Home » Blog » Delicious Butter Mochi
by Relle
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
Chewy, buttery goodness wrapped up in bite sized pieces sure to leave you wanting more. BUTTER MOCHI, I mean if there’s butter involved, it must be good right?

Growing up in Hawai’i meant often having this yummy treat, whether it was at a family party, sports potlucks, or in school.
My late father absolutely loved butter mochi and this is recipe totally reminds me of him.
Butter mochi is a popular dessert in Hawai’i. It’s a local take on Japanese mochi. A buttery coconut custard made in to a sticky, chewy treat. A simple recipe that doesn’t take much effort or measuring (which is always a plus).
All you need to make a delicious tray of butter mochi is
- Eggs
- Fat free milk
- Coconut milk
- Vanilla ( Check out this recipe for homemade vanilla extract)
- Mochiko flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- And of course BUTTER

Recipe adapted from this post.
If you’ve got gluten intolerances, you’re in luck as this recipe is gluten free.
If you love mochi then check out some of these other mochi recipes
- Brownie mochi
- Red velvet mochi waffles
- Mochi pancakes
- Ube mochi waffles
- Ube mochi
- Mochi waffles
- Ozoni (mochi soup)
- Classic mochi
- Poi mochi
What is mochiko flour?
Mochiko is a type of sweet glutinous rice flour, which I know is counter intuitive as it’s not sweet and also does not contain gluten. The word glutinous is used to describe the higher starch content. It works great in mochi recipes, recipes that require thickeners, and even noodles. I like to use the Koda Farms brand, but any brand will do.
Where can I find mochiko flour?
Mochiko flour can be found in your local grocery store in the Asian or baking aisle. Not to worry my mainland friends, once again, you can find this on Amazon as well.

How long does it take to make butter mochi?
Baked in the oven at 350F, it will take about an hour to cook through.
How to cut butter mochi?
The center of the mochi is quite sticky and can make it a little difficult to cut. The best way to cut butter mochi is with a butter knife sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or use a plastic knife. Another option is to cover your butter knife with plastic wrap or soak the butter knife in hot water to warm it up.

How to store butter mochi?
Butter mochi is best stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Can butter mochi be frozen?
I would not recommend storing butter mochi in the refrigerator or freezer. This will cause the mochi to dry out and harden.
How to make butter mochi?
Preheat oven to 350F.In a medium mixing bowl combine wet ingredients: eggs, milk, coconut milk, vanilla. Stir to combine. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: mochiko flour, sugar, baking powder. Stir to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine. Add butter and stir until well combined. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture in pan and tap the pan to release any air bubbles. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown. Let pan cool completely before cutting and enjoying.
Butter Mochi
Relle Lum
Chewy, buttery goodness wrapped up in bite sized pieces sure to leave you wanting more. I mean if there’s butter involved, it must be good right?
4.53 from 117 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Course Desserts
Cuisine Hawaiian
Servings 1 pan
Calories 143 kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups fat free milk
- 1 can 13.5 ounces coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 box 16 ounces mochiko flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium mixing bowl combine wet ingredients: eggs, milk, coconut milk, vanilla. Stir to combine. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: mochiko flour, sugar, baking powder. Stir to combine.
Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir to combine.Add butter and stir again until well combined.
Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture in pan and tap the pan to release any air bubbles.
Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.
Let pan cool completely before cutting and enjoying.
Notes
*Best way to cut butter mochi: spray a butter knife with nonstick cooking spray or use a plastic butter knife.
*Recipe adapted from this post
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 143kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 97mgSugar: 18g
Keyword butter mochi, desserts, gluten free, gluten free dessert, Hawaii food, Hawaiian food, keeping it relle, mochi
Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag @keeping.it.relle on Instagram so I can see all your delicious creations and Let me know how it was!
© Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!
Tried this recipe? Tag me on social. I’d love to see and share it.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keeping.it.relle
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepingitrelle
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/keepingitrelle
Tried and love this recipe? Please give it a rating.
Pin for later.

***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases***
By Relle on November 12th, 2019
About Relle
Aloha, my name is Relle and welcome to my little home on the internet where I like to share all my favorite Hawaiian recipes (and local ones too).
I am a wife, mom of two, and nurse practitioner here in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I was born and raised in Hawai’i and I am of native Hawaiian descent. In my spare time I love to cook and bake and I have compiled many of my favorite recipes here for you to enjoy.
More posts by this author.
47 thoughts on “Delicious Butter Mochi”
Can inside whole milk? I don’t have fat free.
Reply
Totally. Whole milk, 2%, 1% or fat free is fine. Thanks for stopping by.
Reply
This looks amazing. I love mochi! Can I use sweetened almond milk instead of the fat free milk?
Reply
Hi. I’ve never tried, but I would assume it could work. It may change the flavor though. Let me know if you try it. Thanks for stopping by.
Reply
Love it!This is my go-to bitter mochi recipe! Most other recipes come out too stiff but I always favored the really moist, chewy, really buttery and almost crumbly mochi. This one comes as close to my favorite mochi places in Hawai’i. Top one being from this little cafe inside the physician’s building at Queen’s! Lol I do add about a half cup more sugar when I make though. Thank you so much for sharing!
Reply
Thank you for your kind words. Have a great day!!
Reply
Māhalo for this recipe. I’ve made butter Mochi before but this looks more like what I remember eating while growing up. Can’t wait to try it!! If I wanted to add shredded coconut to the top, when do you suggest I do that? 15-20 before it’s done, so it doesn’t burn?
Reply
See AlsoBarbacoa Mexicaans stoofvleesYou can add it at the beginning of baking, just be sure to bake in the middle of the oven.
Reply
Aloha Relle!
I just love all your recipes, thank you so much for sharing ..we love the islands and your recipes allows us to experience some of the joys in our own home!
Would this recipe be a good “base” recipe for mochi and allow me to add other flavors like banana etc??
Respectfully,
Dana!
Reply
Aloha Dana. Mahalo for your kind words. This is a great base recipe. I have a couple different flavors on my website. You’ll have to adjust the recipe a bit depending on what you are adding. Can’t wait to see or hear what you made. Have a great day.
Reply
Thank you for this recipe! I have two questions:
1) how do you get the top crackly like that? I made a similar recipe today (before I found yours), and it’s smooth on top
2) if I wanted to add a little guava puree or lilikoi juice for flavor, should I reduce the milk? Or, better put, how would you recommend adding the fruit? My favorite local place makes passionfruit butter mochi, and it looks like yours, but with the subtle fruit flavor and color.
Thank you again!Reply
Hi. The crackly top comes from the baking process. It’s baked on the middle rack uncovered. Not sure if your other recipe did the same. If you are going to add puree you may need to decrease some of the liquid. Depends how much puree you end up adding.
Reply
Thank you for sharing the recipe. Made it and it’s so easy and delicious.
Reply
Yay. Awesome to hear. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
Reply
Tonight is probably our tenth time making this recipe. Family favorite. It’s our go-to.
Reply
Yay. So awesome to hear. Thank you for sharing.
Reply
Mahalo for this recipe. I live in Arizona and was craving something ono from Hawaii. This recipe was easy to make. One of my family favorites.
The last batch I cooked, I topped it with coconut flakes and sprinkled it with salt before I baked it.
That was very ono too !!Keep the recipes coming !!
Reply
That’s another great way to enjoy it. Glad you liked it.Thanks for stopping by.
Reply
I made it vegan, using soy milk instead of cow and just eggs instead of real eggs, also used monk fruit sweetener instead of regular sugar.
Reply
Awesome. How’d it turn out?
Reply
It tasted great to me and no one complained until I told them it was vegan. 😉
I’ll have to make the original recipe at some point to compare.
Reply
Thank you for sharing!
Reply
Hi. Did you replace the same amount of sugar with monk fruit?
Reply
I’d suggest 1:1/2 ratio. Meaning 1 cup sugar replaced with 1/2 cup monk fruit. But try it and see what you think.
Made this recipe twice and it’s so good!!! My go to recipeReply
Thanks, Relle! Your dad must have been a smart man, because this was delicious! Just made it tonight, so easy. I did add just a little salt (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) because I like a tiny bit of salt in my sweets. Thanks so much for posting!
Reply
Aloha Katie, He sure was. If you use salted butter I usually find that’s enough butter, but it really depends on the brand of butter. If unsalted butter, yes adding a little salt helps. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day.
Reply
Thank you for the recipe!! It’s my favorite mochi recipe to date!
What do you do to your pan before you put the parchment paper in? In your video it stays so perfectly.Reply
Aloha Yvonne,
So great to hear. Thanks for sharing. You can spray a little non-stick cooking spray or use a little water to help hold it in place.
Have a great day,
RelleReply
Should the bake be a little jiggly after 1hour?
Reply
Aloha. Yes a little jiggle. If you put a toothpick in, it should not have wet batter on it. If it does it needs to bake a little longer.
Reply
Aloha! Have you tried using evaporated milk before instead of whole milk? How did it come out? If so, what measurements would you suggest using?
Reply
I haven’t tried the recipe aside from what is listed. I’d assume you can use any milk you’d like. The difference would be in the flavor and possibly the texture. Mahalo.
Reply
Hello, if I’m making a big pan of it do I just bake it longer? Thank youReply
Aloha. The type of pan and where you place it in the oven will make a difference in bake time. If your big pan creates a thicker mochi then the bake time will likely increase. Best bet is to keep an eye on it as you go.
Reply
Thank you very much
You’re very welcome
Can you make this in a cupcake tin? To make individual ones to avoid having to cut it and be able to display it?
Reply
Aloha Stephanie. You sure can. You’ll decrease the bake time to accommodate the smaller size.
Reply
Hi! I really want to make this because I love the moist, gooey butter mochi. How should I store this afterwards and how long will it keep for ?
Reply
Aloha. This is best eaten day of. It will keep for 2-3 days in an air tight container at room temperature.
Reply
I love this recipe. I’ve made it over and over. It’s super easy and comes out perfectly every time. Thank you so much!Reply
Aw yay. So great to hear. Thank you for sharing.
Reply
Hi! Can I make this into cupcakes? If yes, what do you recommend for baking time?
Reply
Aloha Tiffany. You can totally make this into cupcakes. Baking time will be decreased. Keep an eye on it. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter on it. Have a great day.
Reply
Thanks for the recipe ! It tastes so good. Love the texture & taste . My family loves it! I made this for our holiday gatherings, we loved it so we much we ate it all up ourselves! So we had to make another batch for the rest of the family! 😆❤️Reply
Yay. Happy to hear. Thank you for sharing. Happy holidays.
Reply