1400W). Do small increments and see how it goes if you make next time. 🙂 In general, mochiko is slightly different texture than shiratamako (I recommend this kind, but hard to find outside of Japanese supermarkets). I’ve made daifuku with both flours, so I know both works fine. Good luck! 🙂
Happy Holidays Ms. Nami !
I tried this recipe today and I loved it !! I had a hard time folding the bottom though so all my daifuku look super funny~
I have a request~ I am not 100% sure if its mochi or dango that you can put on top of your frozen yogurt. I know in Japan, the round ones are dango but there is also another kind of topping that is small and tasty. I think it is mochi, I remember seeing the label. Could you please show us how to make the little mochi that you can just eat plainly or put on top of frozen yogurt or ice cream.
Thank you so much! Sorry for such a complicated and long message!
Merry (early) Christmas and Happy (early) New Year !!!! 😀
Hi JoAn! I am pretty sure your second time will look much better. My first few times were not pretty enough to be on the blog. 😉
“Mochi” has many different types, especially when written in English. This daifuku is probably simply called Japanese mochi when it’s in store, but we have a specific name for each type.
The type you’re talking about is called Gyuhi (求肥). It’s basically the mochi skin you wrap the red bean. After you cook mochi and pour onto the working surface dusted on potato/corn starch, don’t roll out thin like you did for this recipe. Keep it 1/4 inch (8 mm or so) thickness. Once it’s cooled, you can cut into small cubes. And that’s the mochi you use as topping for frozen yogurt. 🙂 You can flavor it or color it as you like before cooking. 🙂
Hi, amazing recipe but I’m wondering why does it lack in texture when I bite into the daifuku, as if it is too soft and not chewy?
Hi Peter! Too soft and not chewy… so you want more texture to it. One way is to increase the thickness of mochi around red bean paste. But if it’s more of texture… then maybe reduce the amount of water. Did you use Shiratamako or mochiko?
Is the potato starch raw or cooked ? Is it the same thing that we use for other cooking ? Does it come on a ready-to-eat style when we buy it from Supermaket? Or I have to find a Japanese brand ? Thanks n sorry I have tons of questions as i want to make it as a party treat this weekend.
Hi Wendy! Potato starch is raw, and yes it’s the same thing you use for cooking. I buy from Japanese or Asian store. Don’t worry about asking me questions. Feel free to ask me anytime. I may not be able to respond right away, but always respond. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/potato-starch/
Thanks for your answer. But if the potato stack is raw, is it ok to coat the mochi with it at the end ? Raw potato starch is edible ?
Hi Wendy! Mochi is always coated with potato starch to avoid from sticking (to your hands or everywhere). It’s very thin layer of raw potato starch, so we consider it is edible. 🙂
Good Morning, I have a question – at the very end you say “don’t omit the sugar” is that the sugar in the recipe or somewhere else? So far so good, except I didn’t see “refrigerate (before rolling)” until after I had the circles cut out. So now it is in the refrigerator. Making Yakisoba Stir Fry for cards tomorrow with mochi w/anko. I’m using the bought anko, I purchased it several months ago before I saw a recipe. Thank You, Martha
Hi Martha! I receive a lot of questions if they can omit or reduce the sugar for this recipe. I know it’s a bit scary to see how much sugar goes in… but to make mochi elastic, soft, and smooth, sugar is absolutely necessary as well as preserving for a long time. Therefore I added in my Notes “don’t omit the sugar”….. Putting in the fridge help cool down a bit faster. It doesn’t have to be cold, when it’s cooled, mochi will set and will not roll back once you cut into rounds. Hope this helps! Enjoy! xo
Hi, your recipes look delicious and easy to make , so I was thinking on starting making some mochi but our microwave broke down, is it possible to make using a conventional oven?
Hi Miguel! You have to use a steamer to make it on the stovetop. If your oven has a steam option, yes you can. 🙂
Hi Nami!
I came across this recipe while looking for a mochi recipe. Do you think that I can double this recipe, but keep the mochi mix in the pan, let it cool, then cut it into bars, similar to chi chi dango? Do you have any suggestions as to how to execute this properly? Please let me know as soon as possible. Also, for future reference can I subsitute the azuki paste with scoops of ice cream, than freeze the result to make mochi ice cream? Thank you so much for sharing this delightful recipe Nami!
Hi Ksenia!
1) I don’t recommend keeping the mochi for a long time as it lose the elastic texture (depending on how long you set aside). Mochi should be wrapped while it still has elastic mochi texture… so by doubling it, I get worried that second batch is waiting for too long. Probably worth giving it a try. I recommend testing this recipe first time though. As you practice you understand how it works and you can work faster and better. A lot of people struggle with how sticky it is, but you know how to deal with it second time better (proper amount of potato/corn starch).
2) I have mochi ice cream recipe similar to this recipe here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/mochi-ice-cream/
Thank you! I’ll definitely try
I’m sad that your recipe uses rice flour instead of pounding mochi rice.
Also, why is the anko SO thick? It’s better when there’s more mochi than anko.
Hi Chris! I apologize for my late response. No, I used glutinous rice flour (or sometimes people call same thing sweet rice flour. Rice flour is different. Glutinous rice flour is same as “mochi rice” you’re referring to. Glutinous rice flour and “mochi” rice are not regular white rice. The thickness of mochi is really up to preference, but in general it’s pretty thin. Just don’t roll out too much if you prefer more mochi for your daifuku.
I made these today! They were very easy to make and delicious (I also used your anko recipe which was fantastic)! The only thing I had an issue with was re-rolling out the dough after already cutting shapes into it. It didn’t seem to want to stick together. I think next time I will separate it into two piles and roll them / refrigerate them separately to make it a little easier. Otherwise it was fantastic! Thank you for the great recipes
Hi Gabby! Thank you for sharing your tip with us! Maybe the dusting was too much. When you pull the mochi, sticky texture comes out, and that’s where you should pinch and seal. Or remove the excess dust the best you can. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami
Hope you are well. I’m thinking to make some green tea mochi and red bean paste filling for my daughters’ birthday party. How much green tea powder should I add to the mochi rice wrapper/dough? Thank you ????????
Hi Lorraine! Start with 1-2 tsp, I’d say… Hope that will work. Happy Birthday to your daughter!
How can I store the 大福 longer? (Was this correct english, apart from 大福? ^_^”)
Hi TIl! If you live in a cool place, you can store in a cool place. But I recommend keeping it in the fridge. Mochi gets hard so maybe wrap with towel so mochi doesn’t get too cold. 🙂
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that your mochi recipe works really well in a rice cooker as well! (ó ꒳ ò✿) Mine’s a small Zojirushi with a cake setting, so I set the timer on that for 15 minutes and it worked beautifully. (I’ll be honest, I forgot I was supposed to stir halfway through. I’m sure a full batch would need it, but the half-batches have worked out really well, so I don’t know?) So far I’ve only made half-batches, but one day I’ll make a full one! I can’t wait for strawberries to come into season so I can make ichigo daifuku, and I’ve been wanting to try cookie dough daifuku as well ever since I read about it. (This is bad. Daifuku is one of my favourite treats because I love mochi so much, and now I know how easy it is to make. (^-^;;))
I’m not sure if it would make much difference in the rice cooker, but I’ve used mochiko for mine so far. If I can find shiratamako I’ll try that too, but if I can’t (or if it’s too expensive) I’m definitely happy with the results from mochiko. Even my partner likes them, which is saying something–he doesn’t usually like mochi at all!
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi Ashley! Wow thank you so much for your kind words! And wow, your rice cooker has a cake setting??? I’m pretty sure mine doesn’t (I don’t read instructions or pay attention to small details LOL) but I think I’ll be in trouble if mochi making is so much easier! I like that rice cooker bowl is non-stick too! Must be very easy to handle. Thank you so much for sharing your tip! I love mochi too… I can eat one with red bean paste every single day (I wish!!!). Thanks so much for writing!
This daifuku looks tasty and U must try it!
Hi Jed! Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
What if the dough is too sticky when you cut out the dough? It seems like we used a lot of corn starch…….
Hi Beth! If the surface of mochi is covered with potato starch/corn starch, it’s not sticky, so whenever you pull or cut the mochi and fresh sticky part appear, ideally you need thin layer of starch on your hand or/and mochi itself. You don’t need a lot of it. Just need thin layer so it’s not sticky. Hope that makes sense?
I accidentally bought a packet of mochitoriko while I was trying to find shiratamako. Would I use this instead of the katokuriko?
Love daifuku, I once saw a sign for fig/ichijiko daifuku in futakotamagawa but they were sold out. I’ve never seen it again so think I’ll make it instead using your recipe.
Hi Angelo! Mochitoriko is perfect use for mochi! “tori” means remove, and “ko” means flour. So basically you got a flour specifically use for covering the sticky surface of mochi! Yes, please use it instead of katakuriko.
Wow fig daifuku!! It must be so good. Let me know how it goes!
Can i make the dough slightly ahead of time? I dont have a microwave and was wondering if I can make it and roll it out ahead of time and how long it will keep like that.
Hi Jamie! I recommend stuffing the filling while mochi is soft and pliable. The reason is not just requiring the soft mochi but it also needs to pinch to close. But if you mean “ahead of time” is like 30 minutes or less, I think it’s still possible. 🙂
Hi I used Mochico instead and it’s taking so long to cook under the steamer, not changing into translucent color too. I followed each steps. Thank you
Hi Mimi! Thanks for trying this recipe! How long did you steam? I have 2 questions: 1) Did you increase the amount of mochiko? 2) Translucent means it’s not solid and it’s the color (?) that light can go through, but it’s not clear. Do you think yours was but you thought it’s not cooked? You know mochi has that light texture, and you can kind of see the resemblance at this stage as you started with white mass.
Ms Nami thank you for immediate response. I actually did double the recipe but I think I also triple the cooking time. It didn’t turn into that kinda clear color but yeah the color changed compared when it was raw.
It still turned out to be okay but it’s just difficult to mold, maybe i made it too thin. It I don’t know if I cooked it too long. How many minutes should I cook it if I double or triple the ingredients. Does the timing starts when the water starts boiling on the steamer. Thank you again.
Have tried it, very delicious, my mom love it, thumbs up! 👍☺
Thank you for the recipe and the details, love
Hi Ale! I’m so happy to hear your mom enjoyed it! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! xo
What brands do you prefer for the azuki beans? Unfortunately, I could only find “organic adzuki” beans vacuumed sealed from China :(. Which I’m not sure I’m Keen on. and glutinous rice flour from Thailand which will probably work from my local China Town grocery. Looks like a good recipe, I plan to follow it.
Hi Sam! I think the glutinous rice flour may work, but I’m not sure if it’s Japanese mochi texture. We use short grain rice flour, and Thailand has glutinous rice dessert, but I assume they are not exactly the same. If you’re in the US, you can buy Koda Farm’s glutinous rice flour and that’s short grain.
Regarding adzuki beans… I hope you can find ones from Japan (Usually Hokkaido). Have you checked any online source or health food store? Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Yes, I am in the US. I think the flour will be ok, I’m used to what I am assuming is the Chinese version.
I couldn’t find any Hokkaido beans online, Amazon wasn’t carrying them that I saw. lol I hate eating stuff from China, for obvious reasons, but who knows what I am eating when I eat at Chinese bakeries. It’s easier not knowing, I am comfortable with Japanese and American food practices.
I find the pre can paste to be too sweet for my liking, I don’t eat a lot of sugar.
Hi Sam! I share the same feelings and sometimes ignorance is bliss… I also couldn’t find it online. 🙁 I also think store-bought paste is too sweet for my taste too. Homemade one is nice as we can control the amount of sugar goes in (although we need a decent amount of sugar to keep it for a longer time).
I never thought mochi would be something I could make in the microwave! it tastes great filled with anko, and is perfectly sweet and chewy. raw cornstarch bothers my stomach, so I recommend heating the cornstarch in a pan before rolling the mochi in it.
Hi Miki! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I love your site and your recipes!
Can I make mochi with this flour?
https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F51FtwVTT-5L._SL500_.jpg&f=1
thank you!
Hi Cat! Please know that this is not short-grain glutinous rice. Just like how Japanese rice is different from other types of rice, the result is probably different. Taste, texture, absorption of water, etc etc… You can make it something similar as both “glutinous rice” but Mochi and Daifuku are always made with short grain. 🙂
This was so easy and delicious to make! I appreciate the metric measurements as I wanted to make a smaller batch and it was easy to halve.
Hi Radhika! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 xo
Hi Radhika! I’m so glad you enjoyed making it! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Loved this recipe! It was super easy to make in the microwave. The tricky part was rolling the dough out but after a couple of tries it went quite smoothly!
Hi Silvi! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m so glad your daifuku came out well! Thank you for the kind feedback. 🙂
Would the measurements of powdered shiratamako be the same as the grainy kind you used? I wasn’t sure, so I bought both the other day. Now I need to find a use for the powder shiratamako.
BTW, i have just cooked the mochi skin and waiting for it to cool off right now.
Hi Mastura! Hmmm Shiratamako is always more granule kind and I am not sure if I had seen 100% fine powdered kind… does it say “shiratamako”? If you use the gram measurement, the weight of powder or granule should be the same? Hope you enjoy the daifuku!
yes, according to the ingredients (translations sticker). Will try to make it with the powder and will let you know the outcome.
BTW, due to so many factors, I only managed to get 8 pieces of mochi from 3/4 cups of the granule shiratamako I did yesterday. Not too shabby for my first mochi, though I need to improve on the mochi skin wrapping. It tasted good all the same.
Will post it on FB soon.
Hi Mastura! I think powder or not, it should be the same. I always wondered why shiratamako is very chunky with irregular shapes. It almost seems like it was a sheet and they break into pieces randomly into smaller chunks (that could have been powder).
Believe me, your mochi making skills will improve with practice. Next time it’ll be a lot easier as you know what you should do to avoid stickiness etc. 🙂
I made your Daifoku recipe and they look about right. The texture of the wrapper is very gummy. Is this normal? Also I cheated a little and rolled it in granulated sugar for a little texture and ease of handling. They were quite sticky. I wish that there were a few pointers as to how it should feel and mouth texture as I am not sure that I cooked the flour enough. Thank you for all of these recipes. It makes life interesting.
Hi Robert! Thank you for trying this recipe! One part that I’m not sure is if you have tried daifuku mochi before. I wouldn’t say “gummy” but it’s hard to describe the mochi texture to someone who never had mochi before. In Japan, mochi’s texture is described as “mochi” because no other food is similar to mochi texture. It’s more like marshmallowy or jelly-like or combination of both than “gummy”. Mochi making is VERY sticky. That’s why we need to coat the mochi surface with potato or corn starch. Without it, it sticks to your hands! It requires some practice so you know how to avoid it and once you know, it’s pretty reasonable (after 1-2 practice times, I’d say). 🙂
Hi Nami!
Yesterday I experimented with the powdered shiratamako as well a glutinous rice flour from thailand which I can easily get in Malaysia (erawan brand).
Verdict?
Powdered shiratamako was a failure. It turned out to be like a cross between agar-agar and konyaku jelly (it’s springy, but its hard as well). I couldn’t roll it flat, and it was crystal clear (color). I’ll be cutting those up into tiny pieces and roll them in powdered sugar later and tell my kids they are candy LOL.
Thai glutinous rice flour I would say a passable substitute (cheaper) for shiratamako (which is quite expensive in Malaysia). Slightly different texture than shiratamako, but it will do. Can’t really tell the difference UNLESS you are used to eating the real deal or if they are put side by side.
My kids loved both (thankfully!)
Hi Mastura! Thanks SO MUCH for your detailed feedback. This was interesting to read! I had never seen “powdered” shiratamako, and it’s very helpful to know it doesn’t work. From the description, it made me wonder if it needed more water OR overcook it. It sounds solidified (as you couldn’t roll out) so that shows lack of moisture and overcook the rice. Sometimes, kneading will go back to the pliable stage, but maybe it wasn’t possible after overcooking. I expected Thai brand to be similar but like you said the taste and texture is slightly different – just like mochiko is different from shiratamako’s taste and texture. 🙂
Thank you again for writing feedback for me and my readers!
Hi Nami!
Guess what? It’s not shiratamako after all. I relied on the translation sticker. When I got a hold of an apps that can translate by just pointing the camera, i managed to get the words ‘potates grown…’ out. Later I met somebody who could read Japanese. She said it’s for thickening (like cornstarch) sauces. So I it was NOT shiratamako in powder form 😅 and that is why it was a failure hahaha.
Hi Mastura! Oh how funny! So you kind of end up making Warabi Mochi (https://www.justonecookbook.com/warabi-mochi/)!! The real warabi mochi is made of bracken starch, but the substitute people recommend is potato starch called Katakuriko 片栗粉. Now it made sense – yesterday I was thinking that description sounds like warabi mochi. LOL!!!!
Thanks for clarifying!! xo
This Daifuku mochi is delicious I love It
Hi Oasis! Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made it twice now, both with the microwave method, and everytime it comes out lovely. I’ve filled them with canned strawbeeries and coconut cream, sweet red bean paste and also cashew nut butter.
Next time I will tey out the steam method
Hi Ellen! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so glad yours come out well every time! Hope you like the steam method as well. 🙂
If I don’t have any baking sheet, am I able to cover the tray with cling wrap?
Hi Fiona! You can use any tray. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I just tried it out and it tastes and works great. I feel like the texture is more like dango than mochi though. (Or is it supposed to be that way?) Any tips with making it less grainy? Your mochi recipe requires a stand-mixer so I came across here, but if you know any other way for getting the same texture I’m all ears.
Hi Maan! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! What type of flour did you use? I’m afraid you used rice flour? Shiratamako or mochiko are very tender. Dango is made with both shiratamako and rice flour, so it has that firmness from rice flour. Daifuku does not include any rice flour so it should stay very soft.
Let me know. I’d be happy to help! 🙂
Hello.my comment for your recipes is so original and full of Japanese Traditional character.
Thank You so much for revealing and teaching how to make Japanese food
Thank you for your kind words and feedback, Jack!
Hello,
Great recipe, I have already made them several times ! Very addictive ! I also tried putting some confit ginger or confit citrus (yellow lemon🍋 ) inside the anko, and both flavor were very good !
I also decreased the sugar to 40% ^^
And I think I prefer the method you explain in the green tea mochi to form them ^^ Even if they risk to have heterogeneous sizes.
Hi Ricardo! Sounds delicious! Thank you so much for your feedback. 🙂
Hi there! I just made your recipe but it seems like I cannot flatten my mochi into a thin layer 🙁 it’s like it keeps “bouncing back” to the original shape and doesn’t stretch out. Is there something I did wrong? Even when I tried to roll the excess dough to flatten it, it didn’t work either 🙁
Hi Claudia! Thanks so much for trying this recipe! What type of glutinous rice did you use? Shiratamako is easy to stretch, but mochiko is not as stretchy. They are both made from short-grain glutinous rice flour but they are made differently, so the texture is a bit different.
Hi Nami,
I gave this a try today and I’m not sure if I did something wrong but after removing my dough from the fridge I had spots of hardened dough as well as spots where the dough was still extremely sticky! What can I do to prevent this if I try again?
Thanks,
Ollie.
Hi Ollie! Do you think it’s possible that it wasn’t mixed or heated properly? It should be even texture…
I’m pretty sure I stirred it fully when I was meant to combining it all to one texture. However when I tipped it out of the bowl there was still some liquid left if that makes sense? Heated for 15 minutes via steaming. I’m probably going to try again next week! The texture was quite odd in places.
Hi Ollie! Thanks for your update. Next time try to mix while steaming if it was patchy earlier. Maybe toward the beginning of steaming time. Be careful not to burn yourself with steam. 🙂
I feel like I have been given a lot of power! Until now I could only find them when visiting my dad in London but now I can make them whenever I please!
(Just curious, are you using US or imperial measurements as they are slightly different. Eg US gal = 3.9L….imperial gal = 4.5L
Hi Kirsty! Thank you for your kind feedback. I use US measurements as I’m based in the US. 🙂
Hi Nami! Love your recipes. I want to make daifuku this week but is there other method besides using the microwave?
Hi Nicole! Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoy my recipes. So we have two methods; microwave and steamers. If you don’t have a microwave, you have to steam it.
If you don’t have a steamer, you can make a make-shift steamer I shared in this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/shumai/
You may need a bigger pot so you can put the bowl inside. You may want to figure out the best steamer setup before starting the recipe. 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe, just made a batch of peanut paste mochi and they are sooooo good and soft. I am really sitting there and admiring the result 🙂
I am now planning to introduce new stuffings like strawberry, mango and kiwi as I feel rather confident with your recipe!