Better For You Butter Mochi, a Hawaiian dessert

close up of better for you butter mochi
Beautiful Better for you Butter Mochi, made with eggs
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My recipe for Better For You Butter Mochi is a butter mochi recipe that I adapted to be as tasty as possible using just enough of the sweet, rich, and delicious ingredients to make a tasty treat. This post was updated with minor edits on June 22, 2023.

Disclaimer: Please check that all ingredients are suitable for your allergies and be sure to ask your medical care team regarding any allergy related questions (I do not share medical advice). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Love for Shared Recipes

During one of our trips to Hawaii, I bought a fundraiser cookbook, 50th Anniversary Best of Our Favorite Recipes published by the Maui Association for Family and Community Education. I love cookbooks with recipes by everyone’s grandmother and auntie, showcasing traditional and everyday recipes such as malasadas, pork adobo, and laulau. I did do a double take and chuckled when I read “Garbage Cookies,” “Sex in a Pan”, such creative recipe names. 😉 As I flip through the cookbook, part of me longs for a record of recipes from my mom and dad, my aunts, and my grandmother and that longing inspires me to I continue on with my project to write recipes for my children, which I happily share with my Nut Free Wok readers.

I don’t recall eating butter mochi as a child but grew to love it while spending time with Japanese-American friends who were from Hawaii. Butter mochi is a Hawaiian style dessert made with sweet glutinous rice flour baked with coconut milk or cow’s milk, eggs, butter, and coconut. I decided to try making butter mochi many years ago because my mother in law loves it and now my children enjoy it too.

Beautiful Better for you Butter Mochi, made with eggs

Making it healthier:

Most traditional butter mochi recipes involve coconut milk, whole milk. 5 eggs, 1 stick of butter, 2 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup shredded coconut, all of which are super rich for 24 servings! So through the years I’ve made many variations of butter mochi. Instead of using two cans of coconut milk, I use fat free coconut milk. Instead of using any coconut milk, I use fat-free evaporated milk. How would it taste with half the sugar?  How would it taste with 4 eggs, with 3 eggs? Can I get away with less butter? I’ve tried using as little as 2 tablespoons which is okay but 4 tablespoons is just enough for a wonderful aroma and a crispy crust when eaten while still warm and fresh from the oven. I am very happy with this lightened up recipe that tastes like a treat.

Allergy Aware Asian Fare suggestions:

If coconut is not an allergen concern, then use the canned coconut milks. I personally like using the reduced fat coconut milk from Trader Joe’s (as discussed in another post, call Trader Joe’s to check about your family’s allergens before using). Native Forest produces an Organic Coconut Milk (affiliate), you can download the allergen table on Edwards & Son’s website. If one doesn’t want to use coconut, then substitute with two cans of non-fat evaporated milk (NOT the thick sweetened condensed milk) or other equivalent dairy substitute.

Eggs makes the butter mochi airy and you will see that it looks puffy toward the end of the baking time in the oven. This last time I made it, I had no eggs in my refrigerator and an egg substitute worked perfectly. I used Ener-G Egg Replacer (affiliate) but I’m sure the oil, water, and baking powder substitute (1.5 tablespoons oil, 1.5 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon baking powder and mix together = 1 whole egg) would work just as well to leaven the butter mochi. To avoid strong aftertastes, I use the equivalent of 2 eggs rather than 3. My younger son who is allergic to eggs tried it for the first time and his response makes my efforts so worthwhile:

“Mmmm….Wow….This is better than I thought it would be….Can I have another piece?” 

Better for you Butter Mochi, egg-free
Better for you Butter Mochi, egg-free

Milk is not one of our family’s allergens, but since I’ve made butter mochi at least a dozen different ways with reasonable success, I think you could make it with any dairy substitute of your choice. You just need 3 cups of liquid soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, etc. and a milk allergy safe butter substitute. I have had great results with other recipes and like the taste of Earth Balance’s Buttery Sticks, it is peanut and tree nut free but it contains soy.

As mentioned in my post about Chinese New Year rice cake, I recommend using Mochiko sweet rice flour by Koda Farms (affiliate). Koda Farms’ website has an allergen statement (top 8 allergen and gluten free). Even if one doesn’t have food allergies, it’s a superior product and grandmother approved.

close up view of butter mochi with egg on a white plate
5 from 6 votes
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Better For You Butter Mochi

Butter mochi is very delicious but I have lightened up a typical butter mochi recipe so that it is better for you but still very tasty. And I have included some allergy friendly substitutions so that everyone can enjoy!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian inspired, Hawaiian
Keyword butter mochi
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 210 kcal
Author Sharon Wong @ Nut Free Wok

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter or non-dairy butter alternative
  • 3/4 cup sugar (organic) use a little more if using regular sugar
  • 2 cans of non-fat evaporated milk (12 oz each) or 2 cans of coconut milk or 3 cups of milk allergy safe substitute
  • 3 eggs beatened (or egg substitute of choice for *2* eggs)
  • 1 box Koda Farms sweet rice flour 16 ounce
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup grated coconut optional, additional 1/4 cup for garnishing if desired

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F and spray a 13 x 9 glass baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Microwave the butter in a large bowl, 30 seconds at a time until it is 75% melted (a quick stir will melt it the rest of the way).
  3. Add sugar, evaporated milk (or coconut milk or milk substitute), and eggs (or egg substitute) and beat with a mixer on low for 1 minute.
  4. Add rice flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt, and grated coconut (if desired) and beat with a mixer until the batter is smooth and free of lumps.
  5. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown.
  6. Allow to cool and cut into 24 pieces.

Recipe Notes

1 box of sweet rice flour is 1 pound (464 grams)

The calorie count is an approximation and includes coconut, which is optional.

Party theme ideas:

I had previously shared recipes for Sweet Cucumbers, Kalua PorkTurkey Spam Musubi, and this Hawaiian dessert would round out the theme. Cut up some pineapples and you can host a Hawaiian themed party!

Better for you Butter Mochi (egg-free)
Better for you Butter Mochi, egg-free

 

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About Sharon Wong 270 Articles
Welcome to Nut Free Wok, a blog about Allergy Aware Asian Fare. I hope that you will find my food allergy mom experiences helpful and enjoyable to read as I write about recipes, cooking techniques, Asian ingredients, and food allergy related awareness and advocacy issues. My professional experiences include education, teaching, and a little bit of science and computers. Thank you for visiting! ~Sharon Wong, M.Ed.

52 Comments

  1. Sharon, looks good. I would love to try this. I have not been successful in finding Koda a Farms sweet rice flour. Where do you purchase the flour? Has anyone in the S. F. Valley found this?

    • Hi Vivian, you can find their flours at most Asian markets, especially a Japanese market. Do you have a Nijiya in your area? Koda Farms also has instructions on ordering their products via mail.

  2. Good tip, Sharon. There isn’t one near our house but there is one right near where my husband works. Maybe I can get him to stop in.

  3. Hi there, I just tried this recipe(with great success, they’re delicious), and I was curious as to whether or not you refrigerated your mochi? When I tried them in Hawaii, they did not, and so I’m likely not going to either but I thought I might inquire as to whether or not doing so ruined the texture because it will likely take me many days to eat through that much mochi.

    • Hi Mason, I don’t refrigerate the mochi but it does go bad after a few days! I usually try to either share the mochi with friends or make it for an event. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for your question!

  4. Hi Sharon, just found your blog while searching for mochi cake recipe. I wonder how many grams of mochiko is one box koda farm sweet rice flour….I live in the UK and they’re not available here but can get some mochi ko from the japanese shops. Looking forward to hear back from you. Thank you.

  5. Excited to make this with my daughter tomorrow. She has an egg and dairy allergy so she has never been able to enjoy butter mochi. Thank you so much!

  6. We substituted the grated coconut for vegan chocolate chips and they turned out so good! My husband thinks this one tastes much better than the original (and so much healthier)! At first my daughter thought it was okay but today she was chowing down on it. Between the three of us, we ate half the pan already! I can’t wait to share the recipe with my mom… She loves the original recipe but doesn’t like that it required so much sugar! Thank you! And Happy New Year to you too!

    P.S. Another place that sells Koda Farms mochiko flour is at the commissary (if you know anyone who can get on a military base).

    • Oh, I love the idea of adding vegan chocolate chips! That takes it to a whole new level, what a great idea! Isn’t it great when a healthy, allergy friendly version tastes better than the original recipes? And I love it when a recipe is grandmother approved! 😉

  7. 5 stars
    Make this. Now. You won’t regret it!

    This is the ultimate recipe to accommodate some of the most frequently occurring child allergens.

    I’ve made this recipes 5 times in the past two weeks for my son’s nursery cooking class. We had to avoid peanut, tree nuts (but not coconut), dairy, and egg amongst other things, and this recipe did the trick. It’s a really forgiving recipe too so for instance you can use light coconut milk or full fat coconut milk and it will still taste yummy.

    Some observations
    1) In my initial batch I used 3/4 cup coconut sugar and it turned out too dark and too sticky. Subsequent batches with 1 cup organic cane sugar was perfect.
    2) I’ve used dairy free and soy free Earth Balance butter substitute successfully
    3) I tried substituting the 1/2 cup coconut with 1/2 cup chocolate chips as another poster suggested. It didn’t taste quite right and I think coconut is better BUT the kids thought it was fine (I think it’s because kids like all things chocolate!)

    • Hi Lauren, thanks for sharing your feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Good to know that coconut sugar didn’t work as well, I’ve never baked with it before so I wouldn’t have known.

  8. 5 stars
    I just made this recipe today and I love it! I never had butter mochi before so I don’t know how it normally tastes, but it probably would be way too sweet and heavy for me anyway. I used organic honey in place of the sugar and reduced the amount of coconut milk by 1/3 cup. Yum!!

  9. Sharon, ur posting is awesome. Im addicted to buttermochi but know it’s rich and as a result don’t endulge as often as I’d like so when I found ur site it was like I’d died and gone to heaven ! Ur the best !

  10. I will try it today and was also wondering if u had a brownie buttermchi version ? My son likes it and it’s his 7th birthday in a couple days and wanted to make it for him. ?
    Thank u so much for ur time and care!
    Ash

    • Oooo, a brownie buttermochi sounds really good. I will have to try it sometime. Should I make it “regular” or “better for you” style, haha! Happy birthday to your son! 7 is great!

  11. I made it! The whole family loved it! Do you dress it up any certain way? I got pretty fancy and ate a substantial amount right out the pan ? it was delicious!

  12. This recipe is awesome. I am vegan and used vegan butter and a flax egg in the recipe instead. No one was the wiser. Brought it for a class picnic and all of the kids loved it. Thank you for the recipe!

    • What a great idea to make it even better by using a vegan butter and flax egg (I’ve never tried flax egg, glad to know that it works)! And I love to hear when the recipes are kid-approved. Thanks for taking the time to share Heather! 🙂

  13. Hi Sharon! My son and I made this yesterday for dessert for our japanese Christmas Eve dinner. It was so good! We used coconut milk and included the shredded coconut. We will definitely be making this again! Thanks so much for the recipe.

  14. Aloha, I’d like to try your recipe using brown sugar as that’s what I usually use. Have you tried it with brown sugar? I also would like to try almond milk but it seems runny. Ihave never made this before but love to eat it. Your recipe sounds fabulous!

    • I think it will be fine with brown sugar. You could also try it with almond milk but maybe use less. If you happen to share the mochi with anyone, be sure to let them know that you made it with almond milk, in case they have a nut allergy.

  15. 5 stars
    Made this today with my kids and it’s amazing!!! Wow!! I ordered that flour from Amazon. I’ve never eaten anything like this so thank you for introducing my family to coconut deliciousness ?

  16. Question- how big are your cans of evaporated milk. I’m in Canada so the cans might be a different size
    Thanks

  17. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this delicious recipe, Sharon. I have to be on a special diet due to some health issues, so I am thrilled that I found your website.

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