Warabi Mochi Recipe
Warabi Mochi is a wonderfully refreshing Japanese summer sweet with a cool, smooth, jelly-like texture. Unlike traditional mochi made from glutinous rice, Warabi Mochi is light and delicate, with a translucent appearance that makes it especially appealing on a hot summer day. Traditionally coated in nutty Kinako (roasted soybean flour) and sugar, it is an easy-to-love dessert that has been enjoyed in Japan for centuries.
What is Warabi Mochi?
Warabi Mochi is a traditional Japanese sweet made from warabi starch, a starch extracted from the roots of warabi, or bracken—a fern-like wild plant native to Japan. The starch is naturally translucent and gives Warabi Mochi its distinctive soft, smooth, and slightly chewy texture.
Warabi Mochi has a long history in Japan and has been especially popular during the hot and humid summer months. Its refreshing appearance and cool, slippery texture make it a perfect summer treat. Served chilled, the pieces feel wonderfully cool as they melt in your mouth.
Authentic warabi starch is quite difficult and time-consuming to produce. Extracting a small amount of starch from bracken roots requires a labor-intensive process, so pure warabi starch is not widely produced today. Many products sold as “warabi mochi starch” contain other starches, such as sweet potato or tapioca starch, either blended with warabi starch or used as a substitute.
Although Warabi Mochi is called “mochi,” it is quite different from rice-based mochi. It is much lighter and more delicate, making it an especially enjoyable dessert in the summer.
Warabi Mochi itself has only a mild sweetness, so toppings are an important part of the dessert. The most traditional topping is Kinako, roasted soybean flour with a delicious nutty aroma and flavor, often mixed with sugar. Warabi Mochi may also be served with Kuromitsu, a thick Japanese brown sugar syrup similar to molasses. For an extra-indulgent treat, you can enjoy both Kinako and Kuromitsu together.
Warabi Mochi is an old and traditional Japanese sweet, but it is also a very casual dessert. You may find it at specialty Japanese confectionery shops during the summer, as well as at supermarkets throughout the year.
If you can find warabi starch, this cool and delicate Japanese dessert is definitely worth trying!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Warabi Mochi Starch
Warabi Mochi starch is the key ingredient that gives this dessert its characteristic translucent appearance and soft, jelly-like texture. If you can find pure warabi starch, use it for the most traditional result.
Pure warabi starch can be difficult to find and can be expensive. More commonly available “warabi mochi starch” products may contain sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, or other starches. These products can still make delicious Warabi Mochi, although the texture may be somewhat different from mochi made with pure warabi starch.
Kinako
Kinako is roasted soybean flour with a naturally nutty, toasted flavor. It is the classic topping for Warabi Mochi and is usually mixed with sugar before being sprinkled generously over the mochi.
If you cannot find Kinako, roasted soybean flour is essentially the same ingredient. Avoid substituting regular soybean flour, as it does not have the same roasted flavor.
Sugar
Sugar is used both in the Warabi Mochi mixture and in the Kinako topping. The amount can be adjusted according to your preference, especially since Warabi Mochi is traditionally served with a sweet coating or syrup.
Warabi Mochi Variations
The recipe was originally published on June 21, 2018. The post was fully updated on August 10, 2026 with revised text and new photos.
Video
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Kinako (soy bean powder)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 100 g Warabi Mochi starch
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 400 ml water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix Kinako and 3 Tbsp sugar together. In a large bowl, get ice water ready. Set aside.
- In a different bowl, mix Warabi Mochi starch and 1 Tbsp sugar. Combine Warabi Mochi flour mixture and water in a pot, and cook at high heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts getting lumpy, turn down the heat to medium, and continue cooking and stirring until it becomes very viscous. Remove from heat.
- Immediately scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of the Warabi “batter” and drop into ice water. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cool for a couple of minutes in ice water.
- Strain water well, and put the pieces of mochi on a plate. Generously sprinkle Kinako mixture over Warabi Mochi.
