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I've curated this list of sweet (glutinous) rice flour recipes for Lunar New Year in conjunction with All About Lunar New Year from my podcast guest, Emily Ho.

4 glutinous rice recipes - milk korean kimchi, indonesian cookies, nian gao, and another radish kimchi

Glutinous rice flour is one of the many names of this remarkably versatile ingredient which has been a long-standing staple in many Asian households. Recently, it has gained popularity in the United States, particularly with the rise of mochi ice cream and mochi donuts.

Despite its name, a common yet understandable misconception about glutinous rice flour is that it contains gluten. In reality, it's entirely gluten-free, making it an excellent choice for gluten-free baking and cooking!

The unique texture of the flour comes from the high starch content (specifically amylopectin starch) that creates a soft dough with a chewy texture when you bite into it. This makes it perfect to bake a sweet treat with an Asian twist.

Whether you're in the mood for something sweet or savory, I've provided a host of recipe links so you can find the perfect dish to whip up for your Lunar New Year celebration or to enjoy any time throughout the year.

6 slices of Chinese New Year Cake on plate and cooling rack

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How to Use This List
Asian Desserts
Baked Nian Gao: Glutinous Rice Cake (with Sticky Rice Flour) | The Storied Recipe
Sesame Balls | The Woks of Life
Injeolmi (Korean Sweet Rice Cake) | Kimchimari
Onde-onde (Ondeh-ondeh) | Rasa Malaysia
Mitarashi Dango | Just One Cookbook
Matcha Snow Skin Mooncakes | Cooking Therapy
Special Sapin-Sapin | Foxy Folksy
Palitaw | Kawaling Pinoy
Vietnamese Snowballs: Banh Bao Chi | Scruff & Steph
Korean Sweet Rice Cake Bars (LA Chapssalteok) | Beyond Kimchee
Asian Savory Dishes
Jidori Tsukune | Epicurious
Cheung Fun (Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls) | Hungry Huy
Gluten-free Dumplings | The Woks of Life
Ham Sui Gok 咸水角 (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings) | Sift & Simmer
Banh Tom: Vietnamese Sweet Potato and Prawn Fritters | Scruff & Steph
Banh It Tran Vietnamese Mung Bean Dumplings | The Viet Vegan
Mochi Desserts
Red Bean Mochi | The Woks of Life
Strawberry Mochi | Ms Shi and Mr He
Mochi Ice Cream | Tastes Better from Scratch
Boiled Muah Chee (Mochi) | WoonHeng
Green Tea Mochi | Just One Cookbook
Mochi-Inspired Desserts
Gluten Free Homemade Mochi Waffles | Keeping It Relle
Mochi Donut Recipe (Pon de Ring Donuts) | Hungry Huy
Hawaiian Butter Mochi | Mochi Mommy
Ube Butter Mochi | Meimei Baking
Gluten Free Pandan Mochi Pancakes | Cooking Therapy
Kimchi Options
Korean White Radish Water Kimchi (Dongchimi) | The Storied Recipe
Homemade Mak ("easy") Kimchi | Two Red Bowls
Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Tongbaechu-kimchi: 통배추김치) | Maangchi
Thickener for Sauces
Gluten-Free Gravy | Gluten Free Baking
Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce | From The Larder
Gluten-Free White Sauce (Béchamel) | Wheat By The Wayside
Taiwanese Thick Soy Sauce (醬油膏) | Cooking In Chinglish
Soups and Porridges
Tang Yuan: A Delicious Dessert with Black Sesame Filling | Oh My Food Recipes
Korean Pumpkin Porridge (Hobakjuk) | My Korean Kitchen
Black Sesame Soup (2 Ways) | Okonomi Kitchen
Savory Tang Yuan Soup | Sift & Simmer
Sweet Red Bean Soup Tang Yuan (Hong Dou Tang) | What To Cook Today
Staples for Gluten-free Baking
Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend (no xanthan gum) | From The Larder
All-Butter Gluten-Free Pastry (no xanthan gum) | From The Larder
Gluten-Free Western Desserts
Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies | The Bojon Gourmet
Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake | The Bojon Gourmet
Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles | The Bojon Gourmet
Gluten-Free Caramel Cake | From The Larder
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread | The Bojon Gourmet
Gluten Free Baci Di Dama Cookies | Gluten Free Alchemist
Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis with Almond Flour | The Bojon Gourmet
Fudgy Brown Butter Mochi Brownies | Cooking Therapy
Gluten-Free English Pancakes (without Xanthan Gum) | From The Larder
One-Pot Honeycomb Cake | Epicurious
FAQ
Recipe
50 Best Sweet (Glutinous) Rice Flour Recipes To Try

How to Use This List

To make this list more readable, I separated it into sweet or savory and Asian or Western dishes.
Since "mochi" has become more of a catch-all term when a recipe uses sweet rice flour instead of solely referring to a traditional Japanese rice cake, I attempted to delineate between these traditional and non-traditional approaches.
Lots of Q&A below since there are many different names and uses for this flour!
Would love to hear if this helped you or if you have any suggestions! Always learning over here at The Storied Recipe!
Each recipe is formatted as the title of the recipe, followed by a "|" symbol and then the blog or person who it is from.
So you know where we're headed as we start listing recipes, the set of categories includes Asian Desserts, Asian Savory Dishes, Mochi Desserts, Mochi-inspired Desserts, Kimchi Roux, Thickener for Sauces, Soups and Porridges, Staples for Gluten-free Baking, and Gluten-free Western Desserts.

Asian Desserts

Below is a selection of Asian desserts featuring sweet rice flour, including Nian Gao, a sweet rice cake commonly enjoyed during Lunar New Year celebrations. My podcast guest, Emily Ho, graciously shared her special recipe for this popular treat with us.

Baked Nian Gao: Glutinous Rice Cake (with Sticky Rice Flour) | The Storied Recipe

This traditional Chinese cake is steamed in the oven for a silky, chewy texture and a mildly sweet milky flavor

Sesame Balls | The Woks of Life

Chinese fried Sesame Balls are a popular dim sum item. Try our authentic, tested recipe, and make them with either lotus or red bean paste.

Injeolmi (Korean Sweet Rice Cake) | Kimchimari

Injeolmi are Korean rice cakes made with sweet glutinous rice flour. Make this in 10 min or less but with just as yummy results as store-bought ones.

Onde-onde (Ondeh-ondeh) | Rasa Malaysia

Onde-onde (or ondeh-ondeh) are soft, chewy dough balls filled with sweet Gula Melaka (palm sugar) and infused with the fragrant flavor of pandan. Rolled in grated coconut[...] and loved in many Southeast Asian cultures.

Mitarashi Dango | Just One Cookbook

Mitarashi Dango are traditional Japanese rice dumplings on a bamboo skewer coated in a sweet soy glaze. Make this tasty street snack at home!

Matcha Snow Skin Mooncakes | Cooking Therapy

Chewy matcha snow skin mooncakes with a sweet red bean paste filling. No baking required and perfect for the Mid Autumn Festival.

Special Sapin-Sapin | Foxy Folksy

Not only one but three flavors to enjoy! Sapin-Sapin is a Filipino dessert made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar, and flavorings.

Palitaw | Kawaling Pinoy

Palitaw is made with glutinous rice flour, grated coconut, sesame seeds, and sugar. It's soft, chewy, and delicious as a snack or dessert.

Vietnamese Snowballs: Banh Bao Chi | Scruff & Steph

Vietnamese snowballs have a soft, sweet centre wrapped in a chewy outer layer that is covered in delicious desiccated coconut.

Korean Sweet Rice Cake Bars (LA Chapssalteok) | Beyond Kimchee

These sweet rice cake bars are originated from Korean immigrants in CA. No butter or oil is needed and loaded with nuts and seeds.

Asian Savory Dishes

Despite the name sweet (white) rice flour, the flour does not have a sweet taste, in fact, it is not sweet at all. It is a great recipe to use in savory dishes while making Asian cuisine. Heads up! I didn't include sticky rice dumplings (link) or any other recipe that uses sticky rice because it is made with glutinous rice instead of glutinous (sticky) rice flour.

Jidori Tsukune | Epicurious

The best tsukune, or Japanese chicken meatballs, are nicely caramelized, well seasoned, and juicy—and served straight off the grill.

Cheung Fun (Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls) | Hungry Huy

Soft and tender sheets of rice noodle filled with sweet and savory roasted pork, drizzled with seasoning sauce and topped with chopped scallions–cheung fun [...] This thinly steamed rice paper that is often brimming with various fillings...

Gluten-free Dumplings | The Woks of Life

These gluten-free dumplings are easy to roll out, fold, pan-fry, boil, and steam. You can also freeze these GF dumplings for later cooking!

Ham Sui Gok 咸水角 (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings) | Sift & Simmer

Ham Sui Gok is a Chinese fried glutinous rice dumpling that is served at dim sum. It features a filling encased in a glutinous rice dough.

Banh Tom: Vietnamese Sweet Potato and Prawn Fritters | Scruff & Steph

Banh tom are prawns in a basket of sweet potato strips, deep-fried until crispy. These are served with Vietnamese herbs, lettuce and nuoc mam.

Banh It Tran Vietnamese Mung Bean Dumplings | The Viet Vegan

Banh It Tran Vietnamese Mung Bean Dumplings are traditional and simple Vietnamese dumplings. My grandmother and I made ...

Mochi Desserts

In Japanese cuisine, 'mochi' typically refers to a traditional rice cake, plain but adaptable to sweet or savory fillings. Meanwhile, 'mochigashi' describes sweeter mochi variations. Below is an example of traditional mochi (with red bean paste) as well as a few mochigashi recipes. For an overview of mochi's role in Japanese culinary history, explore this resource from Just One Cookbook.

Red Bean Mochi | The Woks of Life

Red Bean Mochi is a great way to try red bean paste for the first time, or use up leftover red bean paste you have from making another recipe!

Strawberry Mochi | Ms Shi and Mr He

This recipe teaches you how to make pink strawberry mochi with the BEST look and taste! The mochi skin is colored with fresh strawberries.

Mochi Ice Cream | Tastes Better from Scratch

Homemade Mochi Ice Cream are Japanese rice cakes with an ice cream center, in a soft, slightly chewy, sweet rice dough.

Boiled Muah Chee (Mochi) | WoonHeng

This boiled muah chee (mochi) has a soft and chewy texture with fragrant crushed peanut topping that's perfect for a treat anytime of the day.

Green Tea Mochi | Just One Cookbook

Perfectly chewy with a hint of sweetness, Green Tea Mochi is a classic Japanese treat. Learn to make it 2 ways with vibrant contrasting colors!

Mochi-Inspired Desserts

Instead of a traditional rice cake, these mochi-inspired desserts use sweet rice flour to create a sweet treat that has the same chewy texture that makes mochi distinctive.

Gluten Free Homemade Mochi Waffles | Keeping It Relle

Chewy mochi center with a crunchy golden brown exterior makes for the best mochi waffles. It's a cross between Belgian waffles and Japanese mochi. So good!

Mochi Donut Recipe (Pon de Ring Donuts) | Hungry Huy

Crispy and fresh donuts with the chewiness of mochi on the inside–no more waiting in line for mochi donuts because making this easy mochi donut recipe at home will give you the freshest treat ever.

Hawaiian Butter Mochi | Mochi Mommy

This local Hawaiian butter mochi recipe is a classic mochi cake perfect for first time bakers. Top with optional shredded coconut!

Ube Butter Mochi | Meimei Baking

One of my most popular recipes on the blog! These are so addictively chewy and have a crisp, toasted coconut top that is pure magic.

Gluten Free Pandan Mochi Pancakes | Cooking Therapy

A recipe for chewy and pillowy pandan mochi pancakes that are also gluten free! These pancakes are perfect for a morning treat!

Kimchi Options

When preparing kimchi, sweet rice flour can be used to create a roux, forming the base of the kimchi paste. This flour aids in ensuring that the flavors are thoroughly absorbed and adhere well to the cabbage.

Korean White Radish Water Kimchi (Dongchimi) | The Storied Recipe

Light and refreshing water Kimchi made from peppery Korean Radishes. Typically made in the winter to aid digestion, this can be enjoyed any time of the year.

Homemade Mak ("easy") Kimchi | Two Red Bowls

I felt like I needed to do a post first on this Korean staple (again, all about the blog staples!) because it’s so essential in some of the recipes I’ve posted, […]

Traditional Napa Cabbage Kimchi (Tongbaechu-kimchi: 통배추김치) | Maangchi

My classic, spicy, traditional whole leaf napa cabbage kimchi recipe that I've been using for years and years. Spicy, fermented, and delicious.

Thickener for Sauces

Glutinous rice flour is an excellent thickening agent for sauces because it's super starchy and makes them nice and thick without changing the taste.

Gluten-Free Gravy | Gluten Free Baking

It's easy to make gluten-free gravy with this recipe. You only need three ingredients and about five minutes!

Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce | From The Larder

The Best Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce is incredibly versatile. It has a full-bodied flavour and is velvety smooth thanks to the use of sweet rice flour.

Gluten-Free White Sauce (Béchamel) | Wheat By The Wayside

Gluten-free white sauce (béchamel), made from butter, sweet rice flour, and milk, can be used on its own or as the base for many other sauces. Easy to customize for dairy-free or grain-free options.

Taiwanese Thick Soy Sauce (醬油膏) | Cooking In Chinglish

Taiwanese thick soy sauce is something you can find in almost every kitchen in Taiwan. It's basically a thicker and sweeter version of soy sauce that can be used for cooking or as a dipping

Soups and Porridges

The following three recipes demonstrate how sweet rice flour dumplings are a fantastic addition to both savory and sweet soups, offering a nice texture contrast.

Tang Yuan: A Delicious Dessert with Black Sesame Filling | Oh My Food Recipes

Warm your heart and soul with tang yuan. Enjoy the soft and chewy glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame paste in a sugar soup!

Korean Pumpkin Porridge (Hobakjuk) | My Korean Kitchen

Learn how to make Korean style pumpkin porridge! Hobakjuk is a popular snack and dessert. A perfect comfort food in fall and winter!

Black Sesame Soup (2 Ways) | Okonomi Kitchen

Delicious & easy Black Sesame Soup! This comforting healthy dessert soup is nutty, sweet and perfect for a light dessert.

Savory Tang Yuan Soup | Sift & Simmer

This Savory Tang Yuan Soup features glutinous rice flour dumplings in a broth with an assortment of cabbage, mushrooms and Chinese sausage.

Sweet Red Bean Soup Tang Yuan (Hong Dou Tang) | What To Cook Today

Soft and chewy tang yuan (sticky rice balls/mochi balls) served in sweet red bean soup is another variety of tang yuan recipes you will enjoy to celebrate the Chinese dongzhi festival or as a tong sui dessert.

Staples for Gluten-free Baking

For those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, glutinous rice flour can be added to your list of gluten-free flours. Check out this awesome guide to gluten-free baking with sweet rice flour From The Larder.

Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend (no xanthan gum) | From The Larder

This homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend creates gluten-free bakes which are light, fluffy and deliciously tasty. No xanthan gum needed.

All-Butter Gluten-Free Pastry (no xanthan gum) | From The Larder

This All-Butter Gluten-Free Pastry is so easy to work with and incredibly versatile. Plus there is no xanthan gum in this recipe so everyone can enjoy.

Gluten-Free Western Desserts

There are so many recipes that could have made it on this list, but the following gluten-free desserts show just how versatile sweet rice flour can be!

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies | The Bojon Gourmet

Gluten-free sugar cookies (aka gluten-free cut-out cookies) that you can roll, cut out, and decorate to your heart's content! With tested vegan and paleo options.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake | The Bojon Gourmet

Foolproof gluten-free chocolate bundt cake that's rich, tender, and fudgy. Easy to make in 1 bowl in about an hour, topped with ganache.

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles | The Bojon Gourmet

Cinnamon-kissed gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies made with a blend of flours (almond, oat & rice) in one bowl and 20 minutes of active time.

Gluten-Free Caramel Cake | From The Larder

Gluten-Free Caramel Cake is gorgeously flavourful. It takes no time at all to make and is drenched in an easy caramel icing which is impossible to resist.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread | The Bojon Gourmet

Make this MOIST gluten-free pumpkin bread with oat & rice flours, 1 bowl, and 20 minutes of active time. Foolproof reader-favorite recipe!

Gluten Free Baci Di Dama Cookies | Gluten Free Alchemist

Deliciously Italian authentic hazelnut Baci Di Dama Cookies (Lady's Kisses), but made gluten free. Optional Dairy Free/Vegan recipe.

Gluten-Free Cherry Clafoutis with Almond Flour | The Bojon Gourmet

This gluten-free cherry clafoutis combines cherries and vanilla almond flour batter for a dreamy baked custard in under an hour. Dairy-free and gluten-free options!

Fudgy Brown Butter Mochi Brownies | Cooking Therapy

This is a recipe for chocolatey, fudgy brown butter mochi brownies. It has less than 10 ingredients and only takes an hour to make.

Gluten-Free English Pancakes (without Xanthan Gum) | From The Larder

These Gluten-Free English Pancakes are delicious. Quick to make and ideal for Pancake Day. They are also dairy-free and without xanthan gum.

One-Pot Honeycomb Cake | Epicurious

On the outside, this cake looks like any other Bundt cake, but inside, it has a vibrant shade of green and a beautiful honeycomb pattern.

What is the Difference: Glutinous Rice Flour vs. Rice Flour vs. Sweet Rice Flour vs Sticky Rice Flour

Glutinous rice flour, also referred to as sweet rice flour or sticky rice flour, differs from regular rice flour, despite some similarities. While both can be used as thickeners, glutinous rice flour, made from both long grain and short grain sweet white rice varieties, imparts a distinct chewiness not found in regular rice flour. The latter is derived from a different type of long grain rice, resulting in a texture and consistency that sets it apart from its glutinous counterpart.

source: Master Class

Is Mochiko Flour the Same as Glutinous Rice Flour?

Yes, Mochiko Flour, which means "mochi flour" in Japanese, is a specific brand of glutinous (sticky) rice flour. It is the same flour used to make Japanese mochi.

source: Just One Cookbook

Can I Replace Glutinous Rice Flour With All-Purpose Flour?

No, using all-purpose flour won't result in the same texture as glutinous rice flour. However, you can substitute all-purpose flour for a thickener in soups and stews, though this means your dish will no longer be gluten-free. Alternatives to glutinous rice flour include rice flour, arrowroot flour or powder, sorghum flour, almond flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and corn starch. Keep in mind that these substitutes will alter the final outcome, leading to variations in the dish.

source: Hungry Huy

source: Honest Food Talks

Where Can I Find Sticky Rice Flour?

You can find sticky rice flour in Asian markets if you live near one, in some local grocery stores, or you can order it from Amazon.

Can You Use Glutinous Rice Flour For Frying?

Yes, you can use it to make a batter for deep frying for a variety of treats. It is recommended that you use sweet rice flour made from long-grain rice to achieve a crispier layer when deep frying. This variety is usually sweet rice flour from Southeast Asia, commonly from Thailand, but sometimes from Vietnam. The bags will have green lettering indicating the right rice, like this one.