Japanese Sweet Potato Cheese Mochi are soft and chewy, made with roasted Japanese sweet potato and stuffed with melty, stretchy cheese. Sweet potato and cheese is a classic sweet-and-savory combo that is so delicious! Perfect for sweet potato season, this easy Japanese snack or dessert is simple to make at home.
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Japanese Sweet Potato and Cheese
Japanese sweet potatoes are naturally so sweet, especially during their peak season, and I love pairing them with creamy, savory ingredients. Salted butter, tahini, avocado—anything with a creamy texture complements their rich, caramel-like sweetness. One of my favorite pairings, though, is cheese.
Sweet potato and cheese is a classic combination that I grew up enjoying in many forms: topping a hot baked Japanese sweet potato with melted cheese, Japanese sweet potato grilled cheese, Japanese sweet potato cheesecake, Japanese sweet potato buns, and now these Japanese sweet potato cheese mochi.
This combination is really common, especially in season. You’ll see it featured in bakeries, cafés, and food vendors across Japan. The soft, naturally sweet Japanese sweet potato paired with stretchy, melty cheese is indulgent but comforting, making it the perfect snack or dessert.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Before we dive into making these sweet potato cheese mochi, here’s what you’ll need:
- Japanese sweet potato: Cooked, any method you like. I recommend baked sweet potato or cooked in the rice cooker.
- Potato starch: gives the mochi its chewy texture.
- Milk
- Shredded cheese: any stretchy, melty, or creamy cheese works. I usually use a mix of gouda, mozzarella, and white cheddar. Creamier types like brie or even cream cheese can be used too!
- Salted butter
How to Make Japanese Sweet Potato Cheese Mochi
Here’s a brief overview of the steps before we get into the full recipe:
- Cook the sweet potato until soft, either baked in the oven or cooked in a rice cooker.
- Mash the sweet potato and mix in potato starch and milk to achieve a pliable, slightly sticky dough.
- Divide into portions, flatten, and stuff with a generous amount of melty cheese. Seal the edges.
- Pan-fry in butter until golden brown and crispy on the outside, while the inside stays soft and cheesy.
- Serve warm, optionally drizzled with maple syrup or honey.
Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Use sweet potato season to your advantage: Choose the sweetest, most flavorful Japanese sweet potatoes. If your sweet potatoes are a bit bland, you can season them with a pinch of salt and a little sugar to enhance their natural sweetness.
- Adjust the mochi consistency: Depending on the variety of sweet potato, ripeness, and how it was cooked, the moisture content can vary. Start with less potato starch and milk, and add more as needed until the mixture forms a playdough-like texture that holds together when pinched.
- Don’t overfill with cheese: A generous portion is perfect, but too much can make it hard for the mochi to hold its shape while cooking.
Serving Suggestions
These Japanese Sweet Potato Cheese Mochi are delicious on their own, especially during sweet potato season. I love drizzling a little maple syrup or honey on top with a generous pinch of flaky salt! For something richer, try miso honey butter or salted maple butter and finish with a generous pinch of flaky salt. Toasted sesame seeds are another favorite topping—they add a lovely nutty flavor and extra texture.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
These cheesy sweet potato mochi is best enjoyed fresh but you can keep leftovers.
- Storage: Keep any leftover mochi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat to maintain the soft exterior and melty cheese inside. Avoid microwaving too long, as it can make the texture rubbery.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! You can use orange sweet potatoes, but they’re usually moister and slightly less sweet. You may need to adjust the potato starch to get the right chewy mochi texture. A pinch of sugar can help boost sweetness if needed.
Yes, you can prepare the sweet potato mixture and shape the mochi up to 24 hours in advance. Place the shaped mochi on a tray lined with parchment paper, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. Cook them in a skillet just before serving to keep the exterior soft and the cheese melty.
More Japanese Sweet Potato Recipes
- Yaki Imo (Baked Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes)
- Daigau Imo (Candied Japanese Sweet Potatoes)
- Daigaku Imo Mochi (Japanese Sweet Potato Mochi)
- Japanese Sweet Potato Mixed Rice
- Japanese Sweet Potato Cheese Salt Bread
Enjoy! If you make this Japanese Sweet Potato Cheese Mochi recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and rating below, and if you share it on social media, tag me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen. I can’t wait to see your creations!
Print
Sweet Potato Cheese Mochi
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Japanese sweet potatoes stuffed with melty cheese! Quick, easy and healthy– perfect as a snack or as side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 medium Japanese sweet potato, baked or cooked (net weight cooked without skin 280g)
- 2–3 tbsp (20–30 g) potato starch
- 3–4 tbsp (45–60 ml) milk
- 2/3–1 cup (70-90 g) shredded cheese (gouda, mozzarella, sharp white cheddar or cheddar cheese)
- 1 tbsp salted butter
Instructions
- Mash the sweet potato until mostly smooth. Add 2 tbsp potato starch and 3 tbsp milk. Adjust starch or milk as needed—the mixture should be easy to roll but not sticky or dry.
- Divide the mixture into 6 portions. Flatten each portion in your hand, place about 10-15 g of cheese in the center, and fold the sweet potato around the cheese to seal.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the mochi. Cook until golden brown on one side (about 3 minutes), then flip and cook until golden on the other side (about 2 minutes).
- Serve with honey or maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: snacks
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 670
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 830 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 19 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 73 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
Literally my new favorite food, haha
I used one white sweet potato and one orange and they were a cute color. And I used Miyoko’s mozzarella – the one that a wheel and pretty soft. Seriously sooo good.
Made this over the weekend and devoured it right away. So simple and so good! I might even make it again this weekend. Thank you!~
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it twice now and I can’t get enough of it- it’s so easy and fun to make; the first time around I tried making it with shredded vegan mozzarella (you definitely want the slices lol it makes it easier) Anyway!!!! This is either a great side dish or even a nice main attraction (I personally could eat 20 and not get tired).
This was the easiest recipe to follow and soooo tasty! I used the same mozzarella and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything as good as this in my life
Texture was really good and probably my fav recipe!
These are so good! I added parmesan crisps and fried sweet potato skins on top to add a crunch and it was divine!!
I made this using purple yams and they came out so pretty and oishii, my kids enjoyed them very much. Thank you for sharing simple yet delicious recipe, makes my job easier as a Mom 🙂
Just yummie!!! And easy to follow. Thanky you!!!
This has been our go to snack this entire summer. So easy to make, so delicious and satisfying. What a gem of a recipe!
I just made these for the first time, they were amazing! Such and easy delicious recipe! Thank you!
I also added some red onion into the mix in a second batch which was also very good!
Oh my goodness! This one looks so yummy – cannot wait to try soon! Bookmarking this one now. 🙂
I loved this recipe and was super easy to make in the morning !!I can see myself making this regularly 🙂
Absolutely loved it!! Highly recommend this recipe. I’ll definitely be making it again!
I’ve already made these multiple times! My family loves it (I mean, it’s potatoes and cheese, what’s not to love!) this recipe is definitely a keeper🤤
I love this recipe so much! So easy and quick, but so delicious. I wouldn’t think of putting maple syrup on these but the salty sweet combo is actually amazing. However first time I tried making these I did them in a cast iron pan and I wouldn’t recommend it haha, they definitely sticked to the pan and they turned out much better when I did them in a nonstick pan. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes, I can’t wait to try out more of them!
Tried this one for my boyfriend who loves sweet potato so much and misses the cheese, it turned out delicious ! At first I was afraid it won’t hold in the pan but it was perfect one cooked. Will definitely make it again.
YUMMY AND EASY and prefer it to the other version because cheese the cheese is savoury which balances out the sweetness. I glazed this like the other recipe and it was super enjoyable….
These were so simple to make and so delicious! They reminded me of a mochi version of a McGriddle. Yum! Will make again.
I made this for breakfast and also used corn starch and it turned out great 😍
Very easy and very delicious!
I made it and loved it, it’s very tasty and perfect for an afternoon snack 🥰❤️
Super easy to make and so yummy and fun to eat! I used purple fleshed sweet potatoes (ube) and the dough was a beautiful purple colour 💜 Great snack idea!
Sorry, ube is not sweet potato. It’s a yam.
This was both easy to make and absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try more recipes! ☺️
It was very simple and easy to make, also good for baby food! Delicious, of course!!
This is a very easy and comforting recipe. I used corn starch and it worked just fine. Excited to try it with gold potatoes too!