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    Home » Recipes » Matcha

    Matcha Mochi Ice Cream

    Published: Aug 11, 2020 by Michelle · 14 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These Matcha Mochi Ice Cream are a sweet and cool little frozen treat. Mini scoops of delicious matcha ice cream are wrapped with a thin chewy mochi skin.

    A cut white mochi revealing green matcha ice cream on a small plate with two toothpicks, a small plate of whole mochi in the background.
    Have you ever had mochi ice cream? 

    You may have seen them in Asian supermarkets labeled as "daifuku."

    It's a Japanese mochi with ice cream filled inside. 

    The mochi skin is slightly chewy and it melds right into the creamy matcha ice cream. They are a bit tricky to make, but they're worth it.

    What is mochi?

    Mochi is a Japanese confection made with glutinous rice flour and has a sweet filling such as red bean paste. 

    A white mochi on a small plate with two toothpicks, a small plate of whole mochi in the background.

    What is in it?

    There's only 2 components in mochi ice cream! 

    • mochi dough
    • ice cream

    The mochi dough wraps the ice cream, similarly to how mochi covers a filling in a regular daifuku. 

    A cut white mochi revealing green matcha ice cream on a small plate with two toothpicks, a small plate of whole mochi in the background.
    How to prepare the ice cream

    You can use a store-bought ice cream, or use a homemade matcha ice cream. 

    First, you'll need to scoop out the ice cream into small balls prior to making the mochi ice cream.

    The best way to do this is by using a small ice cream scoop. 

    Place the scooped balls of ice cream onto a parchment-lined baking tray and get them right into the freezer as soon as you can.

    Let the ice cream balls freeze for at least 6 hours, until frozen solid.

    Tip: try not to do this on a hot day, as the ice cream will melt quickly.

    A close up of cut white mochi revealing green matcha ice cream on a small plate with two toothpicks, a small plate of whole mochi in the background.
    Making the mochi skin

    Combine the glutinous rice flour, water, and sugar in a shallow bowl.

    Give it a stir, cover, and microwave 1 minute at a time, for 2-3 minutes. Stop and stir after each minute.

    Dust a silicone mat with roasted soy bean powder (kinako), cooked glutinous rice flour (koh fun) or cornstarch.

    Divide the cooked mochi dough into 6 equal portions. 

    Take 1 portion of dough and dust liberally with soy bean powder/glutinous rice flour/cornstarch. Flatten into a round circle with a rolling pin as thin as you can without puncturing the dough. Let it cool.

    Remove a matcha ice cream ball (previously prepared) from the freezer and place it in the centre of the mochi dough. Work quickly to seal the edges and pop it back into the freezer.  

    Repeat with the remainder. 

    Note: It's important to work quickly or the ice cream will melt and you'll have a gloopy mess on your hands. 

    Freeze for at least 4-6 hours. 

    How to store & serve

    Keep the mochi in the freezer.

    Whenever you have a hankering for a little ice cream, take one out -- leave at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, and enjoy. 

    Other mochi recipes you may like

    If you love the chewy texture of mochi, try out these other mochi recipes:

    Matcha Red Bean Mochi

    Pandan Mochi Waffles

    Matcha Brownie Mochi

    Korean Matcha Mochi Bread

    Hojicha Brochi

    Let me know if you try this Matcha Mochi Ice Cream. I love seeing your creations! Tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below.

    A close up of cut white mochi revealing green matcha ice cream on a small plate with two toothpicks, a small plate of whole mochi in the background.A cut white mochi revealing green matcha ice cream on a small plate with two toothpicks, a small plate of whole mochi in the background, with text overlay..

    Print Recipe
    5 from 8 votes

    Matcha Mochi Ice Cream

    A recipe for a Japanese sweet treat made with matcha ice cream, wrapped in a thin mochi skin.
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Cook Time3 minutes mins
    Freezing Time6 hours hrs
    Total Time33 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Japanese
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 54kcal
    Author: Michelle

    For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.

    Ingredients

    • 6 small balls matcha ice cream, appx 30g each portioned out and frozen
    • 70 g mochiko glutinous rice flour
    • 100 g water
    • 15 g granulated sugar
    • 30 g roasted soy bean powder (kinako) or cooked glutinous rice flour (koh fun) for dusting
    Metric | US Customary
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a shallow bowl, combine mochiko glutinous rice flour, water, and sugar. Stir to combine. Cover.
    • Microwave for 2-3 minutes in 1 minute intervals. Stop and stir the mixture after each minute.
    • Mochi dough will be translucent when fully cooked.
    • Divide dough into 6 equal portions.
    • Use a rolling pin dusted with soy bean powder or cooked glutinous rice flour (koh fun) to roll out and flatten into a round circle.
    • Let the dough cool a little bit.
    • Remove a pre-portioned scoop of matcha ice cream and place it in the centre of the mochi dough, and quickly pinch the seams together. Remember to work quickly.
    • Dust with additional powder and place it right back into the freezer. Repeat with the remainder.
    • Freeze until solid, about 4-6 hours.
    • To serve, bring to room temperature for about 15 mins.

    Notes

    Important to work very quickly as the ice cream will melt.
    Matcha mochi ice cream can be kept frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 54kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

    The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.

    Did you try this recipe?Mention @siftandsimmer or tag #siftandsimmer!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rahul@samosastreet.com

      August 11, 2020 at 1:58 pm

      I love icecream. With the weather so hot outside. I churn up some icecream often. Your recipe is unique Michelle. I have regular rice flour. Would this works?

      Reply
      • Michelle

        August 11, 2020 at 2:37 pm

        Hi Rahul, regular rice flour will not work for this recipe. It needs to be glutinous rice flour, which is actually different than rice flour.

    2. Christie

      August 11, 2020 at 3:43 pm

      5 stars
      I love your version of matcha mochi ice cream Michelle! It looks so good and I am such a big fan of matcha in my mochi's as well! This looks so tasty and I would love one for dessert.

      Reply
      • Michelle

        August 11, 2020 at 4:05 pm

        Thanks Christie! 🙂

    3. Healthy World Cuisine

      August 12, 2020 at 8:25 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely, Beautiful!!! Daifuku is one of our favorite Japanese treats. While living in Japan, one of our favorite things to do was to go down to B1 in the department stores and try all the delicious treats. Can't wait to try this with matcha ice cream. Stay well and take care

      Reply
      • Michelle

        August 12, 2020 at 1:12 pm

        Thank you very much! 🙂

    4. Tasia ~ two sugar bugs

      August 18, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      We love mochi at my house and I know my girls would have so much fun helping to create these treats! Pinned!

      Reply
      • Michelle

        August 18, 2020 at 9:54 pm

        Thanks Tasia! Mochi is definitely a kids' favourite here too 🙂

    5. Linsey

      April 08, 2021 at 6:39 pm

      5 stars
      I first came across mochi ice cream with chestnut flavour in Hong Kong. Very delicious treat! Your recipe prompt me to make this matcha ice cream mochi.

      Reply
    6. Diana Reis

      April 29, 2021 at 8:36 am

      5 stars
      These are so beautiful. I'm going to use this recipe to augment our homeschool lessons. Thanks for posting.

      Reply
    7. Ana F.

      April 29, 2021 at 8:40 am

      5 stars
      I always wanted to make my own Mochi at home and now I have the perfect recipe! Can't wait to try this. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    8. maryanne

      April 29, 2021 at 8:44 am

      5 stars
      This recipe sounds so delicious! I have been experimenting with mochi recently, so will be adding this to my "must try" list! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    9. Andrea

      April 29, 2021 at 9:18 am

      5 stars
      I love matcha desserts but I've never had it this way. Sounds fantastic!

      Reply
    10. Mairead

      April 29, 2021 at 9:29 am

      5 stars
      These ice creams look delicious. Thanks for sharing this wonderful Japanese recipe.

      Reply

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