Chewy Japanese Mochi Donuts (Pon De Ring)

Craving donuts and want to try out a new recipe? These mochi donut flavors are inspired by Asian snacks of my childhood: Matcha KitKats and Strawberry Pocky.

The newest donut trend, mochi donuts, has everyone talking. Over the years, we've seen several hybrids, like cronuts, waffle donuts, and croffles. If you try this mochi donut recipe, you will be obsessed! They are super delicious and have such a unique chewy texture.

Mochi Donuts have gained popularity because of their cute shape, chewy texture, and creative flavorings. They are a great snack with tea or coffee at any time of the day. If you want an easy recipe to make mochi donuts from scratch, I got you covered!

What are Mochi Donuts?

Mochi donuts, also known as pon de ring donuts, are delicious mochi-like ring-shaped donuts with a signature bouncy and chewy texture. They usually have colorful chocolate ganache glazes. These donuts features an easy dough and tastes sweet with a crispy outside and soft chewy inside. They can be easily flavored differently depending on the glaze used.

The dough can create simple donut rings or be rolled into dough balls to make donut holes. Also, to give the pastries an appealing aesthetic, most places that serve mochi donuts like to add coloring to the icing and fun toppings.

The mochi donut originated in Hawaii in the early 1990s. It was made of mochiko, a short-grain sweet rice flour from Japan, and deep-fried balls of mashed taro. The Pon de Ring was introduced in 2003 by the Japanese donut brand Mister Donut.

What are the Types of Mochi Donuts?

There are two main types of mochi donuts depending, and they are made with different flours:

1. Pon de Ring

For those unfamiliar, Pon de Ring was an idea created by the Japanese donut chain Mister Donut, now known as Dunkin Donuts, in most of their stores. It is made of a connected circle of 8 dough balls. The Pon de ring name came from a popular Brazilian cheese ball made of tapioca flour, Pao de Queijo.

2. Glutinous Rice Flour donuts

This recipe uses glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour or shiratamako. It is opposed to Mister Donut's pon de ring recipe, which gives its mochi-mochi texture by adding tapioca flour.

What are the Different Glaze Ideas?

Mochi donuts are made more special thanks to the endless glazing options. They can be customized according to personal tastes and preferences. Getting the consistency right is key to creating the perfect glaze to cover your mochi donuts.

Both too thick and too thin of a glaze will cause it to drop down the sides and form clumps. The ideal texture will be thick and dripping in ribbons.

You can use milk or melted coconut oil to thin out an overly thick glaze. On the other hand, if your glaze turns too thin, more icing sugar or melted chocolate can be added to thicken it. Ensure the donut has cooled before glazing; otherwise, the glaze will melt and drip off the sides.

Asian snacks inspire the flavors we make, but other glaze ideas and flavors include:

1. Matcha

In today's world, matcha is a widely accessible ingredient. It is a defining characteristic of Japanese cuisine. It is delicious when used in desserts. Before you purchase Matcha, you should think about how to use it and always check the packaging.

There are different versions of Matcha depending on the use:

a). Ceremonial Matcha Powder

This high-quality matcha results from one harvest yearly from the virgin leaves of the tea plant's highest part. The result is matcha that has a delicate taste and fine nuance in terms of flavor.

b). Culinary Matcha

The outcome of multiple harvests made from the plant's lower leaves throughout the year. As a result, the matcha has powerful flavors, is slightly more bitter, and can stand out when combined with other ingredients.

2. Chocolate Glaze

This is for you if you want a classic flavor! Add heated heavy cream over chopped chocolate and stir to get the best chocolate ganache glaze.

3. Churro

Mix together cinnamon and sugar. While the donuts are freshly out of the fryer, toss in cinnamon sugar to coat. To get an extra kick, add a sprinkle of nutmeg.

4. Yuzu Juice Glaze

Yuzu is a fruit celebrated between November and January in Japan as a sign that the cold season has arrived. The citrus fruit yuzu has a flavor that is extremely similar to a blend of orange and grapefruit.

Kochi prefecture, notably Kitagawa Village, has long been Japan's top yuzu grower. However, due to its popularity, cultivation is now widespread in the nation.

As winter approaches, yuzu-themed goods are flooding supermarket shelves and sweet shop windows in Japan, ranging from alcoholic beverages to savory snacks, seasonings for meat and vegetables, and even sweets!

Mix together yuzu juice, powdered sugar, and a splash of milk. The ideal glaze consistency should form ribbons.

5. Kinako Powder Coating

Kinako is a Japanese roasted soybean powder. In Korean, it is known as injeolmi powder. It is often used in desserts like warabi mochi.

Kinako has a nutty flavor and aroma that is reminiscent of toasted hazelnuts. It is frequently combined with sugar and used as a garnish on various sweets. Mix together kinako and powdered sugar. Toss hot donuts in the mixture.

Flavor Ideas

a). Caramel Sauce

Dip your mochi donut in caramel sauce or drizzle the caramel on top if you want a deep sugar flavor.

b. Cereal

Sprinkle your favorite crushed cereal over the glaze to add flavor and crunch.

c. Ube

Add powdered sugar and ube extract to a medium-sized bowl. The milk is then gently added to create a smooth coating. Alternatively you can pipe ribbons of ube halaya over the donut.

d. Oreo

Oreos are always a classic. Sprinkle crushed Oreo cookies over your glaze for a cookies and cream topping.

e. Pistachio

Sprinkle crushed toasted pistachio over your glaze. Alternatively, you can make pistachio powder with a food processor.

f. Biscoff

Microwave Biscoff butter and use it as your glaze. Then sprinkle over some crushed Biscoff cookies.

g. Fruit

Add freeze-dried fruit powder to easily customize your glaze. Some fruits you can use include mango, blueberry, strawberry, dragon fruit, raspberry, or pineapple.

Mochi Donuts Ingredients

For 6 donuts, here is what you will need:

1. Dough

• 120g all-purpose flour
• 110g glutinous rice flour, also known as sweet rice flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g granulated sugar
• 100g silken tofu (drained)
• 1 egg
• Neutral frying oil like vegetable oil

2. Strawberry Glaze

• 100g strawberry chocolate
• 1 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder

3. Matcha glaze

• 100g white chocolate
• 1 tbsp matcha powder

Optional Ingredients

• Crushed strawberry Pocky for decor
• Matcha KitKats for decor

Instructions:

1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Press the silken tofu into a large bowl using a fine sieve. Alternatively, you can blend the tofu. Add egg slowly and whisk to combine.

3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ones and combine. It should form a dough that is not sticky. Also, if the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water and mix.

4. In a medium pot, preheat the frying oil to 350F/176C. To form each donut, arrange 8 balls of dough in a ring on small squares of parchment paper.

5. Using a metal spider or spatula, gently lower the donuts with the parchment paper. Remove the parchment paper once it has started to detach. Fry each on both sides for ~1 min. or until golden brown. Remove and allow to drain/cool on paper towels.

6. For the strawberry glaze, mix melted chocolate with their flavorings. Dip each donut and top with decorations. Finally, enjoy your donuts the same day.

Deep-frying Tips to make the Best Mochi Donut Recipe

• I hardly deep fry things, but I made an exception just for these! I like to place the cut out donuts onto square pieces of parchment just big enough to hold the donuts. This prevents you from messing up the shape, sticking, and you’re able to drop the whole donut AND parchment into the oil. The parchment detaches naturally in the oil, just fish it out.
• ALWAYS fry a test donut to ensure that the oil is at an okay temperature. The donut should be golden brown and fluffy/fully cooked through. The ideal frying temperature is around 350/380F or 176/193C. But in case you don’t own a thermometer, definitely check your oil temp! Nothing worse than deep frying all your donuts to an ideal golden brown and they’re ALL RAW in the middle.

How to Store the Remaining Donuts

Like most pasties, mochi donuts are tastiest when enjoyed on the same day since glutinous rice flour turns hard the next day. However, you might have some leftovers and need to store the donuts.

• To store mochi donuts, use an airtight container. Keep at room temperature.
• Freezing the Pon de ring donuts is not ideal since they become brittle and dry once they are thawed.
• To reheat mochi donuts, microwave the donuts for about 10-15 seconds, depending on how high power your microwave is.

Why Will You Enjoy this Recipe?

• The extra fluffy and chewy texture yield a super soft donut with a crispy shell
• Endless glazing options since mochi donuts taste great with almost any glaze flavor
• It is such an easy recipe
• It doesn't contain yeast, so there is no rising time
• The unique shape is fun and allows you to pull them apart

How are Mochi Donuts Different From Regular Donuts?

The major difference between the two is in taste and texture. Regular donuts are denser and feel more like bread, while the texture of mochi donuts is light and chewy.

Another difference is regular donuts are made with all-purpose flour, making the regular donut dough denser. On the other hand, mochi donuts are made using a mixture of tapioca flour, glutinous rice flour, and all-purpose flour which gives a chewier and softer donut.

General Tips and Tricks

1. Don't Add too much flour

Mochi donuts need a soft dough to achieve their light and fluffy texture. The dough will become overly dense if an excessive amount of flour is added.

2. Use a thermometer

Frying mochi donuts helps to achieve the perfect flavor, and it's advisable to use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil has achieved the perfect temperature. If the oil is too cold, the mochi donuts will not cook well and can become too oily on the inside. On the other hand, if the frying oil is too hot, the donuts may burn and remain raw inside.

3. Let the donuts cool down

Applying the glaze to hot donuts will make it melt right off. Before dipping the mochi donuts into the glaze, ensure they are at room temperature.

4. Drain excess oil after frying

To get rid of any extra frying oil, you can place the donuts on a wire rack with paper towel under it. This will allow excess oil to drain off.

5. Whisk the dry ingredients well

Whisking the dry ingredients before adding it to the wet allows everything to be evenly dispersed. This way you won't have pockets of baking powder.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Glutinous Rice Flour, and why do we use it?

Short-grain sweet white rice is processed to create glutinous rice flour. Contrary to the name, it is a gluten-free substitute for wheat flour. Shiratamako or Sweet Rice Flour are some alternative names.

The term "glutinous" describes this component's specific consistency and texture. This type of flour has a chewy texture when heated. It is in charge of giving many Asian sweets and dishes their distinct texture.

2. Why is my Mochi donut dry?

A mochi donut should be nice and chewy, and never dry. If your Pon de ring donut is dry, you either used too much flour or over-baked or fried it at high temperatures causing it to dry out too much.

3. Do you need to add silken tofu to the Mochi donut dough?

Yes, drained silken tofu helps keep the donut's texture a bit softer, while the glutinous rice naturally hardens when it cools. Additionally, the tofu brings moistness to the donut.

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