The BEST Easy Apple Cider Mochi Donuts
This apple cider mochi donut recipe is the BEST for strong apple flavor with easy technique. It’s the perfect dessert for fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or any party to impress your friends. Plus, it’s naturally gluten-free.
Fall is a big deal in the Pacific Northwest. We are all about pumpkin patches, hay rides, and, of course, apple cider donuts. But being Japanese American and the Mochi Mommy, I have to take it one step further: apple cider MOCHI donuts. If I’m being honest, these are better than the regular apple cider donuts I’ve had at any farm (sorry to the farms), and I’ve gone apple picking in the fall in New England so that’s quite a statement.
The super strong apple flavor comes from a reduction of both apple cider and applesauce. The chewy, bouncy texture comes from mochiko, and the essence of autumn comes from the warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. I simplify the deep frying step by doing donut holes dropped in with a cookie scoop rather than trying to cut out rings. Finally, the fresh, warm apple cider mochi donuts get dusted in cinnamon sugar coating. It’s perfection.
If you think you’ve got it down from that description, go ahead and jump to the recipe below. But if you think you’ll need a few more in depth tips and descriptions of ingredients or technique, I suggest reading through the post. And if you still need help, make sure to leave me a comment!
What Flour Do I Use for Mochi Donuts?
You will want to use mochiko, which is a Japanese “glutinous” rice flour. There’s not actually any gluten in it; it’s called that because its chewiness is similar to breads with gluten. While several Asian countries have versions of this glutinous rice flour, also sometimes labeled sweet rice flour, make sure you buy mochiko specifically. Other rice flours are milled differently or come from slightly different strains of rice, which will change how they absorb water and affect their end texture.
Mochiko is fairly inexpensive. I can find it in the international aisle of my local Kroger stores, at any Asian grocery store, or even online. I recommend the Koda Farms Blue Star brand if you are based in the US.
How to get a Strong Apple Cider Flavor in Donuts?
After studying many apple cider donut recipes, including the famed one by Claire Saffitz in her cookbook, Dessert Person, I wound up with a method that combines apple cider with applesauce, which you then cook down over stovetop for a concentrated flavor. And look, I hate, HAAAATE when recipes make me cook one thing in order to bake the original thing I wanted, but it’s really worth it in this case. It’s not that hard, either. It just takes time.
Dump the ingredients in a large skillet (doing a large shallow pan makes for faster reductions) and simmer for about 10 minutes. See, it’s not too bad. Do it for fall!
Speaking of fall, don’t skimp on the cinnamon spice blend. If you don’t want to do my specific combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, you can always substitute pumpkin pie spice, chai masala spice, or any other warm spice blend of your choosing.
Do I Need Special Tools to Make Donuts?
The only two pieces of equipment I recommend for this recipe (but are still not strictly necessary) are a digital thermometer and a cookie scoop. The thermometer is to check the temperature of the oil when you deep fry and the scoop is to make it easy to consistently shaped and sized donut holes. Plus you won’t have to get your fingers close to the hot oil. But if you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can use just a regular spoon and estimate about two tablespoons in volume.
Other donut recipes need multiple sized cookie cutters to cut into rings or parchment paper cut into squares or donut pans and piping bags for baked recipes. But not here, folks. You don’t even need a mixer. You can mix the dough by hand. Deep frying might actually be the simplest way to go.
How Do I Know When They’re Done?
Stick a toothpick into the donut and if it comes out clean, they’re done! When using a thermometer to check that oil is at 340 degrees F and with a consistent two tablespoon volume of batter, this takes me five minutes.
More Fall Recipes
If you enjoyed this dish, make sure to leave me a recipe rating below and check out these other fall mochi recipes.
- Pumpkin Mochi Donuts
- Pumpkin Ghost Daifuku
- Pumpkin Butter Mochi
- Japanese Sweet Potato Butter Mochi
- Mochi Cornbread
The BEST Apple Cider Mochi Donuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup applesauce, 4 oz. or 114g
- 1 1/2 cup mochiko, 8 oz. or 227g
- 1/2 cup sugar, 100g
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
- Extra cinnamon and sugar for dusting
- Oil, for deep frying
Equipment
- digital thermometer optional
- cookie scoop optional
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium to high heat, pour apple cider and applesauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and reduce to about 1/2 cup or 140g. This should take about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- Pour oil into your pot, skillet, or deep fryer to heat up to 340 degrees F while you mix your donut batter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients (mochiko, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices), then add wet ingredients (egg, reduced apple cider, melted butter) and mix well.
- Use a two tablespoon cookie scoop to drop donut balls into hot oil (340 degrees F) and cook for 5 mins.
- Remove donuts to a wire rack and when cool enough to touch, dunk in a bowl with extra cinnamon and sugar to coat.
- Mochi donuts taste best the day they are made.
