White Bean Paste or Shiroan is a common and delicious sweet filling in popular Japanese confectionery (wagashi) like mochi and manju. With a milder taste and soft hue, it makes a great alternative to sweet red bean paste in your desserts and snacks.
White bean paste or Shiroan (白餡, 白あん) is primarily used as a filling for sweet desserts and pastries in Japanese and East Asian cuisines. It has a milder bean taste, so those of you who don’t like red bean paste may enjoy Wagashi (Japanese confectionery) filled with white bean paste.
While you can easily buy red bean paste in Japanese or Asian grocery stores, premade white bean paste is almost impossible to find outside of Japan. It’s quite simple to make, but the process does take some time. Nonetheless, you can always make white bean paste ahead of time so it’s ready for use when you make Japanese sweets.
What is White Bean Paste (Shiroan)?
Shiroan (白餡 or 白あん) is the smooth and sweet white paste called an (餡) or anko (餡子) made from lima beans or butter beans, or in Japanese, Shiro Ingen Mame (白いんげん豆). The beans are hulled, simmered till tender, drained, and pureed/passed through before sugar is added to sweeten the paste.
You may be familiar with red bean paste made from azuki beans. The red bean paste has two types; non-hulled and coarse paste “Tsubuan” (粒餡) and hulled and smooth paste “Koshian” (漉し餡). However, the white bean paste is always hulled and smooth Koshian.
Types of White Beans Used for Shiroan
In Japan, there are several types of white beans you can use for White Bean Paste.
- Shiro Ingen Mame (白いんげん豆)
- Shirohana Mame (白花豆)
- Oofuku Mame (大福豆)
- Tebo Mame (手亡豆)
- Kintoki Mame (金時豆)
- Shiro Azuki (白小豆)
If you live outside of Japan, please try finding lima beans (butter beans) or navy beans. If you can’t find them, then the last option is Cannellini Beans. I do not recommend substituting with other beans because the taste and texture will be completely off.
Frequently Asked Questions on White Bean Paste
1. What types of white beans should I use?
Use lima beans (butter beans) or navy beans. I used Shirohana Mame (白花豆) from Hokkaido in this recipe (bought in Japan).
2. Can I reduce the amount of sugar?
You can, but typical traditional recipes require ⅔ to 1 part of sugar for 1 part of dried beans (in some cases, more than 1 part). You can replace sugar with a healthier alternative, such as maple syrup or honey but the paste will be more liquidy and the flavor can be overpowering.
Sugar is necessary for the preservation of the bean paste, but if you are going to consume it soon, you can reduce the amount slightly.
3. Is salt necessary?
You may wonder why salt (or salty taste) is required in the mixture when you are trying to sweeten. Adding some salt contrarily makes it taste a lot sweeter and brings out more flavors.
4. Can I use a pressure cooker instead of simmering on the stove?
Yes, you can cut down on the cooking time by using a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). According to the Instant Pot, it takes 6-10 minutes for soaked lima beans and 7-8 minutes for soaked navy beans. However, for making white bean paste, I use high pressure for 15-20 minutes and run the food processor.
5. Can I use a food processor instead of pressing through the fine-mesh sieve?
Yes, you can use a food processor or blender to make a smooth puree. But even though you don’t have these kitchen appliances, you can use a fine-mesh sieve to make a fine and smooth puree.
Do you have any other questions? Please leave a comment below.
Japanese Sweets Recipes with White Bean Paste
You can simply replace the red bean paste with white bean paste for wagashi, Japanese confectionery. Here are some recipes you may like to try:
- Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
- Manju
- Daifuku
- Imagawayaki
- Green Tea Mochi (recipe coming soon)
Try These White Bean Paste Variations
You may not see white bean paste as often, but instead, you will see colorful fillings that are made of white bean paste. To improve the taste of bland white bean paste, it is often mixed with other aromatic and colorful ingredients like the ones below:
- Matcha An (抹茶餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 2 g matcha (green tea powder)
- Sakura An (桜餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 5 g salted cherry blossoms
- Miso An (味噌餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 10 g sweet saikyo miso
- Kabocha An (南瓜餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 100 g kabocha (pumpkin/squash) puree
- Kimi An (黄身餡) – 150 g white bean paste + 1 egg yolk
- Kuri An (栗餡) – white bean paste + kuri kanroni
- Yuzu An (柚子餡) – white bean paste + yuzu zest
- Kurumi An (胡桃餡) – white bean paste + chopped chest
- Goma An (胡麻餡) – white bean paste + ground sesame seeds
White bean paste is also used to make Nerikiri combined with gyuhi (soft mochi). Add a few dollops of food coloring to create beautiful wagashi (picture above).
Are you looking forward to experimenting with wagashi filled with white bean paste? I’d love to see your creations!
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White Bean Paste (Shiroan)
Video
Ingredients
- 7 oz dried lima beans (about 1 cup; for Japanese bean names, see end Notes)
- ¾ cup sugar (5.3 oz, 150 g; adjust to taste; you can increase up to equal the weight of the dried beans; see end Notes)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Soak the Dried Beans (Overnight)
- To a large bowl, add 7 oz dried lima beans and rinse them under running water. Then, soak them in plenty of water overnight (8 to 12 hours; longer hours required in winter).
To Cook the Beans
- After 8–12 hours, you can easily remove the beans’ outer skin with your fingers. Peel off and discard the skins.
- Add the peeled beans to a pot and pour just enough tap water to cover the beans. To properly cook the beans, use the minimum amount of water needed to cover them; you don’t want the beans moving around in a large amount of water.
- Bring it to a boil on medium heat. Let it boil for 2 minutes while foam starts to appear.
- Pour then beans into a sieve to drain the water. Quickly rinse the pot, then put the beans back in the pot. Add just enough cold water to cover the beans.
- Cover with a lid slightly ajar and let simmer on low heat until the beans become tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. You can shorten the cooking time by using a pressure cooker (set at High pressure for 15–20 minutes).
- Once in a while, check the beans and skim off the foam on the surface. This helps to make the white paste even whiter. Add a bit more water to keep the beans covered, if needed. Make sure the amount of water is just enough to cover the beans.
- When you can easily crush the beans between two fingers, it’s done.
- Save a little bit of cooking liquid for the next step. Then, drain the remaining liquid from the beans.
To Make the Shiroan
- Transfer a small portion of drained beans to a fine-mesh strainer set over a large plate. I used a Japanese uragoshi-ki (it‘s also a flour sifter). Press the beans through the strainer using a wooden spatula. You will get a finer and smoother paste built up under the sieve/over the plate. If it’s too dry, put a tiny bit of cooking liquid on the beans before pressing. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to purée the beans. Add a little bit of cooking liquid, if necessary.
- Put the paste in a clean saucepan. Add ¾ cup sugar and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix well to combine.
- Turn on the heat to medium low and let the sugar dissolve. The paste will become looser and softer.
- Then, let the moisture evaporate from the mixture until it becomes a smooth and moldable paste, roughly 15–20 minutes. Keep an eye on the paste at all times to make sure it doesn‘t burn. When you can draw a line on the bottom of the pan with your spatula, it’s done. Remove from the heat. Moisture will continue to evaporate as the paste cools down, so remove it from the pot immediately.
To Store
- Transfer the white bean paste to a clean container with a lid. If you’re using it in a few days, refrigerate. Otherwise, divide the paste into small portions and freeze for up to 2–3 months.
Notes
- Lima Beans: If you’re in Japan, you can get a variety of shiro ingen mame (白いんげん豆) such as shirohana mame (白花豆), ofuku mame (大福豆), tebo mame (手亡豆), or kintoki mame (金時豆). Or you can use shiro azuki (白小豆). For white bean paste, please use lima beans (butter beans) or navy beans. If you can’t find them, then the last option is cannellini beans. I do not recommend substituting other beans because the taste and texture will be completely off.
- Sugar: Please use granulated white sugar, and do not use sugar that has a color (such as brown sugar) because you’re trying to make WHITE bean paste. If you’re going for traditional white bean paste, the sugar amount will be two-thirds to one part sugar (by weight) to one part dried beans. If you reduce the amount of sugar significantly, it will not give enough moisture to the paste, which may result in a different texture. Wagashi is meant to be a bit on the sweet side in order to complement the bitter taste of matcha (drink).
Thanks for the recipe. Mine tasted a little acidic compared to the very delicate taste of Japanese Shiroan I’ve tried. Could I have overcooked or is it the beans?
Hi Sam, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Have you soaked the beans? Also, did you discard the first boiled water (Step 6)? If you did, it could be the type of beans. We recommend trying a different batch of beans or brand.
We hope this helps!
Thanks! I looked again pretty sure the taste was improved from both additional discards (more than once), and switching pans, just in case it helps anyone else.
hi Naomi, thank you so much for the clear instruction and lovely recipe. I enjoy tasting it very much as I made it!
I do have few questions though, will the paste texture stays when I unfreeze it? How to properly retain its paste texture, specifically to make Nerikiri (Wagashi) from this paste?
Hi Ros, Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind words.
We are so happy to hear Nami’s instruction was very helpful.🤗
To defrost, we recommend defrosting it in the refrigerator overnight. If the texture isn’t quite right for the Wagashi, put them in the pot and reheat them to adjust the texture. You can make it softer by adding water. We hope this helps!
[…] Sweetened White Bean Paste (a.k.a. Shiro An): I eat this stuff by spoonfuls! It’s a versatile ingredient that goes inside my sweet rice mochi recipe as well my tofu mochi recipe, but it’s also used as fillings inside sweet breads, pancakes, cookies and more. While some asian grocery stores carry them, I usually buy them in bulk directly from a Korean bakery. You can also find Sweetened White Bean paste online (just look up Shiro An on Amazon). Or make your own. I recommend this recipe from Just One Cookbook. […]
Hi – can I use American brand lima beans?
Hi Kelly! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. It should work fine.😊
We hope you enjoy the homemade Shiroan.
Hello! Thanks so much for the recipe! I was wondering how many mochis 1 batch of this filling can make using your green tea mochi recipe? Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Nicole! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipes!
This recipe makes about 450g of Shiroan.
Nami’s green tea mochi needs 100g of Shiroan to make 6 Mochi, so you can make about 27 Mochi from this batch.
We hope this helps!
Thank you for detailed instructions! When you removed it from the stove top it looked a little runny still; does it harden up or how can I make this to pipe florals onto my cakes? If I store it in the fridge how do I make it soft enough to pipe again?
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
When Bean paste cools down, it will harden! If it gets too hard, you can add a bit of water and mix well. You can also add condensed milk to soften the Bean past if you prefer.
We hope this helps!
Can I use it to pipe flower
Hi Imane! Yes, you can use Bean Paste to make flowers for decorating desserts!
We hope you will have fun creating many designs!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!