# Red bean paste
Red bean paste is a sweetened, cooked-down paste made from adzuki beans (*Vigna angularis*) and sugar, used as a filling, topping, or flavoring in East Asian confectionery. It is called **anko** or **an** in Japan, **dòushā** (豆沙) in China, and **danpat** (단팥) or **pat** in Korea.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/) The paste is deep maroon to reddish-brown, with a flavor described as mild, earthy, and gently sweet, with a nuttiness often compared to chestnut; it is not made from kidney beans, despite the English name.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base ingredient | Adzuki beans (*Vigna angularis*), small reddish-brown beans cooked until soft, then sweetened and reduced[2](https://eathealthy365.com/red-bean-paste-everything-you-need-to-know-about-anko/) |
| Regional names | Anko/an in Japan, dòushā (豆沙) in China, danpat/pat in Korea; the Vietnamese đậu đỏ filling is related, though mung bean dominates there[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/) |
| Japanese textures | Koshian (sieved smooth), tsubuan (coarse, whole-bean), tsubushian (crushed tsubuan), and Ogura-an (koshian with sugar-preserved whole beans)[3](https://provenance.kitchen/canon/japanese/the-canonical-dishes/wagashi/anko-tsubu-an-koshi-an-and-shiro-an-the-three-pillars-of-red-bean-paste) |
| Sweetening timeline | Bean filling was originally salt-seasoned; sweetening began in the Muromachi period (1333–1568) and sugar spread in the Edo period (1603–1868)[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html) |
| Consumption | Japanese demand has made azuki Japan's second-most consumed bean after soybeans[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html) |
| Industrial formulation | Edible oils are typically added at 15%–25% in industrial red bean paste production[5](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268005X26008490) |
| Signature uses | Daifuku, dorayaki, taiyaki, and anpan in Japan; mooncakes and dòushā bāo in China; patbingsu and bungeoppang in Korea[6](https://www.justonecookbook.com/anko-red-bean-paste/) • [7](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=183434) |
## Origins and history
The paste's ancestry lies in China. The Chinese 餡 (an) originally meant any filling stuffed into a dough of rice or wheat, most often meat or vegetables; it is dated to around 1,400 years ago, brought to Japan by envoys to Sui China during the [Asuka period](https://www.edgepedia.org/asuka-period).[8](https://www.alic.go.jp/joho-s/joho07_000074.html) Adzuki beans themselves have one of the longest cultivation histories of any Asian legume, with domestication traced to China at around 3000 BC.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
**From meat filling to bean paste.** The shift from meat to beans is attributed to Buddhist monks, who avoided meat and substituted boiled azuki beans in the steamed buns known as manjū; at first the bean filling was seasoned with salt, and sweetness came later.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html) Cooks first began sweetening bean paste during the [Muromachi period](https://www.edgepedia.org/muromachi-period) (1333–1568), as sugar arrived from China, and confectionery making advanced rapidly under the influence of [Nanban trade](https://www.edgepedia.org/nanban-trade) sweets such as castella and konpeitō.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html) • [8](https://www.alic.go.jp/joho-s/joho07_000074.html) Only after Dutch traders began regularly importing sugar in the [Edo period](https://www.edgepedia.org/edo-period) (1603–1868) did an-based confections, particularly those used in the tea ceremony, proliferate; perfecting an was said to take ten years of training, whereas mass-produced an is now sold in supermarkets.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html)
In China the parallel tradition developed alongside mooncakes and steamed buns, while in Korea danpat became most closely associated with patbingsu, a shaved-ice dessert layered over an older Korean tradition of sweetened bean dishes.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
## Types and textures
**Japanese anko.** Azuki-based anko falls into four broad types: tsubuan, with whole softened beans; koshian, strained through a fine sieve to remove the skins; tsubushian, tsubuan crushed and cooked down; and Ogura-an, koshian mixed with sugar-simmered whole beans.[3](https://provenance.kitchen/canon/japanese/the-canonical-dishes/wagashi/anko-tsubu-an-koshi-an-and-shiro-an-the-three-pillars-of-red-bean-paste) Koshian is the more labor-intensive style, historically associated with formal wagashi, while tsubuan reads as the homestyle option.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
**Other bases.** An is not limited to azuki. The Japan Anko Association defines anko broadly as any food ingredient boiled down and kneaded into a paste, and other bases include edamame (zunda), chestnut, sweet potato, and white beans.[9](https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2403/pdf/aff2403-04.pdf) Shiro-an, made from white beans such as Great Northern or white azuki, produces an ivory paste with a milder, more neutral sweetness than the red versions, and its pale color accepts natural colorings such as matcha and sakura, which wagashi artisans use for seasonal sweets.[3](https://provenance.kitchen/canon/japanese/the-canonical-dishes/wagashi/anko-tsubu-an-koshi-an-and-shiro-an-the-three-pillars-of-red-bean-paste)
**Regional styles.** Chinese dòushā is typically very smooth and often made with oil or lard for a richer texture and sheen; old-school [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese) bakeries in Hong Kong have historically enriched the paste with a small amount of lard. Korean pat can be smooth or chunky and is often less sweet, keeping the bean flavor more prominent.[2](https://eathealthy365.com/red-bean-paste-everything-you-need-to-know-about-anko/) • [1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
## Making the paste
The traditional recipe is short: adzuki beans, sugar, water, and occasionally a pinch of salt or a small amount of oil.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/) A representative home recipe uses 225 g of adzuki beans, 4 cups of water, 200 g of sugar, and small amounts of baking soda and salt.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W48ZgoJjg_E) The beans are boiled until soft, sweetened, and cooked down until thick and glossy.[11](https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/)
Processing conditions matter to the texture. Incomplete starch gelatinization during cooking reduces smoothness and increases graininess of the paste.[12](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023643803000781) A response-surface study of paste production found soaking for 5 to 6 hours and cooking at 110.5 °C for 45 minutes gave the best product, and that soaking together with cooking increased paste yield while reducing cell wall rupture.[13](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154323003629) Starch retrogradation (aging) during storage affects the quality and shelf life of the paste, and industrial production typically adds edible oil at 15%–25% to manage the paste's physical behavior.[14](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2023/8820051) • [5](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268005X26008490)
## Uses
**Japan.** Anko is a foundational material of wagashi, the traditional confectionery. It fills dorayaki pancakes, taiyaki fish-shaped cakes, daifuku mochi, manjū, and anpan bread, and tops ohagi and dango; it also appears in shiruko dessert soup and on shaved ice.[4](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html) • [6](https://www.justonecookbook.com/anko-red-bean-paste/) Hokkaido, Japan's largest azuki producer, is closely associated with high-quality anko, and the three main producing areas are named as Hokkaido, Tanba, and Bitchū.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/) • [9](https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2403/pdf/aff2403-04.pdf)
**China.** Dòushā is the classic filling of mooncakes, steamed buns (dòushā bāo), sesame balls, and tangyuan served in warm syrup at the [Lantern Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/lantern-festival) and winter solstice.[2](https://eathealthy365.com/red-bean-paste-everything-you-need-to-know-about-anko/) • [1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/) Beijing's Fangshan Restaurant, founded in 1925 by former Qing court chefs, counts the red bean roll among its bestselling delicacies, alongside the pea flour cake.[15](https://apnews.com/article/353e933f9ce49121ea342681e1262d76)
**Korea.** Danpat tops patbingsu shaved ice and fills rice cakes and steamed buns; bungeoppang, the fish-shaped winter street bun, is filled with sweetened red bean paste, though custard and other fillings have been introduced for customers who avoid the bean's aroma.[7](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=183434) • [1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
## Wider recognition
Red bean paste has moved beyond its regional origins through Japanese pop culture, Chinese bakery chains opening branches worldwide, and the global spread of [mochi ice cream](https://www.edgepedia.org/mochi-ice-cream); dorayaki is known internationally as the favorite food of the anime character Doraemon.[1](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
## References
1. [What Is Red Bean Paste? Anko, Dou Sha & Substitutes Guide, UmamiCart](https://www.umamicart.com/what-is-red-bean-paste/)
2. [Red Bean Paste: Everything You Need to Know About Anko, Eat Healthy 365](https://eathealthy365.com/red-bean-paste-everything-you-need-to-know-about-anko/)
3. [Anko: Tsubu-an, Koshi-an, and Shiro-an, Provenance](https://provenance.kitchen/canon/japanese/the-canonical-dishes/wagashi/anko-tsubu-an-koshi-an-and-shiro-an-the-three-pillars-of-red-bean-paste)
4. ["An": Japan's Sweet Bean Paste, Nippon.com](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-glances/jg00118/an-japan%E2%80%99s-sweet-bean-paste.html)
5. [Multi-scale mechanisms of starch retrogradation inhibition in red bean paste modulated by high-oleic peanut oil, Food Hydrocolloids (ScienceDirect)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0268005X26008490)
6. [Anko (Red Bean Paste), Just One Cookbook](https://www.justonecookbook.com/anko-red-bean-paste/)
7. [Best Winter Snack: Bungeoppang, Korea.net](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=183434)
8. [あん製造における砂糖の役割, 農畜産業振興機構 (ALIC)](https://www.alic.go.jp/joho-s/joho07_000074.html)
9. [小豆とあんこの基礎知識, 農林水産省 (MAFF)](https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2403/pdf/aff2403-04.pdf)
10. [Quick Japanese Red Bean Paste Recipe (あんこ), No Recipes (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W48ZgoJjg_E)
11. [How to Make Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste), Just One Cookbook](https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/)
12. [Effect of storage of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) on starch and protein properties, LWT (ScienceDirect)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0023643803000781)
13. [Response Surface Analysis and Process Optimisation of adzuki bean food paste production, Journal of Agriculture and Food Research (ScienceDirect)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154323003629)
14. [Improvement of Properties of Gelatinization and Retrogradation of Adzuki Bean Starch by Adding Glycolipid, Journal of Food Processing and Preservation (Wiley)](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2023/8820051)
15. [Once shaped by court rituals, China's imperial cuisine lives on today, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/353e933f9ce49121ea342681e1262d76)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Dishes, foods, and foodstuffs › Desserts, cakes, sweets, and confectionery › Candies and confectionery*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license