Where to munch on mochi donuts in Wisconsin

Made popular by their extra chewy texture and cute design, you can find mochi donuts at several donut shops throughout the state.

One of the best things about donuts is that there’s a lot of variety: from old-fashioned to glazed, from jelly donuts to fritters. But there’s a new contender on the block: mochi donuts.

What is a mochi donut?

Unlike a traditional donut, which is usually made of all-purpose flour or cake flour, mochi donut dough is instead made of either glutinous rice flour or tapioca flour. The different flours result in a chewier and denser texture, instead of the lighter, cake-like texture found in more traditional donuts. Mochi donuts are also known for their unique shape. They’re composed of eight round balls of mochi formed together in a circle. The donuts are usually decorated vibrantly, as well.

Mochi donuts, which combine American donuts and Japanese mochi, first originated in Hawaii in the 1990s. They are also called poi mochi. The chain restaurant Mister Donut first popularized them, calling them “pon de ring.”

Why are they trending?

Thanks to the popularity of other mochi desserts, like mochi ice cream, mochi donuts have soared in popularity. Another helpful factor in the foods’ ability to trend is their appearance. The donuts are typically decorated in bright colors and have unique toppings.

It’s indisputable that mochi donuts continue to grow in popularity. One of the most popular mochi donut chain restaurants is Mochinut, which has three locations in Wisconsin. Mochinut was founded five years ago but is already operating in more than 30 states, with more than 186 locations, as of 2024.

Most mochi donut shops also tend to sell other Asian-inspired foods, like Korean hot dogs and boba tea. There aren’t too many locations selling mochi donuts in Wisconsin yet, but as the chewy, stylized donuts grow in popularity, expect more offerings to open up throughout the state.

Mochi donuts in Wisconsin

1. Mochi Ring

7488 West State St., Wauwatosa

A chain with locations in four states, Mochi Ring first opened its Wauwatosa location in July 2023. The mochi donut restaurant offers 22 different flavors, from the more traditional donut offerings, like blueberry or cinnamon, to unique flavors like taro, black sesame, and cheddar cheese.

Mochi Ring doesn’t just serve up donuts—its menu also includes bubble tea and a creative take on hot dogs. Instead of serving up the traditional sausage in a bun, Mochi Ring offers rice hot dogs, which are like a corn dog but breaded with a layer of cooked rice instead. The rice hot dogs can be ordered with several toppings, including pieces of potato, ramen noodles, or Cheetos. Vegetarians, or cheese-lovers, can opt for the whole mozzarella, which sees mozzarella cheese being wrapped, fried, and covered in toppings instead of a hot dog.

2. Mochinut

5800 North Bayshore Drive, Glendale

Mochinut customers can purchase the traditionally-shaped mochi donut, with eight balls of mochi formed into a circle. Or, they can opt for the mochinut ball—a filled donut typically topped with powdered sugar. No matter what customers choose, there is an abundance of flavors. For the mochinut balls, there are six flavors: original, cookies and cream, creme brulee, coffee, matcha, and strawberry. For the chain’s famous donuts, there are 25 to choose from.

The Glendale location, which opened in 2023, isn’t the only Mochinut in Wisconsin. There’s also a Mochinut in Greenfield and one in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood.

3. Glazed

2161 Zeier Road, Madison

It’s recommended to arrive early to Glazed, a mochi donut shop in Madison, because once they sell out of donuts for the day, they’re done. Glazed, which also sells Korean hot dogs, has a rotating list of special flavors for its mochi donuts, including Thai tea, caramel macchiato, and red velvet cake.

The restaurant is located in Madison’s Global Market & Food Hall, which houses a wide assortment of primarily Asian restaurants. Glazed is owned by Hmong American sisters Kia and Beeta Yang.

4. Teamoji

502 State St., Madison

Mochi donuts aren’t the main attraction at Teamoji, a restaurant whose main focus is bubble tea—but that doesn’t mean that they’re not a well-done addition to the menu. Teamoji’s mochi donuts are made fresh every day and come in more than 13 different flavors.

Teamoji is the first Wisconsin-based franchise of a larger chain, which first started in Illinois. The Madison-based shop, which features touch-screen ordering, is owned by first-time business owners Dominic Su and Dylan Chen.

Madison’s Teamoji sells mochi donuts in addition to bubble tea and Korean corn dogs. (Teamoji)

5. GS Specialty Foods

514B Fulton St., Wausau

Mochi donuts might be growing more and more popular, but there’s still only one place in Wausau where you can find them: GS Specialty Foods. The family-owned restaurant opened in 2023. It also sells Korean hot dogs, boba tea, and pre-packaged foods like spring rolls and chicken wings.

GS Specialty Foods’ mochi donuts come in a range of flavors, including matcha, chocolate, and seasonal choices, like candy cane. Donuts can be purchased individually or by the dozen ($30 per dozen).

GS Specialty Foods opened in 2023 and sells mochi donuts individually or by the dozen. (GS Specialty Foods)

6. Blissful Bellies Cafe

293 West Northland Ave., Appleton

Blissful Bellies Cafe in Appleton, Wisc., has only been open since April 2024, but it has already built up a reputation in the city for its mochi donuts. The restaurant has a constantly rotating set of flavors, from classic flavors like strawberry and cinnamon sugar to more Asian and Hawaiian-inspired flavors, like match and ube.

Blissful Bellies Cafe dishes out plenty of sweet and savory foods. In addition to its mochi donuts, the restaurant also sells a variety of Korean hot dogs, which are made fresh every day and served with unique toppings, including mini potatoes, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and Takis.

Customers at Blissful Bellies Cafe in Appleton can purchase a box containing a dozen mochi donuts or individual donuts. (Blissful Bellies Cafe)

7. Sweet Haus

1904 Campbell Road, La Crosse

Set right near the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse campus, Sweet Haus is regularly frequented by students and La Crosse locals who stop in for Korean hot dogs, Korean-inspired drinks like Dalgona coffee, and, of course, mochi donuts.

The family-owned business first opened in 2023 and has been serving a variety of mochi donuts to the La Crosse community since then. The donut shop has a wide range of flavors, including creamy Oreo and highly decorated galaxy coconuts. For Valentine’s Day, Sweet Haus even offered a $50 bouquet of mochi donuts, which included eight donuts, strawberries, and other decorations.

One of Sweet Haus’ signature mochi donut flavors is creamy Oreo. (Sweet Haus)

8. Poke World

3800 WI-16 Fc5, La Crosse

The Poke World restaurant in La Crosse, Wisc., is one of six Poke Worlds throughout the country, and it has one standout menu item that differentiates it from most of the other locations: mochi donuts. Conveniently for La Crosse residents, its Poke World is one of only two in the country that serve up the chewy and flavor-packed sweet treat. Poke World also serves a large swath of drinks, including Yakult tea and yogurt drinks, poke bowls, and ramen.

The restaurant is located in Valley View Mall, a shopping mall on the northside of La Crosse. The La Crosse location is the chain’s only restaurant in Wisconsin—the other five locations are in Mississippi and Tennessee.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.