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Mochi Ice Cream

Homemade Mochi Ice Cream is a sweet and chewy Japanese rice cake filled with your choice of ice cream in a soft, slightly chewy, sweet rice dough. You won't believe how easy it is to make yourself!

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 70 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • 1 cup glutinous rice flour (Sweet rice flour, I recommend shiratamako or mochiko)
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • Food Coloring , optional, to change the color of the dough
  • cornstarch , or potato starch (for dusting and rolling)
  • Ice cream , your favorite kind

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Freeze ice cream balls:  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Working quickly, use a small ice cream scoop to scoop ice cream balls and place them onto the parchment paper.  Be sure to pack the ice cream tightly as you scoop, leaving a flat edge on the ice cream so that it will sit flat on your cookie sheet. Freeze for 1 hour.
  2. Make mochi: Combine flour, sugar, and powdered sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Add water and stir well until smooth.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave mochi dough for 1 minute. Wet your spatula to prevent sticking and use your spatula to repeatedly fold the mixture. Cover and microwave again for 1 minute.  Fold the dough again and microwave for 30 more seconds. The mochi should look slightly shiny and if it doesn't, microwave for 30 more seconds.
  3. Roll dough: Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust with a layer of cornstarch.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mochi dough from the bowl and onto the parchment paper (keep in mind that it will be very hot, so be careful not to touch it. Place the dirty dishes in the sink and soak them in water.
  4. Dust the top of the dough ball with cornstarch.  Use a rolling pin to roll the mochi dough into a large rectangle. If the dough sticks at all while rolling, continue to dust the top with cornstarch to prevent sticking.  Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4''.  Place the parchment paper with the rolled out dough onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Use scissors to cut large squares of plastic wrap (one for each ice cream ball). Each mochi will get wrapped in plastic wrap before freezing.
  6. Fill the dough: Remove the dough from the fridge and use a round cookie or biscuit cutter (about 3 inch round) to cut circles in the dough.  Your circles need to be big enough to pinch the dough around the ice cream. Pick up one circle of dough and gently brush off the cornstarch from the top (I like to use a dry pastry brush to do this). Working with one scoop of ice cream at a time, keeping the rest in the freezer so they don't melt, place one ice cream scoop in the center of the mochi and gently press the dough around the ice cream.  Pinch the edges of the mochi to seal it. Place mochi on a piece of plastic wrap bringing the corners of the square to the center and twisting tightly at the top to seal it.
  7. Freeze: Place mochi back in the freezer with the twisted plastic wrap side down. Continue with remaining dough and ice cream. Freeze mochi ice cream for at least 1 hour before eating. Once frozen, store it, still wrapped in the plastic wrap, in a freezer safe bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Allow the dough to slightly thaw before eating.

Notes

  • Variations:
  • Vary the ice cream flavors: any flavor ice cream or sorbet will work!
  • Swap the filling: instead of ice cream you could fill the center with nutella, chocolate, fresh cut strawberries, peanut butter, or traditional red bean paste (anko).

  • Flavor the dough:

    Peanut butter: Mix in 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter right after the dough has steamed in the microwave. Chocolate/Cocoa Powder: Mix in 1 teaspoon cocoa powder before cooking. Matcha: Mix in 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea powder). Vanilla: Add one teaspoons of vanilla extract to dough before cooking. Coconut: Add 1 Tablespoon coconut milk to the dough before cooking

  • Peanut butter: Mix in 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter right after the dough has steamed in the microwave.
  • Chocolate/Cocoa Powder: Mix in 1 teaspoon cocoa powder before cooking.
  • Matcha: Mix in 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea powder).
  • Vanilla: Add one teaspoons of vanilla extract to dough before cooking.
  • Coconut: Add 1 Tablespoon coconut milk to the dough before cooking

Nutrition Information

Calories 70kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 1mg (0%) Potassium 10mg (0%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 5g (10%) Calcium 1mg (0%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 70

% Daily Value*

Calories 70kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Potassium 10mg 0%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 5g 10%
Calcium 1mg 0%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.