Sugar-free Coconut Mango Mochi

What kind of chilled wild desserts do you visualize on a hot summer day? I had a vision of this tropical coconut and mango mochi treat. These darling little snowballs are crazy delicious as well as sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan. They also make an ideal finger food for parties. The dough is made from glutinous/sweet rice flour. It has a rich coconut flavor and a tropical mango fruit filling. One word of warning: You may experience an exhilarating out of body effect after biting into one of these treats.

Glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour, is a popular ingredient in many Asian desserts, such as mochi, daifuku, sweet rice dumplings, mini pumpkin rice cake, snow skin moon cakes, etc. Adding the tropical coconut and mango flavors into the glutinous rice desserts is common in South China. Most recipes I have found use sugar to sweeten the mochi. It can be easily replaced by my favorite zero calorie natural sweetener, stevia.

To make this coconut flavor enriched mochi dough, you’ll need:

Glutinous rice flour

Cornstarch

Pure stevia extract powder

Coconut milk (carton package or homemade, but not from a can)

Vegan butter

After mixing all of the mochi dough ingredients together to form a very smooth runny mixture, you can either cook it in a microwave oven or a steamer. Personally, I like to use my Chinese steamer. However, if you don’t have one, you can use this alternative method I mentioned in my Chinese steamed egg custard post.

I expect you may be eager to have that wild teleportation experience I warned you about and get started making the mochi. But, before we get started making it, I have a few tips for you to ensure your successful mochi paradise island adventure.

1. Cooked mochi dough should be sticky without any running liquid. You can use chopsticks or a fork to check the center of the dough.
2. Transfer the cooked mochi dough into a clean glass or ceramic bowl to cool.  The cooked mochi dough that attaches to the hot bowl will cool faster than its center. It will also dry out faster than the center. So transferring the cooked mocha dough into a different bowl will allow the dough to cool evenly.

3. Cover the bowl of mochi dough with plastic wrap or a lid and let it cool completely in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Without a cover, the dough will be dried out on the surface. This will affect the mochi texture.
4. Use the unsweetened coconut shreds instead of the sweetened ones to avoid the extra sugar and other preservatives. Have it ready before you roll the mochi dough. The coconut shreds also keep the mochi from sticking to your fingers while handling or serving.
5. Use kitchen gloves to make the mochi balls. Otherwise the dough will be very sticky on your hands making it hard to work with.
6. Chill the prepared coconut mango mochi in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Hey, don’t get discouraged because of the long list I offered you. Sometimes, the more details you know, the less trouble you’ll have when you make the recipe. However, feel free to leave comments or ask questions below the post.

Unlike most of the western desserts, this coconut mango mochi is light and refreshing. The soft mochi dough is rich in coconut flavor. The coating of shredded coconut also adds some chewy texture. Better yet, nothing says summer better than the tropical sweet mango filling!

5 from 1 vote

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Sugar-free Coconut Mango Mochi

Prep Time

2 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 42 mins

 

This sugar-free, soft coconut mango mochi is refreshing. Better yet, nothing says summer better than the tropical sweet mango filling!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Sugar-free/Vegan/Gluten-free

Keyword: asian dessert, Asian Food, Gluten-free Mochi, Mochi, Sugar-free Mochi, Vegan Mochi

Servings: 8 mochi

Author: Joyce

Ingredients

Mochi Dough

• ¾ cup glutinous rice flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• ¼ teaspoon pure stevia extract powder Now brand
• ¾ cup coconut milk unsweetened

Filling and Coating

• 1/3 large mango cubed
• ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• optional 1 teaspoon agave nectar

Instructions

1. Whisk together all the mochi dough ingredients in a heat resistant bowl. It should be thinner than the typical consistency of pancake batter. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Run through a fine mash strainer to remove any clumps if necessary.
2. Fill a steamer pot with 2 cups of water and place the bowl of mochi batter into the steamer. Cover the steamer and place the steamer on a stove. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down to medium heat or to a gentle boil. Steam for 12 minutes. When the mochi dough is cooked, the center of the dough should be set without any runny liquid.
3. Remove the bowl from the steamer and transfer the cooked mochi dough into another clean glass or ceramic bowl with a spatula. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and cool completely in refrigerator. Approximately 2 hours.
4. Meanwhile, add coconut shreds and agave nectar (if any is used) into a food processor. Pulse to chop the shreds into smaller pieces but not powder. Transfer the prepared coconut shreds into a bowl and set aside.
5. Wearing disposable kitchen gloves, evenly divide the mochi dough into 8 pieces. Approximately 35 grams for each piece. Use your fingers to shape each piece into a smooth ball and then flatten it between palms to form smooth disk. Place one piece of mango cube in the center and then wrap the edge of the dough around the mango. Gently pinch the opening of the dough together to close and form a smooth ball again.
6. Place and roll the mochi ball in prepared coconut shreds. Coat evenly. Transfer the prepared mochi in cupcake liners. Set aside.
7. Repeat step 5 and 6 to finish all mochi dough. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. These mocha balls can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Longer time storage will make the mochi balls stiff.