How to Make Red Bean Paste

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 23, 2023 References Tested

Red bean paste is a sweet paste made from red beans like adzuki beans, and it's a popular filling for many Japanese, Chinese, and Korean confections. Making the paste at home is quite simple, and the process involves boiling the beans until soft, and then cooking them with sugar to sweeten the paste. You can either leave the paste slightly chunky, or further process it to make a smooth red bean paste.

Ingredients

1 cup (200 g) dried red beans
4 cups (940 ml) water, divided
1½ cups (338 g) sugar
Salt, to taste

Makes 2 cups (640 g) of paste

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making Chunky Red Bean Paste

1
Soak the beans. Transfer the beans to a 2-quart (1.9-L) large bowl and cover them with room temperature water. Cover the bowl with a clean towel to keep out bugs and dirt, and set the bowl aside on the counter. Leave the beans to soak for 8 to 12 hours.
- Soaking the beans will help to tenderize them and reduce the boiling time.
- You can skip the soaking if you're going to cook the beans in a slow cooker.^{[1]
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- The most common beans to use for this paste are long dull and adzuki.
2
Parboil the beans. Drain the soaked beans in a colander to remove the water. Transfer the beans to a 2-quart (1.9-L) saucepan and add enough water to cover them with 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) of water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat. When the beans boil, turn off the heat, put on the lid, and let the beans steam for 5 minutes.^{[2]
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- Parboiling will help to remove bitterness from the beans, resulting in a sweeter paste.
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3
Drain and rinse the beans. Remove the lid from the saucepan and transfer the beans to a colander to drain out the water.^{[3]
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Research source} Rinse the beans under cool water to stop the cooking process, and remove any film from the beans. While the beans are in the colander, use soap and water to clean the saucepan you used to parboil them.
4
Cook the beans until soft. Transfer the beans back to the clean saucepan. Add enough water to cover the beans and put on the lid. Bring the beans to a boil again over high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium. Continue boiling the beans for about an hour, until they're soft enough that you can mash them with your fingers.^{[4]
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- As the beans cook, add more water to the pot as necessary to keep them covered.
- To cook the beans in a pressure cooker, cook them on medium-high heat until the pressure cooker reaches pressure, and then reduce the heat to low and cook the beans for 20 minutes.^{[5]
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- To cook the beans in a slow cooker, cover them with 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water and cook them on low for 8 hours.^{[6]
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- Even if you cook the beans in a pressure or slow cooker, the remaining steps are the same.
5
Drain the beans. Turn off the heat and remove the beans. Take off the lid and transfer the beans to a colander to drain out the excess water. Return the beans to the saucepan you cooked them in.
6
Cook the beans with the sugar. Add the sugar to the saucepan with the beans and stir to combine the ingredients. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick and dry. Remove the pan from the heat.
- When the mixture is ready, the beans will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.^{[7]
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7
Finish the paste with salt. When the mixture is ready, sprinkle in a pinch of salt, to taste, and stir to incorporate it into the paste. You can also add 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of vanilla extract if you want a flavored bean paste, or 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter for an even richer paste.^{[8]
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8
Cool the paste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set it aside to cool to room temperature. The mixture will thicken even more as it cools. Once you move the mixture to the refrigerator to chill, it will further thicken into a proper paste.^{[9]
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- If you want to make a smooth bean paste instead, skip the cooling step and process the beans.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making Smooth Red Bean Paste

1
Process the chunky bean paste in a food mill. Outfit the food mill with the smallest screen. Lock the blade in place and transfer the chunky beans to the food mill bowl. Place the food mill over a bowl to catch the smooth bean paste. Turn the crank arm to spin the blade and process the beans through the screen and remove the skins.^{[10]
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- The major difference between chunky and smooth red bean paste is the bean skin. Chunky red bean paste isn't actually that chunky, but it does still have the skins. Smooth red bean paste goes through a process to remove the skins.^{[11]
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- Because a food mill actually removes the bean skins, it will produce an authentic smooth red bean paste.
2
Press the chunky bean paste through a fine-mesh sieve. If you don't have a food mill, you can still replicate the process by mashing the beans by hand into a sieve. Pour the beans into a fine-mesh sieve and position the sieve over a medium bowl. Use the back of a large spoon to mash the beans into the screen, pushing the soft flesh through the sieve and leaving the skins behind.
- The sieve method will also produce a skinless smooth paste, but the resulting bean paste won't be quite as smooth as with the food mill.
3
Use an immersion blender to puree the chunky bean paste. Insert an immersion blender into the chunky bean paste. Place the stick on the bottom of the pan, hold the blender at a slight angle, and pulse the blender to puree the beans. Move the blender around in the pan and continue whizzing until you have a smooth paste.^{[12]
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- Because the immersion blender (or food processor) doesn't actually remove the skins, it's not technically a smooth red bean paste, but you may not be able to tell the difference.
4
Pulse the chunky bean paste in a food processor or blender. Pour the chunky bean paste into a food processor or blender. Secure the lid and puree the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes, until the paste is completely smooth and there are no bean chunks left.^{[13]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Storing and Using Red Bean Paste

1
Store the bean paste in an airtight container. Transfer the red bean paste to an airtight container, such as a mason jar or other food storage container. Secure the lid to prevent air from getting in. This will keep the bean paste from drying out and going bad prematurely.
2
Refrigerate the paste for immediate use. If you plan to use the bean paste within a few days, transfer the container to the refrigerator. You can safely store the paste in the refrigerator for up to a week.^{[14]
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3
Freeze the paste for longer storage. Leftover bean paste can be transferred to the freezer and stored for up to a month.^{[15]
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- Transfer the portioned red bean paste to small freezer bags, push out all the air, and seal the bags before freezing the paste.
4
Fill mooncakes with the paste. Make and rest the dough for the mooncakes. Portion the bean paste into 1.5-tablespoon (30-g) balls, and then cover each ball with a thin layer of dough. Transfer the filled dough balls to the mooncake mold and bake them for about 16 minutes in a 360 °F (182 °C) oven.^{[16]
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- Mooncakes are a yummy baked good often eaten during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
- You can use either chunky or smooth red bean paste for mooncakes, but it's more common for the filling to be smooth.
5
Use it as a filling for steamed buns. Steamed buns are a popular snack item, and you can fill these gooey bread products with meat filling, vegetable filling, or even red bean paste. Use 1 tablespoon (20 g) of smooth red bean paste per steamed bun.^{[17]
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6
Make red bean soup. Chunky and smooth bean pastes can easily be turned into sweet red bean soup. In a medium saucepan, combine 3.5 ounces (100 g) of red bean paste and ½ cup (118 ml) of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt, to taste, and remove the pan from the heat. Serve hot with a warm rice dumpling.^{[18]
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