Strawberry-Lychee Jelly Mochi Donuts

These mochi donuts have a delightfully crispy exterior and chewy, soft interior filled with a juicy homemade strawberry-lychee jelly that keeps you coming back for bite after bite. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, chewy mochi, a sweet-but-not-too-sweet jelly, and a dusting of an addictingly tangy sugar inspired by strawberry Sour Patch Kids. Whether you’re making these for just yourself or to share with friends, these donuts are guaranteed to be an instant favorite.

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Makes 10 mid-size donuts

What you’ll need

Stawberry-lychee jelly*
*prepare 1 day ahead
1/2 lb strawberries, finely diced
1/2 can of lychee, strained and finely diced
1 1/2 cups white sugar 
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (extract is ok too)
1 tbsp pectin powder (or 2 tsp cornstarch)

Mochi donut dough
2 cup Mochiko rice flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour 
2 tsp baking powder 
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 cup hot water or as needed
Neutral oil for deep frying

Strawberry sour sugar
2 tbsp freeze dried strawberries, blended into a fine powder
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp citric acid (not necessary but it gives it the taste of the Sour Patch powder)

Let’s jam

*I highly recommend preparing the jelly one day ahead in order to give it plenty of time to fully chill and set.

  1. In a pot, mix together the diced strawberries, lychees, and sugar. Stir in water, and bring to a medium high boil (about 200 F). 

  2. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Bring up to a boil again, at about 220 F. Jam begins set at this temperature. Keep at low-medium boil for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring regularly. 

  3. Stir in the pectin or cornstarch slurry and boil for a few more minutes to help the jelly thicken. When the jam “wrinkles” at the top when stirred, or if it sticks to a cold spoon (chill in freezer for 5 minutes), it is ready. 

  4. Let cool at room temp, and store in clean jar. Chill in fridge overnight or at least 10 hours. The jam can take up to 24 hours to fully set, and thickens more as it cools. 

Let’s assemble

  1. In a large bowl, mix together Mochiko rice flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, and sugar. 

  2. Add cold butter to the mixture, and break it up with your fingers until crumbly and distributed. Add hot water little by little and moisten the flour and mix until it comes together in a *moist dough. (It should be fairly wet and soft) Cover with towel, and set aside for 30 min to an hour. 

  3. Roll dough into smooth balls to your desired size. 

  4. Heat your oil in a large pot to about 325 F for frying. I prefer 325 over 375 for frying as it allows more time for the mochi dough to fully cook through. 

  5. Place the dough balls on squares of parchment paper, and drop them gently into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pot. Make sure they have lots of room. 

  6. Fry for about 3 minutes each side or until golden brown. 

  7. Toss in sour strawberry sugar while hot so the sugar sticks. 

  8. Pipe with strawberry lychee jam by poking a hole in the side with a toothpick or chopstick and then inserting piping bag filled with jam into donut. 

  9. Garnish with strawberry slices (optional). Enjoy!

* Do not knead the dough, it will lead to a tough and chewy donut. The dough should be soft and almost “fluffy”

*Storage: Best eaten day of. To enjoy leftovers, microwave and toss in leftover sugar. The donuts can get hard in the fridge. Leftover jam is good for 2 weeks in the fridge. 

No waste hacks for recipe scraps.

  • Extra jam

    I love having leftover strawberry lychee jelly. My favorite ways to use it are in drinks. Mix with sparkling water and matcha for a strawberry-lychee matcha sparkler, or swap the sparkling water with milk for a strawberry matcha latte.

  • Extra sour strawberry sugar

    The sour strawberry sugar is perfect as a rim on a strawberry margarita or a mocktail.