Today, we want to show you how to prepare Japanese mochi balls with a tropical mango jam filling. They’re soft and chewy outside, sweet and fruity inside — we bet you’ll fall in love with them at first bite!
Filled mochi balls are a Japanese confection (wagashi) known as daifuku (大福) in Japan.
They consist of a dough of glutinous rice flour (called mochigomeko or mochiko for short) stuffed with a sweet filling like anko paste, strawberries, or chestnut paste, to mention a few.
The secret to mochi balls is in the flour: glutinous rice flour is not the same as regular rice flour. Instead, it’s milled from a type of short-grain rice that has a high starch content.
You can find glutinous rice flour at your local Asian food store or online. Check the label well before you buy it, as it looks just like regular rice flour, but it behaves completely different.
When you cook it, mochiko turns incredibly gooey and sticky. Mochi dough is nothing like you have ever tasted before: soft, chewy, and sweet — really unique!
But wait until you try the mango jam filling! It’s a simple yet delicious stuffing for mochi balls. You can use store-bought mango jam or make it from scratch using ripe mangos.
We have a quick 30-minute recipe for mango jam made without sugar. You’ll get the same deliciousness but without added sugars. Give it a go!
If you want to cut down the sugars even more, we’ll give you the option to make the mochi dough with erythritol, a safe and natural sweetener you can use instead of sugar.
It’s time to gather the ingredients, put your kitchen apron on, and prepare these wonderful mango mochi balls together!
And if you’re looking for more mochi filling ideas, check out these ube butter mochi and chilli chocolate mochi, or try using sweet yellow bean paste!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these mango mochi balls healthy?
We made these mango mochi balls as healthy as possible.
If you use no-added-sugar mango jam and a zero-calorie sweetener like erythritol for the mochi dough, you’ll get much healthier mochi.
Then, each of our mango mochi balls would have just 60 calories and 2 grams of sugar, making it a healthier option than store-bought mochi.
How long do these mango mochi balls last?
Homemade Japanese mochi balls are best when consumed on the same day as they tend to dry out.
If you want to store them longer, wrap each mochi with cling film and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container.
The mochi balls will last for up to a week, but we recommend eating them within 3-4 days for the best texture.
Can you freeze mochi?
Yes, freezing mochi is very easy. And it’s a great idea if you want to turn these mango jam mochi into mango ice cream mochi.
As soon as the balls are cold, wrap them individually in baking paper or cling film so they won’t stick to one another.
Place them in a container, and freeze them until hard. Frozen mochi will last for months — up to 6-8 months.
When you’re ready to eat them, take the mango mochi balls out of the freezer and let them thaw for a few minutes.
The dough will be soft enough to bite into it while the mango jam filling will taste like mango ice cream. So good!
