Shanghai butter mochi, butter mochi, butter tteok, crispy butter mochi, Korean crispy butter mochi — call it whatever you want — but definitely make some and enjoy the bestest, easiest, crispy, chewy treat.
If you like squishy, chewy deserts, you’ll love these lil butter rice cakes. They’re mochi-full and delightfully soft and chewy on the inside and addictively crisp and crunchy on the edges. They’re not-too-sweet, as most Asian desserts are, and are the perfect treat to bake even if you have no baking skills. Plus, they’re naturally gluten-free.
I’m back again with another viral trending recipe from Korea. Move over Dubai chewy cookies, there’s another, newer, shinier, younger dessert in town. Unfortunately, that’s the way the world works. Or dare I say, the way the cookie crumbles? Anyway, the world, especially the internet loves viral content and what’s going viral right now is crispy Shanghai butter mochi.
What is Shanghai butter mochi / butter tteok
Butter tteok is a viral baked treat that comes to us via Korea. Golden-brown, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, it is epically viral on Korean socials in early 2026. (Side note, sometimes I feel like a food anthropologist who writes about food trends and it both delights and disturbs me LOL). Shanghai butter mochi has glutinous rice flour, butter, milk, and eggs. Everything is mixed together and poured into individual cake pans and baked. If you’ve ever had Hawaiian butter mochi, it’s essentially the same, but with a bit more crisp. It’s also kind of similar to French canele, with its crisp outside and tender insides.
How to make Shanghai butter mochi
- Butter – Grab a muffin pan or any other pan that has small wells. I used a super cute taiyaki pan that makes the tiniest lil butter mochis. In Korea, they seem to favor pans that are shaped like chestnuts or shells, but really, any baking vessel with individual wells will do. Butter the pan generously with butter. If desired, sprinkle in a bit of sugar, it will caramelize while the mochi bakes, making a crunchy crust.
- Melt – Heat the milk and butter in a small pot over low heat, stirring, until the butter melts. Don’t let it come to a boil.
- Mix – Mix together the egg, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Whisk – Whisk in the milk and butter mix.
- Stir – Stir in the glutinous rice and tapioca flour, being sure to stir out any lumps.
- Strain – Optional, but highly recommended, strain the batter through a fine mesh seive.
- Pour – Pour the batter evenly into the prepared molds.
- Bake – Bake until golden brown and crispy.
- Cool – Remove from the oven and tip the mochi out of the tins and cool on a wire rack. The mochi will get crispy as it cools.
Crispy butter mochi ingredients
- butter – it wouldn’t be butter mochi without butter. Butter is what makes these guys crispy and golden brown.
- sugar – regular granulated sugar is what makes this not-too-sweet and helps with the deep-golden crust’s caramelization.
- egg – an egg adds richness and a bit of rising powder.
- vanilla – a touch of vanilla adds a nice, deep, round note to these cakes.
- milk – I like using whole milk because it has a higher fat content, but you can use any kind of milk or even milk substitue.
- glutinous rice flour/mochiko flour – this is the key to these cakes. If you can find mochiko flour (usually produced in North America by Koda Farms), it’s you’re best bet. If not, the very commonly found Erawan/Elephant brand of glutinous rice flour will work too. Glutinous rice flour is the key to mochi. It’s what gives it that chewy texture. It also happens to be naturally gluten-free, since all it is finely milled glutinous rice.
How to store butter mochi
I love this recipe because it makes just the right amount, 6 lil cakes to snack on. That being said, if you have any leftovers, be sure to let the mochi cool completely before popping into an air tight container. They’ll keep for a couple of days but won’t be crispy after storage.
How to crisp up butter mochi
To make the butter mochi again, you can lightly toast them in a toaster oven for 4-5 minutes at 350°F. You can also air-fry them for 1-3 minutes. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get too brown.
Alright, hopefully you guys try this recipe! I’m a sucker for viral recipes and this is no exception. I am already a mochi lover so crispy-edged Shanghai butter mochi is a dream come true. Mike and I ate the whole batch, not a single one was left.
Happy mochi—ing!
xoxo steph
PS: If you’re as cuted out as I am over this pan, it’s from here.
Crispy Shanghai Butter Mochi
If you like squishy, chewy deserts, you’ll love these lil butter rice cakes.
Serves 16 Mochis
- 1 cup milk 200g
- 2 tbsp butter 25g, plus extra to butter the baking sheet
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sugar 50g
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup glutinous rice flour 130g
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour 15g
Nutrition Facts
Crispy Shanghai Butter Mochi
Amount Per Serving (1 mochi)
Calories 90
Calories from Fat 20
% Daily Value*
Fat 2.2g3%
Saturated Fat 1.1g7%
Cholesterol 28mg9%
Sodium 27mg1%
Potassium 25mg1%
Carbohydrates 12.6g4%
Fiber 0.3g1%
Sugar 4.5g5%
Protein 1.7g3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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