Making Sweet Red Bean Paste (Anko) from scratch is easier than you think! You only need 4 ingredients for this recipe. I‘ll show you how to make tsubuan (chunky paste) and koshian (fine paste) so you can make delicious Japanese sweets at home.
Do you love Japanese sweets and desserts? If you’re like me who enjoy eating them all, then it’s time to make Anko (餡子) aka sweet red bean paste! It is the most basic and favorable filling in traditional Japanese confectionery and pastry.
Whether it’s Daifuku Mochi, Dango, Dorayaki, Taiyaki, Manju, or Anpan, they are filled with Anko and bursting with the deep, sweet flavor of red beans. So let’s learn how to make Anko red bean paste today!
Table of Contents
What is Anko?
Sometimes known as An (餡), Anko (餡子, あんこ) is a Japanese sweet red bean paste made from azuki beans. It is the most common filling used in many Japanese sweets. In fact, you can find sweet bean paste in many other Asian pastries and desserts.
In Japanese cooking, the word “Anko” or “An” usually refers to a red bean paste, but it also implies other varieties such as:
- Shiroan (白あん) – made from lima beans or butter beans. Learn more about it on White Bean Paste (Shiroan) post.
- Kurian (栗あん) – made from chestnuts.
How to Make Anko
It is usually prepared by boiling azuki beans, sometimes mashing them, and then sweetening the paste with sugar.
Azuki, or sometimes written as Adzuki, literally means ‘small beans (小豆)’ in Japanese. Japanese azuki beans are mostly cultivated in the Hokkaido area. The bigger variety of azuki beans is called Dainagon (大納言) and it is slightly more expensive than Azuki beans.
You can find azuki beans from Japanese grocery stores or health food stores.
2 Types of Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste)
There are two most common types of red bean paste:
- Tsubuan (粒あん) – The paste has a chunky texture with bean shapes still intact.
- Koshian (こしあん) – The paste has a fine, smooth texture.
How Do We Choose Which One to Use in Recipes?
There’s no strict rule to this. Just like peanut butter, you can choose chunky versus smooth texture based on your preference. I personally prefer chunky beans in Japanese confectioneries and pastry, so I’d always make Tsubuan for Daifuku Mochi and Anpan,
How to Make Tsubu-an (Chunky Sweet Red Bean Paste)
Tsubuan (粒あん) is prepared by boiling the azuki beans and sweetening with sugar. Bean skins are still left in the paste and the beans are not fully “mashed” although some of them are crushed or mashed during cooking.
I usually make Tsubuan because I prefer the texture and it’s also very easy to make!
How to Make Koshi-an (Fine Sweet Red Bean Paste)
Traditionally, Koshian (こしあん) requires more steps to prepare. After cooking the beans, you will have to:
- Pass the cooked azuki beans through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the bean skins. You may need to add water to help sift the beans through with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Put the mashed beans in a large bowl and fill up with water. Let the mashed beans settle naturally for 30 minutes, then discard the water. Repeat the same process, the second time for 15 minutes, and the third time for 5 minutes, until the water is clear.
- After you discard the water, transfer to a clean cotton cloth (or cheesecloth) to strain out most of the liquid. You will now have a fine, smooth paste.
- Transfer the bean paste to the pot and combine with sugar and salt. Reduce until thicker paste and Koshian is made!
That’s a lot of physical work!
So these days, the home cooks just turn on the food processor to make the fine paste, without removing the bean skins! Personally, I do not see a big difference in the Koshian between the traditional, time-consuming method and the food processor method.
In this recipe, I’ll show you the food processor method. You can use a blender too.
5 Useful Tips for Making Anko At Home
1. No More Soaking Azuki Beans Overnight
In my previous recipe, I soaked the azuki beans in water overnight. I was taught by my grandma that azuki beans have very hard skin so it’s good to soak.
However, these days many articles and recipes mention that we do not need to soak azuki beans anymore. For the first 4 hours, azuki beans do not absorb any water and require 18 hours to soak. Therefore, it’s recommended to just start cooking right away.
I have been following the new method and I actually don’t see any difference from my previous recipe. Now I can make Anko when I want to make it and I do not need to wait overnight!
2. Boiling and Throwing Water Away
The reason why we boil the azuki beans and throw away the water is to remove the astringency (shibumi in Japanese 渋み) of the food. We use the same technique for cooking bamboo and bitter gourd.
I do it just once, while some people do it twice or three times. It’s up to you, but I’ve been doing just once and it’s okay with me.
3. The Bean to Sugar Ratio
In general, the bean to sugar ratio for Anko is 1 to 1, an equal amount. For home use, you can reduce the sugar to your liking.
However, before doing so, please note the followings:
- The sugar is to preserve the paste for a longer time. If you reduce the sugar, Anko is not well-suited for keeping for a longer time.
- Anko can be the only “sweet” element for the confectionary you’re making. The mochi, the dough, or the batter you’re preparing to go with Anko may not be sweetened.
In this recipe, for 200 grams of azuki beans, I suggested the sugar amount to be 175-200 grams of sugar 1: 0.9-1, which is slightly less than an equal amount.
4. Add A Pinch of Salt to Sweeten
You may wonder why salt when you are making sweet red bean paste.
A bit of salt is used as a flavor enhancer because it will reduce bitterness, but increase sweetness and umami which is desirable for sweet recipes. So instead of increasing the amount of sugar, add a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness first.
5. Stop Cooking When You Can Draw a Line…
As soon as you can draw a line with a spatula on the bottom of the pot, transfer the red bean paste to a baking sheet or a flat wide-surface tray and cool immediately.
Remember the moisture will continue to evaporate with the remaining heat and the paste will thicken further as it cools.
How to Make Anko with a Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot)
If you own a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot, it’s so much easier and faster to make red bean paste. Check out my Pressure Cooker Anko recipe for details.
White Bean Paste (Shiroan)
As mentioned earlier, sweet bean paste is not only made from azuki beans but also made from white beans. White Bean Paste, or what we call Shiroan (白餡), is another common filling for Japanese confectionery such as mochi and manju.
The paste has a milder bean taste, so it makes a great alternative to red bean paste if that’s what you prefer.
How to Store Anko
You can store the red bean paste in the freezer for up to 2 months! It’s such a treat to have it on hand, and more reasons to enjoy Japanese sweets for your afternoon tea.
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Sweet Red Bean Paste (Tsubuan and Koshian)
Ingredients
- 7 oz azuki beans (dried; a bit less than 1 cup)
- water
- ¾–1 cup sugar
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Rinse 7 oz azuki beans and discard any broken beans. Drain.
- Transfer the drained azuki beans to a large pot. Add enough water to the pot to cover the beans by 1–2 inches.
- Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, drain the beans in a fine-mesh sieve. Return the beans to the same pot.
- Next, add more water to the pot to cover the beans by 1–2 inches.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, put an otoshibuta (drop lid) over the beans. (The otoshibuta will prevent the beans from dancing around too much.) Turn down the heat to medium low and keep it simmering for the next 1–1½ hours.
- Some of the water will evaporate, so add more water to keep the beans covered, as needed. After 1 hour, check if the beans are cooked. Pick up a bean and mash it with your fingers. When it mashes easily, it‘s done.
To Make Tsubuan (Chunky Red Bean Paste)
- Drain the cooked azuki beans in a sieve.
- Return the beans to the same pot. Turn the heat to medium low and add half of the ¾–1 cup sugar.
- Mix well. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the rest of the sugar.
- Mix well, stirring constantly. Then, add ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and stir.
- If you plan to use the red beans for Zenzai (Oshiruko), you can use it right away. If you prefer a thicker version, reduce the soup further.
- Let the moisture evaporate. When you can draw a line on the bottom of the pot with your spatula, turn off the heat. Don‘t worry if it‘s still loose; the anko will continue to thicken as it cools. Transfer the anko to a flat baking sheet to let it cool completely. The tsubuan is now ready to use in a variety of Japanese sweets such as Daifuku Mochi, Anpan, Red Bean Pancakes, and Matcha Zenzai (Red Bean Soup). Scroll down to see how to store it.
To Make Koshian (Fine Red Bean Paste)
- Reserve some of the cooking liquid. Then, drain the azuki beans in a sieve.
- Transfer the beans to a food processor. Run the food processor until the beans become a fine paste. If necessary, add 1–2 Tbsp cooking liquid to help process the beans.
- Transfer the fine paste back into the same cooking pot. Turn the heat to medium low and add half of the ¾–1 cup sugar.
- Mix well with the bean paste. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the rest of the sugar.
- Let the moisture evaporate, stirring constantly. Then, add ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and stir.
- When you can draw a line on the bottom of the pot with your spatula, turn off the heat. Don‘t worry if it‘s still loose; the anko will continue to thicken as it cools. Transfer the anko to a flat baking sheet to let it cool completely. The koshian is now ready to use in a variety of Japanese sweets such as Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku), Sakura Mochi, Manju, and Mizu Yokan.
To Store
- Transfer the Anko to an airtight container, cool, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can also divide and wrap 100 g portions of the bean paste in plastic film and store in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to use it, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. Tip: Compared to store-bought red bean paste, homemade anko uses less sugar and therefore doesn‘t keep as long.
Nutrition
Make Delicious Recipes with Anko:
- Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
- Mizu Yokan
- Daifuku Mochi
- Dorayaki (Japanese Red Bean Pancake)
- Red Bean Ice Cream
- Taiyaki
- Zenzai/Oshiruko (Red Bean Soup)
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on March 12, 2012. The new images are added and the recipe instruction is slightly updated in March 2020.
Thank you for posting this! Your directions are very clear.
Anko cannot be bought locally… but I did track down a source for the beans, so I plan to play soon with your recipe. I own a mouli (hand-cranked food mill), so I might even experiment a bit to see if I can make a bit of koshian, too! 🙂
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your kind words. How cool to own a mouli! We use a very fine sieve and press anko through it, but I wonder how a mouli would work for koshian! Let us know your experience if you try! 😀
Hello Nami,
I made the anko today — it had a pretty good flavour for beans from the local Bulk Barn (my only source for the dried beans — Heaven knows which brand they are). And, the mouli worked! I now have a batch of koshian.
If anyone else reading this is confused about just what a mouli is, I should add that American suppliers tend to call them hand-cranked, or manual, food mills. The name mouli is used more in the UK; I’ve heard both terms used here in Canada. They are the niftiest gadgets for making soups and preserves and now I know that they can also make koshian. 😉 My mouli, bought at our local Home Hardware, came with three grating discs — I used the finest gauge to sieve the anko.
I had been debating whether to mill the anko hot or cold; ended up doing it hot as it was already quite thick. In fact, it was the thickest thing I’ve put through the mouli. Near the end, I kept scraping down the paste so that the turning blade would catch it (the nice thing about a hand-turned food mill is that there’s no danger of catching a finger or utensil while doing this as you have to stop cranking, heh!) There was very little waste when I was finished — maybe a teaspoon left over in the mouli. You could see a difference in the colour of the paste from start to finish as the bean skins were slower to make their way through the mill, so I just stirred everything together. The final product was a very smooth paste — not certain if it would pass muster in a Japanese kitchen, but I’m happy with it. 🙂
And, I have fresh strawberries… Hmm. 😀
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
p.s. Maybe for proper koshian, there should have been less of the skins in the final product, Nami? Or, do you also force the skins through the sieve when you make koshian? What do you think?
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you SO MUCH for the update! I had really fun reading your full report! Wow I wished that I could see the process in person. It must have been a very interesting and fun (and delicious!) project. Usually Koshian doesn’t have skin in it, but depends on the brand or preference, you could add some skin for texture. It’s amazing you only had about a teaspoon worth of waste in the mouli afterwards. I hope you enjoy homemade koshian! I have to try making it one day… yeah one day… 🙂
Hi Namiko-san! Thank you for your easy to follow recipe. I’m cooking the anko right now and the smell of adzuki beans cooking away makes me so happy 🙂
Question, will the recipe still work well if you keep a lid on the pot while it simmers for the 1+ hours? Wouldn’t it save having to add additional water throughout?
Kind regards,
Olivia
Hi Olivia! I hope your anko turned out well! You have a very good question. I cook with no lid without thinking (from my memory of my mom and grandma cooking) but your question made me curious, so I checked other recipes online (mostly videos). Most people cook without lid, and some mention that you need to make sure the water amount. In order to keep the beans in good shape (and texture), we cook the beans under the water just above the beans. If you put too much water, beans will dance around in the water and it will easily break (according to the theory). When you close with the lid, you can’t see how the beans are doing (moving too much or covered by enough water), so most people leave the lid open to keep checking. Some people use Otoshibuta (drop lid) instead of regular lid so that beans won’t be moving too much. Hope this helps!
Hello,
I love your recipes, I was wondering if you had the calorie per serving breakdown for the green tea ice cream and the red bean ice cream. Also, perhaps I missed it on the website, if so please direct me to the calorie break down for recipes.
Hi Danielle! Thank you for reading my blog! Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information for any of my recipes. I recommend utilizing online calorie counters at your discretion to obtain such information. I know it would be very convenient though. 🙂
Dear Nami,
I see. Anyway I made dorayaki with the tsubuan. Hehe. Really enjoy trying out the recipes. I hope one day you will publish a hard copy cookbook!
🙂 Christine
Hi Christine! So sorry for my late response. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my blog! Thank you for following! 🙂 Awww thank you so much for your interest in a hard copy cookbook. Well, I barely have time to keep up with my blog right now with 2 posts per week, and I’m responding to readers so slow… =P Maybe one day, when kids are much older. Thank you Christine!
Dear Nami,
I managed to get another packet of adzuki beans from my local Isetan. It says King Dainagon Azuki so hopefully it will work this time!
I am going to experiment with only 100g
of beans.
Btw I just grabbed another 2 packets of Sanuki Udon again today. I have tried your
yaki udon, miso soup, nikujaga and okonomiyaki recipes so far. They all work great! Except for my okonomiyaki which I added too much cabbage. The whole mixture didn’t really hold well together.
🙂 Christine
Hi Crhsitine! Those azuki beans are from Hokkaido and they are a bit bigger and more expensive (I used dainagon too). Hope anko will come out well.
You will need a good balance of batter vs. cabbage. If too much batter, then Okonomiyaki is like a real pancake. Too much cabbage, then like you said, it breaks easily (not enough connector). To find the good balance, slowly add cabbage to the batter and mix it all up until you add next handful of cabbage. Depending on the amount you are making, you can also transfer some batter and cabbage into a smaller bowl to control the portion/ratio. Hope this helps. 🙂
Dear Nami,
The tsubuan turned out well this time. I am thinking I must have used the wrong beans previously. I saw them labelled as kintoki beans in Isetan. 🙁 Which is really strange as my tour guide told me they were azuki beans when I bought them in Japan.
Thanks for all your help.
Hi Christine! Glad it worked out this time! Oh I see. Kintoki Mame is different from Azuki beans. They are used to make a simmered side dish like this (https://www.google.com/search?q=%E9%87%91%E6%99%82%E8%B1%86&client=firefox-a&hs=ovy&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=z2vqU4TXJIXUiwK91IGYAg&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=729). Sorry the tour guide was not aware of it… :/
Can i use regular red beans?
Hi Mika! If you are going to make anko, please use azuki (or adzuki) beans. Thank you. 🙂
Dear Nami,
Thank you so much for your reply.
Yes the beans became smooth again after
soaking overnight.
However the insides of the beans were cream so I ended up with a paste that was more pinkish than red. And I must have misread your recipe as I threw out the water I cooked the beans in before adding the sugar. 🙁
I will try again with another pack of beans.
Regds,
Christine
Hi Christine! I’m glad to hear the bean’s wrinkle problem was solved. 😀 I think the color of beans are based on the kind of beans, so you may not be able to change it. Hope next pack of azuki works better. 🙂
Hi Nami,
It is my first time attempting anko.
Are the adzuki beans supposed to look
shrivelled after soaking? My beans had
smooth surfaces initially but looked a little
strange after soaking for only 1 hr.
Also, do we top up with tap water or hot water when the water evaporates? Thanks!
🙂 Christine
Hi Christine! I did some research on the wrinkles after soaking, but couldn’t find the same case. However I read the same thing happened to soybean (daizu) and the reason was that the skin is soft and got expanded first by hydrating. But the wrinkles disappear when the soybean (inside) start to expand after hydrating. That kind of makes sense and I wonder if your wrinkles also disappeared after soaking for more hours.
The wrinkles for azuki usually happen after cooking and cooling, but it was my first time hearing about wrinkles before cooking. Hope the result was okay.
We use water (I use filtered water) instead of hot water. Hope this helps!
How long can you keep Anko?
I’m not quite sure if I’m going to use it up in one time.
Thank you :))
Hi Patt! Wrap in plastic bag and store in Ziploc Freezer bags, and then store in fridge for a week and freezer for up to a month. 🙂
The pictures were really helpful. I ended up adding the sugar a bit too early i think and had to evaporate more water to get the proper texture but it still came out great. Now to use up the paste in your other recipes :p
Hi Matiwariat! So glad to hear my step by step pictures were helpful. Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Have you ever done this in bulk, say 20 bags of beans at once?
To elaborate, I have tried your recipe and it came out really well; I used it for taiyaki. Yay. Now I have an ambition to serve the azuki with shave ice here in Hawaii for a fundraiser and will need a lot of azuki. I am planning on making 20 bags worth in one big pot and was wondering if you ever made this recipe in bulk, and if you had or know of any issues with cooking this much at once.
Mahalo for your time!
Hi Fukukawa-san! I’m glad your anko came out well! 🙂 Theoretically, it should work. I’ve seen my mom and my grandma cook for a bigger batch. As long as the beans are “equally” cooked, it should be okay. While cooling the beans, the moisture evaporate and it’ll become harder. If you need anko to have some moisture/softer, please be careful not to lose too much liquid. 🙂
Good luck!
Will update if I run into any issues. Arigato gozaimasu for the quick reply! Aloha
Thank you so much! Hope your fundraiser will be successful. If I was in Hawaii, I’d be your frequent customer because I love shaved ice with matcha and azuki! 🙂
Hi again,
Update: the azuki with shave ice was a hit. Topped everything off with sweetened condensed milk. Winner! The only problem I had was cooking the beans. I had to break up the batch into smaller batches because cooking 20 bags all at once was taking too long. Also, 20 bags was A LOT, too much for the biggest pot haha. All in all it was a success. Thank you so much for this recipe! Aloha, Deron Furukawa
Hi Deron! Thank you for the update! Awesome news! So glad to hear the azuki with shaved ice was a hit! I need to buy a shaved ice machine this year… 🙂 I wish I live nearby so I could have leftover anko! Thanks again!
Hi Nami: Success! We now have red bean paste cooling in the fridge. I loved that you explained “how” and more appreciated the “why” so I had no surprises and was assured success. I was introduced to red bean paste in Korea and enjoy it very much as a substitute for chocolate…..but really there is no substitute for chocolate. I have read the comments to this recipe and I don’t think you would ever be able to substitute the sugar for a low/no calorie option as a sugar is needed to caramelize the beans. Thank you…this is a “keeper” recipe for me and I will be creating a cheesecake w the paste I made today.
Hi Karen! So glad to hear your anko turn out well so far! I am also happy that you thought my instructions were helpful. Thank you so much for your feedback, as well as feedback on sugar. 🙂
You’ll make cheesecake with red bean paste! Wow I’ve never tried that before and I’m jealous you get to eat it. 🙂 Hope you enjoy anko!
Thank you for posting this! I’m interested in making mochi and this recipe will help me know how to cook the beans just right! Can you direct me to a good mochi recipe?
I also have discovered a red bean boba shake and I would like to try making it myself as I think it would be tasty even without boba added.
Hi Elizabeth! I’m going to do the mochi tutorial one day with video, but meanwhile, you can check out this Strawberry Daifuku as a basic recipe.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/strawberry-daifuku/
Red bean boba is my favorite drink! I always ask for red bean on the side, even though there is no red bean boba as a menu. 😀
When I tried to make koshian before, I stored it in a glass jar (unsealed) in the refrigerator. Sugar crystals formed in the koshian afterwards. How do I prevent that? Did I do something wrong in the recipe? I may have used more sugar than suggested.
Hi Kira! To tell you the truth, I am not sure. I have never made koshian before, and with regular anko I haven’t had this issue before. Is it really bad that you have to cook it before using it? Wish I can help, sorry. 🙁
in step 1, when you say to soak the beans overnight, how many hours would you say is “overnight?”
Overnight usually means 8-12 hours. I updated my recipe with the info. Thank you!