These healthier Nutella Mochi Daifuku Balls only require 5 ingredients and 25 minutes! Step-by-step photos are included, making this recipe beginner-friendly!
And I swear, once you’ve made this once, you’ll never want to go back to buying store-bought mochis ever again. The fresh ones are so easy to make, much healthier thanks to my homemade chocolate spread, much cheaper, and taste way better!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Surprisingly simple: I used to be intimidated by mochi, until I found out that making a homemade mochi is much simpler than you think.
- Clear instructions: So that even beginners can follow them.
- Make it healthy: Whip up your own Nutella using my Homemade Vegan Nutella recipe so you can control how much sweetness you want!
- Crowd-pleaser alert
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice flour: The secret flour that gives the mochi its signature chewy texture. You can also use mochiko (sweet rice flour) for this.
- Water: To create the mochi dough.
- Sugar: Adding sugar makes the mochi skin firmer, but it’s totally optional since there is quite some sugar already in the Nutella!
- Nutella: The creamy hazelnut chocolate spread becomes the delectable center of each mochi. 😋
- If you’re a fan of Nutella, you might also like my 5-Minute Nutella Banana Smoothie or my 5-Minute Nutella Acai Bowl!
- Corn starch: Used for dusting the mochi to prevent sticking. Sub with potato starch.
Equipment
Honestly, I’m more of a minimalist when it comes to buying things, but these are some very useful equipment that I highly recommend you get for this recipe!
- Rolling pin: Yes, we’ve all tried substituting a rolling pin with wine bottles, glasses, even pans. But trust me, it’s just so much easier if you have rolling pins at hand!
- Anyways, once you’ve made this recipe once, I bet you’d want to make them again so why not treat yourself to a rolling pin already? 😉
- Sieve: For dusting. No need for a big, fancy sieve; just a small handheld one!
- Parchment paper: These mochis are sticky. If you don’t want it sticking to your baking sheet (or any work surface, for that matter), use parchment paper to save yourself some cleaning time at the end!
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Mochi Dough
Combine: In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water together. Mix until there are no more clumps.
Cover and Microwave: Cover the bowl with a large plate, then microwave on high (750 Watt) for 2 minutes.
Stir and Microwave: Roughly stir your mixture for about 10 seconds. Then cover the bowl and microwave it again at 750 Watt for 30 more seconds.
Check: Check if the mixture looks watery. If it does, cover and microwave it again in 10-second increments until you no longer see any liquid and it turns into a dough.
Step 2: Rolling Time!
Dust: First, cover your working surface with a large baking paper. Then using a sieve, dust with a lot of corn or potato starch. Like, A LOT.
Transfer and dust: Now transfer the mochi dough to the dusted baking paper. Dust again with a lot of cornstarch so the dough won’t stick to your rolling pin later.
Which btw, is quite annoying to clean. So save yourself the hassle by adding a lot of corn starch 😉
Roll, roll, roll your dough! Roll into a large square (or square-ish rectangle).
Cut: Using the tip of the knife, slice the dough into 16 squares or rectangles.
You might want to sprinkle a bit of cornstarch at the tip of your knife to prevent the dough from sticking.
Step 3: Nutella and Folding Time!
Scoop: Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella (or any other chocolate spread) onto the middle of each mochi dough.
Fold the corners: Grab one corner of the mochi dough, then fold it into the middle. Then grab the opposite corner to fold it into the middle.
Now repeat with the two other corners.
If the mochi dough sticks to your fingers, dust your fingers with some cornstarch. Notice the theme yet? Corn starch saves the day! 🌽🦸♀️
Pinch to seal: Gently pinch the edges of the mochi dough to seal. You do not need a lot of force since the mochi is naturally sticky.
Flip and dust: Flip the mochi so that the seam side is facing down. Dust with a bit more corn starch to prevent sticking.
If you are not planning to transfer them to a bigger serving plate and have the mochi close together, you can skip the dusting.
Serve: Serve these daifuku mochi Nutella at room temperature.
Use cupcake liners like below so the mochis won’t stick together!
Top Tips
- Sugar will make the mochi firmer and hold its shape better.
- So if you decide to skip the sugar, your mochi will turn out softer in texture. But don’t worry, it’ll still be absolutely delicious!
- You can also choose to only add 1/2 teaspoon of Nutella per mochi to reduce the sweetness.
- When you’re cutting the mochi dough, try using the tip of your knife instead of the entire blade for cleaner results.
- You can also dust off the knife tip with some corn starch to prevent sticking.
- Don’t be shy with that corn starch – sprinkle it generously (abundance mindset, my friend 😌😉).
Pairing Up Suggestion
🍵 I like to enjoy these mochi with a glass of matcha. Simply sift half a teaspoon of matcha powder, then pour in some hot water. Or opt for a coconut milk matcha latte, mango matcha latte, or lavender matcha latte!
🌈 You can also serve these chocolate-filled Nutella Mochi Balls after a main dish, such as this simple 30-Minute Rainbow Poke Bowl.
🍣 Or if you are a fan of sushi, I highly recommend making some of these sushi rolls to serve the daifuku mochi with:
And if you want some Korean twist, check out my zesty Kimchi Sushi recipe.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
First up, whichever you want to store them, always remember to generously dust the mochi and the bottom of the container with cornstarch to prevent them from sticking together.
Storage: It’s best to enjoy these homemade Nutella daifuku balls on the same day. However, you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.
On warmer days, refrigerate to maintain their texture so they won’t sweat. After refrigerating, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 to 30 minutes.
Freezing: Freezing is actually my preferred way to store these mochis. Store them in the freezer for up to 1 month. About 1-2 hours before serving, defrost by letting them sit at room temperature.
I do not recommend microwaving since it may not heat the mochi balls evenly.
FAQ
Want More Japanese(-inspired) Dessert / Snack Recipes?
If you’re a fan of matcha, you would love my Green Tea Ice Cream Mochi recipe 🍵🍦
Or how about some Healthy Matcha Flax Seed Pudding recipe, which went viral on YouTube!
Or, if you’re a fan of healthy cakes, check out this Baked Oats Without Banana recipe (with 5 variations, including matcha and dark chocolate variation for a Japanese twist), or my Easy Weetabix Cake Loaf recipe!
Nutella Mochi Daifuku Balls (+ Step-by-step Photos!)
Equipment
- Sieve (for dusting)
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp sugar (30 grams) optional, the sugar will make the mochi hold up its shape better
- 1 teaspoon nutella per mochi, store-bought or homemade (so about 5 Tablespoons in total for 16 mochi balls). Feel free to use 1/2 teaspoon to reduce sweetness.
- corn starch for dusting or potato starch
Instructions
Making the mochi dough:
- Mix: In a large microwavable bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour, water and sugar using a silicone spatula until everything is dissolved and there are no more clumps.
- Cover and Microwave: Cover the bowl with a plate, or with plastic foil. Microwave 2 minutes on 750W.
- Stir and microwave again: Take the bowl out from the microwave and stir the mixture evenly for about 10 seconds. Then microwave it again for 30 more seconds, covered with plate or plastic foil.
- (If the mixture is still a bit watery, then microwave it in 10 seconds increments until it reaches the consistency similar to the one in the picture)
Making the mochi
- Dust: Cover a large cutting board, baking sheet, or any work surface with a baking paper. Then dust it generously with cornstarch using the sieve.
- Transfer and dust: Put the dough on the sheet and sprinkle a generous amount of cornstarch on it using the sieve. The cornstarch will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
- Roll: Roll the dough into a large rectangle.
- Cut: Using the tip of the knife, slice the dough to cut it into 16 squares/rectangles. You might need to sprinkle the tip of your knife with some corn starch to prevent it from sticking.
Folding time!
- Scoop: Scoop 1 teaspoon of nutella in the middle of each piece of mochi dough. Repeat for the other mochi.
- Fold: Lift one corner of the mochi dough and fold into the middle. Repeat with the opposite corner, and then with the other two corners (see pictures above if unsure).
- Pinch: Now gently pinch the dough that is still 'sticking out' to seal.
- Dust: Now flip the mochi so the seam side faces down. Dust some more cornstarch on each mochi to prevent it from sticking with each other.
- Serve: Serve the mochi at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
- The calorie count shown is for 1 Nutella mochi ball.
Top Tips
- If omitting the sugar, the mochi will be softer in texture but it will still be delicious.
- Use the TIP of the knife (instead of the full length of the knife) to cut the mochi dough.
- Be generous when dusting with corn starch. You can always shake off the excess if you put too much, while on the other hand, you might risk breaking your mochi skin if you put too little as it might stick to the parchment paper.
- Be careful with the hot bowl after microwaving! You might want to use a kitchen towel to prevent your hands from burning!
Storage Notes
- It’s best to consume them on the same day. However, you can store them in an air-tight container for up to 2 days. Store them in the refrigerator on warmer days so that they won’t ‘sweat’.
- Always put a lot of cornstarch (or potato starch) before transferring them to a container so they won’t stick together.
Freezing Notes
- You can freeze them for up to 1 month.
- Be sure to use enough cornstarch around each of the mochi so they will not stick together.
- Defrost first before serving by leaving it at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Microwaving them is a bit tricky since it might not heat up evenly.
This one is way easier than the matcha ice cream mochi. Will remake next time.
Didn’t know making mochi is as easy as this. Took a couple tries to get it right, but managed to fold some nice ones. Thanks for the post & explanation!
You made making mochi look so simple! Tried this recipe and despite a few failed tries when folding in the beginning, we managed to make a decent amount of pretty-looking mochi in the end. Will definitely remake it now that we’ve got the gist of it!