Soft and chewy Hawaiian Butter Mochi is an iconic Hawaiian treat made with sweet rice flour, which also happens to be gluten free. It will transport you to the island of Hawaii in just one bite!
Is it weird to describe a dessert as satisfyingly squishy? Biting into this butter mochi is like hugging one of my daughter’s squishmallows! It’s rich, chewy, coconut-y, comforting and just delightful overall. Give it a try, I promise you it will be a big hit with your family!
My first exposure to Hawaiian butter mochi was actually well before I ever travelled to Hawaii via these coconut mochi muffins that my husband’s aunt used to make, I just didn’t know it then! But after traveling to Maui, I have to say I’m totally hooked, I need to have them in every flavor: chocolate brownie mochi (or Brochi), mini Matcha green tea mochi and guava mochi. And believe me, I plan to make more!
Table of Contents
Helpful tools
The best thing about this recipe is that you don’t need any special tools at all to make it! All you need are a really large mixing bowl and your whisk to mix the batter, along with a 9″x13″ baking pan to bake it in. But a stand mixer would be very useful due to the large volume of the batter.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Mochiko – is one of the main ingredients. It is a sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour. This type of rice has a shorter grain and is very sticky when cooked. You need to purchase the correct type of rice flour for this recipe to work. I typically use Koda Farms Mochiko, as pictured. You should be able to find this at most Asian grocery stores. My local Stater Bros carries it in the Asian or International aisle. I expect the recipe to work fine with other brand of sweet rice flour as well. But I must stress that you need to buy Mochiko or sweet rice flour, not regular rice flour. Regular rice is not as sticky as sweet rice and the texture will not be the same. And absolutely DO NOT substitute regular flour here.
- Coconut cream or milk – I used unsweetened canned coconut cream and sometimes just unsweetened canned coconut milk. The coconut cream has slightly higher fat content. Before I could only find coconut cream at Sprouts but I notice recently they have been easier to find. Any brand will work, you will find a variety at Asian grocery stores and pretty much any supermarket nowadays. But I will note that you need to use the canned coconut milk and not the refrigerated carton coconut milk, those are lighter and more watery. For the best traditional butter mochi, definitely stick to coconut cream or milk. But half and half (or unsweetened coffee cream) is a good substitute due to the similar fat content.
- Evaporated milk – adds another layer of creamy rich taste to this butter mochi. You can make your own evaporated milk by simmering whole milk until the volume is reduced by half or use a mixture of whole milk + half and half (3:1) or whole milk + cream (7:1).
- Unsalted butter – no additional salt is called for in this recipe so I don’t recommend substituting salted butter.
- Sugar – granulated sugar works fine for this recipe but if you want to add a little bit more flavor depth, you can use brown sugar.
- Eggs – we are using lots of eggs in this recipe to bind the ingredients and to add richness also.
- Pure vanilla extract – for the best flavor, avoid imitation vanilla flavoring. While the dominant flavor is coconut here, I think adding a little bit of vanilla adds depth and complexity.
- Baking powder – baking soda is not a substitution for baking powder. Baking soda needs an acidic environment to work and this recipe does not provide that. You must use baking powder.
- Coconut – may or may not be a traditional ingredient in Hawaiian butter mochi, but I like the addition for extra coconut flavor and another layer of texture. If you prefer a completely smooth batter, you can omit these. You can also us different mix-in like crushed macadamia nuts for example.
How to make Hawaiian butter mochi
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Mix together the melted butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then add the rest of the wet ingredients: coconut milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla.
Tip: If you’re using a stand mixer, you can add all the wet ingredients altogether at the same time. But when you’re incorporating the ingredients by hand, it’s easier to do it one at a time.
Now add the dry ingredients: mochiko and baking powder. Stir until completely smooth and fold in the coconut.
Transfer to a buttered baking pan and bake until golden brown and cooked through.
More baker’s tips
- This recipe is gluten free since there is no wheat flour in it. Even though the rice flour is called “glutinous rice flour”, there is no gluten in it.
- You can bake this recipe in two 8”x8” baking pans. I have not done this myself but some readers have. The baking time will need to be shortened, I suggest checking around 25 – 30 minutes for doneness and continue baking as needed.
- The baking time can vary from 50 minutes up to 75 minutes depending on your oven temperature. If the top starts to get too brown but the inside is not done, tent it with a large piece of foil to keep the top from burning.
- This recipe will make at least 24 servings and possibly more if you cut them smaller. For a smaller batch, try these mini coconut mochi muffins, they are also a little bit lighter as well.
Storage
Butter mochi tastes best when fresh, especially because this type of treat can lose its bounciness when it is days old. But reheating it can make it tender and moist again.
It will keep at room temperature for a couple of days. Because it is a very moist treat, if kept out too long it can go bad, especially in very warm weather. In this case, it is best to refrigerate leftovers, it will last up to 2 weeks.
Freezing instructions
You can definitely freeze these to store them even longer. I recommend wrap individual portion well in plastic and/or foil, then place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before serving.
Reheating instructions
Refrigerated and frozen butter mochi will lose their bounciness once thawed. I highly recommend warming them up in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften them. To microwave, make sure your mochi wrapped in plastic or a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out.
FAQs
Can I use shiratamako instead of mochiko?
Shiratamako is another type of sweet rice flour, but it comes in larger lumps and not as a fine powder like Mochiko. If you have shiratamako handy, I expect you can use it in place of Mochiko, after you break up the lumps.
However, it’s actually a lot more expensive due to the difference in processing method, so you better save it for making other types of more refined Japanese mochi confections. Nami from Just One Cookbook has a detailed post about Shiratamako and how it differs from Mochiko if you’re interested.
What is Hawaiian Butter Mochi?
Hawaiian Butter Mochi is a local Hawaiian treat made with sweet rice flour, also called glutinous rice flour, along with butter, eggs, coconut milk, evaporated milk, and a few other typical ingredients such as sugar, baking powder and vanilla extract. Coconut flakes or other fillings can be added to create different variations.
The butter mochi is baked like you would a sheet cake in a 9”x13” baking pan, and then divided into smaller portions for serving. You can consider it a type of cake, but locals don’t call it a Mochi cake, simply butter mochi or Hawaiian butter mochi will do.
Is this the same as Japanese Mochi?
NO. Japanese mochi is typically made with steamed sweet rice, pounded until smooth and stretchy, then it is formed into balls or smaller portions. Japanese mochi can be plain, or filled with sweet red bean paste, or infused with other flavors. But this type of mochi is not baked and is completely different from Hawaiian butter mochi.
Did you know there is also a version of Japanese Butter Mochi?
Fun fact: there is also a version of Japanese Butter Mochi, only made in the Akita prefecture in northern Japan. This version of Akita butter mochi is also made with pounded steamed sweet rice and then melted butter, sugar and egg yolks are kneaded into the already smooth and stretchy mochi.
Again, this type of mochi is not baked, and resembles the traditional Japanese mochi more than the Hawaiian mochi due to the way it is made. I learned about Japanese butter mochi via TabiEats, one of my favorite Youtubers for all things Japanese food and travel.
Island inspired recipes you’ll love
- Banana Bread French Toast
- Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Buns)
- Surfer Granola with macadamia nuts, coconut & banana
- Tropical Cinnamon Buns
- Macadamia Coconut Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Hungry for more?
Hawaiian Butter Mochi
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter, melted & cooled slightly
- 2 cup granulated sugar, 400 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz
- 1 can unsweetened coconut cream, or coconut milk, 13.5 oz
- 1 box of Mochiko, 16 oz
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, 80 g
- Extra butter for pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brush some melted butter all over a 9”x13” baking pan and set aside.
- Add melted butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl (or the stand mixer bowl) and mix well to combine.
- Add vanilla, eggs, evaporated milk, coconut cream and beat until smooth.
- Stir in mochiko and baking powder and mix until completely smooth.
- Fold in the shredded coconut.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes (or longer if necessary) until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs attached.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
- Sprinkle toasted coconut flakes over the top if desired.
Video
Notes
- This recipe is gluten free.
- There is no substitution for mochiko (sweet rice flour)
- Be sure to use canned coconut cream or canned coconut milk and not the carton variety.
- The baking time can vary from 50 minutes up to 75 minutes depending on your oven temperature. If the top starts to get too brown but the inside is not done, tent it with a large piece of foil to keep the top from burning.
- You can bake this recipe in two 8”x8” baking pans. The baking time will need to be shortened, check around 25 – 30 minutes for doneness and continue baking as needed.
- This recipe will make at least 24 servings and possibly more if you cut them smaller.
- Refer to the post for more troubleshooting and substitution tips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this for a wedding last weekend and it was a hit! I did not alter the recipe at all. Perfect the way it is! Thanks for a great recipe
Thank you so much Lina! I’m so happy that everyone enjoyed it 🙂
I’m taking this to a bake sale & expect it to sell wildly! I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut cream, so I used a sweetened version & cut the sugar by 1/2 cup. Gotta do what you gotta do when it comes to bake sales.
How fun!! I hope everyone will love it! 🙂
Hello, I have made your Mochi recipe several times and I have always recieved excellent reviews. I would like to branch out and make some of your flavored mochi but i want to continue to use this recipe for it’s serving size. What advice do you have for adding things like pineapple, matcha and mango? Not all together of course 🙂 If I don’t hear back from you i guess I’ll play mad scientist and see what happens.
Hi Mary, I’m so glad you like this recipe and want to modify for different flavor. With matcha, it’s pretty straightforward, just add matcha powder, how much depends on how strong you like it. I used 1 teaspoon in this matcha coconut mochi recipe and it yielded a mild flavor. For this large batch maybe 2 tablespoons and even more to taste. Pineapple and mango will be a little trickier. If you want to use fruit puree, you must leave out some other liquid ingredients like evaporated milk and/or coconut cream, I would try a 1 to 1 replacement at first but you may need to play around with the ratio anyways. For even stronger fruit flavor, I would also add freeze dried fruit powder (buy freeze dried fruit and pulverize in a food processor, see how I infused pineapple in these pineapple truffles). I hope this helps somewhat, let me know if you have any other questions.
Is it possible to use regular 2% or whole milk instead of Evaporated milk?
Hey Stephanie, you can substitute but note that whole milk has higher water content than evaporated milk and 2% has higher water content than whole milk so the taste will be less “rich” and the baking time may lengthen. If you’re looking for a substitution because you don’t have evaporated milk, use 3/4 whole milk and 1/4 cream. But if you’re looking to use a less “fat” milk, then I would try to keep it at whole milk, 2% is too light IMO.
I made your butter mochi for family and friends for Chinese New Year, and can’t remember the last time I got so many raves and requests for more (and I bake A LOT)! Even people who 1) don’t love coconut, 2) don’t have a huge sweet tooth couldn’t stop telling me how much they liked it. I cut the sugar down by just a tiny bit (maybe 1/4 cup or less) which didn’t seem to affect the taste. Also, in my oven, 55 minutes was a bit too long (top got a bit too brown) so will cut back a bit next time. Thank you for this amazing recipe…I haven’t found another on the Internet that uses coconut cream and think this is what puts this recipe over the top!
Thank you so much for your feedback Serena. I’m so happy you guys love this recipe! It’s one of my favorite island treats 🙂
Your recipe is a SMASH!!! IT turned out perfectly and yummy! Its bout 3 or 5 days later and my boys (myself too) asking for more of this tummy dessert! My sister Darlene…an INCREDIBLY AWESOME BAKER..makes these every year when we go back! These are delicious like hers! ThankyouSoMuch* Taina
I’m so happy you and your boys enjoy this. I really appreciate your feedback and thanks for baking along!
Hello! Im look8ng forward to making this. One question, how big a box of mochiko?
Hi Gabriel, I usually buy a 1 lb box, pictured in the post, this is enough for 1 batch.
I made this recipe for the first time today. I baked in convection oven at 325 and after 60 minutes took out. I probably could have taken out after 50 to 55. The top was a little browner than I remember when I was in Hawaii. Still very tasty and something I will make again.
Thanks for your feedback Peggy. This is definitely useful for anyone who uses convection oven as well. Glad it still comes out tasty 🙂
This is a delicious recipe. Everyone absolutely loved it! Will be making this again and again! Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for your feedback Elle! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi Trang! So excited… Can’t wait to try this mochi recipe! For the cans of milk and coconut cream, how many oz are each can? I found different can sizes at the store.
Hi Elle, the evaporated milk is 12 oz and coconut cream is 13.5 oz. Apology, I didn’t think about the different size cans. I’m going to update the recipe card. Thank you for your question 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy these!