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! And if you love ube and coconut together, you’ll enjoy this ube tres leches cake.)
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.
Place melted butter and sugar in a large bowl.
Mix until combined.
Add eggs one at a time.
Ensure each addition is incorporated well.
Add ube extract.
Stir until evenly blended.
Add mochiko 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.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
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
For those of you who aren’t familiar with ube, it’s the Filipino word for purple yam.
Ube is common in Asian cooking and has been a staple in Filipino cuisine for generations. It’s most often used in making desserts.
A lot of people mistake ube for taro, Okinawan sweet potato and purple sweet potato but they’re all different kinds of root vegetables and have different flavor profiles as well.
Different people describe ube flavor differently — from nutty and earthy to sweet with notes of vanilla.
Everybody agrees on one thing though — ube is delicious!
Yes! You can make ube mochi up to 2 days ahead of when you’re planning to serve them.
Ube mochi is best stored covered on your counter. They should be good for up to 3 days.
I don’t recommend storing them in the fridge because they will get tough and even warming them up won’t get that chewy texture back.
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!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Ube Mochi Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool slightly
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 pieces large eggs room temperature
- 2 tbsp ube extract
- 1 16-oz box Mochiko flour can also use 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 a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- 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 ube extract and stir until evenly blended.2 tbsp ube extract
- Add mochiko 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 comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing into bars.
Video
Notes
- The yield depends on how big or small you slice your mochi. The estimated nutrition information is based on 36 bars.
- 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.
- For the cleanest slices, ensure the mochi is completely cool before cutting into bars.
- 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.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
chris
Can you substitute the evaporated milk with coconut cream and substitute the melted butter with non-dairy butter? Trying to convert this to a non-dairy recipe. We have an allergy in our house. Hoping to make 1 batch instead of 2.
Thanks!
Jolina
Hi Chris, unfortunately I haven’t tried so I can’t say for sure. If you’d like to sub the evaporated milk though, I would suggest coconut milk instead of cream. Cream would make your mochi oily.
Danny K
I wanted to make something for our after worship service luncheon at church instead of buying cookies or something, especially since everyone seems to bring in homemade things. Since my church is 98% Filipino and most of the food they bring is definitely Filipino, I wanted to make something to complement the meal. I seen this recipe and knew I could make it quickly and easily. The test would be, would they like it. Well, that answer would be an outstanding yes! Even though I had to explain at first it was ube butter mochi and not brownies before they tried them, they loved them! I had no leftovers. They couldn’t believe I made them and didn’t have them made. I explained the recipe is super simple and very quick to make. If I could give this recipe 10 stars, I would. Definitely a keeper!
Jolina
That’s awesome Danny! Filipino-approved 🙂
Maria
Hello, can I omit the sugar?
Jolina
Hi Maria, you cannot. It’s an integral ingredient in the recipe.
Ruby
I’ve tried a handful of Ube mochi recipes but this was the best one. It has just the right amount of sweetness and it came out perfectly. Thanks!
Jolina
That’s awesome Ruby! Glad you like them!
Lauri
Have u tried using actual ube? Just wondering. I know you would have to redo the entire recipe since it’s completely different.
Jolina
Hi Lauri, I haven’t. If you do, would love to hear how it goes!
Debbie
Everyone loved the ube mochi! I often make a butter mochi with flaked coconut but this is a great addition to my recipes to offer something a little different. Thank you!
Jolina
Happy to hear that Debbie!
SJ
This recipe was simple and super easy to follow!!! I’m teaching myself to bake and this was my first attempt at ube mochi, so happy I tried this recipe. Leaving a review as it’s my second time coming back to make it and I wanted to sing its praises.
As was mentioned, this yielded a ton of servings and I didn’t pay it mind until I nearly overfilled my baking dish–luckily this doesn’t rise too much and it didn’t overflow! Definitely a me issue.
10/10 would reccommend!
Jolina
That’s awesome SJ! Glad you liked them! Happy baking 🙂
Victoria
Wondering how the other brand of ube extract will affect this recipe? (It’s what I have.) As I understand, the McCormick has a stronger taste (sometimes too strong?) but I guess the McCormick color is more vibrant.
Jolina
Hi Victoria, I’ve only ever used McCormick so I can’t say for sure.
BT
This ube mochi makes me think of brownie bars, I’m so curious about the texture. I’ll have to try this treat out!
Lisa
I think my kids would love to try this recipe! They really do look like brownies
Melissa
Wow, that shade is amazing and this sounds so good. I am going to have to give this one a shot, came here to save it so I don’t forget. I hope mine comes out looking as good as yours because this is so beautiful, thanks for sharing it!
MELANIE E
These mochi sound so yummy. The kids will love them!
Anita Fonte
I was wondering how it got the purple color and then saw the ube extract. This looks delicious and a perfect compliment to Halloween with the color.
Amy
Hi Jolina can I use ube powder?
Jolina
Hi Amy, no you can’t use ube powder. You will need ube extract for this recipe.
Camie
My ube mochi came out perfect and my boys inhaled them!! They were so good and the texture was perfect. Recipe definitely a keeper.
Jolina
That’s awesome Camie! 🙂
Richelle Milar
This is making me crave! I want to try this recipe.