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    Home » Recipes » Snacks

    Mochi Donuts (Pon de Ring)

    Published: Feb 7, 2023 by Michelle · 4 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    These Mochi Donuts (Pon de Ring) are a crisp, light, delicious and chewy treat. Small balls of dough are linked together and fried to form a ringed donut.

    4 unglazed mochi donuts on a wire rack.

    My first time having a pon de ring mochi donut was when I visited Modo Hawaii.

    What is a pon de ring mochi donut?

    Pon de ring is a term coined by Japanese donut chain, Mister Donut.

    It refers to a mochi donut, loosely based on pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread).

    The mochi donut dough is shaped into little balls (typically 8) and fried until golden in colour.

    Some mochi donuts are made with glutinous rice flour, similar to mochi, while others are made with tapioca starch, similar to Korean Mochi Bread.

    Both glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch/flour produce a chewy texture.

    Similar to Classic Doughnuts, the mochi donuts are deep-fried in oil and glazed.

    What is the difference between a mochi donut and regular donut?

    Regular doughnuts are a yeasted dough made from all-purpose flour, that is shaped and fried in oil.

    Mochi donuts are made typically made with glutinous rice flour or tapioca starch or a mochi mixture, shaped into balls, formed into a ring and fried in oil.

    Many mochi donuts are raised with baking powder alone.

    What do they taste like?

    Mochi donuts have a crisp exterior with a chewy texture.

    Some mochi donuts have a thick, dense, chewy texture similar to boba pearls or mochi.

    This version is crisp on the outside, yet light and chewy on the inside.

    3 glazed mochi donuts on a wire rack.

    Why this recipe works

    This mochi donut recipe yields a small batch of 6 doughnuts, which is great since the texture of the donut is most optimal when freshly made.

    Using a kitchen scale/weight measurements ensures more consistency in making these donuts.

    There's no need to use a piping bag to pipe out the dough.

    You can easily change up the glaze from matcha to another different flavor (try my suggestions below).

    Using a combination of glutinous rice flour/mochiko flour and tapioca starch yields a chewy, dense, yet light mochi-like doughnut.

    Ingredients you'll need

    For the dough:

    • whole milk: warmed, or any non-dairy alternative
    • granulated sugar: adds sweetness
    • active dry yeast: or instant yeast (reduce the amount by ¼); adds lift to the donuts
    • all-purpose flour: regular plain flour; adds a little structure and crispness to the donuts
    • glutinous rice flour: also known as sweet rice flour; it is different than rice flour and is made from long-grain or short-grain rice, depending on which you use; it is the main ingredient in these mochi donuts which gives it its characteristically dense, chewy mochi texture
    • tapioca starch/tapioca flour: is a white flour from the cassava plant, used in making tapioca pearls (boba) and adds a lighter, chewy texture
    • large egg: beaten, binds the dough together
    • vegetable oil: any neutral oil will work here; you can also use melted butter
    • baking powder: acts as an additional leavener and gives the donuts its fluffy texture
    • sea salt: for flavor

    Matcha glaze:

    • white chocolate: melted, choose a good quality chocolate
    • matcha: is a green tea powder; choose a high-quality matcha for the best taste, flavor and color

    For frying:

    • peanut oil: or high smoke-point vegetable oil

    Close up of black sesame mochi donut on wire rack.

    How to make the mochi donuts

    Make the mochi donuts

    In a large bowl, combine warm milk, sugar and yeast. Give it a stir and let the yeast mixture become slightly foamy.

    Into the bowl, add in all-purpose flour, glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, beaten egg, vegetable oil, baking powder and sea salt.

    Combine and mix well, until it forms a dough. Use your hands to continue to knead until the dough becomes smooth and shiny.

    Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl.

    Cover the bowl and place in a warm location until almost doubled in size.

    Once the dough is a little puffy, deflate the dough and divide into 6 equal dough balls.

    From each dough ball, divide the dough into a further 8 balls (about 9g per ball).

    Shape each dough into a small round ball and place it onto a square piece of parchment paper, connecting so the little balls of dough form a ring.

    Continue with the remainder.

    Fry the mochi donuts

    Heat a few inches of oil in small sauce pan over medium high heat.

    Once the oil temperature reaches 365F on an instant-read thermometer, gently place one donut ring (including parchment paper) into the heated oil.

    Fry for 1-2 minutes, and carefully remove the parchment paper.

    Flip and continue to fry until golden brown in colour.

    Remove the pon de ring donut with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

    Repeat with the remainder.

    Glaze the donuts

    Once cool, place the mochi donuts onto a wire cooling rack.

    Use a double-boiler or microwave to melt the white chocolate.

    Sift in matcha powder and mix until the matcha chocolate is smooth.

    Dip the mochi donuts into matcha chocolate glaze and add sprinkles, or make a simple glaze with a little milk and powdered sugar.

    Step by step photos on how to make mochi donuts, with number overlay.

    Other flavour ideas

    Easily change up the flavor of the mochi donut.

    You can use a white chocolate base and add a flavoring with it, or a powdered sugar glaze with flavoring.

    Try these glaze ideas:

    • earl grey: milk with powdered sugar with earl grey tea powder
    • cherry blossom/sakura: white chocolate or powdered sugar with milk and sakura/cherry blossom powder
    • Vietnamese coffee: coffee with powdered sugar and espresso powder
    • black sesame: white chocolate with black sesame powder
    • cookies & creme: white chocolate with cookie crumbles
    • yuzu: yuzu chocolate, melted
    • vanilla: vanilla extract with powdered sugar and milk
    • chocolate/ganache: simply melted chocolate, or chocolate with heavy cream
    • strawberry: make a strawberry glaze with white chocolate and freeze-dried strawberry powder
    • passionfruit (lilikoi): passionfruit chocolate, melted
    • ube: ube extract with powdered sugar and milk

    Various flavoured mochi donuts on a wire rack.

    How to serve & store

    Serve the Mochi Donuts freshly made, preferably on the same day.

    If you do have leftovers, store the mochi donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

    You may need to slightly reheat the donut before enjoying (as the texture of the mochi will harden when cooled). [Note: if donut is glazed, it may melt/weep].

    In this case, it's better to slightly reheat the donut first, and then glaze before consuming.

    FAQs, expert tips & troubleshooting

    The dough is too dry.

    If the dough is too dry, add about 1 teaspoon of water at a time to help hydrate the dough, until it comes together.

    It should be not too dry and not too moist.

    Be careful not to add too much water as the dough may turn to a gloopy mess.

    The dough is too wet.

    Depending on the size of your egg, you may need to adjust the amount of all-purpose flour.

    If the dough is too wet, try adding a little more all-purpose flour, until it reaches a slightly tacky dough.

    Tip: Use a kitchen scale for accuracy.

    How to ensure correct frying temperature?

    Use an instant-read kitchen thermometer.

    Frying at too low of a temperature will cause the doughnuts to not be as crisp.

    Are mochi donuts vegan?

    No, there is dairy and egg in the donuts.

    Bitten mochi donut revealing interior texture on a white marble.

    Other mochi recipes you may like

    Be sure to check out these recipes:

    Matcha Mochi Croissants

    Korean Matcha Mochi Bread

    Matcha Brownie Mochi (Brochi)

    Crispy Crunchy Mochi Bites (Fried Kirimochi)

    Mango Cream Mochi

    Other doughnut recipes you may like

    Classic Glazed Doughnuts (Small-Batch)

    Jasmine Sugar Raspberry Doughnuts

    Earl Grey Cake Doughnuts

    Lychee Rose Doughnuts

    Strawberry Matcha Doughnuts

    Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!

    Bitten matcha mochi donut revealing interior, on white marble.

    Print Recipe
    5 from 4 votes

    Mochi Donuts (Pon de Ring)

    These Mochi Donuts (Pon de Ring) are a crisp, light, delicious and chewy treat. Small balls of dough are linked together and fried to form a ringed donut.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Resting Time1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 40 mins
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: Asian, Japanese
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 245kcal
    Author: Michelle

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

    Ingredients

    For the dough:

    • 120 ml whole milk warm
    • 20 g granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
    • 20 g all-purpose flour
    • 160 g glutinous rice flour
    • 40 g tapioca starch
    • 1 large egg beaten, about 55g
    • 10 ml vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

    Matcha glaze: (optional, other glaze flavour ideas in blog post)

    • 100 g white chocolate melted
    • 1 teaspoon matcha powder

    For frying:

    • peanut oil or high smoke-point vegetable oil
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    For key visual process photos, refer to the body of the blog post.

      Make the mochi donuts:

      • In a large bowl, combine warm milk, sugar and yeast. Give it a stir and let the yeast mixture become slightly foamy.
      • Into the bowl, add in all-purpose flour, glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, beaten egg, vegetable oil, baking powder and sea salt.
      • Combine and mix well, until it forms a dough. Use your hands to continue to knead until the dough becomes smooth and shiny.
      • Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl.
      • Cover the bowl and place in a warm location until almost doubled in size.
      • Once the dough is a little puffy, deflate the dough and divide into 6 equal dough balls.
      • From each dough ball, divide the dough into a further 8 balls.
      • Shape each dough into a small round ball and place it onto a square piece of parchment paper, connecting so the little balls of dough form a ring.
      • Continue with the remainder.

      Fry the mochi donuts:

      • Heat a few inches of oil in small sauce pan over medium high heat.
      • Once the oil temperature reaches 365°F/185°C on an instant-read thermometer, gently place one donut ring (including parchment paper) into the heated oil.
      • Fry for 1-2 minutes, and carefully remove the parchment paper.
      • Flip and continue to fry until golden brown in colour.
      • Remove the pon de ring donut with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
      • Repeat with the remainder.

      Glaze the donuts:

      • Once cool, place the mochi donuts onto a wire rack.
      • Use a double-boiler or microwave to melt the white chocolate.
      • Sift in matcha powder and mix until the matcha chocolate is smooth.
      • Dip the mochi donuts into matcha chocolate glaze and add sprinkles, or make a simple glaze with a little milk and powdered sugar.

      Notes

      You can easily change up the flavour of the glaze. Check the body of the post for other flavor ideas.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 96mg | 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. Dawn

        February 07, 2023 at 9:11 am

        5 stars
        Similar texture as boba pearls or mochi? I already know these would be awesome! And so pretty too. Just what my afternoon needs with a nice cup of coffee.

        Reply
      2. David @ Spiced

        February 08, 2023 at 4:35 am

        5 stars
        I had the chance to try mochi donuts in NYC once, and they were fantastic! I've never thought about making them at home, though. I want to give this a try!

        Reply
      3. 2pots2cook

        February 09, 2023 at 3:57 am

        5 stars
        So inviting! Earl Grey would be my cup of tea! 🙂

        Reply
      4. Raymund | angsarap.net

        February 13, 2023 at 3:18 pm

        5 stars
        Wow, this recipe for mochi donuts sounds amazing! The combination of glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, and all-purpose flour gives the doughnuts a chewy, dense, yet light texture, which I can't wait to try! And with the option to change up the glaze, the possibilities are endless. Thank you for sharing this!

        Reply

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