Ube Mochi Recipe (Hawaiian Butter Mochi)

Ube mochi is tender, chewy and one of the most delicious ways to enjoy ube or purple yam. Based on the widely popular Hawaiian butter mochi, it’s one of the easiest recipes to make too! 1 bowl, less than 10 ingredients, done in less than an hour, happiness in every bite.   

(Love everything ube? Check out this collection of the best ube dessert recipes. And if you’d like to try the Filipino version of mochi, check out this espasol recipe.)

Ube mochi has been making the rounds ever since Trader Joe’s introduced their Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix.

It was such an amazing product that people started using it to make ube mochi cakes, cookies, muffins, bread and more.

This recipe is different in that it doesn’t use a pre-made mix but it’s just as easy to make. And even more amazing. 

Let’s get to it.

What is ube mochi

The word “mochi” refers to two different treats — the Hawaiian snack we have here, and Japanese mochi, which is shaped like a bun and filled with red bean paste, matcha, chocolate and more.

Both are made of Mochiko, a Japanese sweet rice flour made from cooked mochigome, a glutinous variety of short-grain rice. 

In addition to mochiko, ube butter mochi is also made with coconut milk for a perfectly tropical treat.

It’s then baked until deliciously tender and chewy. There’s nothing quite like it!

Why you’ll love it

Ube butter mochi is one of the easiest ube treats you can make. It’s similar to ube brownies (some people call it ube mochi brownies) but way chewier.

I love making it, hope you do, too.

• 1-bowl recipe. Don’t you just love recipes that only use 1 bowl? Makes for easy cleanup! And you’ll need less than 10 ingredients too.

• Straightforward steps. Each step is simple and straightforward. No special techniques or tools needed.

• Makes a big batch. This recipe makes a big batch of 36 bars (more, depending on how you slice them), making it perfect for potlucks, picnics, and more.

• Foolproof. Best of all, it’s an easy, no-fail recipe. Hard to go wrong with this one!

(Looking for mochi perfect for Thanksgiving? Try pumpkin mochi! And mochi muffins and chocolate butter mochi are perfect everyday grab-and-go snacks.)

How to make

To make ube mochi, all you’ll need to do is combine all ingredients and bake. It’s that easy.

Ingredient notes

You’ll need pantry staples like butter, sugar, eggs and baking powder. A few things to note about the other ingredients:

• Ube extract — we use ube extract to flavor the mochi in this recipe. Unfortunately, you can’t substitute ube jam, ube halaya or ube powder. You can find ube extract in Asian supermarkets or on Amazon.

• Mochiko flour — while any brand of glutinous rice flour can work (sometimes also called sweet rice flour), I’ve had best results using Mochiko. You can find it in the international aisle of your supermarket, in Asian grocery stores and on Amazon.

• Evaporated milk — you’ll want to use full-fat evaporated milk for the richest and creamiest texture.

• Coconut milk — 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 the mochi very oily.

(Got extra butter and ube extract? Make some ube butter!)

Baking tools

As far as baking tools, you’ll need:

• 9×13 inch baking pan

• Electric hand mixer — you can choose to mix the batter by hand but I like using my mixer for the smoothest mixture. And happily, since glutinous rice flour is actually gluten-free, there’s no risk of over-mixing the batter.

• Sharp knife or bench scraper — to slice the baked mochi.

Step-by-step photos

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing into bars.

Expert baking tips

Easy, right? Here are more tips for perfect ube butter mochi 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.

• Ube mochi is delightfully chewy and sticky. For the cleanest slices, ensure the mochi is completely cool before cutting into bars. I prefer not to put it in the fridge though as I find that chilling changes the texture of the mochi dramatically.

• You’ll know your mochi is done when the sides begin to firm up and when a tester inserted in the middle 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.

Recipes FAQs

Ube recipe ideas

Want to explore more ube recipes? Try these:

Happy baking!

Did you make this ube butter mochi 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!

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