Legumes & Beans

Adzuki Bean

Small sweet red bean used in East Asian desserts and red bean paste.

Adzuki beans are small, reddish-brown beans with a sweet, nutty flavor, central to East Asian cooking. They are most famous boiled with sugar into red bean paste for mochi, buns, and ice cream, but are also used in savory rice dishes and soups. They cook to a soft texture and are considered auspicious in many Asian cuisines.

The adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) is a small, oval legume native to East Asia, where it has been cultivated for centuries as a staple ingredient in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines. Its most striking characteristic is a natural sweetness that sets it apart from most other dried beans—this sweetness intensifies during cooking and is the reason adzuki beans have become synonymous with the sweet red bean paste called anko that forms the backbone of countless East Asian desserts. The beans cook to a tender but intact texture, holding their shape better than most legumes, which makes them uniquely suited to both chunky and smooth paste applications. Beyond sweets, adzuki beans are used in savory preparations, soups, beverages, and fermented products across the region. High in protein (about 20–25% by dry weight) and fiber, they are also nutritionally substantial, though their antinutritional factors (trypsin inhibitors, tannins) are effectively reduced by soaking and thorough cooking.

Adzuki beans are distinct from red kidney beans in flavor, texture, and culinary role: they do not become mealy when cooked, they absorb liquid evenly, and their flavor pairs naturally with sugar rather than requiring it as a corrective measure. The color ranges from the familiar vivid red to white, black, pale yellow, and speckled varieties, each with specific traditional applications. Erimo beans from Hokkaido are considered premium for paste production, while Tanba beans from the Kyoto region carry regional prestige. Understanding these distinctions matters when you are sourcing for a specific preparation—a large Dainagon bean will perform differently than a small Tanba in anko.

The term anko refers specifically to Japanese red bean paste and comes in two primary forms distinguished by texture and method. Tsubuan (粗餡) contains whole or partially mashed beans with visible texture, while koshi an (漉餡) is a smooth, deveined paste made by passing cooked beans through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill to remove the skins. Both are the building blocks of Japanese wagashi sweets, but they behave very differently in application—tsubuan stays chunky and rustic, while koshi an spreads smoothly and sets more densely. This distinction shapes everything from mochi fillings to yokan to ice cream flavors.

Measured in: g
Storage: Pantry

Types & varieties

Erimo (Kokubu)

Premium small red variety from Hokkaido; prized for anko production

Tanba

Traditional small red variety from Kyoto region; highly regarded in Japanese confectionery

Maruba (Ryokusya)

Pale yellow-white variety; milder flavor, used for white anko

Dainagon

Large red variety; excellent for paste due to good water absorption

Kuro Adzuki

Black adzuki bean; earthier, more robust flavor than red varieties

Bankei

Medium-sized red variety; widely cultivated for general use

Anko: Types and Applications

Anko is the generic term for red bean paste in Japanese, and the two forms serve different culinary purposes. Tsubuan (粗餡, 'rough paste') retains whole or partially mashed beans, giving a rustic, textured quality ideal for fillings in mochi, daifuku, and manju. Koshi an (漉餡, 'strained paste') is deveined and smooth, preferred for elegant wagashi, yokan, and as ice cream or dessert toppings. The difference is not cosmetic—it affects how the paste holds together, spreads, and absorbs syrup. Koshi an requires more working time to achieve its characteristic silky texture, while tsubuan is quicker and more forgiving.

Tsubuan is made by cooking beans until tender, then sweetening and mashing only partially—leave visible bean pieces for authentic texture
Koshi an requires passing cooked, sweet bean paste through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill to remove skins before final cooking
For glossy koshi an, stir-fry the deveined paste in a dry pan over low heat to evaporate excess moisture—this also deepens flavor
Do not over-stir koshi an; stop when glossy and pliable or it will turn gummy
White anko (shiro an) uses Maruba beans and follows the same process, producing a milder paste suited to pale confections

Common uses

Anko (red bean paste) in two forms: tsubuan (chunky, whole beans) and koshi an (smooth, deveined) for Japanese sweets like wagashiYokan (firm jellied dessert) and kanten-based dessertsFillings for mochi, daifuku, manju, and dorayakiRed bean soup (zenzai), served hot or cold as a traditional Japanese dessertKorean patbingsu: shaved ice dessert topped with sweetened red beans, condensed milk, and fruitChinese red bean soup (hong dou tang), often with lotus seed or barley for added textureBun and pastry fillings in dim sum and baozi traditionSprouted adzuki beans added to salads or stir-fries for extra texture and nutritionCooked beans added to rice for congee or as a savory rice seasoningSweet red bean beverages in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine

Tips & pitfalls

Always soak beans overnight or at least 2 hours to cut cooking time roughly in half and produce a more even, tender texture
Cook in fresh water and discard the soaking liquid to reduce beany flavor and any potential bitterness
Add salt and acidic ingredients (lemon, tomato) only after beans are fully tender—acid hardens bean cell walls and prevents softening
Skim foam from the surface during the first 15 minutes of boiling for a cleaner, clearer finished paste
For smooth koshi an, rub cooked beans against a fine-mesh sieve or pass through a food mill to remove skins (deveining)
Pressure cooking reduces cooking time to 20–25 minutes without soaking; follow your pressure cooker's model-specific guidelines
When making anko paste, cook until nearly all water is absorbed, then mash and briefly stir-fry in a dry pan to remove excess moisture and develop a glossy finish
Fresh young adzuki bean sprouts (grown in 7–10 days) are edible raw with a mild nutty flavor; add directly to salads
Do not substitute red kidney beans in dessert applications—they lack the natural sweetness and produce a mushier, stronger-flavored result

Nutrition

329kcal

Energy

1377 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 24%Carbs 75%Fat 1%

Protein

19.9g

40% DV

Carbs

62.9g

23% DV

Fat

0.5g

1% DV

Fiber

12.7g

45% DV

Sodium

5mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Folate156% DV

Zinc46% DV

Thiamin (B1)38% DV

Magnesium30% DV

Phosphorus30% DV

Iron28% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Beans, adzuki, mature seeds, raw

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Good to know

Scientific Name: Vigna angularis
Origin: East Asia, primarily Japan and China
Color: Red (most common); also white, black, pale yellow, and speckled varieties
Size: Approximately 5 mm in diameter
Flavor: Mildly sweet and nutty when cooked; slightly earthy
Soaking Time: 2–4 hours or overnight
Cooking Time (soaked): 45–60 minutes
Cooking Time (unsoaked): 90–120 minutes
Protein Content: About 20–25% by dry weight
Fiber Content: Approximately 12–15 g per 100 g dry beans
Storage (dry): Cool, dark place; up to 2 years
Storage (cooked): Refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze up to 3 months
Yield: 1 cup dry beans yields approximately 2–2.5 cups cooked

Substitutes

Mung beans — Similar size and neutral flavor; best for paste applications; yields a lighter-colored result better suited to white or pastel confections
Red kidney beans — Larger and stronger-flavored; use half the quantity if substituting in desserts, and expect a more pronounced earthy taste
Cannellini or white kidney beans — Acceptable for savory applications; not suitable for sweet paste as flavor is too bland and color is wrong for the visual expectation
Red lentils — Cook to paste quickly but lack intact-bean texture options and have a different flavor profile and grainier mouthfeel
Black-eyed peas — Similar cooking time and creamy texture; earthy flavor makes them acceptable for savory adzuki bean preparations only