This coconut mango mochi is actually a form of chi chi dango, a Hawaiian influenced mochi. Bake this two-layer mochi easily in the oven! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

Hey there! I’m back with another mochi recipe! After the success of my coconut rose chi chi dango recipe (it’s consistently one of my most popular and most pinned posts), I decided to try mixing up the flavors a bit. Thus, I present you with coconut mango chi chi dango (aka Hawaiian-ish mochi)! Like the rose mochi, this coconut mango mochi is vegan and gluten free. Plus, there’s no artificial flavoring or coloring in the mango mochi.

What is Chi Chi Dango?

I talked about this initially in my coconut rose chi chi dango post, but chi chi dango refers to a mochi dessert that’s commonly found in Hawaii. Originally from Hiroshima, chi chi dango is not well known in Japan. The Hiroshima version used cow’s milk, but when immigrants to Hawaii brought over chi chi dango, they adapted to local ingredients and began using coconut milk instead. So the Hawaii chi chi dango is made with mochiko, aka glutinous rice flour, sugar, and coconut milk with a little water to form a sweet rice cake. If you’ve ever made microwave mochi, you’ve made chi chi dango. I’ve been trying to stay away from using too much plastic in the microwave, so I make my mochi in the oven instead.

How to Make Mochi With Layered Colors and Flavors

This coconut mango mochi LOOKS kind of fancy because of the nice orange and white stripe. However, it’s actually quite easy. Essentially, you pour one flavor of batter in a pan and bake until it’s just set. Then, you pour the other flavor on top and finish baking. If it’s your first time making mochi, I recommend checking out the coconut rose chi chi dango post first to get some tips on technique. And if you’re still confused about the terminology, feel free to check out my Ultimate Guide to Mochi.

Tips for Baking Mochi in the Oven

  • Grease your baking pan well. I use a glass Pyrex, and I’ve never had trouble with it sticking, as long as I don’t overbake it! If you’re not sure, you can always line your pan with parchment paper.
  • Use a plastic knife or pizza cutter to slice your mochi. Again, it prevents sticking.
  • Don’t forget to cover tightly with foil for the last bake! Otherwise the steam will escape and mochi will dry out.
  • Dust your mochi with katakuriko (potato starch) at the end so the pieces don’t stick together. Cornstarch can be used as a substitute, but I prefer the taste and texture of potato starch.

More Mochi Recipes

Looking for more mochi recipes? Check out these ideas:

4.86 from 14 reviews

Coconut Mango Chi Chi Dango Mochi

This striped chi chi dango consists of layers of coconut and mango mochi. It's fruity, chewy, gluten free, and vegan!
Servings: 10 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 16 oz box mochiko (approx 3 cups)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 14 oz can coconut milk
  • 1.5 cups mango juice
  • 1 tbsp coconut extract
  • katakuriko (potato starch) for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish really well. Mochi will stick to any ungreased spots.
  • Mix half the box of mochiko (approximately 1.5 cups) and 1 cup of the sugar.
  • Add the coconut milk and coconut extract and mix until well combined.
  • Pour this batter into the greased pan and bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the top layer of mochi is set.
  • While the coconut layer is baking, mix the rest of the mochiko and sugar together. You can use the same bowl you had the coconut mochi batter in.
  • Add the mango juice and stir until well combined.
  • When the coconut layer is set, pour the mango mochi batter on top and very gently smooth out with a spoon or spatula.
  • Cover tightly with aluminum foil (I recommend spraying the foil with nonstick spray as well) and bake for another 45 minutes. You'll know the mochi is done when the mango layer turns from an opaque light orange color to a darker, more translucent orange.
  • Let cool completely.
  • Turn out mochi onto a surface dusted with katakuriko. Slice into rectangles using a pizza cutter (or knife dusted with katakuriko), tossing in katakuriko as you go along to keep the edges from sticking. Keep mochi in an air tight container at room temperature; it's best eaten within 3 days.

Notes

After many years making chi chi dango, I’ve noticed that when using Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk, my batter comes out much more thin. I recommend avoiding Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk for my chi chi dango recipes (it’s fine for butter mochi) if possible.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!

That’s it! I was really surprised at how strongly the mango flavor came through without any added extracts. Oh, and I included a little snapshot of a sneaky toddler getting into my food photo station. If you were wondering why I haven’t had a lot of baby cameos in my baking posts lately… now you know. 😛