Mochi Donuts
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My homemade Mochi donuts are crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and deceptively easy to make. They need just 6 main ingredients and taste better than anything from a mochi donut shop.
If you think mochi donuts look too complicated to make at home, think again. Although a little more hands-on than blueberry donuts or donut holes, if you love the two, you’ll fall in love with my mochi donut recipe.
I first learned how to make these donuts at a pop-up cooking class for Asian-style desserts. Our teacher, Yukiko, walked us through the process, and for such an impressive-looking donut, they are really easy to make. She’s kindly allowed me to share the recipe, tips, and tricks with you today!
What are mochi donuts?
For those of you who are new to them, mochi donuts were a concept developed by the Japanese donut chain Mister Donut. They are little balls of dough connected to one another, resembling a unique shape. Also known as “pon de ring donuts,” these donuts have a unique texture that sets them apart from traditional donuts.
Mochi donuts are light, chewy, and soft. On the other hand, regular donuts are bready and fluffy in the middle.
Table of Contents
Why I love this mochi donut recipe
- Simple ingredients. Even though these donuts are popular in Japan, they are made with everyday ingredients.
- 10 minutes to make. All you do is make the batter, fry it up, and then glaze it.
- Easy to customize. Like any good donut recipe, you can flavor the glaze in a plethora of ways.
Key Ingredients
You’ll love the simple ingredient list needed. You can find everything at your local grocery store or supermarket. Full measurements are in the recipe card below:
- Sweet rice flour (Mochiko)- You can easily find this in the baking or Asian aisle of most grocery stores. If you can’t find this particular flour, I’ve successfully tested these donuts using glutinous rice flour. My preferred brands are Koda Farms and Shirakiku.
- Milk– Whole milk is preferred, but any other milk will work fine.
- Granulated sugar– Although the rice flour is sweeter than other flours, you do need some extra sugar to really give it the mochi flavor. I used white sugar, but brown sugar also works. Just be wary that the donuts will be darker.
- Baking powder– The leavening agent used to give the donuts some rise and stability.
- Egg– Room temperature, please.
- Butter– Unsalted and measured in its melted state.
- Oil- To deep fry the donuts. I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut, vegetable, or canola oil.
- Glaze– A simple combination of powdered sugar, milk, and food coloring of choice, and decorative candy or buttons.
How to make mochi donuts
Step 1- Mix the ingredients. Start by mixing 1/4 cup of the sweet rice flour with half the milk and microwave for 20-30 seconds until a sticky dough remains. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Step 2- Make dough. Next, add the remaining dry ingredients to one bowl and the wet ingredients to another. Add both the first bowl and mix until a thick dough remains. Using your hands, gently knead them together until smooth.
Step 3- Make dough balls. Once you’ve reached the ideal dough consistency, form dough balls. Divide the dough into eight portions. Form dough balls by taking equal amounts of dough in your palms and rolling them into balls. We recommend wetting your hands to prevent the dough from sticking.
Step 4- Prepare donut rings. Now, make a ring-shaped structure using eight dough balls. Place the dough balls so that a circle forms when they touch.
Step 5- Fry the donuts. When you’ve made all the dough rings, add a couple of inches of oil to a deep pan. Once hot, add 2-3 donuts and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 6- Cool, then glaze. Let the donuts cool completely before glazing them.
Can I bake these?
While you can bake these donuts instead of frying them, you risk the middle losing its signature chewy texture. I tested these in the oven for 20 minutes at 180C/350F if you want to try.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid over-cooking the donuts, as they can be a little chewy and dense on the outside. Once the edges are golden, you can remove them from the oil.
- Do not overmix. When working with the dough, try not to overmix it. As with cookies and other baked goods, this can result in slightly dense donuts.
- Hot oil = must. Always check the oil temperature with a thermometer before dropping the donuts into it to cook. The ideal temperature for frying donuts is 320-350°F.
- Cool on a wire rack. Please let the donuts drain/cool on a wire rack so they don’t deflate and become soggy.
- Change the flavor. I kept the glaze plain and simple, but you can add flavor extracts, matcha powder, or make a strawberry glaze.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers will keep fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days. You can refrigerate them, too, but I find they remain dense once thawed.
To freeze: Place the glazed donuts in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are. Glutinous rice flour might sound misleading, but it refers to a chewy, elastic texture, not to gluten. The flour is made from sweet sticky rice, which contains no wheat, barley, or rye.
Regular all-purpose flour won’t create the chewy, elastic texture that rice flour does.
In testing, I found that when I made the donuts in a warm environment, they were a little sticky. Ensure the room is cool (e.g., don’t have the oven and stove on at the same time!).
I recently retested this and found that you can prep the dough 24 hours before frying. Keep it refrigerated. Bring the dough to room temperature before frying.
Mochi Donuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet rice flour Mochiko
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
For the glaze
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 drop food coloring optional
Instructions
- Add 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it for 30-40 seconds, until a sticky dough remains. Let it cool to room temperature.
- In one mixing bowl, add the remaining flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and butter. Combine these two with the sticky dough mix. Knead together until smooth.
- Lightly flour your hands, then divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Divide each piece of dough into 8 portions, then roll them into balls. Stick the balls together into a donut shape.
- Add two inches of oil to a large pot or skillet. Once hot (aim for 320-350°F), drop the donuts in and fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden on both sides. Repeat the process until all the donuts are cooked. Place the fried donuts on a wire rack.
- Once the donuts have cooled, make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar with vanilla extract and milk. If adding color, add a few drops of food coloring.
- Dip both sides of the donuts into the glaze and let it set.
Notes
- Tips: See my recipe tips above for making the best mochi donuts.
- Leftovers: Keep at room temperature for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
More donut recipes to try
- Protein donuts– Get your dessert and protein fix in one.
- Keto donuts– Low in carbs but NOT flavor.
- Air fryer donuts– The dough needs just 3 ingredients.
- Powdered donuts– These taste like something from a bakery.
I made these donuts after trying them in Japan and while it took some time to find the flour (my grocery store was out), but they were so fun to make. I made a matcha frosting using matcha powder, sugar, and milk, and it was so yummy.
Thanks so much, Theresa- I love the idea of doing a matcha frosting because that would be SO good!!!!
Glutinous rice flour and sweet rice flour, being the same thing is indeed gluten-free… The name simply suggests its chewy texture which mochi it’s known for. It’s made from sweet rice. No gluten proteins are present.
Glutinous rice flour does not contain wheat, barley, malt or rye gluten which is what affects celiacs and gluten intolerant people like myself. It is rice gluten, which is different.
Apologies, Yasmin! The post has been updated- it was an error in the FAQs. Thank you!
Sweet rice flour IS GLUTEN FREE!
It sure is- we’ve amended the FAQ’s to rectify that.
Easy and delicious.
Thank you, Becca. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a lovely comment.
What is the best egg substitute for this recipe? Excited to try!
Hi Eve- I haven’t tested this with an egg substitute so I can’t vouch for any in particular. I’d be careful about trying these as an egg free donut, as glutinous rice flour behaves differently to other flours.
Easy and tasty and very addictive.
Thanks for the lovely feedback and review, Melania!
This turned out really good and I’m going to try your baking method!
Thanks for the lovely feedback and review, Telicia. I’m grateful you made my recipe!
Can I use plaij rice flour and put inside sugar or sth? I dont know about sweet rice flour.
No because the glutinous rice flour (sticky rice flour) is made from sweet rice. Its what gives the donuts their special chew. You can find this flour at your local asain market
I love this recipe
Thanks so much for the lovely comment and review, Inayah! 🙂
Amazing!! They came out perfect and will definitely be making them again. Just curious, would it be possible to prep the dough ahead of time and fry later? Like say I prep a double batch and fry half now and fry the other half in a couple days. Would that work or would issues come up with the dough? Thank you!
Hi Maddie- thanks so much for making them! Yes- I just updated my FAQs to include this, as I just tested this. I recommend 24 hours, as more than that can result in the dough developing further, which will make it too elastic (if that makes sense haha!).
Hi, these donuts taste amazing but I was wondering if there was a trick to make them not fall apart when they’re being fried because I made these donuts a couple of times but both times the donuts fell apart when I tried frying them.
Hi Jennifer! I’m wondering if your oil temperature is too high? It it’s above my recommended 350°F, the outside sets too fast and cracks before the inside can hold together.
this is my favorite recipe for mochi donuts- it’s SO easy and they turn out so good!
Thanks so much, Ariana- I appreciate your lovely comment and review!
I made these last week and they were so good- I reckon better than Mister Donut (where I first tried them).
Thanks so much, Jennifer. I appreciate your lovely comment and review. Thanks for taking the time to try my recipe 🙂
Good luck I have rice flour. Would try!
Glutinous rice flour does not contain gluten that makes celiacs sick. It is a different protein variety and is celiac safe. THank you for posting this recipe, I am looking forward to trying it!
This was incredibly hard for me to make! The recipe is very straightforward and simple so perhaps I’m just not doing it correctly…the dough was so sticky, so it was hard to form into balls. I used a good about of the rice flour to prevent it from sticking. Another problem I had was putting the balls together in the shape of the donut. The balls did not stick together due to the flour I used to prevent it from sticking to my figures…at the end I had to just form donut holes instead. Also the inside did not cook through probably 😭. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hi Susan!! Totally understandable: mochi donut dough is naturally sticky, and using too much extra flour can keep the dough balls from sticking together and cause undercooked centers. Try lightly oiling your hands instead of adding flour, make sure the dough is soft and slightly tacky, and press the balls together firmly. Fry at a steady 340–350°F so the donuts cook through without breaking apart. Let me know how you go 🙂
The FAQ should be updated to say that sweet rice flour or Mochiko flour is gluten free. Most mochi donuts places in the states add wheat flour to their mochi mix, hence not being gluten free. This mochi recipe is gluten free 👍
Will do- thanks, Alisa!
This is so yummy, Arman.
Thanks, Marissa! I’m so glad to hear that.
Mine ended up like cookie textures, not soft chewy like mochi. Wonder what did I do wrong?
Hi Nadya! That usually happens when there’s too much flour or the wrong type of rice flour, or if the donuts were overcooked. Make sure you’re using glutinous (sweet) rice flour, keep the dough well-hydrated, and fry just until set at about 350°F. Mochi donuts should be chewy and elastic, not crumbly like cookies. Let me know how you go!
These mochi donuts were so easy to make and delicious.
Hi Arman,
Thank you for this great recipe! Are there any substitutions for the microwave part, as I do not have one at the moment.
You could use stovetop but I can’t vouch for it myself 🙂 Hope it works 🙂
Hi Arman, I just made these and they are 5 stars deliciousness. My family ate it all up and I had to make another patch right away. I love how this recipe only requires one type of flour so I had everything already on hand!
I do want to ask if you have any tips on how to keep the donut looking “cute” after its fried. Some of them looked a little crazy and I can’t figure out how to keep them all nice looking.
Thanks a bunch for this amazing recipe and for any tips you may have!
Hi Carrie- that means so much! It took a little bit of practice but I find cooking only a few at a time really helps them have enough room to hold their cute shapes. Also, making sure the oil is hot enough 🙂
Hi so I think I may have added a little more milk and goofed my dough is stickier than your image and not as firm, should I add more baking powder and floor? Refrigerate maybe? LOL any help is appreciated hehe looking forward to eating these ☺️!!
Hi Tati! No worries- if the dough is too sticky, avoid adding more baking powder. Instead, add a little flour (1 tablespoon at a time) just until the dough is soft and tacky but holds its shape; refrigerating for 10–15 minutes can also make it easier to handle. Adding too much liquid is common, and the dough should still feel slightly sticky, not firm like regular donut dough.
Best mochi donuts I’ve made!
Do you think we can bake instead of deep frying them? And if so, what temperature and for how long?
how much fun, a new kind of treat for me, love trying a new kind of donut, thank you!