Sweet Red Bean Soup (vegan, gluten-free, oil-free)
This sweet red bean soup is a classic Chinese dessert that is actually pretty common among most Asian cultures. It’s simple, yet delicious and comforting. It’s a traditional dessert that is subtly sweet, soft, creamy, and studded with small chewy tapioca pearls.
In the Asian culture, beans are mostly enjoyed sweet, not savory. This sweet red bean soup is a dessert that can be eaten hot or cold. I love it warm in the winter and cold in the summer. Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up this weekend and this soup would be perfect for it. I crave it all the time and it’s just so comforting to me.
You can add little clear tapioca pearls for an added smooth and chewy texture to contrast the soft beans. Normally, this soup is sweetened with rock sugar, but I used regular brown sugar or coconut sugar for ease. You can add however much sugar you’d like too. It’s super easy to make, vegan, oil-free, and gluten-free too. You can easily double this recipe if you need to make a bigger batch. This only makes about 4-6 servings.
You can also make this in the Instant Pot too. It saves a lot of time and you don’t need to soak your beans beforehand. I included the instructions below. Both ways are great and will make the yummiest red bean soup.
If you make this sweet red bean soup, tag me @nutsaboutgreens on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Sweet Red Bean Soup (vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, Instant Pot option)
Ingredients
- 1 cup red adzuki beans
- 5-6 cups water
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar (plus more if needed)
- 1 tbsp white tapioca pearls (optional)
- coconut milk (optional)
Instructions
- Soak red adzuki beans in cold water overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain beans and place them in a large pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once red beans are done, add the salt, brown sugar, and optional tapioca pearls. If using the tapioca, simmer for another 15-20 minutes until tapioca turns translucent. If not using tapioca, stir until sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if you want it sweeter. If the soup is too thick, add more water. You want it a little on the runnier side because it thickens up as it cools, especially with the tapioca in there.
- Serve hot and add a little bit of coconut milk to your red bean soup for a creamier soup. Enjoy! Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stove. You will need to add a splash of water because it will thicken in the fridge.
- If making this in the Instant Pot, you don’t need to soak the beans beforehand. Rinse the beans and place in the Instant Pot. Add 5 cups of water and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. Let it naturally release for 10-15 minutes. Open the lid and stir in the salt and sugar. If you want to add the tapioca pearls, add those in too and press the saute function. Let it simmer, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes, or until tapioca turns translucent. Turn off heat and add a splash of coconut milk (optional, but super yummy). Taste and adjust flavors.
