Butter mochi is a classic Hawaiian treat made with coconut milk and mochiko (glutinous rice flour). All you have to do is mix and bake!
Looking for a great holiday treat? Try this delicious and easy PUMPKIN mochi!
Butter mochi was a great discovery for me when I “discovered” Hawaii via my now-husband. Butter mochi is another classic local style treat that is a hybrid of cultures. Now, don’t quote me on this, but I believe it’s a mix of Filipino bibingka and Japanese mochi.
A Tropical Hawaiian Style Coconut Milk Dessert
I learned today that bibingka is made out of cassava, which I have never used or eaten before. But, the similarity is the coconut. While Japanese recipes don’t tend to use coconut, this butter mochi has an entire can of coconut milk in it! It kind of adds a slightly tropical hint to it. In my opinion, this is the best butter mochi recipe.
Easy Butter Mochi Recipe
This recipe is ridiculously easy. You barely even have to measure anything, because you just dump a can of this, a can of that, and a box of mochiko.
(By the way, lately I’ve been seeing mochiko at my regular grocery store. I found it in the healthy/natural foods section by the gluten free baking ingredients!)
ALL you have to do is mix, pour, bake, cut. SO easy and the result is so delicious! Fattening, yes, but delicious. And isn’t it okay to indulge sometimes?
This recipe makes a 9×13 inch pan full of butter mochi, so you’ll want to bring this to a potluck or at least have someone to share it with. I had my husband take most of it to work and it was a hit!
Mmm, I just love the bouncy texture of mochi. I mean, it looks kind of like a piece of cake, but you bite in to it and… yum.
Some people like to add shredded coconut on the top of their butter mochi, but I like mine plain. Actually, wait… I’ve never had it with shredded coconut. Maybe I’ll try it next time! Coconut mochi, I bet it would be good…
Even if you aren’t a baker, you can definitely make this, so please give it a try!
Butter Mochi
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 16 oz mochiko flour 1 box
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz
- 1 can coconut milk 14 oz
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Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
Prepare the Batter
- Mix the melted butter and sugar until combined.1 stick unsalted butter,2 cups granulated sugar
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.4 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla.1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pour in the mochiko and add the baking powder. Stir until mostly combined.16 oz mochiko flour,2 teaspoon baking powder
- Stir in the evaporated milk, stir in the coconut milk.1 can evaporated milk,1 can coconut milk
Bake Cut and Serve
- When batter is totally smooth, pour into pan and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove from pan and cut into pieces on a cutting board.
Notes
Nutrition
Butter Mochi & Mochiko Flour
What is butter mochi?
Butter mochi is a classic Hawaiian treat made from mochiko flour, also known as glutinous rice flour and coconut milk. It is sometimes said to be a cross between bibingka, a Filipino desert and cassava cake.
What is mochiko flour?
Mochiko flour, also known as glutinous rice flour, is a flour made from mochi rice which is typically found in many Asian countries. Because of the milling and refining process, the mochi rice used to make mochiko flour has a high starch content and few complex carbohydrates. Because mochiko has a high starch content but does not contain gluten, it can act as a flour substitute for people with gluten allergies or intolerance.
There are are a lot of tasty dishes that can be made with mochiko. Take a look at all of my glutinous rice flour recipes.
Where to buy mochiko flour?
Buy mochiko and your other ingredients and supplies on Amazon using my affiliate links to help support my blog. There is no cost to you Purchase mochiko here
Again, any time your purchase through my amazon links I receive a small commission for each item purchased and there is no cost to you. It’s a win-win! Thank you for your support.
I just made this and substituted 1 cup heavy whipping plus 1/2 cup 2% milk for the evaporated milk and it was delicious. I didn’t have evaporated milk in the pantry and currently on Shelter In Place. This is my first stress baking item.
Will definitely make it again.
I forgot to mention, I used less sugar 1 1/2 cups instead of 2 cups. You can taste the batter to adjust it to your taste. AND I added salt. About 2 tsp of salt. Salt brings out the sweetness, thus, you can use less sugar.
This is great that it’s gluten free. Is there a way to also substitute the butter and milk to make it dairy free?
I have not experimented with that, sorry!
Kim, the comment before yours has the substitution s.
I’ve made your recipe several times now. We LOVE mochi cake, it’s one thing the whole family agrees on. Since my son has a serious dairy allergy I make it with a stick of dairy free butter and substitute almond milk for the evaporated milk. Then I sprinkle the top with dried coconut. Love it! I’ve made it in mini and regular muffin tins to regulate the sizes my boys like to cut. I know that Trader Joe’s has their mix, but this is so much better. Thanks for the recipe.
As far as I see this is awesome!! I appreciate your recipe and I tell you my experience hear. My Mom sent a mochi cake from a store in her area, and we became hooked on mochi cake but had nowhere to buy the mix. I tried a couple of other recipes, but this is hands-down a favorite with my family, plus super easy to make even at the last minute.
OMG it was so easy to make!! I made it with my kids and they loved making it and mostly eating it!?
This is awesome!! My sister sent a mochi cake mix from a store in her area, and we became hooked on mochi cake but had nowhere to buy the mix. I tried a couple of other recipes, but this is hands-down a favorite with my family, plus super easy to make even at the last minute.
We tries the butter Michigan for the first time two weeks ago on our Hawaii trip, we loved it! I was so happy that I found this recipe. I made it last night, and it turned out great! My husband couldn’t stop eating it. Well, there’s a few variations that I made. I normally don’t like the desert being too sweet (that’s strange huh, isn’t that desert supposed to be sweet?),so I cut it down to half. I think I can cut it down more next time if just making it for ourselves. I didn’t realize that the recipe called for evaporate milk, which I didn’t have, so I just used the regular milk. I wonder if I can cut down sugar even more since the evaporate milk is very sweet. I didn’t have a 9*13 baking wear so I used one 7*11 and one 5*8. It worked. The one I made is a little more sticky than the one that we tried in Hawaii. I wonder why? Anyway, thank you so much for the recipe.
Couldn’t find my recipe, so used your and it’s delicious! Used whole milk instead of evap, since that’s all I had on hand, and it worked out beautifully. Grew up eating all sorts of mochi in Hawaii, and this is always a pot-luck favorite, and so easy. Hint: use a plastic knife to cut anything made w/ mochi flour – it won’t stick to the knife!
Such an easy and tasty recipe. I’ve been looking for something like this for a while. Can’t wait to share this with my friends.
Hi,
I just made this today and It has a more Cakey texture than Mochi like in your picture. Curious as to why this would happen. Still yummy though.
Hi just was wondering if baking time would be different if you were to bake them in the mini cupcake pans?
It would be shorter, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t give you an exact time.
Yummy! Easy to make & yumny!
I’ve used this recipe so many times, and it’s always a hit! Thank you so much for sharing!
Can i use salted butter instead of unsalted?
I would stick with unsalted if possible!
I’ve used Kerrygold salted butter and it was still delicious!
I’ve now made this twice in one month. The first time I followed the recipe and they turned out a little too cake-y for my preference (probably has something to do with my baking powder), so the second time I made them I halved the baking powder to one teaspoon. This time they turned out dense and chewy, just like I was hoping for! I love this recipe and it was an excellent way to make new friends at my new job! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
I used 1 cup white and 1cup brown sugar and it’s the best mochi I’ve ever eaten
I just made this a couple days ago and it is delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I bought a 3 pack of mochiko on amazon because I can not find anywhere nearby that stocks it.
Trader Joe now carries Mochi Cake Mix. It turned out really good too.
Definitely doesn’t work with regular rice flour. Makes it really dry. If I can find the sweet rice flour I’ll try it again.
I LOVED IT!!!!!
This was so easy to make and turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing!
Made this yesterday. I was super lazy and just threw everything all at once in a bowl and mixed. It came out great. I also made it an upside down “cake” with lychee and jackfruit, and subbed out the vanilla for lychee syrup (from the canned lychee I used). It came out perfectly! Thanks for all your fantastic recipes!
Made these twice in the last week for Valentine’s/galentine’s and both were a great hit! Shared the recipe with 3 co-workers already and it’s still before lunch here where I am.
Hi, I made these but didn’t try them yet. They look so tasty! I am wondering why mine has tall puffy edges with a sunken and cracked brown top? I followed all directions but I used generic sweet rice flour. My oven has been known to need longer when baking things but any longer I’d worry it would burn. Thoughts?