Baked Mochi Donuts (Pon de Ring Donuts)

These soft and chewy baked mochi donuts are my favorite donuts ever. The simple dough is made from just 7 ingredients! Each donut is made from piping little bubbles into rings, which makes them really fun to eat. And my baked version means you don't need to mess with splattering hot oil!

And for more baked donuts, try my vegan rainbow sprinkle donuts!

What are Mochi Donuts?

Mochi is a popular Japanese ingredient made from glutinous rice flour. The rice flour is soaked in water then pounded into a dough, to create delicious rice cake desserts.

Mochi donuts skyrocketed in popularity when Mister Donut opened up a store in Japan.

The donut batter is piped into large bubbles in a circle, giving these donuts their signature shape.

And mochi donuts are far less sweet than American fried donuts, which makes me want to eat even more of them!

Rice Flour versus Tapioca Starch

This particular recipe for matcha mochi donuts doesn't actually contain rice flour. Instead, I like to use tapioca flour, which is another type of starchy flour.

While rice flour is stickier than tapioca flour, usually tapioca flour has a sweeter flavor. It also makes the dough easier to work with and shape.

I first fell in love with mochi donuts on the island of Oahu, where my parents were living. And Liliha Bakery makes the BEST mochi donuts EVER!

Their poi mochi donuts are covered in a sticky glaze, and once you take a bite, the inside is bright purple!

Matcha Mochi Donuts

While the flavor of matcha can be divisive (people either love it or hate it) I absolutely love it.

The mildly sweet, grassy flavor of matcha tastes amazing in a baked mochi donut.

For more matcha recipes, try my sourdough matcha swirl bread and matcha almond milk latte recipes.

I love biting off one blob at a time from the whole donut ring. These donuts are also known as Pon de Ring donuts.

In many donut shops they are fried to perfection, creating a crispy outer layer and a soft & chewy inside.

However, I prefer to make baked mochi donuts instead of frying them, for a healthier & easier way to enjoy this delicious dessert.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Coconut milk - You can substitute any dairy or dairy free milk of your choice.
• Granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil - You can substitute any neutral flavored oil.
• All purpose flour
• Tapioca flour - Also called tapioca starch.
• Matcha powder - If you don't like the flavor of matcha, just leave this out.
• Egg
• Optional toppings - Melted chocolate and sprinkles take your baked mochi donuts to the next level with a fun and festive look.

How to Make this Recipe

1. Heat the Milk: In a small saucepan on medium heat, warm the milk, sugar and vegetable oil until it is steaming but not boiling.
   
2. Add Flour: Whisk in the flour until there are no clumps of dry flour remaining.
   
3. Add Tapioca & Matcha: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Use a whisk or a spatula to mix in the tapioca flour and the matcha powder.
   
4. Add the Egg: Crack in the egg and continue mixing until the batter is completely smooth.
   
5. Shape the Donuts: Add the batter into a piping bag and pipe six to eight large bubbles of batter in a circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
   
6. Bake: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F, until the donuts are dry and solid on the outside.

Recipe Tips

• Use culinary grade matcha, which is usually made from tea leaves picked from lower on the tea bush, with a stronger flavor. You don't need to get the more expensive ceremonial grade matcha, which is usually reserved for tea.
• Use a piping bag with a large round nozzle to create the little bubbles of dough in rings.
• If you don't have a piping bag, fill a large Ziplock bag with the donut mixture and cut one of the bottom corners off to use that to pipe the dough.
• If the dough balls aren't sticking together, just wet the sides with a little water, which will help glue them together.
• Dip your finger in cold water and gently press down on the dough bubbles to make them perfectly round and smooth.

Recipe Variations

• Other flavors: Instead of matcha, you can add tons of other flavors to make berry, caramel, black sesame, chocolate, or ube mochi donuts!
• Glaze: Instead of drizzled chocolate, dip the tops of your baked donuts into a glaze or icing, for a more traditional donut look and flavor.
• Colored Donuts: Matcha provides a natural green food dye, which I think is so fun! But if you leave out the matcha, you can dye your batter any color you like.
• Shaping: The dough is firm enough that you could also roll each ball by hand, but I found that takes way more time and it's a lot messier than piping the donuts.

Storing

While fried donuts are usually only good on the day they're made, I've found that baked donuts can last several days longer.

Allow your baked mochi donuts to cool completely, then store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many bubbles does a mochi donut have?

Usually mochi donuts are made from a ring of 8 dough balls. But you can make them smaller or larger at home, based on your preference.

What are mochi donuts made of?

Traditionally mochi donuts are made from glutinous sweet rice flour or mochiko flour. I prefer to make mine with all purpose flour, tapioca starch, and egg. I found that this provides the best light and chewy texture in baked mochi donuts.

Are mochi donuts gluten free?

There are some versions of mochi donut recipes online that are gluten free, but other versions (like mine) aren't. If you're buying mochi donuts from a bakery, you'll want to ask them first.

Can I use a donut pan to bake these?

While donut pans are super helpful to make other baked donuts, mochi donuts need to be baked on a baking sheet. A donut pan would squish the individual dough balls that make up their signature look and shape.