Homemade Mochi Ice Cream are Japanese rice cakes with an ice cream center in a soft, slightly chewy, sweet rice dough. You won't believe how easy it is to make yourself!
My love affair with Mochi (pronounced moh chee) began a couple years ago when a friend from Laos brought mochi ice cream to a dinner party. I loved the soft and chewy texture and the size and shape of this bite sized treat. Since then, I've noticed as mochi has made major gains in popularity in the US and I see it in the freezer section of every grocery store I enter.
My kids have also become big fans of mochi ice cream as we've been purchasing large packs from Costco and having them nightly for dessert. But, as much as I love the my/mo variety pack, I decided it was time to try my hand at the homemade version. And, as predicted, I'll never go back!
Some people recommend making mochi rice cakes even sweeter with a 2:1 ratio of sugar to flour. For that approach, check out this recipe.
What is mochi?
Mochi is a sweet rice cake that is found in many different sweet or savory varieties in Japanese cuisine. During the Japanese New Year, there is a tradition called Mochitsuki, which is the more laborious process of steaming the sweet glutinous rice and then pounding it to make mochi (small glutinous rice cakes). I loved this video showing the process of Mochitsuki.
This recipe is a simpler version of mochi is made by microwaving or oven steaming the glutinous rice flour to form these little rice cakes.
Why we love to make our own Mochi Ice Cream:
- EASY! It may sound intimidating, but I'm here to tell you this recipe is so EASY! Pick up your favorite ice cream and order sweet rice flour (amazon will ship it right to your door for $7) and the other 5 ingredients are pantry staples. Plus, it takes 3 minutes to cook and just about 25 minutes to prepare.
- Customize it. I love all the customizations you can do to this recipe (see flavor ideas below). I added peanut butter to my most recent batch of dough and it was amazing.
Know before you go:
Mochi is very sticky! You will want to have cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca flour on hand to help manage the stickiness. You'll also want to have some water in a cup to dip your spatula in and be ready to soak everything in water when you are finished. This will help make easy cleanup.
Dough Cutter: Choose a cookie or biscuit cutter that is about an inch bigger than the ice cream scoop. It's important to have a circle of dough that is just big enough to surround the ice cream but not SO big that you have air pockets or extra dough hanging off. I've even used the lid of my cornstarch container because it was just the right size. If you do have extra dough, be sure to cut it away when you add the ice cream as it will taste hard and chewy once it's frozen.
Cooking the mochi dough: I have found the microwave to be fast, easy, and effective. However, traditional mochi is steamed. If you'd like to steam the dough instead, steam it for for 15 minutes, stir it and steam for 5 more minutes or until the dough takes on a slightly shiny sheen.
Ingredients in Mochi:
- Glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour- I used Mochiko but you can also use shiratamako). Regular flour will not work for this recipe!
- Water
- Sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Cornstarch (or potato starch) – to help with the stickiness of the dough.
How to Make Mochi:
1. Freeze ice cream balls: Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Working quickly, use a small ice cream scoop to scoop ice cream balls and place them on the parchment paper. Be sure to pack the ice cream tightly in the scooper, leaving a flat edge on the ice cream so that it will sit flat on your cookie sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.
2. Make mochi: Combine flour, sugar, and powdered sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Add water and stir well, until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave mochi dough for 1 minute. Wet your spatula to prevent sticking and use your spatula to repeatedly fold the mixture. Cover, and microwave again for 1 minute. Fold the dough again and microwave for 30 more seconds. The mochi should look slightly shiny and if it doesn't, microwave for 30 more seconds.
4. Roll mochi dough into rectangle: Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust it with a layer of cornstarch. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mochi dough from the bowl and onto the parchment paper (keep in mind that it will be very hot so be careful not to touch it). Dust the top of the dough ball with cornstarch. Use a rolling pin to roll the mochi dough into a large rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. If the dough sticks at all while rolling, continue to dust the top with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Place the parchment paper with the rolled out dough on it, onto the cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Fill mochi with ice cream: Remove the dough from the fridge and use a round biscuit cutter (about 3 inches) to cut circles in the dough. Your circles need to be big enough to pinch the dough around the ice cream. Pick up one circle of dough and gently brush off the cornstarch from the top (I like to use a dry pastry brush to do this). Working with one scoop of ice cream at a time, (keep the rest in the freezer so they don't melt), place one ice cream scoop in the center of the mochi and gently press the dough around the ice cream. Pinch the edges of the mochi to seal it. Place mochi on a piece of plastic wrap bringing the corners of the plastic wrap to the center and twisting it tightly at the top.
6. Freeze: Place mochi back in the freezer with the rolled plastic wrap side down. Continue with remaining dough and ice cream. Freeze mochi ice cream for at least 1 hour before eating. Once it's frozen, store it wrapped in the plastic wrap and in a freezer safe bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to thaw slightly before eating.
Recipe
Mochi Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour (Sweet rice flour, I recommend shiratamako or mochiko)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 cup water
- food coloring , optional, to change the color of the dough
- Cornstarch , or potato starch (for dusting and rolling)
- Ice cream , your favorite kind
Instructions
- Freeze ice cream balls: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Working quickly, use a small ice cream scoop to scoop ice cream balls and place them onto the parchment paper. Be sure to pack the ice cream tightly as you scoop, leaving a flat edge on the ice cream so that it will sit flat on your cookie sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.
- Make mochi: Combine flour, sugar, and powdered sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Add water and stir well until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave mochi dough for 1 minute. Wet your spatula to prevent sticking and use your spatula to repeatedly fold the mixture. Cover and microwave again for 1 minute. Fold the dough again and microwave for 30 more seconds. The mochi should look slightly shiny and if it doesn't, microwave for 30 more seconds.
- Roll dough: Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust with a layer of cornstarch. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mochi dough from the bowl and onto the parchment paper (keep in mind that it will be very hot, so be careful not to touch it. Place the dirty dishes in the sink and soak them in water.
- Dust the top of the dough ball with cornstarch. Use a rolling pin to roll the mochi dough into a large rectangle. If the dough sticks at all while rolling, continue to dust the top with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4''. Place the parchment paper with the rolled out dough onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Use scissors to cut large squares of plastic wrap (one for each ice cream ball). Each mochi will get wrapped in plastic wrap before freezing.
- Fill the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and use a round cookie or biscuit cutter (about 3 inch round) to cut circles in the dough. Your circles need to be big enough to pinch the dough around the ice cream. Pick up one circle of dough and gently brush off the cornstarch from the top (I like to use a dry pastry brush to do this). Working with one scoop of ice cream at a time, keeping the rest in the freezer so they don't melt, place one ice cream scoop in the center of the mochi and gently press the dough around the ice cream. Pinch the edges of the mochi to seal it. Place mochi on a piece of plastic wrap bringing the corners of the square to the center and twisting tightly at the top to seal it.
- Freeze: Place mochi back in the freezer with the twisted plastic wrap side down. Continue with remaining dough and ice cream. Freeze mochi ice cream for at least 1 hour before eating. Once frozen, store it, still wrapped in the plastic wrap, in a freezer safe bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to slightly thaw before eating.
Notes
- Vary the ice cream flavors: any flavor ice cream or sorbet will work!
- Swap the filling: instead of ice cream you could fill the center with nutella, chocolate, fresh cut strawberries, peanut butter, or traditional red bean paste (anko).
- Flavor the dough:
- Peanut butter: Mix in 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter right after the dough has steamed in the microwave.
- Chocolate/Cocoa Powder: Mix in 1 teaspoon cocoa powder before cooking.
- Matcha: Mix in 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea powder).
- Vanilla: Add one teaspoons of vanilla extract to dough before cooking.
- Coconut: Add 1 Tablespoon coconut milk to the dough before cooking
Nutrition
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HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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very good recipe, i love youuuuuuuuuu
I love mochi with al my being and this recipe was soooo good. My daughter and I love it so much. We don’t use a microwave so we follow the instructions on how to steam and it worked great. I was a little bit nervous about the dough being super sticky in the bowl but the cornstarch does it’s work!
Thanks for the delightful recipe 💥
Mochi was a special treat for my family and I while I was growing up, and when I saw this recipe I decided to try making it and it was a success. My family and I enjoyed this recipe. This recipe truly desirves 5 Stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I grew up eating mochi and make it at home. I love it wrapped with ice cream. We can buy it at our grocery store, but it’s pretty pricey. I will definitely make it now that I have your recipe. Thank you.
I’d recommended putting the ice cream in cupcake liners in a cupcake tin (if you have that lying around) so when you take it out of the freezer you’re not handling the ice cream and it doesn’t melt as fast.
The recipe is very easy and the mochis turned out nice. I remember the previous times I made this recipe I just ate the dough. Very good.
I love the mochi however would have preferred it to be squishy but other than this, AMAZING!!!!
if we dont want to make the filling ice cream, do we still have to put them in the fridge/freezer and would you just do all the same steps just with out the ice cream?
If you’re not filling them with ice cream, you don’t need to freeze them just refrigerate to help the dough set. You can follow all the same steps, just skip the ice cream part and filling step.
I don’t really get the negative comments, this is a great recipe. I only had to adjust the microwave time, I ended up heating the dough for about 4 minutes in total. I placed it in a heatproof dish with a silicone lid. Yes, it’s sticky, it cannot not be sticky when it’s made with glutenous rice flour lol
Anyway, this worked like a charm, I added a little bit of matcha and filled them with homemade strawberry ice cream 🙂 🍵
would this work good for a school assignment on traditional Japanese foods?
Yes! I think Mochi ice cream could definitely work for a school assignment on traditional Japanese foods
This mochi ice cream recipe is HORRIBLE 🤬. This recipe was working well until I started putting the ice cream in the dough. The dough wouldn’t stick to close the mochi and It only made 3 mochi. Even worse though when I tried to eat my mochi the dough was frozen solid and the ice cream was half melted. So I microwaved the mochi for 10 seconds and it was the same so I microwaved it for another 10 seconds and the dough was FINNALY edible but all the ice cream was melted. I SPENT 4 HOURS MAKING THIS JUST TO EAT PLAIN MOCHI DOUGH AND NO ICE CREAM🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Hi Collin, we are so sorry you had a hard time with this mochi ice cream. Did you roll the dough 1/4 inch thick? You should have gotten 12 mochi ice creams. Did you use the plastic wrap method recommended to help it hold it’s shape? And did you let it freeze for at least an hour before eating so the ice cream could set up again? We would love to help you troubleshoot what went wrong!
is it safe to eat rice flour without cooking it?
Microwaving it is what cooks it.
can i use raw sugar
Raw sugar is usually more coarse and may affect the texture, so I would suggest mixing it in a food processor first so it’s fine – more similar to granulated sugar.
Awesome recipe! Mine came out better than the shops!