Easy Vegan Mochi Recipe (5 Filling Ideas)

Vegan mochi is a simple Japanese snack that has a chewy bite and flavourful, sweet fillings. It's basically a rice-based version of a marshmallow, with various ways of making and serving it.

This sweet treat is made of rice flour, red bean paste, water, and sugar. Nowadays, you can find many mochi varieties with different experimental fillings. In general, mochi is vegan. However, some of the fillings contain gelatin and other animal by-products. Therefore, you should make this Japanese snack at home to ensure every ingredient is vegan-friendly. 

After collecting our favourite ways to make this soft and chewy treat, we bring you our best vegan mochi recipe. We have a lot of experience making mochi, so we can assure the easiest and best results. We've also included our list of the best vegan mochi fillings to try, as well as our tips to making them in the comfort of your home. So get ready to discover your new sweet addiction.

Jump to:

• Vegan Mochi Ingredients
• Optional ingredients
• Vegan Mochi Fillings
• How to Make Vegan Mochi
• Cooking Tips
• Vegan Mochi

Vegan Mochi Ingredients

Our vegan mochi ingredients consist of the following:

• Glutinous rice flour
• Potato starch
• Water
• Matcha powder (optional) 
• Freeze-dried strawberries (optional)
• Cocoa (optional) 

Glutinous Rice Flour

Mochiko is the main type of flour that is traditionally used to make this dessert. It yields a smooth and neutral-tasting dough. However, glutinous rice flour is a good replacement for mochiko because it absorbs water better to produce more springy and chewy dough.

Glutinous rice flour has a mildly sweet and milky taste. Moreover, it yields an elastic dough with a stretchy feel and pliable texture. In addition, you can let the dough sit out for a long time without losing its consistency.

However, this replacement has coarse granules that can easily turn into clumps. Therefore, you must properly stir and blend the batter to combat this issue. The ideal ratio is one cup of water for every cup of glutinous rice flour. Meanwhile, if you use mochiko, add ½ cup of water for every cup of this flour.

Potato Starch

We like to add potato starch to tackle the issue of wet, overly-sticky dough. This powder will make your dough more elastic and ensure the kneading process is neater. Furthermore, it won't alter the taste of your vegan mochi.

Simply pour ¼ cup of starch onto your work surface before kneading. Alternatively, you can also use cornstarch as a substitute for potato starch.

Water

To achieve a smooth, lump-free dough, you will need hot water. This is because the dough will turn stiff and coarse if the water is cold. Hot water also improves the flour's viscosity, making it easier to absorb water to form a stretchy texture. 

However, avoid boiling water to prevent the dough from becoming too sticky. The ideal water temperature is between 50°C and 60°C. You will need 1 cup of hot water for every cup of glutinous rice flour.

Optional ingredients

Matcha Powder

You can make vegan green tea mochi by adding matcha. It's the perfect way to take your dessert to the next level. However, your dough will have a different taste based on the type of matcha you use.

We recommend using ceremonial-grade matcha powder, which offers an intense grassy taste and sweet undertones. Furthermore, this grade doesn't taste as bitter as the culinary-grade version.

You will need ½ tablespoon of matcha powder for every 1 cup of flour. If you prefer it darker, add another half tablespoon of matcha powder into the mix. However, don't use more than one tablespoon to avoid an overpowering flavour that drowns out the taste of other ingredients.

Freeze Dried Strawberries

For a fun and fruity twist, throw in some freeze-dried strawberries as one of the vegan mochi ingredients. You get soft, chewy strawberry daifuku with a sweet, tender, fruity core. It basically tastes like chewing a juicy strawberry covered in marshmallows. 

To make strawberry mochi, you need 1 cup of small strawberries. Be sure to cut each fruit in half to get cute, small balls when you cover it with red bean paste and mochi dough later.

Alternatively, you can incorporate the strawberries into the dough. First, blend 1 cup of strawberries until you get a soft puree. Then, mix the puree with 1 cup of flour. Stir and blend until you get a clear, lump-free batter.

Cocoa

Consider adding cocoa powder to the mix if you are craving chocolate. We recommend using vegan cocoa powder to make the dough for our vegan mochi recipe.

You need two tablespoons of cocoa powder for 1 cup of glutinous rice flour. You also need ¼ cup of white sugar, 1 cup of hot water, and 1 cup of almond milk to balance out the bitter taste of the cocoa. Mix the flour, water, sugar, and cocoa powder in a bowl to make the dough. Then, add the almond milk and stir everything until you get a smooth batter.

Vegan Mochi Fillings

Red Bean Paste

Red bean paste, or anko, is made from crushed adzuki beans. This paste is the perfect filling for vegan red bean mochi because of its soft texture and subtle nutty, sweet taste. Furthermore, it goes well with flavourful vegan mochi ingredients like dried strawberries or matcha powder.

This filling is often used for Asian snacks like mooncakes and dorayaki. But we particularly love to use it as a wrapping for the dried strawberries in daifuku. 

Making red bean paste is simple. First, cook 1 cup of adzuki beans with 4 cups of water and ½ cup of white sugar over medium heat until it boils. Once the beans turn soft, remove the water and crush everything into a paste. 

If you're out of red adzuki beans at home, swap this vegan mochi ingredient with red kidney beans. Bear in mind that kidney beans are less sweet than red adzuki beans. So, you need 1 cup of white sugar for 1 cup of these beans to get a sweet paste. 

It is also best to refrigerate the paste for 1 to 2 hours before using. Doing this will give you a vegan red bean mochi with a mildly chewy centre and gummy bite.

Vegan Chocolate Mochi

Our vegan mochi recipe also pairs well with chocolate fillings. In fact, we have made chocolate mochi filled with creamy chocolate ganache that instantly melts in one bite. However, you must alter some ingredients to make a vegan chocolate mochi. 

You need 1 cup of chopped vegan white or dark chocolate and 1 cup of almond milk to make the chocolate ganache fillings. First, cook these vegan mochi ingredients over medium heat until you get a smooth, clump-free white cream. Then, refrigerate it for 1 hour before moulding the chocolate into small firm balls.

Using vegan dark chocolate will give you a richer and more bitter chocolate taste. So, if you don't like this intense flavour, add one tablespoon of sugar when cooking the chocolate to balance the taste. 

Additionally, you can swap almond milk with coconut milk to make this vegan chocolate mochi. Using coconut milk yields a delicious chocolate ganache with a subtle tropical and nutty aftertaste.

Vegan Mochi Ice Cream

Another versatile filling you can use in this Japanese snack is ice cream. Thanks to the invention of mochi ice cream, we now enjoy many vegan mochi ice cream recipes. The potential flavour combos and tastes are limitless.

Some vegan mochi ice cream recipes use vegan matcha ice cream, blueberry ice cream, and no-churn coconut milk ice cream. You can also wrap these fillings with red bean paste for a sweet and nutty taste.

Remember to keep these ice creams in an airtight container in the freezer. A loose container seal can cause tiny crystals to form around and inside the ice cream. In turn, you will get coarse and grainy ice cream.

Fresh Mango

If you've never tried this Japanese snack with a tangy twist, consider using fresh mango as a filling. The smooth yet firm texture of mango also makes it easy to wrap these fruits with dough. 

You must chop this fruit into tiny cubes to make a mango mochi. If these cubes are too soft and hard to work with, keep them in the refrigerator for a more rigid texture. 

Almond Paste

Almond paste is widely used in many European-style desserts and pastries. Its smooth texture resembles peanut butter with a subtly sweet and bitter taste. If you buy pre-made paste from the stores, always check its ingredients. Some contain egg whites and gluten that don't cater to the vegan diet.

To be safe, we suggest you make this paste at home: 

1. First, blend 1 cup of blanched almonds in a food processor until it turns powdery. 
2. Then, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Cook everything to a boil before simmering for 4 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture to remove lumps for another 4 minutes. 
3. Turn the heat off and add the powdered almonds. Stir and cook the mix on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. You will get a light beige mixture with a mildly coarse texture at this point.
4. Let the paste cool before transferring it into an airtight container.

You can use 1 cup of maple or brown sugar syrup as an alternative to the granulated sugar. Furthermore, you can add one tablespoon of almond or vanilla extract to elevate your paste's overall aroma and taste.

How to Make Vegan Mochi

Making this sweet Japanese snack on your own is quite simple: 

1. First, mix 1 cup of glutinous rice flour, 1 cup of water, and ¼ cup of white sugar in a microwave-safe bowl to make the dough. Then, stir these ingredients well before wrapping the bowl with plastic wrap.
2. Next, microwave the mix for 1 minute at full power. Take the mixture out and stir it using a rubber spatula to make it smooth. Then, cover the mix again and cook it for another minute.
3. Take the mixture out and stir again. The mixture should have a white to transparent colour with a smooth texture. If the mixture appears hard or lumpy, microwave it again at 30-second intervals until you get the desired result.
4. Then, dust the working surface with potato starch before dropping the dough on it. Use a rolling pin and stretch the dough. Sprinkle more starch onto the dough and roll it again. 
5. Then, press a cookie cutter on the dough to get round shapes. Stretch the dough with your hands before putting one scoop of your filling in the centre.
6. Finally, pinch the dough to seal the filling and refrigerate the treat before serving. 

You can keep these snacks in an airtight container. It will last two days at room temperature and up to 3 days when chilled. You can also freeze your vegan mochi in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. 

Furthermore, you can make the mochi dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. Whenever you need to use it, microwave the dough on medium heat for 30 seconds to soften its texture.

Cooking Tips

• In some cases, you might get a dough that is too sticky. However, you can solve this problem by spreading and sprinkling more potato starch onto it. Be sure that your hands and working surface are free from moisture. 

• You could put plastic wrap on the dough to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin. Alternatively, rub a few drops of vegetable oil on your palms before kneading.

• The dough can lose its elasticity and become less stretchy if it has excess moisture. To solve this issue, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour and cook the dough in the microwave again for 1 minute. Repeat this step until you get the desired texture. 

• On the other hand, a lack of water can turn the dough hard. If this happens, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and microwave the dough for 30 seconds. Repeat this step until you get a stretchy dough. 

If you enjoyed making our vegan mochi recipe follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks for more delightful Asian desserts. Next, check out our guide on how to make mochi using its traditional ingredients.