Learn how to make homemade sweet red bean paste with two methods.
Sweet red bean is one of the most important ingredients for Chinese dessert. Sometimes, they are wrapped up to make rice dumplings or steamed buns. Besides, it can also be used to make as red bean dessert directly. Besides, red bean can also be used to make TangShui–Red bean Soup.
There are two types of red bean paste- smashed version and smooth version. I will introduce the two versions in this post together.
Easily smashed red bean paste is more frequently used in red bean buns, usually with some broken beans and have a harder texture. Red beans are cooked until really soft with sugar and then smashed to form a thick texture.
Smooth red bean paste without skins are quite similar to store-bought version. It is extremely smooth and usually used in desserts.
Cook’s Note
The final water content of your red bean paste is very much depending on how the paste will be used. If it is made for steamed buns or sticky rice cakes, more water makes the paste smoother and softer. However if you plan to make mooncakes or mung bean cakes, try to heat off extra water and make your paste drier, otherwise the water contained in red bean paste can make the mooncakes over oily.
We will start with soak the red beans. I highly recommend you soak them overnight. (If you get a high pressure, you can make cook the beans directly).
Add around 3 times of water and then cook the red beans until soft.
Smashed version: use a hard spatula to smash the beans and then simmer off extra water with sugar.
Smooth version: For a smoother taste, I strain the cooked beans to separate the skins and the paste. However the skin is also healthier and you can just blend them together to a smooth consistency.Transfer the paste to a pan. Add sugar and butter in. Stir continually during the process until the sugar and butter is melt well and no exceeded water contained in the paste.
In the common Chinese way of making the sweet red bean paste, animal fat usually lard is added so the paste will have a more creamy texture. I use butter instead of lard since I do not have it in my kitchen and I guess the condition is almost the thing in your kitchen.
Then you will get the smoothest red bean paste.
You can use your homemade red bean paste recipe in the following recipes.
- Homemade red bean buns–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 filling.
- Sesame balls— I received lots of requests concerning about a Chinese dessert with sesame balls on shell and red bean paste inside.
- Mini sweet red bean buns–a transformation of Chinese steamed buns
- Mung bean cake stuffed with red bean paste – a popular Chinese dessert.
- Zongzi–Chinese sticky rice dumpling with red bean paste.
- 1 cup Chinese red beans ,azuki bean ,around 200g
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tiny pinch of salt
- 1 cup Chinese red beans ,azuki bean ,around 200g
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil ,28 to 30g
- a tiny pinch of salt
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Wash the red beans and soak the dried red beans at least 8 hours or overnight. Longer soaking time can shorten the cooking time.
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Drain and add around 3 cups of water in a high pressure cooker along with the beans.
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Cook the beans for around 40 minutes or until quite soft.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Wait for the paste to cool down.
Store the paste in air-tighter container up for 2 weeks.
Prepare time do not include the time for soaking the beans.
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