Looking for a fun cooking project with your children? Try Mochi ice cream! The popular Japanese dessert is easier to make than you think. Imagine your kids smiling faces when they bite into their favorite ice cream inside the soft mochi shell.
Mochi Ice Cream is a popular dessert served in some Japanese restaurants in the U.S. and can be purchased in US grocery stores including Trader Joe’s and Costco. Have you had a chance to try? This delightful dessert with refreshing cool ice cream inside a soft mochi shell is one of my family’s favorite, and not that hard to make at home yourself.
What’s the best part of the homemade mochi ice cream recipe? You can put your favorite ice cream inside the mochi!
Important Tips for Making Mochi Ice Cream
I know you probably don’t believe me when I say it’s not that hard to make … but you have to trust me! If you follow my tips below, you CAN make decent mochi ice cream even at the first try!
DOs:
- Keep your kitchen cool when you are working with ice cream.
- Get this cookie scoop (portioning scoop) for creating the same portions and nice half-round shaped ice cream for mochi filling.
- Use a generous amount of potato/corn starch on your hands and working surface to prevent sticking.
- Use a cookie cutter (or small bowl) to cut out mochi into a round shape. A round shape (instead of square-cut) seals the mochi neatly and avoid an excess amount of mochi on the bottom.
- And here’s the secret tip! Wear thin latex gloves to insulate warm hands from ice cream and to prevent your hands from sticking to mochi.
DON’Ts:
- Do not take short cuts until you are comfortable with making mochi ice cream.
- Do not expect to make a perfect shape mochi ice cream for the first few trials. Working fast is the most important when dealing with ice cream.
Difference Between Shiratamako vs. Mochiko
Shiratamako (白玉粉) vs. Mochiko flour (もち粉): I’ve tried making mochi ice cream recipe with both kinds of glutinous rice flour (also called sweet rice flour) but I have to say texture and flavor of mochi ice cream made with shiratamko is much better. To learn the difference between these two types of glutinous rice flour, please hop over to Shiratamako page to read more details.
Steaming vs. Microwave Method
Steaming vs. Microwave: Both methods work well, and it’s really a personal preference. I usually make it with the microwave because it only takes 2 and half minutes to cook mochi. My microwave is 1200W; make sure to adjust your microwave setting accordingly.
Itadakimasu!
Once my children found out that I was making a mochi ice cream recipe, they volunteered right away to taste test all the different flavors. My daughter loves strawberries and my son likes vanilla. What’s your favorite?
Watch How to Make Mochi Ice Cream
Refreshing and delightful dessert with your favorite ice cream wrapped in a soft thin mochi shell.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Mochi Ice Cream
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (can be substituted with mochiko: These are glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) made of Japanese short-grain glutinous rice. More about it here.)
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar (do not omit sugar as the moisture in the sugar helps mochi stay softer)
- ½ cup potato starch/cornstarch
- ice cream of your choice
Substitute for Shiratamako:
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Equipment you will need: 12 aluminum/silicone cupcake liners, a cookie dough scoop (smaller than an ice cream scooper), a rolling pin, and a 3.5 inch (9 cm) cookie cutter or a round bowl/glass cup.
- Using the cookie scoop, scoop out ice cream into aluminum/silicone cupcake liners. The ice cream will melt quickly so I recommend freezing them immediately for a few hours or until ice cream balls are completely frozen solid.
- Once the ice cream balls are frozen solid and ready, you can start making mochi. 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 (1000w) for 1 minute. Take it out and stir with a 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. Halfway cooking, stir with a 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 form mochi ice cream balls. On the work surface, place one sheet of plastic wrap with a mochi layer on top. Take out one ice cream ball from the freezer and put it on top of the mochi wrapper. Pinch the four corners of the mochi layer together to wrap the ice cream ball.
- When mochi gets sticky, put some potato starch on the sticky area and seal the opening. Quickly cover with the plastic wrap and twist to close. Place each mochi ice cream into a cupcake pan to keep the shape. You will need to work on one mochi ice cream at a time in order to keep the ice cream frozen at all times. Put mochi ice cream back into the freezer for at least 2-3 hours. When you’re ready to serve, keep them outside for a few minutes until outer mochi gets soften a little bit.
To Store
- You can keep the mochi ice cream in the freezer for 2-3 weeks. Be careful with freezer burns and make sure to store without air.
Hi
thanks for this recipe. I have a question, after i made them and freeze it ( because i could not finish all 12 at the time ) the flour got so hard. So can we keep it or have to eat all after we make ?
Hi Sujitra! It’s ice cream, so the flour will be frozen too, when you freeze the mochi ice cream. You need to let it defrost a bit before you serve/eat. You will need to freeze the mochi ice cream right after you make them because ice cream inside the mochi is still too soft (and could be runny). You need to solidify the ice cream (same concept for ice cream cake). Hope this makes sense. 🙂
Gonna attempt to make mochi ice cream this weekend!! But babe can you advice where can I get shiratamako / mochiko flour in Singapore?? 🙁
Hi Janelle! I wish I could tell where you can purchase…but I’ve never been to Singapore and have no idea where the Japanese grocery stores are. Shiratamako 白玉粉 should be easy to find if it is a big Japanese grocery store. 🙂
Thanks nami for your reply! I’ve got another question to ask.. normal sugar will do or need to use some specific sugar?
Hi Janelle! Yes, regular white sugar. 🙂
Hello Namiko, if I use steamer, the stove should low/med/high heat?
Thank you
Hi Bul! You need to keep having good steam – probably medium heat to medium heat will be the best. 🙂
Hi !
Thanks for a great recipe which ill definitely give it a try!
I was wondering how long may the Mochis stay in the fridge before the mochi gets stiff??
Hi Fanny! I hope you enjoy this recipe. Are you talking about Step 8 where I put the mochi into the fridge? It’s really just to cool down so that we can cut out into round shape. When it’s hot and very sticky, it’s very hard to cut out the mochi. I hope I understood your answer correctly. Don’t keep it in the fridge too long because it gets dry. 🙂
Do you think the water would sub ok with coconut milk?
Hi S! Someone actually left a comment on my YouTube asking the same question. I’ve never tried making mochi ice cream using coconut milk, so I mentioned so, and the person actually went ahead and tried it.
The feedback was that it wasn’t as nice as regular mochi ice cream. Hope that helps!
Hi Nami,
I have a question about the portion, for the ingredients:
¾ cup (100 g) shiratamako (or ¾ cup (115 g) Mochiko/sweet rice flour)
¾ cup (180 ml) water
¼ cup sugar
½ cup (100 g) potato starch/corn starch
for the 3/4 cup measurements, i noticed it says two different weights for shiratamako and water, which one should i use? the 100g is weighed on the scale? or use 3/4 cup measuring cup? and the water is 180ml by weight?
for the potato startch, 1/2 up is more than 100g, which one should i use? the 1/2 cup or the 100g? i guess it’s less critical for the potato starch, as they are used for dusting.
thanks very much!
Hi Maria! Sorry to confuse you. 3/4 cup weighs differently with Shiratamako and Mochiko. I think I should have written 3/4 cup shiratamako (100g) or mochiko (115g).
3/4 cup = about 180 ml for liquid.
Potato starch should be about 1/2 cup more or less (and yes doesn’t have to be exact).
A lot of my readers prefer to use metric system so I have to weigh and use ml instead of cup measurement. Hope my response makes sense.
Our family love mochi ice cream, special my husband (that guy will give you anything for a mochi ice cream ball). My sister-in-law is a Japanese and I think I can impress her with this recipe. I can totally see her jaw drop when I serve this at dinner…hahaha! Thank you so much.
Hi Leanh! Haha yeah your sister-in-law will be very impressed! 😀 I hope you enjoy this recipe. It needs a bit of practice, but once you know what’s involved in the process, it’ll be easier. I hope my tips in the post will be helpful! 🙂
Hello Nami! That’s look so fantastic! And I just finished making this. Took a lot of effort though. Cause the dough is wayyyy to sticky even after I add, like, a ton of extra corn starch. As much as I enjoy eating this, I don’t think I will make this ever again. 🙁
Hi Fitri! I know, it’s a quite bit of work and until you get used to making mochi in general, stickiness is always an issue. I kind of know how to avoid getting sticky (after testing the recipe many times) but it needs some practice. Although it’s fun and yummy, I won’t make it again unless someone asks or I’m so bored and there are mochi and ice cream. 😀
That looks so yummy and pretty! My favorite flavors are green tea and mango. I love mochi ice cream, but I don’t think I’d try to make it by myself.
Hi Jessica! I totally agree! It’s one of those things that you kinda want to challenge yourself to make (because in my case, readers wanted to know how to make these as they can’t find in their country)… I can get these in my local Asian/Japanese stores or even trader joes so I’m happy with the store bought ones. Homemade is great but this one requires some effort. 😉 It was fun making them though and ate quite a bit while testing recipes! =P
Do you have any advice as far as turning these into “boba” balls to mix into ice cream just like the brown sugar popsicles with boba in it? I’ve read they used mochi in place of the boba. Thanks!
Hi Linda,
We love boba too! But we’ve never used boba before in the recipe, so we’re not sure how the outcome will be… please let us know how it goes!
hello! This recipe looks delicious, but before I make it, can you answer this question? is it okay to substitute sweet rice flour with regular rice flour?? I looked all over my city for sweet rice flour, but the best I could find is the regular kind. I just want to check, because it may not work as well.
Hi Mika, Rice flour and glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) using long-grain rice are not substitutions to either Shiratamako and Mochiko. The textures and flavors of these rice flours are not suitable for making Japanese sweets. To make Japanese sweets, you will have to use Shiratamako or Mochiko. Have you tried online stores? Here is the list of online stores that carry many Japanese ingredients. https://www.justonecookbook.com/online-shops-for-asian-ingredients-goods/ We hope this helps!
I tried following the recipe but the mocha turned out green instead of white or translucent.
Hi Susan! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! How come your mochi turned to be “green”? What kind of glutinous rice flour did you use? Was it shiratamako or mochiko?
I used shiratamako. Also, I did not see this comment so I posted another one by accident.
Hi Susan! Thank you so much for getting back to me. I did extensive research on shiratamako turning into green color but I can’t find any incident online (Japanese websites). I’m sort of lost and I don’t know why yours turn into green… steamed or microwaved? Does your bowl (that used for cooking shiratamako) has some color on it? I try to figure out why but it’s so strange this happens…. I truly wish to help you, but I’m sorry but I really don’t know…
Even though the mochi is green, is it still edible?
Hi Susan! It’s really hard for me to say as I’m not sure why it’s green. Do you still have it? I can take a look if you can send me a photo too. I am not comfortable saying it’s okay to eat since I have never seen green mochi from shiratamko…sorry.
I think she added mocha powder, that’s why it’s green
I’m not sure, as she didn’t mentioned that she added matcha… that will be very obvious reason. 🙂
Hi, I’m wondering, after cutting the circles, can I combine the extra mochi to make more circles? Or what do you do with the extra after you cut the circles?
At 4:50, that’s what I’m doing – using extra to make more circles. 🙂
I love mochi ice cream, I tried this recipe, your explanation and video were super helpful! After I put the mochi ice cream back in the freeze the mochi is super hard, is this normal ?
Hi Diana! Yes, it’s normal. You have to let it defrost a little bit before you eat/serve. The mochi we purchase from the store are very soft because the ratio of higher sugar amount in shiratamako in order to achieve that soft texture when frozen or room temp. For home use, I kept the sugar amount low to be healthier. If you like the mochi to be soft, increase the raito – for store bought ones, it’s 1:2. Hope that helps!
So if I would like to keep all of the other measurements the same but make the mochi softer by adding more sugar, could I add 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 1/4? Would that alter the consistency of the mochi?
Hi Jenna! I looked up in Japanese – it says for mochi like this, the amount of sugar can be half to equal weight as the cooked mochi. So this recipe is good (100g : 55g), or you can increase the sugar to be 1/2 cup (100g : 110g). 🙂
Thanks so much! I will be trying this recipe today 😄
Hi Jenna! Hope it came out well! 🙂
Is it possible to substitute another starch for the potato starch? I am all out right now but really want to make these, can I use tapioca starch or corn starch instead? Will either of those negatively affect the mochi too much?
Thank you!
Hi Sharon! Corn starch is a good substitute, not sure with tapioca starch (are they edible without cooking?).
I had a similar question to Sharon’s. Right now I have to have a very limited diet and potato and corn are both not part of it. 🙁 So I was wondering if I could use more rice flour to keep the dough from sticking, or else tapioca starch or arrowroot starch? Tapioca (cassava) and arrowroot starch are both edible raw. Do you think one or the other of those (or else more rice flour) would be better?
Thank you so much for your help and for your recipe – I love, love, love green tea mochi ice cream and with this limited diet I can’t have it unless I make it at home!!
Hi Lulu! I see. I have never used any flour other than potato or corn starch for rolling mochi and even store bought mochi is coats with either of them. I think rice flour needs to be cooked and not sure you can use it to coat the mochi and straight to eating… Someone told me (either here or YouTube) she used tapioca starch and didn’t work. I wish I can give you a good substitute but I don’t know what else would be good for substitute. Do you think you can find the info at health specialized website or forum?
Nami, the potato and corn starch can be eaten raw? Thanks!
Hi Vivian! Yes. 🙂
Hi, love the blog and the video on how to make mochi ! I was just wondering how many mochi balls were you able to make?
Hi Elizabeth! It’s 12 pieces. YouTube video is just to show the quick method, and I usually write detailed directions on the website. Please see the directions above. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
What should the steamer be set on? High, medium, or low?
Hi Taiga! Once it’s steaming, you can lower the heat to low or medium low, but make sure it’s still simmering. 🙂
I just made this, and while it was as ugly as you could possibly imagine, it turned out great as a treat for a friend 🙂 will get that cookie scoop to make things prettier the next time, and avoid using softer ice cream, the softer flavour melted <.<
cheers and thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sien! Next time will be prettier as you know what to do instead of trying to understand the directions while you’re actually making it. 🙂 Having a cookie scoop in the kitchen is great! I use it to make meatballs (so all same size!) and scoop the batter (same amount) etc. 🙂 Scooped ice cream needs to remain in a ball shape so we can wrap the mochi around it. 🙂 Thank you for your feedback! xo
I’m so happy to see a mochi ice cream recipe! Yours looks so good! Can’t wait to make this recipe. Is the potato starch only to prevent sticking? Or is some added to the bowl before cooking?
Hi Dina! So sorry for my late response – I was traveling and couldn’t get back to you sooner. Yes, we only use potato starch to prevent from sticking. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hi Nami. Do I need to cook potato or cornstarch before using this Mochi ice cream recipe? Please reply. Thanks so much.
Hi Isabella! Nope, no need to cook potato/corn starch. When you eat store-bought mochi, you’re actually eating it (without realizing it). 🙂
From the response you gave below, if we want the mochi to be soft like the store bought ones. The ratio is 1:2. Does this mean 1 part shiratamako and 2 parts sugar? For your recipe above, I would use 100 g of shiratamako and 110 g of sugar then? Please clarify for me. Thanks.
Hi Ann! No, sugar should be half of shiratamako. 🙂
Hey namiko,
Is it alright if food colouring is put into the mixture or will it have any effect on the mochi??
Thanks, your recipes are the best! XD
Hi Jenny! Sure! You need to put it in the mixture before microwaving/steaming. No affect. It’ll be pretty color! 🙂 I’m happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you!
Hi what is the size of oxo cookie scoop you use (small, medium, large)?
Thankd
Hi Ivy! I just went to my kitchen and found out that it’s 1 1/2 Tbsp. I have two sizes, but I’m pretty sure this is the right one. 🙂
Hello,
I’ve followed your instructions, but I think I might have over-microwaved the mochi. It was difficult to wrap the ice cream because the mochi wasn’t sticking to close 🙁
Hi Rod! My microwave was 1100W when I made this recipe (now it’s 1400W), so maybe your microwave is stronger?
The purpose of potato/corn starch is help your hands not stick to the mochi but you might want to brush off the mochi where you need to pinch to close. 🙂
What do you mean by “when mochi gets sticky”? I’ve found that mochi isn’t very sticky at all once it’s cooled down.
Hi Sara! When mochi gets extended (by pulling in order to wrap), there will be some parts that are “new” surface. That new mochi surface is sticky as it is not covered by potato starch. Not everywhere, but it’s possible it gets sticky on the new surface… Sorry my English is not good to explain the situation very well.
Hello, i tryed the mochi after this receipt. However, while unfreezing (5 min) the mochi, the dough is still pretty firm to bite. Do I have to wait longer until the dough gets soft again or did I make some error?
Hi Nohz. Hmmm hard to tell from what you wrote… Did you use glutenous rice flour (sweet rice flour)? It shouldn’t be too hard. Depends on season/where you live, 5 mins may not be enough to get soften on outside (but inside ice cream is still hard).
Hey Nami, thanks for the fast reply. I used Kimura Usagi Rice Flour (from japancentre.com) – On their description says it is the same as shiratamako. Is it different? :S I will try waiting a little bit longer, see what happens.
I am from Austria and we do not have mochiko or shiratamako explicitly. Do you have an idea how i can get it in Austria/Europe?
Hi Nohz! I don’t know a store that ships internationally, but I’m asking this company to sell shiratamako and ship internationally… once they can, I’ll inform in my newsletter. I know so many people are waiting for shiratamako. Mochiko is easily accessible on Amazon (http://amzn.to/29zllew) in the US.
Shiratamako is NOT rice flour. Shiratamako is made from glutinous rice flour (or sweet rice flour). We use this sticky rice for making mochi, and certain dish. Mochiko is also made from glutinous rice flour.
Rice flour is made from regular rice – the rice we eat everyday in Japan. Not sticky rice (glutinous rice).
Rice flour has several kinds too, but most common one is Joshinko.
Hope this helps!
I absolutely LOVED these!! Such a wonderful texture to go with ice cream, I made it with Mediterranean vanilla bean gelato!
Hi Carol! Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Oh my vanilla bean gelato!! I’d love that! 🙂
Are these supposed to taste good? My family thought they were extremely unappetizing. We were not sure if we were supposed to eat them raw or deep fry the little balls? This way a buy we will never forget!
Hi Jessica! My first question for you is if you like Japanese mochi or any type of mochi dessert.
If you don’t like that kind of mochi texture (there is nothing like that to explain the texture, which is why we call it “mochi texture”), I doubt you like mochi + ice cream combination, even you enjoy ice cream.
Mochi ice cream is a heaven for mochi lovers. You eat this because you love mochi, not because you love ice cream. 🙂
My second thought was that I hope you had a GOOD quality mochi ice cream at least… mochi has to be chewy and soft. enough that melts in your mouth (after chewing).
Some Americanized Japanese restaurants deep fry mochi ice cream, but that’s not very Japanese style. I can’t imagine eating it. But I guess it’s popular in the US? I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it.
Hi, Nami. Thank you for this recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Is there a particular length of time you can store the mochi in the freezer? Do they lose texture, freshness, etc if stored in a deep freezer?
Hi Adam! It’ll be hard, but you can bring back to soft texture by defrosting it for a few minutes. It should be okay for 4 weeks. But make sure to store in air-tight package and don’t let the skin dry out. 🙂
Were you able to find the rice flour in a regular grocery store (like Kroger or Wal-Mart) or is this something I’ll need to order online. Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but since I’ve never looked for it I’m not sure about where to buy it.
Hi Meagan! I live close to several Japanese grocery stores so I can get the glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) easily. You can find Mochiko in some American grocery stores here in the Bay Area, but you might need to look for it online if you don’t see it.
http://amzn.to/2pPC7Mk
I am going to try your mochi ice cream recipe tonight! want to use Mango sorbet for starters! I work in the same building as Kikkoman Headquarters and their products are the best AND employees are fantastic people.
Hi Terry! I hope you enjoy(ed) the recipe! It’s a lot of work but once you know how to make, it gets easier… Ohhh mango sorbet inside mochi! I want some. 😀 So nice to hear you enjoy Kikkoman products. 🙂 Kikkoman team I work with are all nice people too!
Hey! I am so excited to try this. I was wondering… When you see mochi flavored with green tea, strawberry, peanut butter, etc, is the mochi just died or do they flavor it, or both?! I am planning on making huckleberry mochi so if i flavored it, it would be with the juices, What do you recommend? How much of food coloring/flavor?
Hi Mariah! I’d say majority of mochi ice cream use food coloring, but if you make it at home you don’t have to. Use juice to color the mochi at step 4. Adjust the amount of extract as you add. 🙂
Hey, I went for it. It was absolute carnage. Mochi everywhere. I loved it! It is beautifully soft and incredibly satisfying. I cant wait to try again with chocolate mochi and peanut butter ice cream! Great recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Mariah! Thank you for your feedback. Haha, I know, it’s pretty sticky isn’t it. I guarantee the second time is much easier as you know what to do. 🙂 Oh wow that combination sounds delicious!
If you make the chocolate mochi, would you mind sharing your process? I want to make chocolate mochi, but I can’t find a recipe anywhere, and the ingredients for this is not exactly easy to come by for me, so I can’t afford to mess up ????.
Hi Liz! I noted myself. Thank you for your request! 🙂
Can I add dye to mochi to give similar color of ice cream?
Hi Caitlin! Sure!
my mochi ended up rock solid. I didn’t put any sugar in it – I just sweetened it with a little bit of stevia . Could the lack of sugar being causing to freeze up?
Hi Sandra! Oh… yeah we can’t skip sugar for mochi as I noted in my Notes section. It is the only ingredient to keep the mochi soft. Without it, it will be rock hard and won’t stay soft. Sorry…
Hi Nami, thanks for the recipe, I will try it this weekend! I’m in SF as well, which Japanese grocery store do you get your Shiratamako? The one on Webster St? Thanks!
Hi MJ! I’m terribly sorry for my late response. I’m usually good at responding in a quick manner, but I’ve failed this time. I go to Nijiya in San Mateo for most of my grocery items. Same Nijiya in SF, so you should be able to find same stuff as ones I buy. :
No worries, thanks for replying! I will check out the Nijiya in San Mateo next time I’m near there! Thanks!
You’re welcome. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I made the Mochi ice cream and freeze them , when I took it out it was stone hard, when I had it in Japanese shop, it was very soft , please tell me why ? Thanks
Hi John! In general, homemade ones tend to be harder because mochi has much less sugar compared to store-bought one. Sugar makes the mochi tender and softer. You have to defrost it for several minutes (but inside the ice cream will be still frozen as the mochi is still cold). Hope that helps!
Mochi Soup or sweet Elmer’s Glue?
” ¾ cup Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (¾ cup = 100 g) (See Notes)
¾ cup water (¾ cup = 180 ml)”
Seriously way too much water. I had to add 4 times the flour to bring the recipe back. Now I have 4 times the dough.
Hi Sam! Did you steam or microwave afterwards (Step 5 or 6)? Check my video above around time – 0:56. You see how liquid it is? Then you will cook the mixture. This is very common way to make mochi (gyuhi). I think you did not cook, that’s why you think it’s liquid and need to add more flour… because after being cooked, it’s already sticky and no more liquid. Hope this helps!
This is the most helpful website I have found it is for all flavors of mochi and tips and tricks to make it right
Hi Callie! Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
For shiratamoko u have 3/4 cups as 100g but then later you wrote 1/2 of potato or cornstarch equals 100g so one of them is wrong
Hi Me! 1 cup of feather is different weight (gram) from 1 cup of sand. It’s the same theory…. 100 gram of shiratamako and 100 gram of potato starch are different volume.
Hope that makes sense? The recipe is correct. 🙂
Can i store the already cooked mochi dough in the fridge?
Hi Edis! Yes you can but it might become hard… I recommend wrapping or using it sooner though. It should be okay at room temperature too. 🙂
My daughter and I tried to make this yesterday and it was a disaster. We followed the instructions to the letter. Ah, well. She wanted mochi ice cream for her birthday party next weekend, will have to buy some instead.
Hi Butch! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m sorry it didn’t work out.
Which part was difficult or ended up failing? I would not say this recipe “easy” until practicing 2-3 times at least as mochi is SO STICKY and I had to learn how to work with it. By my third trial, I know how to work with it from previous experience, so it was getting easier and what to expect. We just can’t touch mochi without having potato starch well coated, but when it’s too much coating, you need to remove it to make it sticky to close the seam… Many JOC readers had tried this recipe since I shared this recipe and made it work. If you decide to try again, please let me know so I can give more tips or instructions on where you needed more help. Thank you again!
Can you flavour the mochi rice dough? And if so what would recommend to use to flavour it and how much would you use? For example would you had a fruit powder or could you add a vanilla essence?
Hi Kylie! Sure you can do that. Add the flavor ingredient BEFORE you cook mochi. You can puree fruits and add it (but control the water amount) or use fruit powder (I’ve never used it) if you like. Never thought of vanilla essence for mochi, but sure, you can do that too. 🙂
Ok here I go! I’m giving it a go! Expecting a disaster from reading thru all the comments etc! Lol! But I’ll give it 3 times before giving up! Just like you said! Cause it’s WAY TOO AMAZINGLY awesome to not try it at home!! Too expensive in stores! Wish me luck!
Mrs Jones! Good luck, and just remember that mochi is SUPPOSED TO BE very sticky and hard to handle. And when you practice enough, you know how to handle it… but till then, it can be “difficult”. Make sure potato starch (or corn starch) is on your hands and mochi. Remember that new sticky surface appears when you pull mochi. It’s needed to be sticky when you close the mochi (which is why it’s best not to put too much powder). Otherwise, mochi should be thinly coated with potato starch all times. If you’re not sure at any step, take a pic and let me know. Some JOC readers succeeded at first trial, but I had to try several times before mochi ice cream looks representable. 🙂 So don’t be too hard on yourself too. More mochi ice cream for you to enjoy at home! Good luck!
Yeah!!!!! I did it first try!
Here they are…2 gone already because I just couldn’t help myself! Ha!
The only problem I had was that I was glad that I had spread out the first roll out of Mochi, with my rolling pin big enough to cut out all of my 12 cutouts, because I couldn’t get the leftover Mochi to stick back together after that. I think at that point I had too much cornstarch out on it, so it wasn’t even thinking about forming back into a ball. Oh well! I used it at the end, instead. (This is bad of me but this is how much I love my “new found go-to”, Mochi…)…I used up the leftover Mochi pieces by popping them in my mouth followed by a spoonful of ice cream! Lol! (2+ larger size of jeans, here I come! Ha!) Thank you soo much for your recipe post, your quick reply of encouragement, and for Rocking! Cause you do! My new favorite blog!!
Hi Mrs Jones! So sorry for my late response. Thanks so much for your feedback and kind words. The leftover mochi can be cut up into cubes like frozen yogurt topping (have you seen these?). Next time you can sprinkle whenever you eat ice cream. Well, but I’m like you… just pop in both and enjoy instantly! 😀
I’m so happy to find a new mochi loving JOC friend! 🙂 Thank you again for trying my recipe!
I love your explanation bcause it easy to understand and recommendation.Btw I just know that sweet rice flour is as known as glutinous rice flour . Thank you for the information and I will try this recipe.
Hi Katherine! I’m glad you like the blog post. Hope you like the recipe! Good luck!! P.S. Just heads up… practice makes perfect when it comes to mochi making… 🙂
I only have oven in my house. So what temperature should i use and for how long it takes?
Hi Mimi! I’m sorry but the oven doesn’t work. Please use a steamer method if you don’t have the microwave. 🙂
This is a really kid friendly recipe! We really enjoyed making it. We substituted the ice cream with fruit and are now waiting for it to come out of the freezer!
Love the recipe! This is an amazing treat! I have a mochi maker (you pour mochigome with water and it does the hard work of beating it up, then the dough is ready to do whatever you like). The question is whether this mochi dough from the mochi maker is good for a daifuku (with ice cream or anko), what do you think?
Hi Grazi! It’s awesome you have the mochi maker. One day I want to get one (but I’m afraid I might eat too much!). So this mochi works for daifuku (see how I made in this: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-mochi-with-a-stand-mixer/), but too hot to make mochi ice cream. I guess you can wait till cool too.
Hello! I’m hoping to make this delicious Mochi this weekend, and I’d like to add some matcha powder to the Mochi to make it green. How much powder would you recommend to add, and will it affect the Mochi texture?
Hi Sherry! Hope this recipe is helpful!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-mochi/
Hey! I just tried making this and failed terribly. The ice cream just keeps on melting whenever I put them inside the mochi. I did scoop the ice cream first and put it inside the fridge before i take them out to use. So, instead of a firm mochi, I end up with some mochi with liquid. Any ideas on how to prevent this?
Also, my kitchen is never cool enough to make mochi ice cream. Its basically summer all year long. Can I still make mochi ice cream or should I make regular mochi with fillings instead? Thanks!
Hi Zi! Thank you for trying this recipe! Maybe it is your typo, but you put the pre-scooped ice cream in the freezer, not fridge, right? Also was your dough cooled enough before wrapping? Stuffing the ice cream is all about practice. You can’t touch ice cream (obvious reason) so you have to quickly pinch and wrap in the plastic wrap so you can work on the rest of the batch.
Now sure how hot it is but I can see it could be difficult to make this if you’re new to making mochi dessert and your kitchen is not cool enough. You can practice making mochi desserts first with other fillings and be expert at stuffing mochi then try again with ice cream? It’s really all about the practice to speed up the process.
Amazing! And pretty easy… I just can’t tell you all how delicious these homemade mochi ice cream is. 🙂 I will definately do this again.These didnt last in the freezer. Lol. My whole family loved them, and devoured them.
Hi Lil! Aww I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for trying it and for your kind feedback. xoxo
This recipe looked a lot easier than it was. Working with Shiratamako for the first time and it was a sticky mess. And tips on how to avoid sticking to everything?
And also does the dough be hot or room temp when it is rolled out?
Hi Jackie! Mochi (anything with glutinous rice flour) sticks everywhere and that’s how it is. The only way to prevent that happening is to coat your hands/fingers or surface where mochi touches and it will be no issue. 🙂 Many people don’t realize that when you create a new surface of mochi by extending, the freshly appeared surface is also sticky. So when you try to extend/pull mochi, be ready to touch with dusted hands/surface. And work with mochi when it’s the workable temperature (but while it’s warm). I do it when it’s hot.
Hi. I don’t have a scooper of any sort. What would you suggest to use?
Hi Natalia! How do you usually scoop ice cream from a carton? It’s really convenient to have a cookie scooper to scoop dough, meatballs, and ice cream, etc. 🙂
https://amzn.to/32yzQfD
Can I use this recipe and put a sweet red bean paste inside instead?
Hi Beth! Sure, that’s called Daifuku: https://www.justonecookbook.com/daifuku
These were easier to make than I thought! The dough was easier to manage than gyoza dough, which is fairly easy. I rolled out the dough much thinner than I was supposed to, but I think I prefer thin mochi dough. I really enjoyed making these and introducing myself to Japanese culture. Thanks for the recipe, God bless you!
Hi Seungyang! Thanks for trying this recipe. I’m so glad to hear your mochi ice cream came out well. Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hi, can I use brown rice flour instead I don have the other flour.
thanks!
I am very excited about this recipe and hoping my second try will be easier. First, I want to tell you that I began with half the recipe because it is very difficult to get Shiratamako so I didn’t want to use up the entire package in my first attempt (I had it sent from overseas).
Here were the two problems I had. Using half the recipe, when I added the water to the sugar/Shiratamako mix, it immediately balled up and did not look as liquid as your photo. I proceeded to microwave it according to the instructions and it turned translucent but was pretty much a ball in the bowl. Then I had difficulty rolling out the ball to a thin enough layer. I even tried pounding it with a mallet but it stayed relatively thick.
I hope you have suggestions for these two problems. I am preparing this in the Caribbean , so the kitchen is quite warm. Thank you so much.
Hi Ivy!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe from the Caribbean!
We’re sorry to hear that your first try did not work for you.
We recommend increasing the water amount a little bit and making the mixture more liquid at Step 4 (try one teaspoon first.) We are not sure how you measure your ingredient, but using the scale is the best choice.
Also, you may want to double-check that your Shiratamako is made from glutinous short-grain Japanese rice. There are also rice flour and glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour) using long-grain rice from other countries, but they are not substitutions to Shiratamako. The textures and flavors of these rice flours are not suitable for making Japanese sweets.
I hope your next try will be successful! 😊
Thank you very much for answering so quickly. After I wrote to you I realized that I made a mistake with the amount of water I used, so my fault entirely! I will be making another batch and I’m sure it will be better.
Hi Ivy,
My pleasure!
We hope it will be better next time! Good luck!☺️
Hi Nami!
Thank you for your recipe, I managed to find Shiratamako but on the instruction it says 200g mixed with 180mls of water and your recipe says 100g with 180mls of water.. so Im confused hehe. Please help! 🙂
Hi Trish,
Thank you for trying this recipe!
To make this Mochi ice cream, you need 100 g of Shiratamako and 100 g of potato starch/cornstarch for 180 ml of water.
I hope this helps!
Hello,
Can we just replace the ice cream with red bean paste?
Hi Ketty, Sure! Here is the recipe with red bean paste, called Daifuku. https://www.justonecookbook.com/daifuku/
We hope this helps!