Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream

Name: Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 212 min
Ingredients: ½ cup glutinous rice flour (aka sweet rice flour); ⅔ cup milk (any kind, can sub water); ⅛ cup granulated sugar; pink or red food coloring (optional); strawberry ice cream; cornstarch (for dusting)

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Strawberry mochi ice cream is one of my favorite flavors. It’s delightfully chewy, creamy, and incredibly simple to make! With just a few ingredients and a little time to chill, you’ll have desserts that keep well in the freezer for months.

Strawberry mochi ice cream in cupcake liner.

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Table of Contents:

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You won’t need any special equipment. You can make the mochi dough in the microwave or on the stovetop! No fancy equipment required.
It’s versatile. We’ll be using strawberry ice cream for this recipe, but if you have a different flavor in mind, you can definitely use any ice cream you like. You can also flavor your mochi dough with cocoa powder, matcha, or other powders.
It’s a fun dessert! Mochi has a unique chewy texture that’s so enjoyable to eat. Paired with the classic sweet and tangy flavor of strawberry ice cream, this mochi variant makes one satisfying treat!
You can even color your mochis in red or pink. 🙂

Looking for more mochi ice cream recipes? Try out my vanilla ice cream mochi recipe!

Ingredients

To make strawberry mochi ice cream from scratch, you’ll need the following ingredients:

This recipe requires glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour. A popular brand, which I used, is Koda Farms. You can also use shiratamako, which is granular instead of a fine flour. Just make sure it’s fully mixed in with the milk!
For a bit of sweetness, add some granulated sugar.
Traditional mochi dough uses water, but you can also use any type of milk.
Cornstarch is used to help the mochi dough from sticking when you roll it out.
Use good quality strawberry ice cream or even your favorite strawberry sorbet!
If you want to color the dough, you can use food coloring or natural food dyes, like beetroot powder (not pictured)
If you want to flavor the dough, you can use extracts or powders. For example, you can add almond extract or matcha powder. (not pictured)

For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.

💡 Baking Tip

Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
For colorful mochi, use food dye or powders. I recommend adding it in with your glutinous rice flour, sugar, and milk. You can also knead it in, but it may be a bit messy and you may dye your hands!
Keep things chilled, especially for step 1! As soon as you scoop out your ice cream into the cupcake liner one by one, immediately pop it in the freezer. If you wait until you scoop all of them, your first scoops might already be melted. And also make sure your mochi dough is cooled to room temperature before wrapping the ice cream!

How to Make Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream

Step 1: Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of ice cream into a cupcake liner. Place onto plate or baking tray, and freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight. This will make wrapping the mochi dough much easier.

Mochi dough in bowl, ready to be kneaded.

Step 2: In a microwavable bowl, mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, milk, and pink/red food coloring (optional) until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or plate, then microwave for 1 minute. It should be shiny and no longer liquidy. You can also taste it—if there is a really grainy mouthfeel, cook it longer. Use a silicone spatula to fold the mixture and heat at 30 second intervals until you get the consistency pictured above.

Kneading strawberry mochi dough in between hands.

Step 3: Generously dust work surface with cornstarch and plop mochi dough on top. Sprinkle on cornstarch and let rest for about 5 minutes, or until it’s cool enough to touch. Then, knead until the dough becomes super stretchy and elastic, about 5 minutes. I like to wear gloves and hold the mochi in the air, stretching and folding it between gloved hands, instead of working it on the table.

Wrapping strawberry mochi dough around a ball of ice cream.

Step 4: Generously dust work surface with cornstarch. Add mochi dough, then generously sprinkle more cornstarch. Roll out until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Let rest until fully cooled (so ice cream doesn’t melt when wrapping!), or transfer to a cornstarch-dusted sheet pan, lightly cover and chill in fridge for 10 minutes. Cut out 3-4 inch circles. Wrap the ice cream with the mochi dough, pinching the edges tightly. Place each ball in a fresh cupcake liner. Freeze for at least 1 hour. Let thaw for 5-10 minutes before eating so mochi softens. Enjoy!

For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

Strawberry Mochi Ice Cream FAQs

Can I use regular rice flour?

No, regular rice flour will not work! You need sweet rice flour, which is made from a shorter-grain rice and is what gives mochi its qq texture!

What is mochi?

Mochi is a Japanese treat made with sweet rice flour, aka mochiko! The dough can be enjoyed by itself, but it is also popularly enjoyed when there’s a filling inside, like red bean, fruit, or ice cream!

Can I use shiratamako instead of mochiko?

Yes! Just make sure it’s fully mixed in with the wet ingredients.

Storage

Store strawberry mochi ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before eating, let thaw at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.