Watermelon Mochi is the recipe that Teresa makes whenever she wants to create the most completely extraordinary and most genuinely delightful and most joyfully unexpected individual summer treat that requires only three ingredients, only a microwave, only twenty minutes from start to finish, and produces the most chewy and most soft and most vibrantly watermelon-flavored and most beautifully pink Japanese-inspired mochi balls that surprise and completely delight every single person who tries one for the first time.
She blends fresh watermelon into the most beautifully smooth and most deeply vibrant juice, strains through a fine mesh sieve, whisks together with the glutinous rice flour and granulated sugar in a microwave-safe bowl until the most smooth and most uniformly combined batter forms, microwaves in one-minute intervals stirring thoroughly after each until the mixture turns the most gorgeous glossy and translucent deeply pink mochi consistency, transfers to a generously cornstarch-dusted surface, allows to cool slightly, dusts her hands with cornstarch, and shapes into the most beautifully round and most perfectly uniform individual mochi balls for the most completely extraordinary three-ingredient summer Japanese-inspired treat.
Watermelon Mochi is the most easy and deeply chewy 3-ingredient gluten-free vegan Japanese summer treat made by whisking glutinous rice flour granulated sugar and fresh strained watermelon juice in a microwave-safe bowl microwaving in 1-minute intervals 3 to 4 minutes until glossy and translucent shaping on cornstarch-dusted surface. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful summer recipe favorites and easy frozen and chilled treat favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
This Watermelon Mochi recipe is the most completely extraordinary and most joyfully unexpected three-ingredient summer treat that produces a result so genuinely chewy and so softly pillowy and so vibrantly watermelon-flavored that every person who receives one mochi ball immediately reaches for another, because the most uniquely satisfying chew of glutinous rice flour mochi combined with the most naturally sweet and most deeply vibrant watermelon juice creates an individual treat that is unlike anything else in the entire summer dessert collection.
This recipe requires no oven, no ice cream maker, no special Japanese kitchen equipment, and no unusual ingredients beyond glutinous rice flour which is widely available in most grocery stores and all Asian grocery stores. The microwave method makes this the most completely accessible and most effortlessly achievable homemade mochi recipe for any cook at any level of experience. Our Watermelon Sorbet makes a beautifully equally vibrant and equally watermelon-forward companion for a complete and wonderful summer treat collection.
Ingredients Needed for This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
For the Mochi:
- 1 cup Glutinous Rice Flour (or Mochiko)
- 1 cup Fresh Watermelon Juice, well-blended and strained, room temperature
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar, adjusted to watermelon sweetness
For Dusting:
- ¼ cup Cornstarch or Potato Starch
How to Make This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
Begin by cutting fresh watermelon into chunks and blending until completely smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to separate the juice from any pulp or fibrous pieces. Ensure the watermelon juice is at room temperature before mixing as cold juice can produce a less smooth and more uneven dough.
In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the glutinous rice flour, granulated sugar, and the room-temperature fresh watermelon juice until the most smooth and most completely lump-free batter forms throughout, cara mia.
Microwave the mixture in one-minute intervals, stirring well and most thoroughly after each interval. Continue for approximately 3 to 4 minutes total until the mixture has transformed into the most gorgeous glossy and translucent and deeply pink mochi dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl most cleanly.
Dust a clean work surface generously with cornstarch or potato starch to prevent any sticking. Carefully transfer the hot mochi mixture onto the dusted surface. Allow to cool for a few minutes until comfortable to handle.
Dust hands generously with cornstarch and shape the mochi into small balls or the most desired individual forms. The cornstarch dusting on the hands and surface is the most essential step for the most effortlessly smooth and most cleanly shaped individual mochi without any sticking.
How to Serve This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
Serve at room temperature immediately after shaping for the most completely chewy and most beautifully soft mochi texture at its most fresh and most extraordinarily satisfying peak. Arrange on a beautiful plate with a dusting of additional cornstarch for the most clean and most professionally Japanese-inspired presentation.
Pair alongside a cup of iced green tea or a glass of cold lemonade for the most completely extraordinary and most genuinely Japanese-inspired summer dessert moment. Our Watermelon Sorbet makes a beautifully equally vibrant and equally light companion for a complete and wonderful summer watermelon treat collection.
How to Store This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
Enjoy watermelon mochi most ideally fresh on the day of preparation for the most beautifully chewy and most properly soft texture. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, though the texture will become firmer. Revive refrigerated mochi by steaming briefly or microwaving for a few seconds. Freeze individually wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months — thaw in the refrigerator and reheat gently before serving.
Tips to Make This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
Use room-temperature watermelon juice rather than cold juice from the refrigerator. Room-temperature juice produces the most smoothly combined and most uniformly textured mochi batter with the most proper viscosity for the most beautifully even microwave cooking. Cold juice can result in a slightly lumpy or uneven initial batter consistency.
Do not over-blend the watermelon juice past the perfectly smooth glossy translucent stage during microwaving. Under-microwaved mochi has a gritty and unpleasant texture that has not fully cooked. The most correctly microwaved mochi is unmistakably glossy, translucent, and pulls away from the bowl sides cleanly.
Helpful Notes for This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
Glutinous rice flour is not the same as rice flour and the two cannot be substituted for each other in this recipe. Glutinous rice flour is made from short-grain sticky rice and produces the characteristic chewy and most distinctively mochi-like texture. Regular rice flour produces a completely different and most crumbly and non-chewy result. Mochiko is the most commonly available Japanese brand of glutinous rice flour and is a perfect direct substitute.
The amount of granulated sugar can be adjusted upward or downward depending on the natural sweetness of the specific watermelon used. Taste the blended watermelon juice before mixing with the flour — a very sweet watermelon may need as little as one tablespoon of additional sugar while a less sweet watermelon may benefit from the full two tablespoons or even slightly more.
Variation of This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
Maria made a version using mango juice in place of watermelon juice for the most completely extraordinary and most vibrant tropical mango mochi variation that was deeply fragrant and beautifully golden. Teresa tried adding a tiny pinch of sea salt to the batter for the most completely beautiful sweet-salty contrast that elevated the entire watermelon mochi flavor most dramatically.
For a coconut watermelon mochi, replace a quarter cup of the watermelon juice with the same quantity of full-fat coconut milk for the most completely extraordinary and most beautifully tropical coconut watermelon mochi with the most luxuriously rich and most deeply satisfying chew. Our Fruity Yogurt Pops make a beautifully equally tropical and equally vibrant companion for a complete and wonderful summer fruit treat collection.
FAQs About This Watermelon Mochi Recipe
What is glutinous rice flour and where can I find it?
Glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour or mochiko, is made by finely grinding short-grain sticky rice into a powder. It is the most essential and most specifically required ingredient for any mochi recipe as it produces the characteristic stretchy and most satisfyingly chewy mochi texture that cannot be replicated with any other flour. It is available in most Asian grocery stores, many mainstream grocery stores in the Asian foods aisle, and widely online.
Why does my mochi feel too sticky?
If the shaped mochi is sticking to hands or the work surface, the most effective solution is to add more cornstarch or potato starch to both the hands and the work surface. The dusting starch is what prevents sticking during the shaping process. Additionally, if the batter feels too wet before microwaving, the watermelon juice measurement may have been slightly too generous — the most precise measurement produces the most properly handleable finished mochi.
Is watermelon mochi gluten-free?
Yes. Watermelon mochi made with glutinous rice flour is naturally gluten-free despite the word “glutinous” in the name. The word “glutinous” refers to the sticky and glue-like texture of the flour when cooked, not to any gluten content. Glutinous rice flour contains no gluten and is safe for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Always verify that the specific brand of glutinous rice flour used is certified gluten-free if strict compliance is required
Conclusion
This Watermelon Mochi is the most completely extraordinary and most deeply delightful three-ingredient Japanese-inspired summer treat that makes every warm afternoon and every summer gathering feel genuinely and completely special through the most chewy and most softly pillowy and most vibrantly pink and naturally sweet watermelon-flavored individual mochi ball in every single carefully shaped and completely irresistible watermelon mochi bite. We hope it brings the same deeply joyful summer Japanese dessert magic and the same completely delighted gathering to your kitchen that it has always brought to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
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Watermelon Mochi The Most Easy 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Vegan Summer Japanese Treat You Will Make
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4 pieces 1x
Description
The most easy 3-ingredient Watermelon Mochi made by blending fresh watermelon and straining through fine mesh sieve to make 1 cup room temperature juice then whisking with 1 cup glutinous rice flour and 2 tbsp granulated sugar in microwave-safe bowl until smooth microwaving in 1-minute intervals stirring thoroughly after each for 3 to 4 minutes total until glossy and translucent transferring to generously cornstarch-dusted surface cooling slightly dusting hands with starch and shaping into small balls. A completely extraordinary gluten-free vegan watermelon mochi recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup Glutinous Rice Flour or Mochiko
1 cup Fresh Watermelon Juice well-blended and strained room temperature
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar adjusted to watermelon sweetness
1/4 cup Cornstarch or Potato Starch for dusting
Instructions
1. Cut watermelon into chunks. Blend until completely smooth.
2. Strain through fine mesh sieve. Ensure room temperature.
3. Whisk glutinous rice flour, sugar, and room temperature watermelon juice in microwave-safe bowl until smooth and lump-free.
4. Microwave in 1-minute intervals stirring thoroughly after each for 3 to 4 minutes until glossy and translucent.
5. Dust clean surface generously with cornstarch or potato starch.
6. Carefully transfer hot mochi onto dusted surface.
7. Cool a few minutes until comfortable to handle.
8. Dust hands generously with starch. Shape into small balls or desired forms.
9. Serve immediately or store.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Summer, Japanese
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: watermelon mochi, easy 3 ingredient watermelon mochi recipe gluten free vegan, Japanese watermelon mochi glutinous rice flour summer, best watermelon mochi microwave
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