Here's one mochi recipe that is better and healthier! This Homemade Banana Chocolate Mochi recipe uses banana instead of sugar, and is a delicious, healthy treat for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients Used to Make Banana Chocolate Mochi
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
Banana - any kind, preferably ripe
- Glutinous Rice Flour - this goes by many names. You'll see Glutinous Rice Flour and Mochiko Flour (my favorite brand) in Asian grocery stores, and Sweet White Rice Flour in most other stores. ***Please note that regular white rice flour or brown rice flour is NOT the same thing as glutinous rice flour!!!
- Mashed bananas - we're using bananas to replace both the sugar and liquids in this recipe so it's best if the bananas are ripe and soft. There are a few ways to tell if a banana is ripe, but usually ripe bananas are yellow with brown spots. The more brown spots, the riper the banana.
- Cocoa powder - Cocoa powder is a rich and flavorful ingredient made by grinding cocoa beans into a fine powder. I used regular cocoa powder, but you can also use dark cocoa powder, like this one.
For the Filling I used
- White bean paste (also called Shiro An) is a thick and smooth paste made from cooked white beans, such as butter beans or cannellini beans, that’s been pureed then cooked down with sugar. The sweetened white bean paste has a mild sweet flavor with subtle earthy notes. It has a creamy and almost fudgy texture that makes white bean paste a versatile ingredient for many East Asian dessert recipes. You can purchase shiron an in specialty Asian grocery stores, or on Amazon, here. For a homemade version, here's a Shortcut White Bean Paste Recipe I make when I’ve run out of Shiro An
More Banana Recipes (HERE)
Step by Step
How to Make Banana Chocolate Mochi in the Microwave
STEP 1
Prepare the filling by wrapping sliced bananas (about 1 inch length) around 2 Tbsp of sweetened white bean paste (shiro-an).
STEP 2
Try to wrap the banana so that you can tell which side is which. The circular end should go on the sides when we make the mochi. Repeat with the others. Set aside.
STEP 3
Mix mashed bananas with glutinous rice flour and cocoa powder. Add water.
STEP 4
Cook the combined dough in the microwave for 90 seconds
STEP 5
Use a solid metal spoon to stir the cooked mochi mixture. Return to microwave and heat for additional 1 minute. You'll know when it is ready when the dough is glossy and slightly translucent
STEP 6
Pour the cooked mochi onto the baking pan lightly greased with oil, and flatten using the palm of your hands once it cools enough to handle.
The mochi dough will be HOT. Either use gloved hands, or wait until it cools enough to handle.
STEP 7
Wrap the mochi dough around the prepared filling, pinching the end of the dough with your fingers to seal.
STEP 8
Enjoy!
How to Store Banana Chocolate Mochi
- The mochi can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours and in the fridge for about 1 day. For longer storage, I would freeze the mochi in a plastic freezer bag or an airtight container, then defrost at room temperature when ready to eat.
- The reason I don’t recommend storing them in the fridge for longer storage is that mochi usually tend to develop a weird waxy, hard texture when stored in the fridge. So eat within a day or freeze for best results.
Variations - Different Mochi Filling Options
If you want to enjoy mochi with a variety of fillings, there are many fun and delicious mochi filling options to choose from. Here are some ideas!
Vegan Ice Cream - ice cream is a terrific mochi filling idea and you can use dairy free ice cream like ones made with coconut milk to keep it vegan. To fill:
Nice Cream - this chocolate nice cream filling is made with frozen bananas and cocoa powder. It's adapted from my Chocolate Oreo Nice Cream Recipe (recipe here)
Final Tips
- When making the mochi use a solid metal spoon (wooden spoons might break!) to stir the cooked mochi mixture so that the cooked and uncooked parts are evenly mixed
- Use a microwave-safe bowl, preferably glass like pyrex
Banana Chocolate Mochi WIth Fresh Banana Filling
Ingredients
Mochi Ingredients
- ⅔ cup mashed bananas , about 1 large banana. Best if ripe!
- ½ cup mochiko flour, sweet rice or glutinous rice flour about 72 g
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp water
Filling Ingredients
- 10 Tbsp sweetened white bean paste (shiro an)
- 5 (1 inch) slices fresh banana
Instructions
Prepare the filling
- Prepare the filling by wrapping sliced bananas (about 1 inch length) around 2 Tbsp of sweetened white bean paste (shiro-an). Set aside.
Make the Mochi Dough
- In a microwaveable glass bowl (like Pyrex), mix the glutinous rice flour, cocoa powder and mashed bananas. NOTE: If you still have dry ingredients remaining in the bowl, you may need to add more mashed bananas which depends a lot on how ripe or soft the bananas are.
- Microwave the mochi mixture for 90 seconds.
- Use a SOLID METAL spoon (wooden spoons might break!) to stir the cooked mochi so that the cooked and uncooked parts are evenly mixed
- Microwave the mochi mixture again, this time for 60 seconds.
- Pour the cooked mochi onto the baking pan lightly greased with oil, and flatten using the palm of your hands once it cools enough to handle.
- The mochi dough will be HOT. Either use gloved hands, or wait until it cools enough to handle.
- Cut the mochi into 5 pieces using kitchen shears or scissors
Wrap with Filling
- Wrap the mochi dough around the prepared filling, pinching the end of the dough with your fingers to seal.
- Enjoy!
Debbie Rosenthal says
I think the dough needs water or milk 😉
All Purpose Veggies says
Hi Debbie, thank you for the suggestion! I've included 1 Tbsp of water in the recipe. The mochi batter should be more soft and moist now!