The Ultimate Guide to Yakimochi

From shoyu sugar, kinako, and butter shoyu to oreo: this is your ultimate guide to yakimochi. Yakimochi is grilled mochi, and the flavor combinations for eating this mochi snack are endless! Read this post to learn about how to make yakimochi easily at home, where to buy your kirimochi and other ingredients, and more!

What is Yakimochi?

Yakimochi means grilled mochi, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Mochi is grilled (or fried or toasted) until it puffs up and lightly browns on the outside, leaving you with a crispy skin and a chewy interior. Think of it like the toasted marshmallow of mochi! Except minus all the sugar.

Yakimochi can be eaten savory OR sweet, depending on how you season it after. It can be eaten on its own as a snack, or as part of another dish, like zenzai. Sometimes I eat yakimochi for breakfast. Best way to start off the day, right?

What Mochi to Use For Yakimochi and Where to Buy It?

You can use either fresh, frozen, or shelf stable mochi for yakimochi. One thing all of those mochi have in common is that they are NOT SWEET. A lot of people have this misconception that mochi is a sweet rice dessert with fillings. Mochi, at least as the term is used in Japan, refers to JUST a glutinous rice cake. The only ingredient in mochi is rice. No sugar added or anything. So if you have a pack of sweet mochi from the grocery store, that’s the wrong thing!

Fresh or frozen mochi will most likely be in a hockey puck shape. This is kind of the traditional way to shape mochi. This mochi can be made either by pounding rice (you’ve all seen that viral video of mochi pounding in Japan, right?) and then squeezing them into little blobs. OR this can be the kind of mochi made from a mochi pounding machine you can buy for your home. Either way you still have to squeeze them into mochi blobs by hand.

Side note: my grandma was known for having really good mochi blob squeezing technique. That’s an official term, by the way. It’s a rite of passage to squeeze mochi blobs from steaming hot, freshly pounded rice cake, yelping as you burn your hands and having Japanese grandmas whack you for messing up.

These mochi pucks can be used fresh, but they can also be frozen. If you’re making yakimochi from frozen mochi, you will have to boil or microwave them first to soften them up prior to grilling them.

Shelf stable mochi is called kirimochi. They are individually wrapped and sold in packs in the rice aisle of Japanese markets. Kirimochi is my favorite way to make yakimochi, as it’s just super convenient to keep in my pantry. Both frozen mochi and kirimochi can be found in Japanese markets, and sometimes fresh mochi too. But if not, you can definitely find kirimochi on Amazon.

Ways to Cook Yakimochi

Although yakimochi is technically translated as grilled mochi, you can make it in a variety of methods: broiling in the toaster oven, in the air fryer, over stovetop, or on an actual grill.

Yakimochi in the Toaster

To make yakimochi in the toaster oven, line a small baking sheet and spray with oil or baking spray. Place kirimochi on the tray and toast or broil for 8 minutes, or until the mochi is puffed up.

@mochimommyblog

Reply to @sat_with_cat broil kirimochi in the toaster oven for 8 mins and top with whatever you like! This one is soy sauce and sugar, but kinako sugar is also popular. #yakimochi #grilledmochi #kirimochi

♬ Familia – Camila Cabello

Yakimochi in the Air Fryer

Spray your air fryer basket and drop in your mochi. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes. Actually, even with a minimum of 5 minutes, my mochi was puffed up and soft all the way through. But I like to go a little bit longer for even more puff and browning.

https://www.tiktok.com/@mochimommyblog/video/7087379422373842219?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6930295556968089093

Frying Yakimochi in a Skillet

Grease a skillet, put in your mochi, and pan fry on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until mochi is puffed up and soft all the way through.

Yakimochi in a Grill

I haven’t actually used my George Foreman in a loooong time, but I’m told you can stick your mochi in there for 5-ish minutes. You can also grill your mochi on a grill outdoors, but make sure you have some sort of tray to grill on so the mochi doesn’t slip through the grate, and grease it well.

Flavor Combinations for Yakimochi Toppings

This is the fun part! After grilling your mochi, you top it with different seasonings! Soy sauce and sugar and kinako and sugar are probably the two most common yakimochi toppings in Japan, but I’ll list some fun fusion ones too!

Soy Sauce and Sugar and Seaweed

Mix together roughly equal parts soy sauce and sugar. For one yakimochi, you probably only need a teaspoon of each. Pour over grilled mochi and wrap mochi in seaweed. This type of yakimochi is also called isobeyaki.

Kinako and Sugar

Kinako is roasted soybean powder, and it’s SO GOOD. Mix equal parts kinako and sugar and roll your grilled mochi in it. Some people like to dunk their mochi in water before dipping into kinako, but I like to keep mine crispy. If you love kinako, by the way, you should also check out my kinako cookies and kinako cake recipes.

Butter and Soy Sauce

Butter shoyu is a popular flavor in Japan, but I think it may be my Japanese American friends who use it the most with mochi. Simply melt a little butter, mix it with soy sauce, and pour or dip your mochi. This also goes well wrapped in seaweed.

Condensed Milk and Oreo

Condensed milk appears to be a popular yakimochi topping recently, but this specific flavor combo was a suggestion from a TikTok follower! Drizzle a little condensed milk and top with crushed oreos. For one yakimochi, I used one oreo. SO good and SO fun. My friend Yui said, “And so American.”

@mochimommyblog

Reply to @5537800b thank you for this idea!!! It was amazing! #grilledmochi #yakimochi #toastedmochi #kirimochi #oreomochi #mochi #mochilovers #mochitiktok

♬ Wait – ☆ 𝓶𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮 ☆

Brie and Honey

Another flavor combo recommended by a social media follower on Instagram! Top grilled mochi with a small slice of brie cheese and drizzle with honey. How about some mochi on your next charcuterie cheese board, eh?

https://www.tiktok.com/@mochimommyblog/video/7091332297953365294?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6930295556968089093

Other Ways to Eat Yakimochi: Soups and Skewers

Besides the ways listed above, you can also use yakimochi as a component of other dishes, like in zenzai or in grilled skewers!

Yakimochi for Zenzai

Zenzai is Japanese red bean soup. This is a dessert soup! The easiest way to make zenzai: mix equal parts store bought smooth red bean paste and water. Heat up, then top with a yakimochi.

Yakimochi in Chikara Udon

Yakimochi is also a component in a dish called chikara udon! How do you make it? Just simply make your usual bowl of udon and top it with yakimochi. That simple.

@mochimommyblog

Chikara udon is udon with yakimochi (grilled mochi). #chikaraudon #udonnoodles #udon #yakimochi #grilledmochi #toastedmochi #kirimochi #japanesenoodles #japanesefoodlover #mochilovers #udonlover

♬ That That (prod.&feat. SUGA of BTS) – PSY

Yakimochi Skewers

Although mochi skewers take a little more effort than the other mochi dishes I’ve talked about in this post, I think they’re the most fun. Make sure you slice your kirimochi into smaller pieces and microwave to soften them before trying to put them on a skewer. I have a recipe for mochi, shishito, and pork belly skewers if you’d like to try. Or have fun finding your own flavor combinations for skewered mochi.

I’ll leave you with my basic instructions for yakimochi down below, but feel free to put your own spin on it. Have fun experimenting with yakimochi!