Red bean paste is one of my favorite dessert fillings, widely used in Asian and Chinese cuisine in cookies and mooncakes. In this post, I introduce two versions of homemade, healthy, delicious red bean paste.
What’s red bean paste
Red bean paste, also known as Anko in Japanese, is made from red beans (aka red beans)) that have been boiled, mashed, and sweetened with sugar and smoothed by fat. Usually, there are two versions; one is completely smooth, while the other is slightly chunky.
I love both versions, and the choice often depends on my further purpose. For example, I love the chunky version if the paste is going to be my pancake filling, and I will choose the smooth version for my red bean mooncake.
Adzuki beans
Do you know that Adzuki beans have a lovely Chinese name- red beans, compared with the mung bean? Chinese traditional doctors highly prize red beans because they can remove the humidity from the body, especially for people in high air humidity areas.
I love the color combination of these red beans- dark red with white lines.
Adding Some Oil or Fat
Chinese red bean paste slightly differs from the Japanese version, which requires only beans and sweeteners. We also add fat, either pork lard or butter. Adding oil to the red bean paste has several advantages, including
- better texture- a much smoother texture
- enhanced flavors – and the flavor of the oil can combine well with sugar and make the red bean paste taste better.
- Avoid drying the paste after cooling it, and it helps keep the original texture longer.
If you want a vegan version, you can use natural vegetable oil or coconut oil as a substitute. In addition to this difference, we also have different varieties in texture.
Instructions
Wash the red beans and soak the dried red beans for at least 8 hours or overnight. Longer soaking time can shorten the cooking time.
Drain and transfer the beans to an instant pot, and add water. Press the beans and cook the red beans until they are really soft.
Smooth version
Transfer the beans along with the water to a blender. Blend until really smooth.
Get a non-stick pan, transfer the mixture, and add butter, sugar, and a tiny pinch of salt. Continue stirring and fry the mixture until it can wrap up together.
Chunky version
Skip the blending process and add the beans directly to the non-stick pan. Add sugar, a very small pinch of salt, and butter (if using).
Continue stirring and fry the mixture until it can wrap up together.
Red Bean Paste
Ingredients
Smashed version
- 1 cup red beans (azuki bean)
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tiny pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp. butter, lard or vegetable oil
Smooth version
- 1 cup red beans (azuki bean) ,azuki bean ,around 200g
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil ,28 to 30g
- a tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
- Wash the red beans and soak the dried red beans at least 8 hours or overnight. Longer soaking time can shorten the cooking time.
- Drain and add around 3 cups of water in a high pressure cooker along with the beans.
- Cook the beans for around 40 minutes or until quite soft.
Smashed version
- Smash the beans with a hard spatula. Add sugar and heat over slow fire to cook off extra water until form a paste texture. Stir from time to time during the process.
Smooth version
- Press the cooked mixture with a spatula through a fine strain to remove the skins to get the smoothest texture. Or if you prefer to keep the skin, transfer all the content to a food processor and blend to a smooth consistency.
- Transfer the paste to a pan. Add salt, sugar and butter. Use low fire to simmer the exceeded water out. Keep stirring during the process until the paste can sticky together.
How to store
- Transfer to air-tight container, wait for the paste to cool down. Store in fridge.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
How to use red bean paste
Red bean paste has a sweet red bean flavor that perfectly complements traditional pastries, mooncakes, steamed buns, Tangyuan, mochi, and ice cream. Following are my favorite three ways.
Homemade red bean buns— One of the most popular uses of red bean paste in Chinese cuisine is red bean buns, also known as red bean paste buns. These steamed buns are usually filled with red bean paste and can be served as an afternoon snack or dessert. Soft and sweet buns, perfect for breakfast, known as Dou Sha Bao.
Snow Skin Mooncake–Non-bake Snow Skin Mooncake. For the filling of Snow Skin Moon Cake, the paste should be drier than other fillings.
Sesame balls-– I received many requests concerning a Chinese dessert with sesame balls on a shell and red bean paste inside.
Hope you love this red bean paste recipe and if you ever find some other interesting way of using it. Make a comment or send a message to let me know. Happy cooking!
Red Bean Paste
Red bean Soup
Why not just pour off the excess water (or drain the cooked beans in a colander) instead of cooking off the water? You could retain some of the bean water to add back if the beans seem dry when mashing.
It creates a different texture. If the paste is for common desserts and filling, it is ok to keep the liquid content. But the water must be cooked off for mooncake filling.
Do you store these in the fridge or pantry ? 🙂
Air-tight container and in fridge.
Is the red bean paste ever made with the addition of anise or 5 spice powder? I had these when I lived in Peru, and they had a distinct anise flavor.
No. I never tried red bean paste with five spice powder. Taste good?
Yes, it was very tasty! I will try your recipe with and without the five spice powder to see how I like it!
Thanks Tracey! I will try the version with spices next time.
How long do I cook the beans and at what temperature on the stove instead of a pressure cooker?
It takes around 45 Mins to 1 hour. I suggest you pre-cook the beans once and reheat after cool down.
Will the required amount of water change if I don’t cook in a pressure cooker?
Use 6 cups of water. Jane!
HI Elaine!
I’m looking forward to trying sweet bean filling in buns for Chinese New Year, and I came straight to your website first! I’ve tried lots of your recipes and love your “real-life-kitchen” alterations (butter vs. lard, for example). That’s the way I approach all of my cooking, and I feel like I have a friend who can help with authentic, from-scratch recipes, based on what I have available or need to use. (I love the scallion pancake recipe!)
Thanks so much, and Happy New Year!
Warmly,
Trudy
Hello.
Can I reduce the sugar
Amount? 1 cup is really high and I’m trying to reduce sugar intake.
Thank you
Yes, you can reduce the sugar slightly.
Awesome! This homemade red bean paste is perfect for the sticky rice I just bought in Karman Foods. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Mavee!
Hey can you please put the recipe in grams? I really want to make it!!