Kashiwa Mochi

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Dessert Candy confections Medium

A soft, slightly chewy rice dough folded around smooth sweet bean paste and wrapped in a salted oak leaf, which perfumes the mochi but is not eaten. Made with non-glutinous rice flour and steamed. Makes 10 mochi in about 55 minutes.

Prep 30 min

Cook 25 min

Total 55 min

Yield 10 mochi

Diet Dairy free, Vegan

Ingredients

Adjust yield

mochi

7 oz (200 g)sweet red bean paste
1 pinchfine salt
1 ⅔ cups (200 g)japanese rice flour (joshinko)
¾ cup (200 ml)hot water
1 ½ tbsp (20 g)sugar
½ oz (12 g)potato starch
1 tbsp (20 g)salted oak (kashiwa) leaves, about 10 leaves, rinsed and dried

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Instructions

Mix the bean paste with the pinch of salt and roll into 10 balls. Set aside.
Stir the rice flour and hot water with chopsticks until a crumbly dough forms. Cool until just warm enough to handle, then knead until smooth.
Wrap the dough in a damp cloth, tear into large pieces, and steam over high heat 12 to 15 minutes until translucent and cooked through.
Dip the hot dough briefly in water, pat dry, then knead in the sugar and potato starch until smooth and elastic.
Roll into a log and cut into 10 pieces. Stretch each into a thin oval.
Place a bean ball in the center of each, fold the dough over, and pinch closed into a half-moon.
Wrap each in a leaf with the smooth side in, steam over high heat 3 to 5 minutes, and serve warm or cool. Do not eat the leaf.

Tips

Knead while the dough is still warm; cold dough turns stiff.
Salted leaves should be rinsed well and dried before wrapping.
Keep covered; the dough dries out quickly.
Good with green tea.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make kashiwa mochi?

Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 10 mochi.

How should I store kashiwa mochi?

Best the day it is made. Keep covered at a cool room temperature up to 1 day; it hardens in the refrigerator.

Can I make kashiwa mochi ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes, as written. Check that packaged ingredients such as chocolate, sprinkles and plant butter are labeled vegan.

A Japanese rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in an oak leaf, traditionally eaten on Children's Day, May 5. Serve it with green tea.

Variations

Kashiwa Mochi — Yuzu Variation: Knead ½ tsp (1 g) finely grated yuzu zest into the dough with the sugar and stir 1 tsp (5 ml) yuzu juice into the bean paste before rolling the balls.
Kashiwa Mochi — Kuromitsu Variation: Simmer 40 g (3 tbsp) grated kokuto (Okinawan black sugar) with 40 ml (2½ tbsp) water for 4 minutes into kuromitsu (black sugar syrup), cool, and drizzle 1 tsp over each unwrapped mochi to serve.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

131 Calories / serving

0.4g Fat

29.2g Carbs

2.3g Protein

10.0g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~1310 cal · 4g fat · 292g carbs · 23g protein · 100g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.