These mochi pancakes are SO good! The mochi means that they have a delicious chew, but they are also still light and fluffy. The pancakes have a touch of sweetness to them, making them delicious if you want to skip the syrup. They are so scrumptious, you would never guess that they are gluten-free! They'll definitely become one of your favorite pancakes to make for breakfast or brunch!
This recipe was created after a friend of mine ate some mochi pancakes while visiting Hawaii and she raved about how delicious they were. Despite never having heard of mochi pancakes before, my friend asked me to figure out how to make them and this delicious recipe was born!
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice flour
- Brown (or white) rice flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Milk
- Egg (separated into yolk and white)
- Honey
- Oil
Instructions
Combine the glutinous rice flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
In bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, honey, oil or melted butter, and egg yolk. Beat well with a fork or whisk.
Beat egg white in separate bowl with a fork or whisk for about a minute until frothy.
Add the milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula. Batter will be lumpy.
Add the frothy egg white to the pancake batter. Fold the beaten egg white into batter until fully incorporated.
Heat a pan or skillet over medium heat. Use brush or scrunched up paper towel to apply a thin coat of oil to the pan. Once pan is hot, scoop batter onto heated pan (I use a ¼ cup measuring cup).
Leave the pancakes to cook, about 1-2 minutes, until bubbles start to break through the surface and the bottoms are golden brown.
Flip pancakes. Bottom of the pancakes will brown quickly; check between 30-60 seconds. Once bottoms are browned, remove from the pan.
How To Serve Mochi Pancakes
Just because they're mochi pancakes doesn't mean they can't be eaten like regular pancakes. Go the tried and true route and serve them with butter and maple syrup. Go decadent and top them with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream. They'd also be delicious with a berry compote.
You can also sprinkle in some fresh blueberries or chocolate chips after scooping the pancake batter into the pan!
Commonly Asked Questions
What is glutinous rice flour?
Glutinous rice flour is made from short-grain or glutinous rice. It becomes sticky and chewy when cooked, thus the mochi texture for these pancakes.
Can I use all glutinous rice flour for these pancakes?
Using all glutinous rice flour and no regular rice flour would make the pancakes too dense and chewy. Combining it with regular rice flour gives the pancakes the perfect balance of texture where you've got the chew, but they are still fluffy.
What dairy-free substitute can I use for the milk?
Try coconut milk or a nut-based milk...both would be delicious! You can also just use water.
Can I substitute the honey with regular sugar?
Yes! If you use regular sugar, increase the milk by 2 tablespoons so that the batter is not too think.
Why add the egg white separately?
Adding the egg white into the batter at the end helps make the pancakes a little fluffier than if you simply mixed the whole egg into the batter. There are recipes out there that tell you to whip the egg white into soft peaks, but I have found that going through that effort is not necessary.
How long do they last?
If you happen to have any pancakes leftover, store them in a resealable bag or food container for 1-2 days at room temperature, 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Warm them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you like chewy mochi texture, be sure to check out these other recipes, all of which are also gluten-free!
- Chewy Korean Mochi QQ Balls
- Chewy Butter Mochi Bites
- Double Chocolate Mochi Muffins
- Chewy Matcha Mochi Bites
- Mochi Cinnamon Rolls
- Fudgy Mochi Brownies
If you're looking for more gluten-free breakfast ideas, consider these great recipes!
I'm actually not a pancake fan, in general, but I can totally get behind these mochi pancakes! The slightly chewier texture instead of being too bread-like seems to make all the difference in making them easier and more delicious to eat! I think they're totally good all by themselves, but you also can't go wrong with the traditional butter and syrup topping. No matter which way you enjoy them, they are sure to be a hit at the breakfast table!
~ Lisa.
Mochi Pancakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 120 grams glutinous rice flour
- 50 grams brown rice flour (white rice flour is also okay)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil (or any neutral flavored oil or melted butter)
- 1 egg, separated
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the glutinous rice flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- In bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, honey, oil or melted butter, and egg yolk. Beat well with a fork or whisk.
- Beat egg white in separate bowl with a fork or whisk for about a minute until frothy.
- Add the milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula. Batter will be lumpy.
- Fold the beaten egg white into batter until fully incorporated.
- Heat a pan or skillet over medium heat. Use brush or scrunched up paper towel to apply a thin coat of oil to the pan.
- Once pan is hot, scoop batter onto heated pan (I use a ¼ cup measuring cup).
- Leave the pancakes to cook, about 1-2 minutes, until bubbles start to break through the surface and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip pancakes.
- Bottom of the pancakes will brown quickly; check between 30-60 seconds. Once bottoms are browned, remove from the pan.
- Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or whipped cream, if desired. Also delicious plain!
- Reheat leftover pancakes in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
Notes
- You can look for glutinous rice flour at your local Asian market. It may be also be called sweet rice flour (it is not sweet) or Mochiko flour is a Japanese brand. Any of these will work.
- If you are dairy-free, try using coconut milk or a nut-based milk. Both would be delicious! You can also just use water.
- If you do not have a gluten allergy, you can try replacing the regular rice flour with all-purpose flour to mix with the glutinous rice flour.
- I add about 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan and then gently wipe out the excess with a paper towel, just so the pan is lightly greased and there is no pool of oil anywhere. This step isn't necessary if using a seasoned cast iron pan.
- Fancy the pancakes up by dropping a few blueberries or chocolate chips to the pancakes in the pan before you flip them.
- Leftover pancakes can be stored in a sealed bag or container on the counter for 1-2 days, or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften.
**This post was originally published February 3rd, 2020 and republished October 20th, 2024 with an updated recipe, new photos, and new writing.
Alice Ma says
I used a vegan chia egg replacer and added 1 TBS of matcha- absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your adjustments to the recipe, Alice! That's great that the chia egg replacer worked and matcha mochi pancakes sound awesome!
Noni says
I screwed up the recipe because so they ended up tasting like cornmeal Johnny cakes. Question: I brought Red Mill rice flour and it does not say it's non gluten so can I assume IT DOES have gluten? I'm going to try to make these again because it was fun. Thank you.
Hi Noni! If you're referring to Bob's Red Mill, I believe their rice flour IS gluten-free. I would check the packaging carefully again for a GF symbol. Also, make sure that you are using both a regular rice flour and a glutinous rice flour for these pancakes. I hope they work out!
Sal says
First batch made as above was too dry so I had to add extra milk. Second batch was made with 2 eggs instead and turned out great. Prefer the extra egg anyways for more protein. I had to stop my husband from eating them all so my kiddo could have more the next morning. Thanks!
That's great, Sal! Sometimes recipes don't turn out exactly the same for everyone due to various factors, and I'm glad you were able to tweak it to have them work out!
Virginia Robitaille says
I am anxious to try this recipe, but if you wanted to add mashed banana or pumpkin, how would adjust the recipe?
I'm not quite sure how to adjust the recipe to make it work, but my first instinct would be to reduce the milk, perhaps, by half and replace it with half a mashed banana or 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree. Because of the high sugar content of the bananas and pumpkin, your pancakes may also end up a bit darker than normal. If you try it, please report back! Thanks for the question, Virginia!
Salty says
Just to start off with, this is not a negative review about the recipe. However....
If there’s one thing that annoys me more than a failed recipe it’s the fake reviews, the people who give 5 stars when they haven’t even tried the recipe. That is where your rating comes from, so your rating is not true.
Aside from that, and having to try a recipe that it is obvious maybe 1 person has actually tried and rated true, I am always looking for new ways to use Mochiko rice flour. Recently, I have been in the process of tweaking a recipe I have created for pliable gluten free wraps using rice flour and mochiko.
When I saw this recipe I was instantly intrigued.
I tried it, the only thing I did different was add 1 tbsp of oil because my body can’t digest oil (no gallbladder) I’ll probably omit that entirely next time. And I used maple syrup instead of honey, since honey turns into a carcinogen when heated. I fluffed the egg white with a whisk.
My batter was Quite thick. Not like yours, or how yours looks in the pan. See, all rice flour is different. some absorbs water more heavily than others. Anyhow, I just ended up with thicker pancakes. My batter was never lumpy, either.
I really like this recipe, it’s going into my cookbook notebook. You are great for putting this recipe up, as I have never heard of these pancakes before. They really soak up syrup nicely too. All in all, I give it five stars for the ease of making it, and five stars because MOCHIKO! Thank you!
Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you liked it!
tina says
I know that you mentioned in the notes that 80g rice flour is 2/3cup, but isnt it actually 1/2cup?
Rice flour is measured differently from all-purpose flour:
AP Flour 1 cup = 120g
Rice Flour 1 cup = 160g
It really depends on how much the flour is compacted in the cup and there can be a lot of variance. As I mentioned in the notes, I came up with 2/3 cup by loosening up the flour and gently spooning into the cup. However, I have to stress that using the weight measurements in the recipe is the best and most accurate way to get the right results. Thanks for your question, Tina.
Jo says
Thank you for this recipe! Is it possible to substitute almond flour for the rice flour? We live in Hawaii and my daughters love anything mochi! Looking
forward to trying it. Aloha!
Aloha, Jo! I don't know how substituting almond flour for the rice flour would work. I suppose you could try just substituting the regular rice flour and not the glutinous rice flour, but you may also end up with a heavier pancake. If you try it, let me know!
Rosemarie P says
How much oil did you use?
I use about 1 teaspoon of oil and then gently wipe out the excess with a paper towel, just so the pan is lightly greased.
D says
Thank you for sharing! I know exactly which pancakes your friend had and I can’t wait to try this recipe! Is glutinous rice flour the same as mochiko? Thank you!
Yes, mochiko and glutinous rice flour are the same. I hope you like the pancakes!
Jack Kitchen says
This were wonderful, just sweet enough and with that wonderful chewy, elastic texture. They soaked up the maple syrup, but didn't go soggy which is great. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I'm so glad you liked them!
Sabrina says
Wow, what a great gf version of pancakes! Great flavour and texture, thanks!
Thanks, Sabrina!
Yvonne Langen says
I am so excited to try these pancakes - I’ve never cooked with mochi flour before but love the idea of a slightly chewy pancake.
Please do give them a try, Yvonne! The mochi flour gives just a slight amount of chew...and if you like a bit more, you can always slightly increase the proportion of mochi flour to regular rice flour in the recipe!
Colleen says
I'm making these pancakes for next weekend, and can't wait. They are so fluffy, and delicious looking. Mochi flour is new to me and I'm so excited to give it a try. Thanks, Lisa!
Thanks, Colleen! I hope you like them! I plan to make them for breakfast this weekend, too!
NANCY WU says
what a great idea to add mochi to the batter mix! just like mochi muffins!
so fluffy and chewy
Okay, now I don't know about mochi muffins! I'm going to have to look those up, Nancy!
Nicoletta says
We have to try these pancakes! Pinned the recipe! They are beautiful and look so fluffy and delicious! The use of mochi flour is genius! Thanks!
Thanks, Nicoletta! Yes, who knew mochi flour could be such a great ingredient for pancakes?