The Best Hawaiian Butter Mochi Recipe

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!

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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).

4. Unsalted butter – no additional salt is called for in this recipe so I don’t recommend substituting salted butter.

5. 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.

6. Eggs – we are using lots of eggs in this recipe to bind the ingredients and to add richness also.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

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

4.95 from 17 votes

Hawaiian Butter Mochi

By Trang

Soft and chewy Hawaiian Butter Mochi is an iconic Hawaiian treat made with sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour. It will transport you to the island of Hawaii in just one bite!

Servings: 24 2″ square pieces

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

SaveSaved Pin Comment Print

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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

Serving: 83g, Calories: 243kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how we utilize affiliates, ads, and sponsored content, see our full disclosure policy. Thank you for your continued support, which enables us to keep bringing you delicious recipes, at no extra cost to you.