Easy Purple Sweet Potato Mochi Recipe (Vegan & Only 3 Ingredients!)

These purple sweet potato mochi are vegan, gluten-free and incredibly easy to make! The soft and squishy dough only requires 4 ingredients--mochiko rice flour, mashed purple sweet potato, water and a dusting of cornstarch. The best part? It can be made in the microwave in mere minutes! The purple sweet potato adds a subtle natural sweetness and provides a dose of antioxidants that make this mochi wholesome, healthy and perfect for any time of the day!

last updated 6/3/23 - new photos! the color of the mochi is a different shade of purple because purple sweet potatoes naturally come in various purple hues

Ingredients Used to Make Microwave 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 🙂}

• Purple Sweet Potato – this recipe uses mashed purple sweet potato which are a kind of Asian sweet potatoes that have a thicker, heavier flesh than orange sweet potatoes when baked. The dense texture is almost like a baked russet potato. Purple sweet potato (also called Japanese Purple Sweet Potato or Okinawan Sweet Potato) can be found in most Asian grocery stores.

Note: While you can steam or bake the sweet potatoes, I used the microwave to cook the sweet potatoes in just about 10 minutes! Here's the shortcut microwave method.

• 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!!!

Water - you'll need plain water, but it's best if warm or room temperature

Cornstarch - for dusting the mochi

What to use for mochi filling

• Purple Sweet Potato Filling - recipe here,

Or alternatively, you can use

More Sweet Potato Recipes (HERE)

Step by Step

Sweet Potato Mochi Variations

• You can also use regular (orange) sweet potatoes instead of the purple sweet potato. Here's a link to my other sweet potato mochi recipe! The filling on this recipe is ice cream, but you're welcome to use sweetened bean paste.

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!

• Shiro-an (sweetened white bean paste) – on Amazon, here, or here's a Shortcut White Bean Paste Recipe I make when I’ve run out of Shiro An
• Koshi-an (sweetened red bean paste) – on Amazon, here
• Mung Bean paste - sweet and delightfully yellow, homemade mung bean paste is a perfect mochi filling for those who are looking for a healthier bean paste alternative. Here's my 2-Ingredient mung bean paste recipe here

How to Store Purple Sweet Potato Mochi

• The mochi can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours. 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 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.

Final Tips

• 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

Find all My Microwave Mochi Recipes (HERE)