Mochi muffins are your favorite Hawaiian butter mochi but in muffin form! Nice and crispy outside, delightfully chewy inside, so good! They’re easy to make, delicious, grab-and-go snacks.
(Love mochi? Treat yourself to ube mochi, chocolate mochi, pumpkin mochi! And if you’d like the Filipino version, check out this espasol recipe.)
Lots of Filipino desserts use glutinous rice flour but I’m fairly new to the wonderful world of butter mochi.
And I must say, I can’t stop making them! Easy, delicious, always a hit.
What we have today is a little different though.
Instead of baking them in a pan and slicing them into squares, I made them into muffins and I think this is my favorite way to enjoy mochi so far.
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love making mochi muffins
- Easy 1-bowl recipe — this recipe is very forgiving. Since glutinous rice flour is naturally gluten-free, there’s no chance of over-mixing the batter. And you’ll only need 1 bowl, which makes clean-up a breeze.
- Individual-size — you know how some people immediately grab the edges of a brownie from the pan? Making mochi muffins solves that problem! Everyone gets those nice and crispy edges.
- Bakes a big batch — plus, this recipe yields 24 muffins so it’s perfect for potlucks, picnics and more. They’re also great in lunch boxes or as gifts over the holidays.
- Easy to customize — you can add chocolate chips for a sweeter muffin, some toasted sesame seeds for a savory kick, matcha powder for a unique twist, or top with your favorite frosting for a delicious batch of mochi cupcakes.
How to make
Ingredients
You’ll only need 8 ingredients to make this recipe, including butter, eggs, baking powder, sugar and vanilla extract. A few things to note:
- Glutinous rice flour — this is sometimes called sweet rice flour or sticky rice flour. I’m partial to Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour but you can use any brand that’s available to you.
- Evaporated milk — you’ll want to use full-fat evaporated milk for the richest and creamiest texture.
- Coconut milk — it’s also best to use full-fat coconut milk. And make sure you’re using coconut milk and not coconut cream. I’ve found that coconut cream makes mochi very oily.
Baking tools
I like using my handheld electric mixer when making mochi for the smoothest mixture but you can also mix the batter by hand.
I also use my silicone muffin / cupcake cups — I don’t need to grease them; the mochi pops right out.
However, you can also use a muffin tin lined with liners (preferably grease-proof) or simply grease your tin with butter or oil.
Step-by-step photos
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line muffin tins (you will need 2 12-cavity pans) with liners or grease with butter or oil. Alternatively, you can also use silicone baking cups like I do.
In a large bowl, combine melted butter and sugar.
Stir until combined.
Add eggs one at a time.
Ensure each addition is incorporated well.
Add vanilla extract.
Stir until evenly blended.
Add glutinous rice flour and baking powder.
Stir until about 80-90% combined.
Add evaporated milk and coconut milk.
Stir until incorporated. Ensure your batter is perfectly smooth and has no lumps.
Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a few muffins comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert baking tips
Easy, right? Here are more tips for perfect mochi muffins every time.
- Don’t be afraid to stir the batter until very smooth because there is no risk of over-mixing here. Despite its name, glutinous rice flour or mochiko is gluten-free.
- Because mochi is chewy and sticky, you’ll want to properly grease your muffin tin or line it with grease-proof liners. I like using silicone cupcake cups in this recipe.
- You’ll know your mochi muffins are done once a tester inserted in the middle of a few muffins comes out with minimal dry crumbs. I don’t wait until the tester comes out completely clean. Minimal dry crumbs is when I get the perfect mochi texture.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. You can make these up to 3 days ahead of when you’re planning to serve them.
This recipe is easy to customize.
You can add chocolate chips for a sweeter muffin, some toasted sesame seeds for a savory kick, matcha powder for a unique twist, or top with your favorite frosting for a delicious batch of mochi cupcakes!
If you really want to add tons of flavor, brown your butter first.
Mochi muffins are best stored covered on your counter. They should be good for up to 3 days.
You can store them in the fridge but they will firm up and get tough.
Microwave for 20-30 seconds to warm them up and get back some of that chewy consistency.
Other recipes using glutinous rice and sweet rice flour
Happy baking!
Did you make this mochi muffin recipe? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Butter Mochi Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool slightly
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 pieces large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 16-oz box Mochiko flour can also use any brand of glutinous rice flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 12-oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Line muffin tins (you will need 2 12-cavity pans) with liners or grease with butter or oil. Alternatively, you can use silicone baking cups like I do.
- In a large bowl, stir melted butter and sugar until combined.½ cup unsalted butter, 1½ cups granulated sugar
- Add eggs one at a time. Ensure each addition is incorporated well.4 pieces large eggs
- Add vanilla extract and stir until evenly blended.1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add Mochiko rice flour and baking powder and stir until about 80-90% combined.1 16-oz box Mochiko flour, 2 tsp baking powder
- Add evaporated milk and coconut milk. Stir until incorporated. Ensure your batter is perfectly smooth and has no lumps.1 12-oz can evaporated milk, 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a few muffins comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Don’t be afraid to stir the batter until very smooth because there is no risk of over-mixing here. Despite its name, glutinous rice flour or mochiko is gluten-free.
- You’ll notice that your muffins will deflate after baking. This is normal.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
CeeSL8
These were easy to make, but adding 4 eggs made the texture less chewy than other mochi cakes I’ve made. Also there is no salt in the recipe, and I decided I would add some but I forgot. So they weren’t that tasty. I added some salt on top to make them edible. I think this recipe would be better with only 2 eggs and add a teaspoon of salt.
Jolina
Thanks for your suggestions!
Sonya Yonash
Is it possible to sub out the coconut milk? Can’t do coconut :/
Thanks!
Jolina
Hi Sonya, I haven’t personally tried but you can most likely sub with regular milk. You will just lose the coconut flavor.
Kim
Just made these! It was a success. We will find out in the morning if they sink. I substituted 1/2 c of sugar with coconut sugar. It made the muffins darker but it tasted really good – crunchy on the outside & chewy on the inside. Can I freeze these? Will they hold up well after being frozen?
Jolina
Hi Kim, coconut sugar sounds delicious! I don’t usually freeze my mochi muffins but butter mochi is known to freeze well. You can wrap each piece in cling wrap then store in a freezer-safe container. Enjoy!
Lilian
My kids love mochi muffins! Have requests to make again. Can’t wait to try ube mochi myself.
Jolina
Happy to hear that Lilian! Hope you enjoy the ube mochi too 🙂
Cristina
I made a batch today, they’re good but my muffins collapsed once cooled down tied looked like mushrooms
Jolina
Hi Christina, glad you enjoyed them. As to why muffins sink in the middle – they may have been underbaked. If they weren’t set, they’ll sink as they cool. Next time, try adding a few extra minutes to your baking time. Also, use an oven thermometer to make sure you’re baking at the right temp.
Cristina
I will do that since am planning to bake a batch today to bring tomorrow to our family get together. Thanks
RL
This is my favorite way to make butter mochi! My kids love it too.
Jolina
Hi RL, we love making mochi into muffins too 🙂