A popular spring dessert, Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku) is a soft and chewy mochi stuffed with fresh juicy strawberry and sweet red bean paste. Indulge yourself with this beautiful and delicious Japanese delicacy!
If you love juicy strawberries, sweet red bean paste, and chewy mochi, you will love this Japanese dessert Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku) (いちご大福).
Daifuku (大福) is a popular traditional Japanese sweet; it is soft mochi stuffed with sweet red bean paste. There are many varieties of Daifuku. They usually come with the same soft and chewy mochi exterior with different stuffing.
Modern Twist – Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
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 combination of fresh soft mochi, sweet red bean paste, and juicy and tart strawberry is a match made in heaven!
Strawberry Mochi was first created during the ’80s, so it’s considered a relatively new wagashi, like a traditional Japanese confectionery with a modern twist. Depending on regions and stores, some strawberry mochi have red bean paste filling while others use Shiroan (white bean paste). Some mochi comes with whipped cream and strawberry inside, instead of red bean or white bean paste.
As this seasonal mochi includes fresh strawberry, it is only offered during strawberry season in Japan between winter and spring.
To Make Strawberry Daifuku
Today’s recipe is a classic strawberry daifuku. You can make your own red bean paste (recipe here) or use store-bought bean paste for short cut. The other ingredients are simple: shiratamako (glutinous rice flour), sugar, water, and corn starch. And fresh juicy strawberries of course! Smaller ones are easier to work with.
Making daifuku is very much like a craft. The process can be fun and meditative. When working with mochi dough, make sure that you do not stretch it too thin to prevent tearing. My daughter loves giving me a hand when comes to wrapping the sticky, elastic mochi around the berries when I make daifuku for them. It’s like working with edible play dough to her. Although her shaping skill still needs much improvement, she usually thinks her daifuku are the prettiest and tastiest. What can I say?
The daifuku keep well for a day or two in the refrigerator, although it can be hard to resist eating them all when made fresh. I hope you get to give these a try at home. Sweet, elegant and delicate, Strawberry Daifuku is just another delicious way to celebrate the season.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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A popular spring dessert, Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku) is a soft and chewy mochi stuffed with fresh juicy strawberry and sweet red bean paste. Indulge yourself with this beautiful and delicious Japanese delicacy!
- 6 strawberries
- 150 g red bean paste (anko) (5.29 oz; I used store-bought "koshian" today. See Notes for homemade recipe)
- 100 g Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) (3 ½ oz, roughly 3/4 cup)
- 20 g sugar (2 Tbsp)
- 150 ml water
- potato starch/cornstarch (for dusting)
- Rinse, dry, and hull the strawberries. Divide anko into 6 same size balls. Anko gets sticky on your hands, so wash your hands and dry completely each time you make a ball.
- Wrap the strawberries with anko. Leave the tip of the strawberry uncovered. Wash your hands and dry completely each time you wrap a strawberry with anko.
- In a medium microwave-safe glass bowl, mix shiratamako and sugar with a whisk.
- Using a silicone spatula, slowly add water in 3 parts and stir until the mixture has reached a thick consistency. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
-
First, microwave 1 minute (for 1000W microwave). Mix well with a wet silicone spatula. The mixture is still whitish and floury.
- For the 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 corn starch on the tray and put the mochi on top.
- With silicone spatula or kitchen scraper, fold the mochi in half one time so it won’t be as sticky and then divide into 6 equal pieces.
- Put some corn starch on your hands and flatten and expand each mochi into a 3” round or square. Then put the anko covered strawberry on top of it, with the tip facing down.
- Start covering the strawberry from all sides and use your thumb to hold the mochi on top.
- When all sides of mochi meet at the top, twist and close. Hold the mochi with both hands and form into nice round shape. Repeat the process for the remaining mochi.
- Serve at room temperature and they must be consumed within 2 days.
If you want to make more than 6 pieces, I highly recommend you to work in batches.
If you use the 120g Shiratamako package like I did, here’s the portion: 120g Shiratamako, 24g sugar, 180 ml (3/4 cup) water.
Red bean paste (anko): Homemade recipe, click here.
If you do not have a microwave, you can use:
- A 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.
- A 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.
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 in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Thanks for the tutorial. The strawberry daifuku looks delicious. Do you know if there are any matcha-flavored daifuku? I have some anko and some matcha powder and was wondering if I should make strawberry daifuku with matcha or would that be strange?
Hi Emi! Nope, it is not strange at all. There are Matcha flavored Daifuku and it’s common. However, I’ve never seen Matcha Daifuku that has a strawberry in it. I think it’s great and I’d love to try it myself. 🙂
Hi Nami-san,
This post is awesome! Ate this strawberry daifuku in Japan called 雪莓娘 and totally fell in love with it! I am so excited to able to try making this myself!
May I know if I can use shiratamako for dusting in place of corn starch?
Thank you. 🙂
Hi Aya-san! The first time might be difficult handing with sticky mochi texture, but you will get used to it. It’s so delicious!!
Shiratamako is very coarse so it does not work for duting purpose. If you see #3 pictures carefully, you can see how big each piece of shiratamako is. Hope you can find potato starch or corn starch. 🙂
Nami san, konnichiwa! I have made this numerous times now and I LOVE the results! Thank you so so much for posting this recipe. I made your pork and shrimp wontons and love that recipe as well :). Hontou ni arigatou!
Hi Aya-san! Thank you for trying this recipe and wontons! I’m happy you like them. 🙂 Arigato for your feedback!
Hi Nami, recently I started viewing your recipes on your website I found through google, and they look delicious! I want to try this recipe but I’m not really fond of using the microwave. Is there any other alternative? Thanks a lot!!
Hi Noelle! Thank you so much for your encouraging words and compliments. Yes, you can steam instead of microwave. It gets a little tricky, but that’s the traditional method while nowadays microwave became more common method for housewives. Use your steamer – but wrap in a cloth so you can remove easily. I’m not sure how long you need to steam, but should be longer than microwave. When mochi looks clear, it’s ready to take it out. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hello! I’ve been looking for a mochi recipe and I want to try this one. But I don’t have a microwave! Is there another way to cook the flour? Thanks!
Hi Jeanne!
You can steam instead of microwave. That’s the traditional method. Using a steamer, cook the mixture in a cloth so you can remove easily when it’s done. When mochi looks translucent, it’s ready to take it out. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe for Daifuku!
Thanks Mirian! 🙂
Hey nami this recipe looks absolutely nice. I have some questions to ask,is it ok if i change the flour with mochiko instead of shiratamako?will the steps different?and also to microwave it in what degree celciys?thankss
Ps:sorry i’m beginner
Hi Novi! Thank you for asking! Yes you can use mochiko instead of shiratamako. I’ve never used it so you might need to read the instruction. But it should work the same as shiratamako. My microwave is 1200 watt. Hope this helps. 🙂
hi , can i steam the shiratamako mixture ?
Hi Kit Wai! Yes, you can. 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for sharing all these wonderful recipes. I actually have a mochi maker (makes mochi from sweet rice). However, I have not been able how to keep the mochi soft. After only 1-2 days, it hardens. I try to cover it with ample potato starch, but this doesn’t help either. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Perhaps I need to add something to the rice while it is being beat? Corn syrup instead of sugar?
Trinh
Hi Trinh! It’s very common that mochi gets hard. I checked online and it is recommended to individually pack small mochi in plastic wrap and put it in airtight bag/container and ‘freeze’ it to keep it fresh. Hope that helps. 🙂
Thank you!
Hi your blog photos are so beautiful! just a question if i do not have microwave, how do i cook the glutinous rice?
Hi Carmen! You can steam them in a steamer (more traditional way). 🙂
Hi Nami,
how long do i have to steam it? the timing is like how u put it in the microwave?
Hi Carmen! I assume steaming takes more time than using microwave, but I’ve never tried it with steamer, so I’m not sure exact timing. Start with 5 minutes and keep checking when the mochi start to change color. It’s ready when the color change to more translucent (not white). 🙂
Hi Nami!
Greetings again from Uruguay!
I just finished my first ichigo daifuku! Very nice recipe! Will need some practice in making the balls without burning myself… 🙂
I have a question. How do you storage them? In the fridge? Inside a tight container with cornstarch so they don stick together? How long they can be in room temperature?
Thanks again!
Hi Paola! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. You can wait a little bit longer before working with hot mochi. 🙂 But I know I’m inpatient and want to work on it as soon as it’s ready.
To store, you can keep in cool place but has to be eaten by the following day (otherwise, strawberry start to give too much moisture inside mochi. If you live in warm place, try to wrap the container with towel etc and keep in the fridge (if it’s too cold, mochi will be harden). Hope this helps!
Thank you so much Nami!
So, if I do a regular daifuku (without the strawberry) it will last longer?
Yes! But I highly recommend to freeze (up to 2 weeks or so) it so it’ll taste fresher. 🙂
Can i ask if its possible to do this without a microwave???
What is the next best thing to use other than a microwave???
Hi Jay! So sorry for my late response. Yes, you can make this without microwave. After #4, steam for 15 minutes (don’t use plastic wrap, you can cover with a thin kitchen towel). Hope this helps!
Thanks… 😀 this should help me a lot… 🙂
also you can use ice cream as a filling right???
i’m trying to experiment as soon as i can make this… 🙂
Hi Jay! I’ve seen it before…but I’m so clumsy that mine will never look nice! Hope you make delicious one and share with me on facebook fan page! 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe, Nami! I finally got around to making it today, and I am in love with the combination of flavors. It goes very well with matcha. I would have posted a picture to your Facebook page, but I think I need more practice before they look pretty enough haha.
I hope you post more confectionary in the future! Love your recipes,
Kaley
Hi Kaley! I’m so glad you liked it. Yeah to make it “pretty”, you may need to practice a little bit. My pictures are not my first time try, you know… 😉 And to make sure the strawberry cut through nicely, I had to open several. =P
I bought the ingredients for this yesterday and I’m going to make it sometime this week with my boyfriend! Im going to make some regular and some with the strawberries in them, but i was wondering if the mochi can be refrigerated? I noticed you said it should be served at room temp. but I’ve always preferred my mochi a bit cold, would this ruin the mochi if i put in the refrigerated for a couple hours before eating?
Hi Kristen! I hope you enjoy this recipe! You can keep in the refrigerator (and eat it cold too!). When mochi is cold, it gets hard and lose that sticky texture, which is why I recommend to eat it at the room temperature. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
Wow, to think that the need for an Ichigo Daifuku recipe brought me here…This blog is definitely going to be one of my favorites!*__* I’m looking forward to try out more of your recipes!^0^ Greetings from Switzerland:D
Hi Mika! Welcome to Just One Cookbook! So glad to hear you enjoy my blog. Thank you so much for your kind comment! 🙂
I love ichigo daifuku! These are so tasty and reading this post makes me want to make some again sooner than later!
Thank you so much Elaine! 🙂
So sticky! I’ve tried everything… I followed your recipe, but the mochi was too sticky to handle. Did I miss something? Do you let the mochi cool down first?
Hi Angelique! If you dust every surface of mochi and hands with potato/corn starch, it should not be sticky. Which means, if you lift or bend mochi and sticky part is exposed, you have to dust with potato starch. It’s the only way to keep your hands sticky-free. I think 2nd time will be better as you know what to expect and avoid the problem (if you are willing to try…). 🙂 Sorry, but it’s mochi’s nature to be sticky, so we have to work around it. 😉
Oh! Thank you, Nami! I will try it again! ^ u ^
Can you use this recipe to make mochi ice cream? I see that you have a recipe for that already, but if I want to just make using this recipe, what would the difference be? (like should I add more sugar to ensure that the mochi is softer in the freezer?)
It would be easier to use one recipe to make both because I want to try to make ice cream with half the batch, and the other 3 pieces with the strawberry and anko!
Thank you!!
-Casey
Hi Casey! I’m sorry, but I haven’t made mochi ice cream with this recipe, so you have to give it a try… The more sugar will definitely help to keep it soft. 🙂 Let us know if you try! Maybe other readers would like to know too. 🙂
Thank you for your site! A recipe of daifuku with a lot of details, it’ll help me.
Hi Marlène! Thank you so much for your kind words! Hope you have fun making this! Enjoy! 🙂
Naimi-san,
I made these for the first time this evening. They are delicious! The first couple even turned out looking fairly nicely, but then they started moving into barely passible to ugly messes. Each one would start out with the stickiness in control, but as I stretched the mochi around the strawberry it would become very sticky and everything would just start pulling apart and get out of control. I tried to give my hands, as well as the mochi, a good dusting of potato starch. They are so delicious I want to make them again, but do you have any suggestions for controlling the sticky problem when stretching and trying to close the bottom?
My apologies for the extra letter in your name, Nami-san.
Hi Mark! Don’t worry about spelling. 🙂
When you pull the mochi to wrap, fresh sticky part comes out. So your hands have to be well coated with potato starch, and/or you can roll over sticky mochi area on starch too. But when you close the mochi, you have to to make sure that area has to be sticky. You can remove the dust with brush or try to pull so fresh sticky mochi part comes out. Basically… you have to know when to show sticky mochi to seal.. It’s easy to say and harder to do it… I think practice helps, as each time you learn tricks. 🙂 So happy to hear you like this recipe! Once you get used to it, try Mochi Ice Cream (recipes are similar)! 🙂
First time making daifuku, it definitely is not the prettiest to look at (will keep making this to get better at it ;)), but this was a really easy and tasty recipe! So happy I found your website and I really appreciate you have the measurements in US measuring sizes (cups, tsp, etc.). I also really like how you explain different ingredients – your experience with using them, comparing them to similar ingredients, other recipes to use them in. Will continue to try different things and I’m sure they’ll all taste just as good as they look on your website! 🙂 Thank you thank you thank you!
Hi Ann! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and compliments. I’m happy to hear you like my recipe. Thank you! I practiced a lot for this recipe so I can make a smooth video. After testing this recipe so many times, my skill got improved because you know what to be careful and what I can do to improve the look, etc. So you’ll get there! 🙂
Hi, I’d like to try out ur recipe but I’m thinking to replace the red bean paste with chocolate to adjust it to the taste of my foreign friends. It would be really nice if you could tell me how I can do this. 😀
Hi Jovie! I guess you can melt the chocolate and dip the strawberries? The part that I’m not sure is that how does the wrapping would work if the chocolate is harden. It seems like it’s a lot easier if it’s softer chocolate (like spreadable texture) so it will snug inside the mochi. I have never tried it so without testing I can’t give the correct method… sorry…
Hi Nami-san, any idea if I can add cocoa powder/matcha powder to the shiratamako mix?
Hi Anita! Yes you can do that. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I have a bag of shiratamko that’s 230g and if I divide by 2 it would give me 115g and how much sugar (gram) and water (ml) amount should I use?
If I make 2 batches using your 100g recipe then how can I use up the remaining 30g? By the way I have 2 bags of 230g of shiratamako, but of course 6 mochi/daifuku pieces are enough for 3 of us.
Hi Cristina! I would probably adjust my recipe slightly (so it’s 15% more). The amount of water is tricky, so gradually add to make the right “earlobe” texture. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Thank you Nami. I will give it a try with a more cautious approach when it comes to the amount of water.
Good luck, and keep me posted. 🙂
Hi Shy! Anyone who tries with mochi will have a hard time, that’s including me years ago! Practice makes perfect. Once you know what you’re dealing with (sticky mochi!!!) you know how to avoid touching, how to prevent it, etc. So next time you’ll be able to deal with it better. Trust me, you don’t want to see my very first daifuku mochi… 😉
Do you have a picture of the brand/packaging of store-bought red bean paste that you used? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Rachel! Hope you enjoy the recipe! Koshian here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/anko-red-bean-paste/
Hi Nami
I made this, it tasted great. My presentation needs work, but they were all eaten. For the anko around the strawberry – this is what I did. I remember my grandma making ohagi, and she used a piece of damp flour sack dishtowel. She spread the an on a piece of the dishtowel and then wrapped it around the mochi. I did the same thing for the strawberry. Saves washing your hands. 6 strawberries is the max before you have to rinse off the an and even then it sorta sticks to the flour sack. Towel can’t have loops, old fashioned flour sack towel.
I really enjoy your recipes!
Hi Kathleen! Thanks so much for trying my recipe! Ahhh that type of towel is called flour sack dishtowel (I never knew!!!). In Japan, we use 100% cotton Tenugui for doing this. I think it’s finer than flour sack dishtowel too. Thank you for sharing the tip with us!!
Can I make these daifuku with mocha batter made from rice, or do I need to use the rice flour
Hi Seth! Do you mean matcha flavored mochi? Sure you can. You have to use GLUTINOUS rice flour (or sometimes called sweet rice flour), not rice flour. They are different things.