Chewy Banana Butter Mochi

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Banana butter mochi is a Hawaiian-style baked mochi made with sweet rice flour, coconut milk, and butter, packed with real pureed banana. It bakes into a pan of squares that are chewy and custardy in the middle with a lightly crisp, cakey crust. Think banana bread crossed with mochi, warm from the oven.

My sister is the one who got me hooked on butter mochi years ago, and I haven’t been able to stop making it since. Those chewy, buttery squares disappear fast in my house, so I’m always looking for new ways to spin the flavor.

This banana version is my favorite way to make it in the fall. If you love banana bread, the flavor will feel familiar, but the texture is a completely different experience: chewy and squishy like mochi, with a golden crust on the top and edges. It hits the spot just like a warm slice of Korean sweet potato bread, just chewier.

If you’re already in fall mode, Chewy Pumpkin Butter Mochi uses that same mochiko base and leans into pumpkin spice for an equally cozy sheet-pan bake.

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It’s also part of my 36 Easy Asian Desserts, if you want more delicious inspo.

What Makes This Banana Butter Mochi So Good

The best part is the texture contrast. The center stays moist and almost pudding-like from the banana and coconut milk, while the top bakes into a thin, crackly crust with caramelized edges. Every square gives you both in one bite.

The banana flavor is real and comes through in a big way because you use three whole pureed bananas. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and it tastes like fall, close to banana bread but with that unmistakable mochi chew. If you’re a mochi fan, it lands right alongside my pumpkin mochi pancakes in the cozy-season rotation.

What Is the Difference Between Butter Mochi and Regular Mochi?

Regular mochi is pounded or steamed glutinous rice with very little added, so it is soft, plain, and chewy. Butter mochi is a baked dessert that stirs sweet rice flour together with butter, eggs, coconut milk, and sugar, which makes it richer, sweeter, and more cake-like while keeping that signature chew. It’s a Hawaiian classic with clear Japanese roots. For a more traditional chewy rice sweet, my mitarashi dango shows the plainer side of mochi.

Can I Use Regular Rice Flour Instead of Mochiko?

No, regular rice flour won’t work here. You need glutinous sweet rice flour, usually sold as mochiko, because it has the sticky starch that gives butter mochi its bounce. Regular rice flour bakes up soft and crumbly instead of chewy. The Just One Cookbook guide to mochiko sweet rice flour is a helpful explainer if you’re new to it.

That same glutinous rice flour is what gives Air Fryer Sweet Potato Sesame Balls their signature chew, blended with roasted sweet potato and crisped up in the air fryer instead of a baking dish.

Why Does Banana Butter Mochi Have That Chewy, Cakey Texture?

The chew comes from the sweet rice flour, which is high in a sticky starch that sets up bouncy instead of crumbly. The banana and coconut milk keep the middle moist and custardy, while the baking powder gives it just enough lift to feel cakey rather than dense. It’s the same sweet rice flour magic behind my chapssal donuts.

Tips for the Best Banana Butter Mochi

1. Use very ripe bananas

The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more banana-forward your mochi. Look for lots of brown spots. If your bananas are still firm, roast them unpeeled on a baking pan at 300F for about 15 minutes to soften them up before pureeing.

2. Sift the sweet rice flour

Sweet rice flour clumps easily. Sift it with the baking powder directly into your wet mixture and whisk until smooth so you don’t end up with pockets of dry flour in the batter.

3. Pick your pan for the texture you want

A 9×9 pan gives you thinner, chewier squares with more crust. A smaller 8×8 pan makes them thicker and more custardy in the center. Both are delicious, so choose based on the ratio of crust to chew you like.

4. Let it cool completely before slicing

This is the hard part. Butter mochi needs to cool for one to two hours to fully set. Slice too early and it will be gummy and hard to cut cleanly. Once it is set, you get those clean, chewy squares.

5. Add mix-ins if you want

Right before baking, scatter chopped nuts, a little extra cinnamon, or a handful of chocolate chips over the top. Walnuts or pecans are especially good with the banana.

Storage and Leftovers

Banana butter mochi keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days, which is part of why it is such a great potluck bake. After that, move it to the fridge for up to five days. The texture firms up when chilled, so let squares come to room temperature or microwave one for about ten seconds to bring back that soft chew.

It also freezes nicely. Wrap individual squares and freeze for up to a month, then thaw and warm before eating.

Equipment

• Blender
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk
• Fine Mesh Sieve
• Baking Pan
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

• 3 Bananas (pureed)
• 3/4 cup Coconut Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter (melted)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1.5 cups sweet rice flour

Instructions

1. If your bananas are ripe, puree them in a blender until smooth. If they are not quite ripe, roast them unpeeled on a baking pan at 300F for 15 minutes first to soften them, then puree.
2. Melt the butter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract, pureed bananas, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until smooth.
3. Add the baking powder and sweet rice flour to a fine mesh sieve and sift them into the bowl. Whisk until the batter is smooth. Whisk in the cinnamon.
4. Line a square cake pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter. A 9×9 pan makes thinner squares, or use a smaller pan for thicker ones. Add any nuts or mix-ins now.
5. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, until the top is golden and set.
6. Let it cool for 1 to 2 hours, until completely cooled and set, then slice into squares and enjoy.

If you bake up a batch of this banana butter mochi, I would love to know how it went. Leave a star rating on the recipe card below and drop a comment to tell me if you added any mix-ins. It pairs perfectly with a cozy glass of cinnamon Korean banana milk, and if you want to keep the mochi kick going, try my savory okonomiyaki mochi waffles or a fresh whole mango mochi next.

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