Custard Mochi (Daifuku) is a sweet and chewy Japanese dessert! Made with homemade custard wrapped in glutinous rice cake, it is a treat you won't be able to resist. While it's traditionally eaten around the Japanese New Year, the sweet treat can be enjoyed at any time of the year with many different fillings.
I was first introduced to this sweet, chewy Japanese treat when I went on my trip to Japan. I had tried ice cream mochi before, but I prefer fresh mochi so much more!
There's honestly nothing better than fresh mochi filled with red bean paste or, in this case, custard. Unfortunately, the latter is much harder to find where I live. That's when I decided it was about time I learn how to make it on my own!
Jump to:
🍴 What is mochi?
Mochi is a sweet and sticky Japanese confection made with glutinous rice cake that's stuffed with a sweet filling. It's absolutely irresistible.
Traditionally, in Japan, the glutinous rice is steamed and pounded until it's smooth and elastic before it's shaped into mochi. Today, we'll be making things easy on ourselves and removing those steps (it's not really as authentic when you aren't in Japan anyway, right?)
Mochi may look super intimidating to make, that's how I felt at first, but it's a lot easier than you would think. Literally. The rice cake part of the mochi can be made in the microwave in four minutes. See? SO easy!
🥘 Ingredients
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Egg yolks
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Sweet rice flour
- Yellow food coloring
- Potato or corn starch
🔪 Instructions
1. Add the milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat to boiling.
2. Slowly whisk in the flour, eggs, and sugar. Heat on low heat until bubbling and thick.
3. Pour the custard through a sieve to remove any clumps. Let custard cool in the fridge for 1 hour.
4. Scoop custard into frosting bag and pipe onto a cookie sheet into 8 dollops.
5. Freeze for one hour.
6. Whisk together the mochi ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap.
7. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove plastic then stir. It will not be smooth after stirring it.
8. Replace the plastic wrap and continue microwaving in one-minute intervals until mochi is no longer white. It will have more of a translucent quality and will feel gummy. This usually takes 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, enough to handle with your hands.
9. Place the mochi on a cutting board generously coated in potato starch. Sprinkle potato starch on top of the mochi. Shape the mochi into a half-inch thick disk.
10. Divide the mochi into eight pieces. Coat your hands with potato starch and roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Place a dollop of custard in the middle. Use your fingers to pinch the mochi closed around the custard filling.
💭 FAQs
Before you add any flavorings, mochi just tastes like rice (after all, it's made from rice flour.) But mochi has a very unique sticky, stretchy, soft, and chewy texture.
Mochi has a subtle taste on its own, which makes it a very versatile food that can be made with a variety of flavorings.
There are a variety of fillings you can put in mochi, including red bean paste (anko), white bean paste (shiroan), ice cream, custard, strawberries, and even cookie dough. Get creative with it. The options are truly endless!
Rice flour is made from medium or long-grain rice, but sweet rice flour is made from glutinous short-grain rice.
It may be tempting to want to substitute regular rice flour, but the recipe will not yield the same results if you do not use sweet rice flour. Rice flour has a very different texture and flavor, and it will not hold together the same way.
Mochi is a rice cake made with glutinous rice. Mochi is not naturally sweet and has a very neutral flavor. Daifuku is literally filled mochi.
⛩️ More Japanese-Inspired recipes
- Fluffy Japanese Pancakes
- Japanese Milk Bread
- Steamed Japanese Pork Buns (Nikuman)
- Pork Tonkatsu
- Easy Homemade Ramen
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! I’d love it if you could add a star rating ★ and a comment below. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
📋 Recipe
Mochi with Custard Filling
Ingredients
Custard
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- dash of salt
Mochi
- 1 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- dash of salt
- ¾ cup water
- yellow food coloring
- potato starch or cornstarch
Instructions
- CustardAdd milk Add the milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat to boiling.
- Add rest of ingredientsSlowly whisk in the flour, eggs, and sugar.
- Heat until bubblingHeat on low heat until bubbling and thick, about 5-10 minutes.
- Pour custardPour the custard through a mesh sieve to remove any clumps. Let the custard cool.
- Pipe and freezeScoop custard into a frosting bag and pipe onto a cookie sheet into 8 dollops. Freeze for one hour.
- MochiAdd ingredients to bowlAdd sweet rice flour, sugar, salt, water, and a few drops of food coloring to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap.
- MicrowaveMicrowave for 1 minute, remove plastic, then stir. It will not be smooth after stirring it.
- Continue microwavingReplace the plastic wrap and continue microwaving for 1-minute intervals until mochi has a translucent quality and feels gummy. This usually takes 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, enough to handle with your hands.
- Shape mochiPlace the mochi on a cutting board generously coated in potato starch. Sprinkle potato starch on top of the mochi. Shape the mochi into a half-inch thick disk.
- Divide into piecesUsing a knife or bench cutter, divide the mochi into eight pieces.
- Roll and flattenCoat your hands with potato starch and roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten it into a disk.
- Fill with custardPlace a ball of frozen custard in the center. Use your fingers to pinch the Mochi closed around the custard.
Notes
- I highly recommend eating the mochi while it's fresh, but it can be stored in the refrigerator for two days or in the freezer for two weeks.
- If the mochi tends to get dry while you're working with it, you can place it in the microwave for a couple of seconds until it's easier to work with.
- This recipe can easily be made with a variety of different fillings. Some popular mochi fillings include red bean paste (anko), white bean paste (shiroan), ice cream, custard, strawberries, and even cookie dough!
Shirley says
This recipe was perfect, literally perfect. The sweetness was not too sweet, just on point, and as an asian, I really appreciated that. I didn't use the food coloring but i doubt that would've made it anymore perfect. I will say that I would've liked a thicker mochi layer and I think I'm going to make a slightly larger quantity of mochi than the custard that way I get the ratio that I want, but I have to thank you greatly for this, it was a keeper for sure. <3
Ashley says
Thank you for your comment Shirley! I am so glad to hear you liked the recipe!
Jenny says
Our family is always on the look out for new dessert recipes. It’s my husband’s influence (grin). This Mochi stands out. We love it!
Hayley Dhanecha says
I have always enjoyed shop bought Mochi, never thought homemade are so easy to make too. Will try soon 🙂
Laura says
Yummy! Made this recipe with my toddler and it was fun! Plus the result was so delicious, thank you!
Marie Asselin says
I've been in love with mochi ever since I tasted them in Japan! I bought a box of Mochiko flour a while back but I felt intimidated to make them from scratch. Your recipe and tips made the process seamless! I can't wait to make them again with different fillings.
Ann says
I have never heard of this dessert before, but it sounds delicious! Also seems pretty easy to make! Excited to give it a try!
Amy Liu Dong says
I have never tasted this dessert. It looks so delicious, and I am so excited to make this for everyone!
Tracy says
Oh my gosh this is one of my favorite desserts! I can't believe that we can make it at home now, thank you so much!!
Kristina says
This was delicious filled with cookie dough ice cream. It was surprisingly easy to make and I am glad I gave it a try. Would recommend!
Ashley says
Ooh that sounds amazing with cookie dough ice cream!