The best part? You don’t need any special baking skills. Mix the ingredients, pour the batter into a baking pan, and let the oven do the work.

Ube butter mochi is a chewy baked dessert made with glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour or mochiko. Unlike traditional mochi, which is usually steamed or formed into individual pieces, butter mochi is baked in a pan.

Adding ube halaya and Ube flavoring give this classic chewy dessert a beautiful purple color and a distinct Filipino flavor.

The finished mochi has slightly crisp edges and a soft, dense, chewy center. It is rich without being overly sweet and tastes especially delicious with coffee or tea.

Why You’ll Love This Ube Butter Mochi

• Full of ube flavor – Perfect for ube lovers.
• Naturally gluten-free – Glutinous rice flour does not contain wheat gluten.
• Beautiful purple color – Perfect for parties
• Easy to make – Everything is mixed in one bowl.
• Chewy and buttery
• Great for sharing – Cut it into small squares for gatherings.
• Make-ahead friendly – The flavor and texture hold up well after baking

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Glutinous rice flour, sometimes labeled sweet rice flour or mochiko. This is what gives butter mochi its signature chewy texture. Do not substitute regular rice flour. Regular rice flour will produce a completely different texture.
• Ube Halaya-Ube halaya gives the butter mochi its signature purple color and sweet, earthy ube flavor. You can use homemade or store-bought ube halaya. I actually use the Ube Halaya I made which yields a very distinct nutty taste. Making your own Ube Halaya is very easy. And I use the ube powder brand shown below. You can buy it in Amazon.
• Ube Extract-Ube extract intensifies the ube flavor and gives the dessert an even more beautiful purple color.A little goes a long way.
• Coconut Milk-Coconut milk adds richness and a subtle tropical flavor that pairs beautifully with ube.
• Unsalted Butter-Melted butter gives the mochi a rich, buttery flavor and helps create those delicious golden edges.
• Eggs-Eggs provide structure and help create the soft, custardy-chewy texture.
• Sugar-Granulated sugar provides sweetness. If your ube halaya is very sweet, you can slightly reduce the sugar.

How to Make Ube Butter Mochi

• Step 1: Preheat the Oven– Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper for easier removal.
• Step 2: Combine the Wet Ingredients

• Melted butter
• Eggs
• Coconut milk
• Ube halaya
• Ube extract
• Vanilla extract

• Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients and add to the wet ingredients- Gradually add the glutinous rice flour mix to the wet ingredients. Whisk until you have a smooth batter with no large lumps. The batter will be fairly thick but pourable.
• Step 4: Pour Into the Pan-Pour the ube mochi batter into the prepared baking pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to release large air bubbles. Smooth the top with a spatula.
• Step 5: Bake Bake at 350°F for approximately 50–60 minutes, or until the top is golden and the center is set. The edges should look slightly darker and firm.The center may still have a little softness when you remove it from the oven. It will continue to set as it cools.
• Step 6: Cool Completely-Allow the butter mochi to cool in the pan before cutting.For the cleanest slices, let it cool completely.Use a sharp knife to cut it into squares or rectangles.For an extra-pretty presentation, lightly grease your knife before cutting.

Tips for the Best Ube Butter Mochi

1. Don’t use regular rice flour. This recipe requires glutinous rice flour. It is responsible for the chewy texture.

2. Don’t Overbake-Overbaking can make butter mochi firmer and less chewy. Start checking around the 20 minute mark.

3. Let it cool before cutting.I know it is tempting to cut into it while it is warm, but allowing the mochi to cool helps the texture fully develop and makes cleaner cuts.

4. Adjust the sweetness-Different brands of ube halaya have different levels of sweetness. If yours is particularly sweet, you can reduce the granulated sugar slightly.

5. Use good-quality ube extract-Ube extract makes a noticeable difference in the final flavor. If you want a stronger ube flavor, add a little more, but avoid adding too much because some extracts can taste artificial.

Can I Make Ube Butter Mochi in Advance?

Can I Freeze Ube Butter Mochi?

How to Serve Ube Butter Mochi

• Hot coffee
• Filipino-style coffee
• Black tea
• Matcha
• Vanilla ice cream
• Coconut ice cream
• Whipped cream
• Toasted coconut
• Extra ube halaya

Frequently Asked Questions

Is butter mochi the same as regular mochi?

• No. Traditional mochi is generally made by steaming or pounding glutinous rice, while butter mochi is a baked dessert made with glutinous rice flour.

Why is my butter mochi not chewy?

• Make sure you used glutinous rice flour, not regular rice flour. Overbaking can also make butter mochi firmer and less chewy.

Can I use ube powder instead of ube halaya?

• Yes, but you will need to adjust the liquid and sweetness because ube powder does not contain the same moisture and sugar as ube halaya.

Can I make this recipe without coconut milk?

• Yes. Coconut milk adds extra richness and flavor to the recipe, but you can substitute another milk. However, the flavor will be slightly different.

How should I store ube butter mochi?

• Store cooled pieces in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for longer storage.

Is ube butter mochi gluten-free?

• This recipe can be gluten-free because glutinous rice flour itself is naturally gluten-free. However, always check the labels of your other ingredients if you need the finished dessert to be strictly gluten-free.