Classic Mango Mochi

May I impress you with this refreshing homemade Japanese Mango Mochi? Tangy and sweet mango filling is covered with soft and chewy mochi cake. It’s rolled into mango mochi balls with a delicious shredded coconut coating, perfect for a hot summer day! This recipe is quick to make, and can be easily customized for vegan or dairy-free preferences.

Mango Mochi is one of our family’s favorite desserts – the combination of mango, coconut, and the sticky mochi dough is heavenly delicious and we make this tropical treat almost every week recently! It may seem intimidating to make this delicate treat, but it’s quite easy to prepare with a few simple tips.

Similar to Daifuku, Mochi is a classic Japanese dessert made with glutinous rice flour. Traditional mochi (such as Green Tea Matcha Mochi) is made with special glutinous rice flour: Mochiko or Shiratamako. The good news is that this Mango Mochi recipe uses the regular glutinous rice flour that’s widely available, producing an amazingly delicious mochi cake that your whole family will love. So it’s absolutely worth the effort to learn!

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe

For the mochi

• Glutinous Rice Flour – Also called sticky rice flour or sweet rice flour. You can find it at most Asian grocery stores or order online from Amazon.
• Sugar – I used powdered sugar, and the regular granulated sugar works great too. You can also replace it with stevia for a sugar-free Keto diet.
• Cornstarch
• Milk – I used the whole milk for the maximum flavor. You can use fat-free milk, or replace it with almond milk or coconut milk for a dairy-free option.
• Coconut Milk – Coconut milk beverage works better than canned coconut milk, which contains solid chunky lumps of the white stuff. I like to use unsweetened coconut milk so that it’s easier to control the sweetness level of your dough.
• Butter – Use unsalted butter for this recipe. You can substitute vegetable oil for a vegan option.

Mango mochi filling

• Fresh Mango – I recommend using ripe mangoes that are sweet and not too hard. When you buy mangoes, ripe mangoes feel soft when you squeeze it gently. You can also replace mango with any filling you like.

For the coating

• Shredded Coconut – It helps to add an extra coconut flavor to the treat while preventing the dough from sticking. I recommend using unsweetened shredded coconut for this recipe.

How to make mango mochi

Mix the mochi dough ingredients

1. In a large mixing bowl, add glutinous rice, cornstarch, sugar, milk, coconut milk, and melted butter. Mix until everything is dissolved completely. (It’s important to make sure the mixture is smooth without any lumps.)

2. Transfer the mixture to a smaller bowl that fits into your steamer.

Cook the mochi dough

3. Place the bowl into the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 minutes until the dough becomes slightly translucent. (To test the doneness, poke the dough using a spatula or fork, if there’s no liquid in the middle, the dough is ready.)

4. Transfer the mochi dough to another plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let it cool to room temperature. (Use oven mitts or kitchen towel when removing the plate from the steamer as it’s very hot!)

Prepare the filling and divide the mochi cake

5. While waiting, cut the mango into small square cubes (about 1/2 inch).

6. Wet your hands with water and take about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough. Form the dough into a ball and flatten it into a circular shape using your hands.

Assemble mango mochi

7. Place a piece of mango in the center. Pinch the four corners of the mochi wrapper, and then pinch the remaining corners together.

8. Coat the mochi ball with shredded coconut. Chill the mango mochi balls in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tips for making the perfect mango mochi:

• Make sure to use regular glutinous rice flour for this recipe. If you plan to use Mochiko flour or Shiratamako flour, follow the instructions from this post on how to make the mochi dough.
• Choose ripe mangos that are sweet and soft. If the mango filling is hard and too sour, it can ruin your mango mochi experience.
• It’s very important to mix all ingredients THOROUGHLY and make sure everything is completely dissolved before cooking them in a steamer. Otherwise, your mochi balls won’t have a smooth texture.
• Avoid overcooking the dough. Cooked mochi dough should be sticky without any running liquid in the middle. You can use a spatula or fork to check before removing the dough from the steamer.
• Cover the cooked dough with plastic wrap when it’s resting. Otherwise, the surface of the dough will dry out.
• As the dough is very sticky, you’ll need to wet your hands with water frequently when wrapping the mango.
• The trickiest part of this recipe is to wrap the mango in the mochi dough cake. It may take a few tries to get it into great round shape, but after a few, you’ll get a hang of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store mango mochi and how long do they keep?

Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they can last for 2 days. These mango mochi balls taste the best on the day they’re made.

What does mango mochi taste like?

The mochi layer is sticky, chewy, and sweet with a great earthy flavor. A mango filling is sweet and tart.

Can I make mango mochi ice cream with this recipe?

No, the mochi dough for this recipe doesn’t freeze well. If you’d like to make mango mochi ice cream, you need to use Mochiko or Shiratamako flour, and make a mochi dough following the instruction on this post.

If You Love this Recipe Try These Out!

If you’ve tried this mango mochi then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know. I love hearing from you!

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