Mochi Doughnuts

The first form of the mochi doughnut came from Hawaii in the early 1990s. Called poi mochi, it consisted of deep-fried balls of mashed taro and mochiko, a Japanese short-grain sweet rice flour. In 2003 Mister Donut, a Japanese doughnut chain, released the Pon de Ring. Named after the Brazilian bread pão de queijo, the Pon de Ring was made of tapioca flour, shaped into eight smaller balls, connected in a circular shape that looked kind of like a teething ring. Many mochi doughnut shops these days make this version, with various glazes in bright and beautiful colors.

For my adaptation I pull inspiration from both types by using mochiko and tapioca flours to give these doughnuts a little extra chew. While some recipes also include all-purpose flour, I prefer the texture without it. It’s lighter, chewier and as an added bonus, it’s gluten-free.

The dough can also be formed into simpler doughnut rings or just rolled into balls to make doughnut holes. This recipe also includes some of my favorite glazes—try raspberry, matcha, chocolate, ube, black sesame, or several different options! (You can also just roll the doughnut holes in sugar or cinnamon sugar.) And to make them look extra fun, feel free to garnish with sprinkles, nuts, candy, or whatever you like. Try garnishing the matcha version with a light dusting of matcha powder, the raspberry version with crushed freeze-dried raspberries, the black sesame version with whole black sesame seeds, the chocolate with cocoa nibs, and the ube with toasted coconut.