red bean paste

This coarse red bean paste is the workhorse filling in Chinese home baking. It’s the one I use in steamed buns, sticky rice cakes and many other recipes I share in detail in my how to use it section below. What this paste is not designed for is mooncakes,  which use a smoother oil-and-maltose filling that I am writing up in a separate post coming soon.

This is a family recipe my mom taught me. She made sticky rice cake with red bean paste often when I was growing up, and it was one of my favorite snacks after school. I like this version because it comes together with very few ingredients and keeps a little bit of bean texture instead of turning into a smooth puree, which is closer to the paste my mom cooked at home than anything I have bought from a Chinese market.

As a busy mom I prefer the Instant Pot method because it skips the overnight soak and the beans come out consistently soft every time, so the paste-cooking step in the skillet is the only part that needs my attention. I included the stovetop version for you guys in case you don’t have a pressure cooker, and it works just as well with a longer simmer. I encourage you to give this one a try at home using my easy directions below and keep a batch in the freezer for the next time a pastry recipe on the site calls for red bean paste.

red bean paste

Ingredients

To make this easy red bean paste recipe, I use only 3 ingredients, which I explain in detail below along with possible substitutions.

red bean paste ingredients

Azuki beans: I use dried azuki beans, sometimes labeled adzuki or red beans at Chinese and Japanese markets. I look for beans that are red, whole, and unbroken, which cook down at the same rate.

Rock sugar: I highly recommend rock sugar over granulated sugar for this paste. The finished texture comes out smoother in the mouth and glossier in appearance, both of which matter when the paste sits inside a pastry. Granulated sugar still works if that is what I have on the shelf.

Salt: I add a small pinch of salt to keep the sweetness from flattening.

How to Make

Instant Pot method (my preferred method)

  1. Combine the azuki beans and 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.

Stovetop method

  1. Rinse the azuki beans, then soak them in a bowl of water overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and discard the soaking water.
  2. Transfer the beans to a large pot and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer until the beans are very tender and can be easily mashed with a spatula, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  3. Check the water level occasionally during simmering to make sure the beans stay covered. Add more water in small amounts if needed to prevent scorching. Stir with a light hand from time to time, taking care not to mash the beans.

Make the red bean paste

Once the beans are fully cooked: Ladle out most of the cooking liquid, leaving just enough in the pot to help dissolve the sugar in the next step.

Start cooking the paste: Transfer the cooked beans and the remaining cooking liquid to a large nonstick skillet. Add the rock sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

cooked beans, sugar, salt cooking in skillet

As the mixture thickens: Reduce the heat to medium-low to prevent scorching. Continue cooking, stirring more frequently and mashing the beans with a spatula, until the paste is thick enough to stay firm, about 15 minutes.

Test for doneness: Draw a line through the paste with a spatula. The paste is ready when it slowly holds the line and the bottom of the skillet stays visible for about 5 seconds before the paste flows back together.

red beans paste in stove cooking

Serve: Transfer the paste to a large bowl and let it cool completely. The paste will continue to thicken as it cools and firms up further after chilling in the refrigerator.

Red Bean Paste on a plate (红豆沙馅)

My Cooking Tips

Cool the paste before I use it. Warm paste is loose and sticks to my hands when I try to shape it into a filling. Once it chills in the refrigerator for an hour or two, it firms up into a shapable consistency that portions neatly into balls for buns and pastries.

Reduce the paste in a wide nonstick skillet rather than the pot you cooked the beans in. The wide surface area lets moisture evaporate faster, and a nonstick surface makes it much easier to scrape the paste as it thickens. In a deep pot, the paste takes longer to reduce and is more likely to catch on the bottom.

Do not dump all the cooking liquid at once. I ladle out most of the liquid and reserve it in a separate bowl so I can add a splash back if the paste tightens too quickly before the sugar has fully melted.

Watch the heat once the paste thickens. Sugar and starch scorch quickly once the liquid is mostly gone. I turn the heat down to medium-low as soon as the paste starts to hold a spatula trail and stir constantly for the last few minutes.

How Do I Use This Paste

This is a component recipe, not a “stand-alone” dish, so I think of it as a jar in the refrigerator or freezer that unlocks a long list of Chinese sweets. The paste goes into my sticky rice cake as the filling and into coconut mochi as a hidden center. It also stuffs red bean bread as the sweet middle inside a soft steamed bun.

At Dragon Boat Festival I fold this paste into alkaline dumplings, and I layer it under the fruit in eight treasure rice for a celebratory dessert. It also presses into the middle of a Chinese pumpkin cake as a soft sweet filling.

For the simplest use, I spoon a big scoop over a bowl of shaved ice or spread it on hot toast for breakfast, which is how I ate the leftovers as a kid.

Frequently Ask Questions

Can I use canned red beans?

I do not recommend it for this recipe. Canned red beans are usually kidney or pinto beans, not azuki, and the flavor and texture are different. Even canned azuki beans have often been sweetened or seasoned already, which throws off the sugar ratio in this recipe.

Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe?

Yes, but I choose the sugar amount based on how the paste is being used. If I plan to eat the paste in big spoonfuls as a dessert topping or serve it on its own, I start with 1/2 cup of sugar and taste as it reduces, adding more only if needed. If the paste is going inside a pastry, I use the full amount in the recipe.

How long does the paste keep in the fridge and freezer?

I store the cooled paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or portion it into freezer bags in the amounts I need for a single recipe and freeze for up to 1 month. To thaw, I move the bag to the refrigerator overnight and stir the paste briefly before shaping. Freezing tightens the texture slightly, which is actually helpful when I need firm portions for pastry filling.

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red bean paste

Red Bean Paste Recipe

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 10 (yield 600 g paste)
Print
This homemade red bean paste is a coarse-textured Chinese pastry filling made by slowly cooking down azuki beans with rock sugar. It's perfect for filling buns, topping desserts, or using in sticky rice pastries. This is the everyday homestyle red bean paste I grew up eating, and it's surprisingly easy to make at home.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup azuki beans
  • 3/4 cup rock sugar (or sugar) (*Footnote 1)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

To Cook in an Instant Pot:

  • Combine the azuki beans and 2 cups of water in an Instant Pot. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 40 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.

To Cook over the stove:

  • Rinse the azuki beans and soak them in water overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and discard the soaking water.
  • Transfer the beans to a large pot and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer until the beans are very tender and can be easily mashed with a spatula, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • During cooking, check the water level occasionally to make sure the beans remain covered. Add more water as needed to prevent the beans from drying out or scorching. Stir gently from time to time, taking care not to mash the beans.
  • Once the beans are fully cooked, use a ladle to remove most of the cooking liquid, leaving just enough in the pot to help dissolve the sugar.

Make the red bean paste:

  • Transfer the cooked beans and the remaining cooking liquid to a large nonstick skillet (*Footnote 2). Add the rock sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
  • As the mixture thickens, reduce the heat to medium-low if needed to prevent scorching. Continue cooking, stirring more frequently and mash the beans, until the bean paste is thick enough to hold its shape, about 15 minutes.
  • To test for doneness, draw a line through the paste with a spatula. The paste is ready when it slowly holds the line and the bottom of the skillet remains visible for about 5 seconds before the paste flows back together.
  • Transfer the bean paste to a large bowl and let it cool completely. The paste will continue to thicken as it cools and will become even firmer after chilling in the refrigerator.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

 1. I highly recommend using rock sugar. It produces a smoother mouthfeel and a glossier finish than granulated sugar, though granulated sugar works well if that’s what you have on hand.
2. I prefer reducing the bean paste in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop because the wide surface helps moisture evaporate more quickly and gives you better control over the consistency.
3. This recipe makes a rustic homestyle red bean paste with a naturally coarse texture and pure bean flavor. It’s perfect for buns, steamed pastries, sticky rice cakes, toast, or serving as a topping for shaved ice and desserts. It is not intended for mooncakes or other baked pastries, which typically use a much smoother, oil-rich filling made with maltose.

Nutrition

Serving: 42g, Calories: 88kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Sodium: 32mg, Potassium: 124mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 0.5mg

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