Red Bean Ice Cream

Beans in ice cream are commonplace in East Asian countries like Singapore, China, and Japan. This red bean ice cream recipe teaches you how to make it at home from anywhere in the world. You will need an ice cream maker to aerate and freeze the ice cream, if you don’t have one already the one I’ve been using for over a decade is the most basic Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker (Amazon).

What does red bean ice cream taste like?

For clarity, I use azuki beans, widely referred to as red beans throughout Asia. Do not confuse azuki beans with larger kidney beans (although kidney beans do have a place in desserts).

Red beans are slightly sweet and nutty with a hint of earthiness. When used in ice cream the flavor is comparable to chestnut or sweet potato. Complementary flavors that pair well together include matcha, to mirror the earthiness of red beans, and milk, to mirror the subtle sweetness of the beans.

Ice Cream Base Ingredients Explained

• Black sugar: This is a type of less refined sugar frequently used in Japan, Taiwan, and China. The flavor is caramel-like and smoky with an earthy undertone to match the beans. Sugar also lowers the freezing point of the ice cream base so it stays soft and scoopable.
  • Where to buy: local Chinese or Japanese grocery store or online from Amazon.
  • You can sub an equal amount of brown sugar if you don’t have black sugar.
• Milk powder: This increases the protein content of the ice cream for a smoother, richer texture and more chew.
  • Where to buy: local grocery store or online from Amazon.
• Milk & cream: It’s in the name— just kidding. Milk and cream lend protein, water, and the right balance of butterfat so this ice cream stays smooth. The flavor of dairy is a fantastic complement to the red beans allowing both water and fat soluble flavors to shine.
• Egg yolks: The fats in egg yolks combine with the milk and cream, forming a stable emulsion that prevents ice crystals from forming and gives the ice cream a silky mouthfeel.
• Salt: A little salt goes a long way to create contrast for a more nuanced flavor.

Preparing the Red Bean Paste

1. Soak: This initial hydration process allows the beans to cook more quickly and evenly.
2. Cook: The beans are cooked in water to fully hydrate and become tender. I chose to pressure cook my beans since it’s faster, but I also provide directions to cook the beans on the stovetop. To control the sugar level and hydration of the bean paste the sugar is not added at this stage.
3. Sweeten: The final step is to add sugar, mash, and reduce the red bean paste.

If the process of preparing the red beans feels too involved you can substitute 150g of prepared red bean paste.

Red Bean Ice Cream

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Prep Time:30 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr

Inactive Time (Soaking, Chilling):9 hours hrs

Total Time:10 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 1 quart

Ingredients

For red bean paste (see note 1 for sub)

• 70 g dry red beans soaked overnight
• 50 g sugar

For ice cream base

• 350 mL heavy cream
• 350 mL whole milk
• 30 g skim milk powder
• 150 g black sugar sub brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 egg yolks

Instructions

Prepare the red bean paste:

• Place the red beans in a bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight.
• To cook in a pressure cooker: Drain the red beans and transfer to a pressure cooker; add enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes, until beans are very tender.

  To cook on the stovetop: add enough water to a pot to cover the beans by 2 inches and simmer uncovered for at least 1 hour, until beans are very tender.
• Drain the red beans from the cooking liquid and transfer to a small pot along with sugar. Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, mashing the beans with a spatula. The sugar should be fully dissolved and the paste will thicken in consistency. Remove from heat. The paste will continue to thicken as it cools.

Prepare the ice cream:

• In a saucepot (ideally at least 3 quarts/3.5L), whisk together all ice cream ingredients including red bean paste. Cook over medium heat and bring the mixture up to 170°F, stirring frequently.
• At this stage you have a few options for the texture of the ice cream:

  A. Traditional. Blend until desired texture, leaving the skins in the base.

  B. Smooth. Blend until smooth, strain to remove skins.

  C. Chunky. Stir in 3/4 of red bean paste. Swirl the remaining 1/4 into the finished quart.
• Prepare an ice bath by filling a large container with equal parts ice and water with enough room to place a container containing the ice cream base inside. Pour the ice cream base into a large container set over an ice bath. Chill the mixture until very cold, below 40°F, adding more ice and stirring as needed.
• Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream machine and spin according to machine directions. The resulting ice cream should be a smooth, soft-serve consistency. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container and freeze for at least 3 hours to fully firm up.

Notes

1. To skip preparing red bean paste substitute 150g of prepared red bean paste.