Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts

Name: Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 26 min
Ingredients: spray oil (to coat donut baking trays - prevent sticking); 1 cup brown sugar ("packed" - we prefer dark brown sugar but you can also use light brown sugar.); 1.5 cups glutinous rice flour ((as called sweet rice flour)); 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup ground black sesame seeds ((toasted)); 2 whole eggs (room temperature); 13.66 ounces coconut milk (1 can - unsweetened - full fat (Do not use low fat)); 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1 cup powdered sugar ((also known as confectioners sugar)); 1/2 teaspoon ube extract; 1 tablespoons dairy or dairy alternative (or as needed to make glaze the drizzle consistency.); 1 cup powdered sugar ((also known as confectioners sugar)); 1 to 2 teaspoons Matcha powder; 4 teaspoons dairy or dairy alternative (or as needed to make glaze the drizzle consistency.); toasted sesame seeds (or crushed nuts, cereal, desiccated coconut or whatever your little heart desires.)

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We bet you can’t eat just one! Our Japanese Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts are light and tender with an addictive chewy texture. Lightly sweet with a deep nutty flavor just like Hot Black Sesame Cereal. Then, topped with a matcha or ube glaze for the perfect afternoon teatime treat.

You won’t believe how easy these dairy free and gluten free mochi donuts are to make. Unlike the tedious Pon Don Rings (ポン・デ・リング) that require weighing, rolling and then messy deep frying ours are baked and ready in under 30 minutes.

Ube and matcha glazed Baked black sesame mochi donuts on a white plate.

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How are They Different?
Ingredients
Basic Steps
Basic Glaze
How to make Ube Glaze?
How to make a Matcha Glaze?
Recipe Tips
Baking Tips
Variations
What to serve with?
Frequent Asked Questions
More Dessert Recipes
Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts

Baked black sesame mochi donut split in half showing the tender but chewy texture.

How are They Different?

We would bet that if you’re thinking about a donut, you’re imagining a fluffy, yeast-risen deep fried “Cardiac Arrest Waiting to Happen” donut like those from the international donut chain stores. A baked mochi donut texture is very different. Get ready for the light springy and chewy texture of mochi thanks to the glutinous rice flour. It is like an American donut collided with Japanese mochi for the perfect fusion treat.

Unlike Western desserts, Asian desserts are only lightly sweet. What many love is the nutty toasty flavor of the black sesame seeds. Well, don’t take our word for it – give it a try yourself.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice flour – Also sometimes referred to as sweet rice flour. Mochiko is our go-to brand and not to be confused with regular rice flour as these are 2 very different products. It is naturally gluten-free, and it is what gives these donuts that addictive chewy texture of mochi. If you have extra be sure to try our recipe for Homemade Snowy Moon Cakes or Mung Bean Daifuku Mochi.

Black Sesame Powder – If you visit an Asian market or Amazon, you can buy pre-ground roasted black sesame powder in packets. You can also place toasted black sesame seeds in a spice grinder or high-powered food processor and grind it yourself. The choice is yours. If you have extra, be sure to store in the refrigerator in a sealed container as sesame seeds can perish quickly.

Coconut Milk – Full fat or regular. Don’t use low fat. To keep this recipe dairy free, we did not use butter. The natural fat from the coconut milk gives our Baked Black Sesame Mochi Donuts that decadent mouth feel. Don’t skimp and use one of those off brand coconut milks. We always have good results with Thai Kitchen and Aroy - D.

Eggs – room temperature. We have not tried an egg replacement to try to make these vegan as it may affect the texture.

Baking powder – to help them raise

Brown sugar – We used dark for this homemade donut, be sure to pack it down to measure it.

Vanilla and salt – give it that little pop of flavor

Basic Steps

Dry ingredients mixed together and wet ingredients mixed together.

Mix all the dry ingredients together (Glutinous rice flour, black sesame powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar).
Then, blend all the wet ingredients together (eggs, vanilla, and coconut milk).
Slowly blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until it is well combined. The batter will be thick.
Spray your donut baking pan or pans well with a light flavored oil.

Donut batter getting piped into donut wells and baked mochi donuts in baking tray.

Pipe your black sesame mochi batter into the donut pans all the way to the top.
Bake the mochi donuts for approximately 8 to 13 minutes at 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). As each oven is different start checking them at the 8-minute mark. The donuts should spring back when touched and a toothpick should come out clean.

Baked donuts cooling on a wire rack plain and glazed matcha and ube glazed donuts.

Allow baked donuts to sit in pan for 10 minutes and then carefully remove and cool on a rack with the rounded side up.
Glaze as desired. We made both a matcha and ube glaze because that is how we roll. However, these black sesame donuts are just as delicious with a simple vanilla glaze or even a little powdered sugar sprinkle.

Black sesame mochi donut fresh out of the oven held in a hand.

Basic Glaze

The glaze is sweet and shiny and holds on the donut to add flavor and color. It is made with just 3 ingredients.

Confectioners (powered) sugar

Milk or dairy free milk of choice

Flavoring of choice.

The most important rule when making a glaze is to be patient. Add just a little bit of the dairy free milk at a time to create a thick pipeable glaze. The glaze should just start to pull together and it should take several seconds to fall from the spoon. Watch the video below for details.

If your glaze is too thick, add a little extra dairy or non-dairy of choice to thin it out. On the other hand, if your glaze is too thin, just add a little more confectioners' sugar to make a thicker glaze.

Just to let you know, the glaze will thicken and harden if you leave it sit. It is best to make it right before you are ready to glaze your baked mochi donuts.

Ube glaze drizzling from a spoon into a white bowl.

How to make Ube Glaze?

Add 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar) in a bowl and add a 1 tablespoon of a dairy free milk of choice and ½ teaspoon of ube extract and mix well until it is bright purple.
Once the gluten free donuts are cool, drizzle with a little of the Ube glaze on each.

Matcha green tea glaze drizzling from a spoon into a white bowl.

How to make a Matcha Glaze?

Add 1 cup powdered sugar in a bowl and add 1 to 2 teaspoons of matcha green tea powder and 4 teaspoons or so of dairy free milk of choice.
Add 2 teaspoons for a strong matcha flavor or just 1 for a light matcha flavor.

Place in a piping bag or a baggie and cut off the end and drizzle a little matcha glaze over the donuts.

Matcha and Ube glazed baked black sesame mochi donuts drying on a wire rack.

Recipe Tips

Brown sugar can clump up when it is older. We like to mix this first to make sure that all the clumps are removed before adding the other dry ingredients.
We used a standard US measuring cup and measuring spoons for this recipe. Shocking, but we did not weigh the ingredients. Remember, you must pack the brown sugar and level off the ingredients.
Make sure you grease the donut pans before filling with the batter, so you don’t have issues with sticking.
Use a piping bag with tips or even just a baggie with the end cut off to add the donut batter to fill the donut tray just like we did with our Baked Matcha Lemon Glazed Donuts.
Fill each donut slot with batter all the way to the top. They will rise but you will have a nice donut size and you should be able to get 12 donuts out of this recipe.

Baking Tips

Do NOT overcook the mochi donuts. If baked too long, they will lose that addictive chewy texture.
Do NOT undercook the black sesame donuts as they will deflate and be too chewy.
Start checking your donuts at the 8-minute mark as every oven is different. If the batter is still jiggly, it is not ready. Once the toothpick comes out clean it is ready. Our Baked black sesame mochi donuts were ready between 9 to 13 minutes for that perfect crisp on the outside and chewy on the interior.
Make sure the donuts are cool before piping on matcha or ube glaze.
If you want to add sesame seeds or other toppings, be sure to do this right after glazing them.
Do not refrigerate mochi donuts as the texture will go from chewy to hard. Store at room temperature in a covered container.
Best enjoyed within 24 hours. After 24 hours they start to get soggy in texture.

Teatime with black sesame mochi donuts and a yellow teapot.

Variations

Try these mochi donuts dusted with a little confectioner's sugar instead of an ube or matcha glaze.
Top with sliced strawberries or mango.
After glazing, sprinkle with toasted white or black sesame seeds, desiccated coconut flakes, chocolate shaving, crushed peanuts, crispy cereal, or anything you little heart desires.
Traditional mochi donuts (also known as poi donuts) are made with a simple butter vanilla batter and different glazes on top. Of course, we had to be different!
There are 2 methods of making mochi donuts. One using tapioca flour and one that uses a glutinous rice flour. We think that the glutinous rice flour makes for a chewier texture that we love.

What to serve with?

Our Baked Black Sesame Mochi donuts are delightful with a

hot cup of tea
Coffee
Espresso, cappuccino or latte
matcha latte
Easy Spiced Golden Milk
Instant Pot Apple Cider.

Frequent Asked Questions

Where did mochi donuts originate?

Mochi donuts were invented in 1990’s in Hawaii and called Mochi Poi. However, several years later Mr. Donut in Japan made this delicious colorful Pon Don Rings (ポン・デ・リング) famous around the world.

How long do mochi donuts last?

Mochi donuts are best enjoyed within the first 24 hours of making them.

How to store mochi donuts?

Mochi donuts can be stored at room temperature in a covered container. Do not refrigerate as this can make the donuts harden. Mochi donuts start to get soggy after 24 to 48 hours.

More Dessert Recipes

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