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Sweet red bean paste

Beans, lentils & pulses · Bean pastes & ferments

Sweet red bean paste

Sweet paste of adzuki beans cooked with sugar; the filling for mochi, buns, dorayaki and many East Asian sweets.

Also called: anko, tsubuan, koshian, adzuki bean paste, azuki paste, red bean filling, pat, dou sha, hong dou sha

Around the world: 餡子, あんこ, anko (ja) · 팥소, 팥, pat (ko) · 豆沙, 红豆沙, dou sha (zh)

5 recipes with it

Photo: Midori, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Sweet red bean paste is small red adzuki beans simmered and mashed with sugar. Japanese tsubuan is chunky with whole beans; koshian is sieved smooth. It is dark reddish-brown and dense, and is not the same as savoury Chinese bean sauces or chilli bean paste (doubanjiang).

Vigna angularis (adzuki bean)

How it’s used

  • Filling for mochi, daifuku and dorayaki
  • Stuffed into steamed bao and mooncakes
  • Spooned over shaved ice (bingsu, kakigori)
  • Filled into taiyaki and Korean hoppang

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, earthy and slightly nutty.
Texture
Thick and smooth or chunky.
Sold as
paste, canned
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Suitable for baking

Storage

Refrigerated. Cans keep in the pantry; once opened, refrigerate in a covered container and use within a few days, or freeze in portions.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
237 kcal
Protein
3.8 g
Carbohydrate
55.01 g
Fat
0.03 g
Fibre
— g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Beans, adzuki, mature seeds, canned, sweetened (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Sweetened chestnut purée — For buns and pastries; smoother and more vanilla-like.

Related ingredients

Recipes with sweet red bean paste

More bean pastes & ferments