A popular classic spring dessert, Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku) is soft and springy shiratamako mochi stuffed with a fresh whole strawberry and sweet red bean paste. Make my recipe at home and indulge in this beautiful and delicious Japanese delicacy!
During the springtime, Japanese confectionery shops sell a seasonal daifuku, Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku いちご大福), with a whole strawberry as the filling. The taste and texture combination of fresh, soft mochi, sweet red bean paste, and a juicy, tart strawberry is a match made in heaven.
If you love juicy strawberries, sweet red bean paste, and chewy mochi, you will love this Japanese dessert! I’ll guide you through the process of make it with step-by-step photos in my Strawberry Mochi recipe.
Table of Contents
What is Strawberry Mochi?
Strawberry mochi (or ichigo daifuku) is a modern rendition of a traditional Japanese sweet called daifuku (大福). Filled only with sweet red bean paste, the original Daifuku comes with the same soft and chewy mochi exterior.
Strawberry mochi was first created in the 1980s, so it’s considered a relatively new wagashi. It’s a traditional Japanese confectionery with a modern twist.
Depending on regions and stores, some strawberry mochi have a red bean paste filling while others use white bean paste called shiroan. Some mochi come with whipped cream and strawberry inside instead of red bean or white bean paste.
These vegan, seasonal treats use fresh strawberries, so they are only offered during the strawberry season in Japan, which falls between winter and spring.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- fresh strawberries – go with organic and smaller-sized strawberries
- sweet red bean paste (anko) – I used store-bought koshian (smooth red bean paste); you can make my recipe for homemade Anko or Pressure Cooker Anko)
- shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour), sugar, and water – for the outer mochi shell; shiratamako has a refined flavor and springy texture; please do not substitute mochiko
- potato starch or cornstarch – for dusting
How To Make Strawberry Mochi
Here’s a quick overview of how to make strawberry daifuku mochi from scratch, but you can find my detailed step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below:
- Prepare the strawberry filling. Wrap each cleaned and dried strawberry with an anko (red bean paste) ball.
- Make the mochi. Whisk the shiratamako with sugar and water, and microwave the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Divide the mochi into equal portions.
- Shape the daifuku. Cover your hands with some potato starch or cornstarch. Flatten and expand each mochi into a round or square. Begin shaping the daifuku by placing the anko-covered strawberry on top and in the center of the mochi, with the tip pointing down. Now you are done. Serve and enjoy at room temperature.
3 Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Daifuku
Making daifuku is very much a craft. The process can be fun and meditative, but don’t rush it. Here are a few simple tips to follow for the best-looking mochi:
- Wash your hands and dry completely each time you wrap a strawberry with anko.
- Be careful not to stretch the mochi dough too thin. When working with mochi dough, be careful not to stretch it too thin to prevent tearing.
- Coat your fingers with enough potato starch or cornstarch when wrapping the strawberry anko with the mochi skin.
Storage Tips
Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it at room temperature. Do not put it in the refrigerator as the cold temperature makes the mochi hard. Consume within 2 days.
Perfect Spring Dessert To Make with Kids
Sweet, elegant, and delicate, strawberry mochi is another delicious way to celebrate the season.
My daughter loves helping me wrap the sticky, elastic mochi around the berries when I make daifuku for them. It’s like working with edible play dough for her. Although her shaping skills still need improvement, she usually thinks her daifuku are the prettiest and tastiest. What can I say?
If you make my Strawberry Mochi recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out in the comments below! You can also send me a picture on Instagram. Seeing your creations makes me happy!
Other Mochi Desserts You’ll Enjoy
- Mochi Ice Cream
- Classic Daifuku
- Green Tea Mochi
- How to Make Mochi with a Stand Mixer
- Butter Mochi
- Shiratama Dango in Anmitsu and Oshiruko
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Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
Ingredients
- 6 strawberries (smaller ones are easier to work with)
- 5.3 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) (I used store-bought koshian; you can make my recipe for homemade Anko or Pressure Cooker Anko)
- potato starch or cornstarch (for dusting)
For the Mochi Using a 100 g Shiratamako Package
- ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour)
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- 150 ml water (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp)
For the Mochi Using a 120 g Shiratamako Package
- 120 g shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Before You Start: If you want to make more than 6 pieces, I highly recommend you to work in batches. If you do not have a microwave, please see Notes for other options to cook the shiratamako.
To Prepare the Strawberries
- Rinse, dry, and hull 6 strawberries. Divide 5.3 oz sweet red bean paste (anko) and roll into 6 same-size balls. Anko gets sticky on your hands, so wash and completely dry your hands each time you make a ball.
- Wrap each strawberry with the anko from one ball. Leave the tip of the strawberry uncovered. Wash your hands and dry completely each time you wrap a strawberry with anko.
To Cook the Shiratamako
- In a medium microwave-safe glass bowl, mix the shiratamako and sugar with a whisk. For a 100 g bag, mix 100 g or ¾ cup shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) and 1½ Tbsp sugar. For a 120 g bag, mix 120 g shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (or 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp) and 2 Tbsp sugar.
- Using a silicone spatula, slowly add the water in 3 parts—a total of 150 ml water (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp) for the 100 g shiratamako bag and ¾ cup water for the 120 g bag. Stir until the mixture has reached a thick consistency. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
- First, microwave the mixture for 1 minute (for 1100W microwave). Mix well with a wet silicone spatula. The mixture is still whitish and floury.
- For a second time, microwave 1 minute again, and mix well with the wet silicone spatula. Now it starts to resemble mochi, but there are still some floury parts.
- For the last time, microwave only 30 seconds. Now the mochi mixture should look translucent.
- Sift the potato starch or cornstarch on the tray and put the mochi on top.
- With the silicone spatula or a kitchen scraper, fold the mochi in half one time so it won’t be as sticky. Then, divide into 6 equal pieces.
To Shape the Strawberry Daifuku
- Put some potato starch or cornstarch on your hands. Flatten and expand each mochi into a 3-inch (7.6-cm) round or square. Then, put the anko-covered strawberry on top of it, with the tip pointing down.
- Start gathering the mochi edges to cover the strawberry from all sides. Use your thumb to hold the gathered mochi on top.
- When all edges of the mochi meet at the top, twist and close the seam. Hold the mochi with both hands and form into a nice round shape. Place the daifuku seam side down on a plate with the strawberry tip pointing up. Repeat the process for the remaining mochi.
To Serve
- Serve at room temperature.
To Store
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store at room temperature. Do not put in the refrigerator as the cold temperature makes the mochi hard. Consume within 2 days.
Notes
- Rice cooker: Put the ingredients in the bowl of the rice cooker and mix well. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture is translucent. Mix with silicon spatula at least 2 times during cooking.
- Steamer: Put the ingredients in a heatproof bowl that fits inside your steamer. Mix well and cover with a thin kitchen towel or heatproof plate. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture is translucent. Mix with silicon spatula at least 2 times during cooking.
I’ve always wanted to try making daifuku. This looks delicious! Do you have any suggestions on brands for the shiratamako ? I want to try making the anko too. I have some strawberry plants in the garden and this looks like a perfect recipe to use when they start coming in.
Hi, Chelsea! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
This page contains suggestions for Shiratamako.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/shiratamako/
We hope you will try Nami’s homemade Anko recipe. You can find the link in the ingredient list (red letters) or here.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/
Hopefully, this helps!
Hi Nami!
Any ideas why my mochi dough gets a crust? 🙁
I happens when it’s divided into parts and each part of dough waits its turn to be wrapped around anko and fruit. Should I dust those parts of dough more with potato starch to prevent drying and crust from appearing?
Thank you!
Hello, Gosia! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
Did you reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe? Sugar helps keep the mochi dough moist and soft for a longer time. You might want to cover the remaining mochi dough with plastic wrap during the assembly process to prevent it from drying out. The starch will absorb the moisture so you won’t need to add additional.🙂
We hope this advice helps!
This was sooo good and easy to make! My only question is, my mochi turns watery overnight. I dried the strawberry very well and stored them in a container and left it on the counter. How do I prevent this? Thanks!!!
Hello, Cathleen. Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
You can dust off the starch and coat them again just before storing them in a container. If the strawberries are getting wet, it is because they are fresh. To keep the strawberries fresh longer, try adding salt or vinegar to the water when washing them. We hope this helps!