
Chewy on the inside, slightly crispy on the outside and coated in a daigaku-imo style sauce. This candied Japanese sweet potato pan fried mochi is the perfect quick and easy healthy snack!

If you recreate this Japanese Sweet Potato Yaki Mochi recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
PrintSweet Potato Mochi
Japanese sweet potato mochi coated in a sweet and salty syrup. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside!
Ingredients
- 1 medium Japanese sweet potato (about 275g raw with skin // about 195 cooked without skin )
- 3 tbsp potato starch (33g)
- 3-5 tablespoon non dairy milk (depending on sweet potto moisture)
- 2-4 teaspoon sugar, optional
- 1 tbsp oil or vegan butter (for frying)
Sauce:
- 1 tbsp Mirin (17g)
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar (22g)
- 2 tsp soy sauce (10ml)
- 1 tsp black sesame (5g)
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes. If time allows, soak the potatoes in water for 10 minutes to remove excess starch.
- Mash the potatoes until crumbly. Add in the potato starch, non dairy milk (starting with lesser amount) and sugar. Mix and mash until a mostly smooth paste forms. The consistency should be moist but not too wet nor dry. It should hold together and not crumble when rolling– you should be able to easily hold some in your hands without it sticking to your hands. Adjust the amount of milk as needed as some potatoes tend to be more moist or dry.
- Divide the paste into 6 portions. Roll into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hands, about 1 cm in thickness. Heat a pan over medium heat with a little oil or vegan butter. Place the sweet potato rounds onto the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes per side). Remove the potatoes and place it onto a plate. Add sauce ingredients to the pan over medium heat and stir together. Once thickened, add the potato mochi back into the pan and coat it in the sauce. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Helpful Equipment: spatula, mixing bowls, whisk
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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Jasmine says
Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! Not overly sweet so it’s the perfect light snack after any meal! Super easy and quick to make too! I did need to add a tablespoon more of potato starch to get the right consistency to form the mixture into rounds. 😃
★★★★★
Jennifer Wai says
This recipe was amazing!! I used a purple yam that I had on hand (and was honestly dreading what to do with it after cooking it in the slow cooker.) It absolutely was not appetizing until I saw this recipe on IG! I quickly ordered potato starch but had the rest of the ingredients on hand. Used almond milk and swerve to mix in (swerve is a sugar substitute.) Then was able to cook them up as shown. I used a teensie bit of actual sugar for the candied part but overall perfect, warm, gooey (low sugar) treat. My daughter loved it, and we will probably do the same with the second potato! I think I made the patties too big and thick so this time will adjust. Thank you for this Lisa!!!
★★★★★
RB says
Really easy, so delicious sweet-salty vibes! I tried with taro too and it was great. Highly recommend.
★★★★★
Kigia says
absolutely love this!!! i love how easy it is and how addicting it can be haha!
★★★★★
Meg says
I made this as soon as I saw it on Instagram! It was super easy to follow the recipe, and I didn't run into any issues making it -- it was just as simple and straightforward as the recipe makes it seem. I love that it only has a few ingredients and doesn't take long to whip up. The flavor was great, with just a hint of sweetness. These turned out so well that when I showed it to my partner, he thought it was store bought. Absolutely recommend trying this out!
★★★★★
Cassiopeia says
These are chewy, fluffy, sweet and savory melt-in-your-mouth dream puffs with a slight sesame seed crunch on top. Focus on consistency of the paste instead of the quantities--as directed. I used purple Japanese sweet potato and white sesame seeds. The Mirin was especially appreciated. A new favorite treat!
★★★★★
Ernie says
These are so yummy! I love the chewiness and they’re satisfying!
★★★★★
Flo says
This will literally satisfy all of your cravings and somehow still leave you wanting more bc it's so yummy. Plus the final product is ready for an IG photoshoot! Haha, seriously so good!
★★★★★
aisha says
these are super delish and easy to make!! they taste so yummy and the soy sauce compliments the sweetness of the potato mochi perfectly! i am definetly going to make these again! ☺️💗
★★★★★
Ariel says
Oh my gosh this was so good!! I hate two and put the rest in my fridge. Then half and hour later took them back out and ate the rest
★★★★★
maryann says
couldn't stop thinking about the recipe for days after seeing it on my IG home screen and loved the sweet-salty combo!! ate 2 and wanted to leave half for the next day but.. the rest didnt survive for more than 15 mins D: thanku lisa for the recipe!
★★★★★
Lizzy says
So easy! It was a bit hard to make perfect mochi texture but mine came out really good! I might try other sweet veggies like butternut squash:) thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
Ana says
I tried this recipe for the 3rd time now and I LOVE it! thank you so much for adding the needed amount of the ingredients in grams too!!!!!!!! 😍💗
★★★★★
Sunny says
I tried it for the first time and it was super delicious💕 I'm into it!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
Diana says
I am high key super into all of Lisa's recipes! I am not vegan but would like to integrate vegan meals more often in my diet and her recipes make it so accessible and easy to do. I loved how easy it was to make these sweet potato yaki mochi and the end result is a decadent treat (which in reality isn't so bad for you because a lot of sweetness comes naturally from the sweet potatoes!) The combination of sweet, salty, and savory make for such a great snack or dessert! I will now be buying Japanese sweet potatoes in bulk just to make these.
★★★★★
Mark says
Totally delicious! Such a great dish and the low effort just makes it even better!!
★★★★★
Hilary says
I'm always down to try new recipes and this one caught my eye. It's super simple to make and the perfect amount of savory and sweet! 😍
★★★★★
Akili says
The perfect combo of sweet and salty, plus the chewiness was as satisfying as could be 🤤🍡. Overall, great recipe for a quick, tasty, and fun snack and will definitely be making it again in the future~! 🙌
★★★★★
Gee says
Simple and easy & definitely nyummy !
★★★★★
CO says
I want to try and make this but am confused about the first step. Should you have the potatoes cooked already? Do we follow your baked sweet potato recipe instructions? As for soaking, is that before baking/cooking the potatoes? I appreciate the clarification. Thanks!
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Co!
Potatoes should be cooked already! It can be cooked anyway-- keep in mind that microwaving will dry it out more or boiling/steaming will have more moisture. So if it's more dry add more non dairy milk! 🙂
J Inouye says
So easy to make, and I always have the ingredients on hand! Approved by the parents and ojiisan! It was also very easy to eyeball everything.
★★★★★
Chantelle Leach says
I tried this recipe using American sweet potatoes (orange variety) and it worked so well. I love every recipe Lisa posts and I’ll Be trying lots more
I’m based in the uk btw in terms of ingredients etc. Found everything I needed for this recipe
★★★★★
Dolly says
hi Lisa! is there anything I could use instead of potato starch? I was thinking maybe sweet rice flour or cornstarch? thanks so much 🙂
Lisa Kitahara says
Sweet rice flour should work! 🙂
Karina says
I’m a big fan of anything sweet potatoes and who thought you can elevate daigaku imo to another level?! Reminds me a lot of the autumn days in Tokyo when there were sweet potatoes everywhere! Arigatou Lisa this is totally genius (and so easy to make too!) will definitely try your other recipes! 💕
★★★★★
Karina says
I’m always a big fan of everything sweet potatoes and who thought that you can elevate daigaku imo to an even better dish?! Reminds me a lot of the autumn days in Tokyo where there were sweet potatoes everywhere. Arigatou Lisa this is such a brilliant recipe (and so easy to make too!). Will definitely try your other recipes, they all look promising! 💕
★★★★★
Mélanie says
I LOVE everything that has sweet potato in it and this recipe is perfect. I love the taste as much as I love the rapidity! I wanted to try your “daigaku imo” recipe first but I found this one so I give it a try and it was so good. I have some kabocha left so I am wondering whether I should try a kabocha version ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ . But I will definitely make this recipe many times this year.
★★★★★
Viveka Jagadeesan says
Loved it. Perfect way to use up old sweet potatoes with a weird texture lol! loved the sweet salty vibe.
★★★★★