Classic Hawaii Butter Mochi Recipe

Butter mochi is a mochi cake from Hawaii with origins in Filipino bibingka and Japanese mochi confections. It’s super easy to make and perfect for baking beginners. There are many different variations out there, but this plain recipe is a classic. Add optional shredded coconut on top for a little crunch. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

What is Butter Mochi?

Butter mochi is a well known local food in Hawai’i that is, at its core, a mochi snack cake.

Made from mochiko, a glutinous rice flour made from mochi rice, this cake is baked in a 9×13″ pan and cut into rectangles. The other ingredients include typical cake components, such as eggs, butter, and baking powder. My recipe also uses coconut milk and evaporated milk, which is hallmark for recipes from Hawai’i. It’s chewy, dense, bouncy, and the perfect flavor balance of sweet and salty.

Authentic Butter Mochi Recipe? Is Butter Mochi Japanese?

Butter mochi has become super popular on the internet the past few years, and I’ve noticed some people requesting an “authentic” butter mochi recipe. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to say what makes a butter mochi recipe authentic. Nobody knows if the original recipe came from Japanese or Filipino immigrants to Hawaii, or both! Butter mochi has similarities to the Filipino dish bibingka, although it quite obviously uses a Japanese ingredient: mochiko. And you never hear anyone asking for an “authentic” brownie recipe do you? Or “authentic” cookie?

So what would make a butter mochi recipe authentic?

The recipe I’m sharing here is just one of many I’ve tried over the years from the Japanese American community. When I look in my catalog of recipes from family, friends, relatives, and old church cookbooks written by Japanese immigrants (many of which moved to Hawai’i before heading mainland), there are literally dozens of slightly different butter mochi versions. Depending on the ratio of different ingredients, you can make your butter mochi texture more cakey and airy, or more dense and chewy. It’s completely up to your preference, and none is more authentic than the other (as they seemingly all came from Hawai’i locals). What they generally have in common is that they use mochiko and typical cake ingredients (e.g. eggs, milk, butter). Many use canned ingredients such as coconut milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk, which is very common in Hawai’i. All of them are very easy to make (just mix everything together and bake). They aren’t fussy or fiddly, and they’re definitely meant to share.

How to Make Butter Mochi

To make butter mochi, simply mix your dry ingredients (mochiko, sugar, salt, baking powder) with your wet ingredients (coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, melted butter). Pour into a greased 9×13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour. That’s it!

Please note that I’ve had different baking times depending on what baking pan I use. In a Pyrex or other glass dish, I find this definitely takes an hour to bake. In a metal baking pan, you can start checking for doneness by sticking a toothpick down the middle at around 45 minutes.

How to Store Butter Mochi/Can You Freeze Butter Mochi?

Leftover butter mochi can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.

And yes, you can freeze butter mochi! My friend Katie, whose mom is from Hawai’i, taught me to wrap and freeze individual pieces of butter mochi. You can let a piece defrost at room temperature before eating, or you can zap it in the microwave to heat it up.

Other FAQ About Ingredient Substitutions

Can I Use Glutinous Rice Flour or Other Rice Flours Instead of Mochiko?

Unfortunately, no. Even rice flours made from the exact same rice can have vastly differing end textures (for example: mochiko vs. shiratamako). Although mochiko is a type of glutinous rice flour, you cannot substitute other glutinous rice flours for mochiko. Or, I guess you could, but you would wind up with a different texture than what you may be expecting. I recommend Koda Farms Blue Star mochiko or the Shirakiku brand. You can find mochiko at any Japanese grocery store and even many mainstream American markets in the international aisle. If all else fails, you can find mochiko on Amazon, although it usually is much more expensive there.

Can I Use Other Milks Instead of Evaporated Milk?

Yes, you can substitute other types of milk, including whole milk or other plant based milks, for the coconut milk or evaporated milk. Just know that different milks contain differing amounts of fat, which will affect the flavor of your butter mochi. I highly recommend just keeping some coconut milk and evaporated milk in your pantry, since they’re shelf stable and last a long time. The flavor with these two milks combined make this butter mochi my favorite!

But you can also check out my everyday butter mochi recipe for a similar recipe but without the canned milks.

Is Butter Mochi Gluten Free? Is Butter Mochi Vegan?

Yes, butter mochi is gluten free! It’s made with mochiko, which is a Japanese rice flour and contains no gluten.

Most butter mochi recipes are NOT vegan, however. They usually use dairy and eggs. At this time, I do not have any recommended substitutions to make vegan butter mochi, but I’m sure there are other food blogs out there that have one!

Can I Decrease the Sugar?

Yes, you can use as little sugar as you want or substitute a different kind of sugar. I recommend trying this recipe as is first so you get a sense of how sweet you like it.

Should I Make Butter Mochi From Scratch or A Box Mix?

A few years ago, Trader Joe’s came out with a box mix for mochi cake, which people went wild for. Prior to Trader Joe’s, there were other Hawaiian brands of butter mochi mixes as well. But if you see how easy it is to make butter mochi from scratch, you won’t bother with the mixes. The only step it saves you is mixing the sugar and baking powder together with your mochiko.

AND if you take a look at my blog post comparing Trader Joe’s box mix with my recipe from scratch, you’ll see there’s a big difference. From scratch is way better!

Butter Mochi With Shredded Coconut Topping

This may be a controversial addition to my recipe: shredded coconut. I LOVE shredded coconut on top for a little crunch. Jeremy HATES it. Other friends from Hawaii have been split – they either love or hate it.

But good news for everyone: shredded coconut is totally optional. If you want the shredded coconut, simply sprinkle on top of your batter before putting it in the oven. And if you don’t want it, then don’t.

By the way, a hack for you coconut lovers – KEEP YOUR COCONUT IN THE FREEZER! Seriously, just stash that bag in an airtight container in the freezer. When you need it for your butter mochi (or other desserts), you can take it straight from the freezer and onto your mochi! No defrosting needed. Now that’s a pro tip if I ever saw one.

More Butter Mochi Variations

If you love butter mochi and want to expand your butter mochi recipe repertoire (whew, what a tongue twister), check these out!

• Pumpkin Butter Mochi
• Black Sesame Butter Mochi
• Chocolate Butter Mochi
• Matcha Butter Mochi
• Ube Butter Mochi