Inspired by the famous pon de ring from Mister Donut in Japan, these are the easier, healthier and equally as delicious version. These baked strawberry and matcha white chocolate glazed mochi donuts are chewy, sweet and so good!
I think these are one of the cutest looking donuts with their bright colours and unique shape, that’s why I fell in love with them on my trip to Japan. Not only is the shape unique, but the texture as well. I wanted to recreate them at home, but these donuts are usually fried and yeast leavened… Not only is that time consuming, but deep frying at home can be a MAJOR hassle. So that’s why I developed this baked mochi donut! These are not 100% the same as the ones from Mr Donut in Japan, but I think I’ve nailed their unique texture and cute look, and they are so easy to make!
What are Mochi Donuts?
When it comes to mochi donuts there are two kinds, the ones that are made from glutinous rice flour aka mochiko, or pon de ring (ポンデリング) a donut that originated from Mister Donut in Japan. The two are actually very different in texture, with the former being a lot denser and chewier, while pon de ring are much lighter and fluffier with a distinctive chew.
They are both delicious, but personally I am more of a pon de ring fan! there is something SO good about that fluffy mochi texture.
What makes the pon de ring so chewy?
From what I have seen most of the mochi donut recreations online use glutinous rice flour. Some using a mix of glutinous rice flour and tofu to create the distinctive rings of the mochi donut. Although they look similar to the fluffy version you are after they are completely different.
While I was doing research for this recipe I discovered that Mister Donut doesn’t even use glutinous rice flour in their recipe. Instead they use tapioca starch! Tapioca starch is the same thing used to make boba, and if you’ve had some you would know about their chewy and addictive texture. Mr Donut took inspiration from Brazilian cheese puffs “Pão de queijo” made from tapioca starch and put them in a sweet donut form. Which got me thinking…
How I developed this recipe
Seeing that Pão de queijo are usually baked, wouldn’t it be easy to make a baked version of the mochi donut that takes on the texture of the classic pon de ring? The only problem was we didn’t need any cheese. So I played around with different ratios of tapioca starch, flour and eggs to come up with the ideal ratio, creating a baked donut that was light and fluffy with the perfect amount of chew.
Not only are they a fun texture, but they are healthier too!
Tips on creating the perfect baked mochi donut
While I was making this recipe there were a few points I that were key to creating the perfect shape and texture.
- Adjusting the amount of egg
- Every egg is different and of course there are different sizes. When adding the egg to the batter keep a close eye on the consistency, we don’t want the batter to be so runny that we can’t pipe them into circles. If you find that your batter has reached the right consistency (see the video) and you still have egg left it’s ok to stop adding more.
- Piping the circles of batter so they are slightly touching
- If you pipe the circles of batter too far apart they won’t join while baking, but if you pipe them too close you won’t get the distinct circles. A slight touch is enough to do the trick!
- Baking until golden brown
- I’ve received a lot of questions about deflating donuts. That would be because they had not baked enough to retain their structure. Make sure they are lightly golden brown before removing them from the oven and you won’t have any problems!
Strawberry or Matcha?!
When it came to flavours I thought why not have two different ones. Both of these are white chocolate based glazes, so they have that smooth sweetness with either a slightly bitter matcha or tangy strawberry flavour. You can make either or both, up to you!
Mochi Donut Template
I’ve created a little template to help with the shape of the donuts, simply place the template underneath your sheet of parchment paper or silicon mat and pipe blobs of batter accordingly. Make sure that the piped circles are slightly touching so that they will join when baked.
Let’s Get Baking
To help with the process I’ve uploaded a video that will help you understand the exact consistency of the batter to achieve the perfect donut. Hope it makes it a little easier to understand!
So… if you do make this recipe please tag me on instagram @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see all your recreations. I’m so excited to see some donuts! If you have any questions leave a comment down below and I’ll try to reply as soon as I can. Until next time, happy baking~
Baked Mochi Donut Recipe
Inspired by the famous pon de ring from Mister Donut in Japan, these are the easier, healthier and equally as delicious version! These baked strawberry and matcha white chocolate glazed mochi donuts are chewy, sweet and so good!
Preheat oven to 170°C
In a medium sized saucepan heat the milk, sugar and oil until steaming
Add the flour and mix until smooth
Remove from heat and add the tapioca starch, mix until completely combined and a smooth ball
Transfer the dough to another bowl and slowly add the beaten egg, stopping when the batter hangs down from the spatula in a V-shape (see video for reference)
Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe onto baking paper or a silicone mat according to the stencil (make sure that the piped circles touch each other very slightly)
Bake for 12 Minutes- 15 Minutes or until lightly golden brown
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a bain-marie
Add the strawberries and blend with a blender until smooth
Transfer to a smaller bowl and dip the donuts into the glaze
Lift up and tap slightly on a flat surface to spread the glaze evenly
Sprinkle with toppings if desired (I used crushed digestive biscuits)
Set aside to allow glaze to set
TIP: With the leftover glaze, allow it to set in the fridge, shape them into balls and roll in matcha powder. Becomes a delicious truffle!
Melt the chocolate and white chocolate together in the microwave or over a bain-marie
Add the matcha powder and mix until well combined
Transfer to a smaller bowl and dip the donuts into the glaze
Lift up and tap slightly on a flat surface to spread the glaze evenly
Sprinkle with toppings if desired
Set aside to allow glaze to set
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 170°C
In a medium sized saucepan heat the milk, sugar and oil until steaming
Add the flour and mix until smooth
Remove from heat and add the tapioca starch, mix until completely combined and a smooth ball
Transfer the dough to another bowl and slowly add the beaten egg, stopping when the batter hangs down from the spatula in a V-shape (see video for reference)
Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe onto baking paper or a silicone mat according to the stencil (make sure that the piped circles touch each other very slightly)
Bake for 12 Minutes- 15 Minutes or until lightly golden brown
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or over a bain-marie
Add the strawberries and blend with a blender until smooth
Transfer to a smaller bowl and dip the donuts into the glaze
Lift up and tap slightly on a flat surface to spread the glaze evenly
Sprinkle with toppings if desired (I used crushed digestive biscuits)
Set aside to allow glaze to set
TIP: With the leftover glaze, allow it to set in the fridge, shape them into balls and roll in matcha powder. Becomes a delicious truffle!
Melt the chocolate and white chocolate together in the microwave or over a bain-marie
Add the matcha powder and mix until well combined
Transfer to a smaller bowl and dip the donuts into the glaze
Lift up and tap slightly on a flat surface to spread the glaze evenly
Sprinkle with toppings if desired
Set aside to allow glaze to set
Notes
These are best consumed on the day they’re made! As they are made from tapioca starch they will firm up over time, if they get a little hard place in the microwave for 10 seconds or so to soften.
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What kind of flour do you use, please? 😊😊
plain flour 🙂
All purpose flour or bread?
all purpose!
Catherine!
Donuts (and brownies) are the best : ) As always you never let your fans down with your creativity! And now an e-book and online shop!!! Spot on and keep growing, we can’t wait to see what’s next! These donuts look fantastic! I’ll try them this weekend! We all love you and all your hard work and dedication! Thank you, you’re awesome!!!
Kindest regards,
KStep
Hi KStep!
Thank you so much!! (yes brownies are amazing)
Can’t wait for you to try them out 🙂
Catherine
Hello~ thank you for creating a baked version of the mochi donut!!!! I was wondering can i use the mochiko flour to substitute tapioca starch and flour?
Hi Shasha, I haven’t tried it but I recommend sticking to tapioca flour, changing it to mochiko would probably change the texture 🙂
No you can’t use MOCHIKO. It will be super super dense. I recommend bread flour vs all purpose.
Hey Catherine! Great recipe 🙂 any idea if baking powder would help fluff these up more? My batch was delicious but didn’t end up as fluffy as the ones in your vid.
Hi Matt,
They should rise fine without the baking powder, I would say one thing that helps with the rise would be the texture of the batter after adding the egg. At the right texture it should give the best rise! When you life the spatula it should form a V
Hope that helps!
Hello Catherine! Thank you for sharing. My donuts ended up flat for some reason, do you happen to know why? Should I add some baking powder to help the rise?
Hi Angela,
Sorry to hear that 🙁 When you piped the batter was it as the right consistency?
Hi Catherine, these Mochi donuts look nice! Btw, can I use potato starch or wheat starch to substitute the tapioca starch? Will changing the tapioca starch affect the texture?
Hi Celine,
Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t tried it with another type of starch, but I suspect it wont have the same bouncy texture.
Hi Catherine! Can I double all portions to make 18 at a time? Does it matter which shelf it is in the oven? 🙂
Hi Vanessa,
Sorry for the late reply. Yes you should be able to double it! Just make sure that both trays get golden brown before removing them from the oven
Hi there, I really would love to try making these mochi donuts and am wondering if I can use a non-dairy milk (eg. coconut milk) for this recipe? 🙂
Hi Jenny,
I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Give it a go and let me know how it turns out 🙂
Hi Jenny! I’m lactose intolerant and I made these with almond milk- they turned out great! Hope this helps.
Hi Catherine! my donuts keep coming out with concave bottoms, not round and firm like yours. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Hi Stephanie,
I would bake them a little longer, making sure they are fully puffed before you remove them from the oven. Hope that helps!
When I first made these matcha donuts they tasted amazing thanks!😌
Yay! So happy they did 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, Catherine! It was so chewy and delicious 🙂
Thanks Amy, glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Hi,
I’ve tried making these twice and every time I take them out of the oven, they seem to deflate and fall flat. It also doesn’t get fluffy or golden but goes straight to burnt and crunchy? Is it because my oven settings may be different?
Hi J,
These are a little like choux pastry in which if you take them out too early they will deflate. Make sure they are a nice golden brown colour before taking them out of the oven. Hope that helps!
Can someone convert these measurements and oven temp to US standard? I think that may be my issue. I dont think I’m converting properly. 212F does seem high enough to bake my donuts…especially for the 12-15 min. They are undercooked.
338F i think
Hi Catherine! Where did you get the stencil of circles printed on so perfectly like the shape of mochi donut?
I tried to make mochi donut but it doesn’t look as beautiful as yours
Hi Rachel, there is a button above to download the stencil!
Can you convert the grams to cups please?
Hi would it be okay to substitute tapioca starch to glutinous rice flour or cornstarch? Which would be better for the donuts? Thank you! 😄
Hi,
Your video shows 180 C but then the instructions say 170 C? Which one is accurate? Thanks!
Hi sorry for the confusion, 170C fan forced, 180C convection
hi cath! I do not own a scale, is it possible to have the recipe in cups?
Do you think gluten-free AP flour would work here?
Hi V, I don’t think there will be major problems, you can give it a go!
Thanks Catherine – would this recipe also work with a donut tray rather than piping onto a mat?
Hi Joy,
I’ve never tried baking them in a donut tray as these are a little different to normal baked donuts and are able to rise on their own. I would recommend piping them but you can give the donut tray a go as well 🙂
(As you mentioned it’s best to eat on the same day) If I bake it the night before, will that be ok to eat it the night on the next day? Should I keep it at room temperature and store in a tightly locked box?
I would recommend consuming them on the day that they are made as they do get quite a bit tougher the next day. If you do eat them the next day keep them in an airtight container and give them a quick few seconds in the microwave before you eat them 🙂