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Sakura Mochi: Japanese Cherry Blossom Mochi Recipe and Tips

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Nov 24, 2024 • 3 min read

Pale pink sakura mochi is a springtime treat in Japan, arriving at festivals and confectioneries just in time for cherry blossom season.

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What Is Sakura Mochi?

Sakura mochi is a traditional Japanese wagashi featuring sweet red bean paste (anko) encased in pink-hued sticky rice and wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom leaf. You can find this celebratory spring-season rice cake in Japanese confectioneries, especially around Hinamatsuri, or Girl’s Day.

Kanto-Style Sakura Mochi vs. Kansai-Style Sakura Mochi: What’s the Difference?

There are two variations of sakura mochi: Kanto style and Kansai style. The Kanto style, found throughout Tokyo, is made with shiratamako (glutinous rice flour), and has a soft, stretchy texture like that of daifuku mochi. Kansai-style sakura mochi, found in Osaka, Kyoto, and the surrounding regions, features domyojiko, a coarsely ground flour with still-visible grains of glutinous rice. You can find either flour online or in Japanese specialty markets, and some bags of domyojiko even come pre-dyed. If you want to go old-school, you can steam the glutinous rice yourself and use a pestle or potato masher to grind the grains into a semi-paste.

What Does Sakura Mochi Taste Like?

Sakura mochi has an earthy sweetness from the red bean paste, balanced by the bright saltiness of the pickled sakura leaf. The rice-based mochi wrapper itself is only mildly sweet. Despite its name, “sweet” rice flour is not actually sweet, but most recipes do incorporate a small amount of sugar into the mochi wrapper. Sakura mochi is texturally complex, featuring chewy mochi, smooth bean paste, and papery sakura leaf.

4 Tips for Making Sakura Mochi

Provided you can secure the ingredients, sakura mochi is easy to make. Here’s what to know when making this festival treat at home.

  1. 1. Include the cherry blossom leaves. Pickled sakura leaves can be found in some Asian grocery stores during cherry blossom season, or you can buy them online. To ensure a subtle rather than overwhelming saltiness, soak the cherry leaves in water for ten minutes and pat dry with a paper towel before using.
  2. 2. Buy the anko. Anko, a sweet paste made from cooked azuki beans, is one of the main ingredients in sakura mochi and easy to find at Japanese grocery stores. If you plan to prepare the mochi rice cake from scratch, you can save some time by purchasing premade anko.
  3. 3. Serve sakura mochi with green tea. Like most Japanese wagashi, sakura mochi is a perfect companion to tea. Try it alongside a cup of green tea, such as nutty, toasty genmaicha or hojicha.
  4. 4. Enjoy it fresh. The texture of sakura mochi is best enjoyed fresh at room temperature, as the rice tends to dry out once refrigerated. If you’re not serving immediately, tightly wrap sakura mochi in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Kansai-Style Sakura Mochi Recipe

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5 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

6

prep time

5 min

total time

1 hr 45 min

cook time

30 min

Ingredients

  1. 1

    In a small bowl, combine the sugar, water, and 1–2 drops of food coloring. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.

  2. 2

    Place the rice in a large bowl, and submerge the rice in cool water. Swish it with your fingers to agitate, then drain. Repeat until the water runs clear.

  3. 3

    To cook the rice, combine the washed mochigome and colored sugar water in a rice cooker. Stir to combine, then fill with additional water as needed until it reaches the 2 cup marking on the sides of the bowl.

  4. 4

    Let it soak for 1 hour, then cook on the glutinous rice setting or white rice setting.

  5. 5

    Portion the anko into 6 equal pieces and roll it into balls. Set aside.

  6. 6

    When the rice is cooked, use a paddle, spatula, pestle, or potato masher to mash the rice into a smooth, sticky paste. It’s okay if some grains remain whole.

  7. 7

    Let the rice mixture cool to body temperature.

  8. 8

    To assemble, place a sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface and spritz with a fine coat of water to help prevent sticking.

  9. 9

    Place ¼ cup of the cooked rice in the center of the wet plastic wrap.

  10. 10

    Place 1 anko ball in the center of the rice, and fold the rice over the top.

  11. 11

    Use the plastic wrap to seal and press the mochi into an oval shape.

  12. 12

    Place the finished mochi at the bottom edge of a pickled sakura leaf, and wrap the tip end of the leaf towards you. Press to adhere.

  13. 13

    Repeat with remaining rice and sakura leaves.

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