Pumpkin Mochi is a fun dessert for fall and Thanksgiving. It’s very easy to make, and this recipe makes a big batch that’s great for serving a crowd. It’s sweet with a chewy texture from glutinous rice flour.
For Thanksgiving, I’m in charge of desserts. It’s a challenge to find desserts enjoyable to all, so I usually do quite a few desserts. For a number of years, I struggled to find desserts enjoyable for my parents, aunts, and uncles. They often complain that normal desserts are too sweet. A lot of them also don’t like the taste of cinnamon. A lot of traditional Thanksgiving desserts are sweet and have cinnamon.
Two years ago, I went to a Thanksgiving potluck, and this girl I knew brought pumpkin mochi. As soon as I tasted it, I knew I had a perfect dessert for all the adults that wanted something less sweet, without cinnamon. And the best part is that it is the perfect blend of my Chinese culture with the Thanksgiving holiday, which is very much how we celebrate Thanksgiving.
The recipe is so simple too! I’ve made several different other types of mochi, but this pumpkin mochi is a bit different. It uses condensed milk instead of evaporated milk, and it tastes like mochi with pumpkin flavor. If you prefer something with a pumpkin spice taste, I’ve seen variations of this recipe with pumpkin spices or nutmeg added to produce a more spice taste.
What is Pumpkin Mochi
Pumpkin mochi is a twist on butter mochi. It tastes like pumpkin-flavored butter mochi cake and has a similar texture. Like butter mochi, the mochi cake is chewy but not quite as chewy as eating just pure mochi. It is easy to make as you just add all the ingredients, mix, and then bake.
How to Make It
Whisk the mochiko flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Mix all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Pour the batter into a prepared 9×13″ baking pan.
Bake it for one hour, and then let the mochi cool for several hours before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- For more fall flavor, you can add some pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon.
- You can make it a day in advance. Once the pumpkin mochi is cooled to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature until you’re ready to serve it.
- I don’t recommend storing it in the refrigerator because the texture will change and not be as good.
More Mochi Recipes
Pumpkin Mochi
Ingredients
- 1 (29-oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup butter melted
- 4 eggs beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 (16-oz) box Mochiko-sweet rice flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl mix mochiko flour and baking powder. In a large bowl mix all the other ingredients. Then add the dry ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake the mochi for one hour. Allow the cake to cool completely for a few hours before cutting and serving.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I was looking for something new to do with pumpkin and found this recipe. I baked it last night and cut the sugar by half – my son doesn’t like sweets much. He loved it! I could use about another 1/4 cup of sugar in the batch so next time I’ll use 1-1/4 cup sugar. We really liked the texture of the cake. Thank you for sharing it.
I’m so glad your son liked it!
Can I use normal rice flour? I can’t find this sweet rice flour anywhere. Am I looking in the wrong places?
You need to use sweet glutinous rice flour. In Japanese stores there is a brand called Mochiko. It’s a small box. Or in chinese stores, they sell them in small bags and they are labeled sweet glutinous rice flour. I’ve also seen the Mochiko one sold at American grocery stores, usually in the ethnic food aisle.
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I finally got to making this and like you said, the condensed milk does wonderfully to counteract the pumpkin filling. It turned out great! Thank you so much for the recipe! Definitely a keeper =D
It does sound really sweet. But it’s not. I double checked the recipe to make sure I didn’t make a mistake. My other mochi recipes don’t have condensed milk and sugar, but I think you need the extra sweetness from the condensed milk to counteract all the pumpkin filling which isn’t sweet at all.
Wow, you have such a variety of mochi recipes- it’s great! My family complains a lot about desserts being too sweet too. I was wondering though, using the 14 oz condensed milk and the two cups of sugar.. the mochi didn’t turn out too sweet?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I tried your pumpkin mochi recipe and it was a hit with my family. Thank you. Just blogged about it on the Crispy Cook.
Thanks! I hope you have a chance to try it out
That looks AMAZING! (Here from photograzing.)
haha. I used to think so also, but they are quite different. Condensed milk is super sweet and thick. If you use condensed milk when baking, you use a lot less sugar.
It’s super easy to make too, which is what I love about it!
i totally thought condensed milk and evaporated milk were interchangable. now i know it’s not! i’ll have to try this sometime- all the adults love this sort of dessert
this is great! i have become obsessed with mochi since my (asian) boyfriend introduced me to to it years ago. i’m definitely going to try this!
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Thanks! Though I can’t take all the credit. If I never tasted it at the potluck, I wouldn’t have thought to make it myself. It’s become a big hit in my family.
Seriously, brilliant! You have made the most creative mochi variations. I’m going to check out the cherry one, as well!