The Ultimate Guide to Mochiko (And Other Japanese Rice Flours)

What is mochiko? What do you make with mochiko and what is the difference between mochiko and other rice flours? Learn the answers to these questions and more in this ultimate guide to mochiko flour! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.

What is Mochiko?

Mochiko is a Japanese rice flour made from glutinous rice, which is also sometimes called sweet rice or mochikome. Glutinous rice is a misnomer in that it contains no gluten! However, glutinous rice is very sticky and chewy, similar to other foods that do contain gluten, which is where the name comes from.

What Can You Cook with Mochiko?

Mochiko can be used to cook a variety of both sweet and savory dishes and is often a part of Hawaiian and Japanese recipes. For example, you can make Hawaiian mochiko chicken, butter mochi, chi chi dango, or daifuku mochi all using mochiko. Here are some of my recipes that use mochiko:

• Easy Homemade Mochi (Chi Chi Dango)
• Classic Hawaiian Butter Mochi
• Air Fryer Mochiko Chicken
• The Best Mochi Brownies
• Microwave Milk Mochi
• Matcha Mochi Waffles
• Baked Chocolate Mochi Donuts

Where to Buy Mochiko?

Depending on where you live, you may be able to find mochiko even at mainstream grocery stores like Kroger and Target. I usually find it in the international food aisle. If not, any Japanese market and most Asian markets will stock mochiko. If you don’t live near an Asian market, you can always find mochiko on Amazon.

Mochiko vs. Other Rice Flours

There are so many Asian rice flours out there. How do you know which one to use for which recipe and what you can use as a substitute? Check out these comparisons:

Mochiko vs. Shiratamako

Shiratamako is another rice flour made from glutinous rice, just like mochiko. The difference between mochiko and shiratamako is that mochiko is made by grinding the rice when it’s dry. Alternatively, shiratamako is made by grinding the rice when it’s wet and then drying it out. This process is more complex, and, as a result shiratamako tends to be more expensive and harder to find than mochiko. However, I can still find shiratamako at my local Japanese market and on Amazon.

Both shiratamako and mochiko can be used to make Japanese mochi sweets. In my experience, cooking with shiratamako results in a softer and stretchier mochi dough. Even after the dough cools down, it remains fairly pliable. On the other hand, when cooking with mochiko, you need to shape your mochi while still hot. In fact, most Japanese grandmas will say you need to work with mochi dough as hot as your hands can handle. Once it cools, it’s harder to stretch and shape. You can use both rice flours to make a super soft dough by adding more liquid. However, the more liquid you add, the less structure the dough will have. So, if you’re trying to make daifuku that must stay in a ball shape, you may want a firmer texture than something like microwave milk mochi that you’ll eat out of a bowl.

Additionally, when baking desserts like butter mochi, where many other ingredients are added to the rice flour, the differences in texture between the two flours are essentially unnoticeable.

Overall, you can substitute shiratamako and mochiko for each other depending on what kind of texture you want. Price point and availability are also factors that may influence which rice flour to choose.

Mochiko vs. Joshinko

Joshinko is a Japanese rice flour made from short grain rice, not glutinous rice. Therefore, it’s less sticky and chewy. It also has a firmer texture and is used in foods that require more structure. For example, in mitarashi dango, which are balls of rice dumplings on skewers, you may want a firmer texture so the dango can hold its round shape and stay on the stick. These dango often use a mix of glutinous rice flour and joshinko.

In general, due to the vast difference in texture between the two rices, joshinko and mochiko are not interchangeable in recipes.

Mochiko vs. Tapioca Flour

Unlike mochiko, tapioca flour does not come from rice at all. Tapioca is a starch that comes from the root of the cassava plant. However, both flours have some similar properties in that they are used in foods that are stretchy, bouncy, and super chewy. The difference in texture is stark enough to be noticeable when eating but honestly, is difficult to describe in words. The best I can do is give examples: if you mix mochiko, sugar, and water to make a dough and boil it in little balls, you get a dango. If you take tapioca starch and do the same thing, you get boba.

Overall, you can substitute mochiko and tapioca flour for each other in many recipes, including my microwave milk mochi and Brazilian cheese bread recipes. However, due to the differences in texture, you may end up with noticeably different dishes. And because tapioca starch does not come from glutinous rice, mochi dishes that use tapioca as a substitute, although probably still delicious, would not technically be considered a type of mochi anymore.

Mochiko vs. Chinese Glutinous Rice Flour

Chinese markets also stock a rice flour made from glutinous rice. However, just as mochiko and shiratamako have different textural qualities despite being made from the same starch, Chinese glutinous rice flour also will have a different texture. I do not cook with the Chinese flour enough to say which recipes it can be used as a substitute. In general, I know most other Japanese food bloggers recommend using Japanese flours for Japanese-specific dishes. However, Chinese flour may be a decent substitute for a more fusion recipe, such as mochi brownies.

More Guides to Japanese Foods

I hope this deep dive into mochiko was helpful for you! If you’re looking for more information on other Japanese foods, check out my other posts in my Ultimate Guide series!

• Ultimate Guide to Mochi
• Ultimate Guide to Matcha
• Ultimate Guide to Kirimochi
• Ultimate Guide to Yakimochi