Mochi, a Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice, are becoming increasingly popular. While mochi are often enjoyed fresh, is it possible to pop them in the freezer for the longer term?
Can You Freeze Mochi?
Yes, you can freeze mochi for up to 2 weeks only. We recommend wrapping it in cling film before placing the package into an airtight container. This creates an airtight seal around the mochi, preventing oxidation.
Do Mochi Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Mochi? Yes
How to Freeze Mochi
Freezing mochi isn’t as simple as upending a bucket of the little cakes into the freezer – there are a few steps. These are the steps we would recommend to ensure you get success every time:
- Wrap: Wrapping the mochi in cling film is a necessary step to ensure that the sugar and flour of the mochi itself don’t get dissolved in any condensation or frost.
- Check the Seal: Smooth the wrapping around the mochi with your hands – static electricity from your hands will stick the cling film to itself, ensuring that the wrapping is tight.
- Add to a Container: Any airtight container can be used to ensure that the mochi don’t get frost on them, though we would recommend a rigid plastic container to keep them protected.
- Seal: Sealing the container will prevent the frost front from finding its way into the container, leading to freezer burn.
- Freeze: Placing the container into the centre of the freezer will keep the food you’re preserving away from the frost front that forms at the edges of the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Mochi
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing mochi to have the best results:
Check the Seal
If the cling film wasn’t sealed, the condensation and frost within the freezer would be liable to dissolve some of the sugar and gluten within the mochi, significantly decreasing their quality and texture… So, check the seal!
Stick to the 2-Week Time Frame
Allowing the mochi to sit in the freezer for too long is a surefire way to make sure that it will lose texture over time. To ensure this doesn’t happen, remove the mochi from the freezer before two weeks have elapsed.Â
Don’t Bother
Seeing as you can only freeze mochi for around 2 weeks, and within a few days, you will have already ruined some of their texture, you have to question whether there’s really any point?
How Long Can You Freeze Mochi?
You can freeze mochi for up to 2 weeks without any level of quality being lost to freezer burn.
After those 2 weeks, though, the gluten will likely have been damaged, and the individual mochi won’t be very squishy and pleasantly textured. Avoid this by removing the mochi before two weeks have passed.
Freshly made mochi will only last for 24 hours in the fridge. This is why it’s a good idea to make them as and when you want to enjoy them and not ahead of time.
How Do You Defrost Mochi?
The best way to defrost mochi is to unwrap them from the airtight container and the cling film that you previously wrapped them in, and then place them on a cooling rack at room temperature.
This will allow good airflow around the mochi, leading to reasonably rapid thawing and good evaporation of condensation.
Can You Refreeze Mochi?
Technically, yes, you can refreeze mochi.
However, we recommend against refreezing them, as the gluten will become less and less developed with each freezing. Eventually, the mochi is likely to lose all texture.
Do Mochi Freeze Well?
Yes, mochi does freeze well.
To be sure that your mochi freezes well, ensure they’re well wrapped and that they aren’t sitting in or near a small body of water. This will allow them to freeze well and for their texture to be maintained.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing mochi or mochi in general, then these may help:
Some people like to eat their mochi from frozen but it’s a good idea to let them thaw for 5 to 10 minutes to soften them up a little beforehand.
