The Mochi Ice Cream Recipe That's Bursting With Strawberry Flavor

Mochi, which is a sweet and chewy Japanese dessert often served for New Year's, has been around for centuries. It is famous for its squishy, elastic dough made from glutinous rice, and can be eaten plain for a snack or dessert, stuffed with red bean paste and fruit, or used as a shell around ice cream. This recipe for a classic version with strawberry ice cream is a popular way to enjoy mochi, and is the perfect treat on a hot day or as an after-dinner bite any time of the year.

Even though mochi ice cream seems like it would be intimidating to create, it is actually quite simple and fun to make. The most important ingredient is sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour, which is responsible for the stretchy texture of the traditional dough that mochi is known for.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "Once you have the key ingredient and follow the basic recipe, you will find it easy to branch out and make different types of mochi ice cream by either infusing the dough with matcha, or cacao powder, or changing up the ice cream inside. Other fruit ice creams work well, or basics like chocolate and vanilla."

To make this recipe, you'll need to start by picking up some sweet rice flour, which is also known as glutinous rice flour. Please note that standard rice flour won't work for mochi because there is a specific type of rice used in sweet rice flour that gives mochi its texture. The other dry ingredients needed are potato starch and optional powdered sugar. In the dairy department, you'll need strawberry ice cream and whole milk. Check your pantry for sugar, vanilla, avocado oil, and red food coloring. If you don't have avocado oil on hand, you can use any neutral type of oil like vegetable, canola, or refined coconut oil. If you prefer to avoid the red food coloring, strawberry powder works well here.

Scoop out 4 balls (about ½ cup each) of ice cream and place them in a lined muffin tin. One side of the ball should be fairly flat.

Place the muffin tin into the freezer for 2-3 hours to freeze.

Add the milk and sugar to a medium pan and bring the heat to medium.

Stir gently and cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, avocado oil, and food coloring.

Add the rice flour and stir until combined.

Put the pan back on medium heat and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes until a dough has formed.

Sprinkle the potato starch on parchment paper or a cutting board and place the dough on top.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.

Place a frozen ice cream ball round side down in the center of each square and wrap it with the dough and seal the bottom with a bit of water on your fingertips.

As you finish rolling, put the dough-wrapped balls back into the muffin tin and into the freezer. Let them freeze for 30 minutes before serving and top with optional powdered sugar if desired.

If you haven't worked with mochi before, it can seem tricky, but we have some helpful tips to make sure it comes out perfect. For the ice cream, make sure you don't skimp on freeze time. It needs to be rock solid before you attempt to roll it in the mochi dough. To get the round shape, an ice cream scoop is essential. Make sure the ice cream scoop is filled completely, or you will have empty pockets inside the mochi dough.

When you are making the dough, be sure to stir it constantly while it's cooking. You can start by using a whisk to prevent lumps, but as it thickens, you'll want to switch to a rubber spatula. Try to scrape the sides as you go to maintain as much of the dough as possible. 

To avoid clumps when distributing the potato starch on the board, it's helpful to use a fine sifter to spread out the starch evenly. The dough will be warm when you place it on the board, and because it is very sticky, flip it over to make sure both sides are coated in the starch. You may want to coat the knife with potato starch to ensure a clean cut. It is critical to place the rolled-out dough in the fridge to chill so that the ice cream doesn't immediately melt when you start to wrap it. It's also important to only take out one frozen ice cream ball at a time, and once rolled, place it back into the freezer.

Mochi ice cream is a fun dessert that can be presented in several ways. If you serve the mochi balls in muffin liners, they make for an easy grab-and-go dessert. If serving the mochi for a more elegant function, place them on a chilled plate that has been dusted with powdered sugar or strawberry powder. If guests will be helping themselves, serve them over ice on a large platter.

The mochi ice cream will pair well with any type of fruit. You can offer a beautiful bowl of mixed berries or a mixture of strawberries, mango chunks, and kiwi. Fruit sorbets are a nice touch alongside the mochi balls. Fresh lemon or lime sorbet would be a festive complement to the strawberry ice cream. Other dessert pairings include panna cotta, cheesecake, macarons, and mango spring rolls.

For drinks, try serving bubbly prosecco, champagne, or a light rose wine. Other beverages in the non-alcoholic category include matcha (either hot or iced), green tea, or a fruity herbal tea.