Green tea mochi is a delicious rice cake from Japan. If you have an incurable sweet tooth, you'll definitely want to try this matcha daifuku. It's a pretty wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets, that makes a nice light tea-time snack.
We tested plenty of different recipes and made our own adjustments along the way to get a chewy yet soft dough that we're happy with. We think we came up with the best green tea mochi recipe that's easy for you to replicate at home.
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What is matcha mochi made of?
Matcha mochi, or Japanese-style green tea mochi, is a soft rice cake made from doughy mochiko flour. When you bite into it, you'll find its green tea centre. The filling, also known as matcha, is made by grinding young tea leaves into a fine powder. This is where this pastry gets its name, the matcha mochi.
The Japanese traditionally make rice cake by pounding the dough over and over again. However, there is a simpler method to making it today. You can check out our microwave mochi recipe for a simple introduction to how to make it.
What does green tea mochi taste like?
Green tea mochi tastes like marshmallows combined with sticky and gummy candy. It can also have a dry, starchy aftertaste. When you bite into it, you will taste the bittersweet matcha filling. This contrasting taste sensation makes this treat so satisfying.
Green tea mochi ingredients
You will need sweet glutinous rice flour, green tea matcha powder and sugar to make matcha mochi with red bean filling. Other ingredients, such as cornstarch, might already be in your kitchen.
Here is the list of green tea mochi ingredients you will need:
- Mochiko or Glutinous rice flour
- Granular sugar
- Green tea matcha powder
- Cornstarch
- Anko red bean paste
It's best to use mochiko (Japanese short-grain sweet rice flour), but you can also use glutinous rice flour. We haven't noticed a big difference in the taste or texture of the final product. However, when we used mochiko, it was a lot harder to mould as it was a lot gooier and doughier.
For mochiko, it takes longer to incorporate the flour and water because the flour is not as absorbent. As a result, the texture is slightly grainy, gooey and much less elastic. Outside of Japan, mochiko flour is also a lot more expensive.
We recommend using glutinous rice flour when you're first starting off. It's a lot more forgiving for a beginner to use and a lot cheaper than buying Mochiko.
If you are using the mochiko, try to add less water. Otherwise, it might become too moist and not hold its shape.
All recommended types of flour are available in most Japanese grocery stores, but you can also try ordering them online from Amazon.
Green Tea Mochi Recipe (Matcha Mochi with Red Bean Filling)
Video
Ingredients
- 100 g sweet rice flour
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
- 25 g sugar
- 150 ml water
- ¼ cup cornstarch for dusting
- 200 g red bean paste
Cooking Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, mix flour, sugar, and matcha powder. Add water and mix until all ingredients are dissolved. Cover the bowl loosely. Microwave for 2 minutes using the lowest setting on the temperature indicator. Take it out and fold it with a damp spatula.
- Cover and microwave at 30 seconds intervals until the dough becomes slightly translucent. Place baking paper on the working surface, and dust it generously with cornstarch. Next, transfer the microwave matcha-flavoured mochi dough onto baking paper. Sprinkle more cornstarch onto the dough, so it does not stick to the paper.
- Divide the dough into four equal parts. Flatten the dough into a circular shape using your hands. Now, scoop the red bean paste into a small ball and place it in the middle of the dough. Pinch the four corners of the dough, and push them together. Tap the bottom with cornstarch.
- Finally, give the green tea mochi a light brush to remove excess cornstarch. If you want, you can also sprinkle some matcha powder on the top.
Recipe Notes
- The colour of your final dessert depends on the amount of matcha powder you use. You can adjust the amount to make it lighter or darker. However, beware that too much can make it overpowering.
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly before cooking them in the microwave to ensure that the dough holds its shape. You should completely dissolve the ingredients, or your filling will become lumpy. Also, ensure you microwave in short intervals to avoid overcooking the dough. Finally, the appearance of the dough should be a solid colour when it's ready.
- As the dough is very sticky, you'll need a thin layer of cornstarch to prevent it from sticking. It's important to coat it evenly, so the dessert is not overwhelmed by the white cornstarch powder. If you prefer not to use cornstarch, you can try potato starch instead. It serves the same purpose: preventing the dough from sticking to the paper.
- Lastly, ensure the filling is firm before adding it to mochi wrappers. The filling can be too soft when it's still warm. Let it cool down before making the dough. Otherwise, it will not hold its shape.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Green tea mochi fillings
You can combine green tea mochi fillings with other ingredients such as red bean or white bean paste, strawberries, or ice cream. Here are some common combinations you can try out.
Red bean filling
Matcha mochi with red bean filling uses a paste made of azuki beans (or red beans), sugar and some fat of your choice. Red bean paste is a popular filling for many classic Asian treats, and it's a favourite in Asian cuisines to make desserts. Some of our favourites include anpan, dorayaki, red bean mochi and mooncakes.
It is relatively easy to find if you are looking for red bean filling in an Asian supermarket. Just look for pre-made anko bean paste or "hong dou sha" in Chinese. If you're buying it from an Asian supermarket, you will most likely find Koshian. This is a finer adzuki paste.
We prefer making our own paste filling as it's a lot less sweet compared to the store-bought and has a lot fewer preservatives.
Matcha Chocolate Ganache
Our new favourite green tea mochi filling is a matcha white chocolate filling. It's decadent and works so well with the chewy mochi dough.
We used the same recipe for making a chocolate ganache but added matcha powder and white chocolate instead. You can check out our chocolate mochi recipe or watch our YouTube video below to see how we make it.
White bean paste
White bean paste, or Shiroan in Japanese, is mainly used as a filling for sweet desserts and pastries in many East Asian cuisines.
Smooth and sweet, the Japanese use lima beans or butter beans for the white paste. The beans are hulled, parboiled till tender, drained, and pureed before adding sugar.
Sadly for those who want to try this filling, white bean paste is hard to find outside Japan. The good news is that it's pretty easy to make if you get your hands on some, but the process takes some time.
Strawberry
Strawberry matcha mochi is a doughy ball of glutinous rice flour mixed with matcha, sweet red bean paste, and an entire juicy and tart strawberry.
Traditionally, the Japanese hide the fruit entirely within the smooth rice flour. However, in modern times, you may see it sold in innovative wagashi shops with the berry peeking out of the dough ball. Hop over to our strawberry daifuku recipe article to learn how to make this dessert step-by-step.
Ice cream
Green tea mochi ice cream is also a popular variation. It was invented in Tokyo by a local confectionery maker using a thin layer of sweet dough to wrap around a tasty, premium green tea ice cream centre.
Eating matcha mochi ice cream cold straight from the fridge is best. The sticky, sweet dough and its ice-cold core are a good treat for a hot day.
You might have realised that there are many variations for the fillings of the rice flour ball. You can even use non-traditional fillings such as chocolate or even mango. You can refer to our mochi ice cream recipe to find out how.
Also, this dessert has many variations, such as mochi green tea cookies. You can modify the recipe by using more or less dough or increasing the baking temperature to make cookies.
While our recipe will show you how to make green tea mochi with red bean paste, you can quickly adapt it for other additional toppings.
How to store
Green tea mochi taste best the same day you make them, as they harden when left in the fridge for too long.
However, if you store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, they can retain their smooth elasticity for around two days.
In our experience, if you're making a large batch, you can freeze them and let them naturally defrost when you want to eat them. However, the texture of the dough will be less nice than when it's freshly made.
How to eat matcha mochi
You can eat matcha mochi alone in one bite. But if you want to know how to eat matcha mochi like the Japanese, then serve them at the end of a meal with a cup of hot green tea. Green tea mochi is not a filling snack and is perfect as a light dessert.
Is matcha mochi symbolic?
Green tea mochi has no particular symbolism. For knowledge's sake, it's interesting to note that the Japanese traditionally serve and eat wagashi at New Year's. But different fillings signify different meanings. For example, the Japanese usually serve dainty sakura mochi to welcome Spring and the flowering sakura blooms.
At a Japanese tea ceremony, you will usually see matcha tea. The reason is that matcha's antioxidant and nutritional properties are believed to bring the mind and body in harmony, boosting the spirit and nurturing one's health.
We've also added a new YouTube video recipe showing how to prepare this Japanese dessert. Our step-by-step tutorial includes valuable pointers on how to wrap the dough to make it more presentable.
We hope you enjoyed learning how to make matcha mochi today. If you want to learn more about traditional Japanese desserts, subscribe to us on YouTube for more recipes.
Michelle Wong
You left the amount of water off your ingredients list.
Honest Food Talks
Hi Michelle, you can find the amount of water to use in our recipe and also our video 🙂
Phillip
How much water should you mix in it doesn't say