If you love donuts, then you’re going to have to try this delicious Mochi Donuts Recipe! They are addicting, sweet, and chewy just like mochi!
Here are more easy donut recipes: Vanilla Donuts and Halloween Donuts (even though it’s not Halloween, you can definitely omit the Halloween garnishes).
What is Mochi Donuts?
It’s a chewy yet fluffy donut using two key ingredients that regular donuts don’t use: glutinous rice flour and silken tofu.
Mochi Donuts also known as Pon de Ring Donut is a popular donut from a shop in Japan called Mister Donut, one of the largest donut chains in Japan. Its signature look is the 8 dough balls connected in a circle.
This recipe is a hybrid of the Pon de Ring Donut and the mochi donut meaning, I took the signature look of the Pon de Ring Donut (8 dough balls connected in a circle )and used glutinous rice flour like the mochi donut. And it tasted amazing- soft, chewy, and nice to look at.
Tips & Variations:
- Do not overcook the donuts, it will result in a very hard donut. You want a light brown color donut.
- Use vegetable oil or canola oil, it’s neutral in flavor and has a high smoke point.
- Feel free to use your favorite glaze– strawberry, lemon, or even pandan-flavor glaze works.
- Storage: This is best eaten fresh, by day 2 the donuts start to harden (even if left on the counter).
- Reheat: To soften the donuts, microwave the donut for 10-15 seconds. I have a high powdered microwave so 10 seconds was long enough.
How do you make the mochi donuts from scratch?
Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:
Mochi Donut Dough:
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- glutinous rice flour
- baking powder
- granulated sugar
- silken tofu
- egg
- whole milk
- vegetable oil
Ube Glaze:
- powdered sugar
- milk
- ube extract
Matcha Glaze:
- white chocolate
- heavy cream
- Matcha powder
Chocolate glaze:
- powdered sugar
- cocoa powder
- milk
In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and sugar:
In a separate bowl, press the silken tofu through a fine-mesh sieve. Whisk the egg and milk into the tofu mixture:
Using a spatula, combine the tofu mixture with the flour mixture to form into a rough dough. Knead the dough for 2 minutes until it becomes smooth:
Using a kitchen scale, weigh-in 7 grams of dough and place it on a silicone mat.
Once the dough has been weighed into smaller pieces, form the dough into smaller balls:
Place eight balls in a (5×5 inch) square parchment paper and shape into a donut. Repeat the process until all balls are placed in a square parchment paper:
Heat the oil into a cast iron pan or a heavy-bottomed pot.
Fry the mochi donuts with parchment paper for 30 seconds to 1 minute at 335 degrees Fahrenheit or until it’s light brown:
Turn the mocha donuts and slowly remove the parchment paper and continue frying for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. I cooked this donut too long and it turned brown, this is NOT what you’re looking for.
Using a tong, carefully transfer the donuts to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat the frying process to the remaining donuts:
Dip each fried mochi donuts on your favorite glaze and let it set in a cooling rack before serving:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes. The glutinous rice naturally hardens when it’s cool and the tofu helps the texture of the donut stay a bit softer.
No. The flour used for mochi donuts must be glutinous. The glutinous rice flour helps achieve the chewy and stickiness that makes these donuts.
It’s not necessary, they last up to 2-3 days at room temperature. However they harden in the refrigerator, so microwave the donuts to soften it.
Best Mochi Donuts Recipe
Ingredients
Mochi donut batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ cups glutinous rice flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup silken tofu
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Ube Glaze:
- ¼ cup powdered sugar sifted
- ½ tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon ube extract
Matcha Glaze:
- ½ cup white chocolate
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
Chocolate Glaze:
- ¼ cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ tablespoon milk
Instructions
Mochi donut batter:
- In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, press the silken tofu through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Whisk the egg and milk into the tofu mixture.
- Using a spatula, combine the tofu mixture with the flour mixture to form into a rough dough. Knead the dough for 2 minutes until it becomes smooth.
- Using a kitchen scale, weigh-in 7 grams of dough and place it on a silicone mat. Once the dough has been weighed into smaller pieces, form the dough into smaller balls.
- Place eight balls in a (5×5 inch) square parchment paper and shape into a donut. Repeat the process until all balls are placed on square parchment paper.
Frying the donuts:
- Heat the oil into a cast iron pan or a heavy-bottomed pot.
- Fry the mochi donuts with parchment paper for 30 seconds to 1 minute at 335 degrees Fahrenheit or until it’s light brown. Turn the mocha donuts and slowly remove the parchment paper and continue frying for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Using a tong, carefully transfer the donuts to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat the frying process to the remaining donuts.
- Dip each fried mochi donuts on your favorite glaze and let it set on a cooling rack before serving.
Ube Glaze:
- Sift powdered sugar in a medium size bowl, then mix in ube extract, then gradually add milk to make a smooth glaze.
Matcha Glaze:
- In a small saucepan over medium low heat, heat the heavy cream. Add the white chocolate and melt until smooth, then whisk in matcha powder well, and dip a few donuts in the matcha glaze.
Chocolate Glaze:
- Sift powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a medium size bowl, then slowly stir in milk a little at a time to make a smooth glaze.
This was my first time making mochi donuts and the recipe was very easy to follow! The family loved it! I initially made my donuts with the chocolate glaze and it came out so good. Definitely going to try it with the matcha and ube glaze next batch!
Hi Che,
I’m glad that you like this recipe. Yaay!! Hope you can share a photo of your mochi donuts on IG or FB and tag me please. It would be great if you can try the matcha and ube glaze, too. They are also very delicious. Enjoy!
These are great! I bought mochi donuts from a shop a little while ago, and I wanted to recreate them… I wasn’t totally confident that the recipe would taste the same, but they turned out delicious and pretty easy to make too! Will definitely be making again 🙂
Wow! Thank you for trying out this recipe, Anais! I really appreciate it and I’m glad that you like it. I hope that you’ll like my other recipes too. Enjoy!
Hi can I bake these instead of frying?
Hi Jane!
Yes, you can bake them. There may be differences when it comes to shape and texture but it will still taste good. Thanks for dropping by!
How many donuts does this recipe make please?
Is the dough supposed to be super sticky?
Hi- Is the dough super sticky? And how to work with it? Thanks !
what if the dough is so sticky? Is it because the tofu is too wet?