White Bean Paste or Shiroan is a popular and delicious sweet filling in Japanese confectionery (wagashi) like mochi and manju. With a milder taste and soft hue, it’s a great alternative to sweet red bean paste in your desserts and snacks.
White bean paste or shiroan (白餡, 白あん) is primarily used as a filling for sweet desserts and pastries in Japanese and East Asian cuisines. It has a milder bean taste than red bean paste, so you may enjoy this alternative filling in your wagashi (Japanese confectionery).
Premade white bean paste is difficult to find outside of Japan. In this Shiroan recipe, I’ll show you how simple it is to make at home, although the process does take some time. Nonetheless, you can make white bean paste ahead of time so it’s ready for use when you make Japanese sweets.
Table of Contents
What is White Bean Paste (Shiroan)?
Shiroan (白餡 or 白あん) is the smooth and sweet white paste called an (餡) or anko (餡子). It’s made from lima beans or butter beans, or shiro ingen mame (白いんげん豆) in Japanese. The beans are hulled, simmered till tender, drained, and pureed before sugar is added to sweeten the paste.
You may be familiar with red bean paste made from azuki beans. There are two types of red bean paste: non-hulled and coarse tsubuan (粒餡) and hulled and smooth koshian (漉し餡). However, white bean paste is always hulled and smooth koshian.
Ingredients for Shiroan
- dried lima beans (see the next section for what kind to use)
- sugar
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Types of White Beans To Use for Shiroan
Outside of Japan
- lima beans (also called butter beans)
- navy beans
- cannellini beans (as a last option, only if you cannot find lima or navy beans)
I do not recommend substituting with other beans because the taste and texture will be completely off.
In Japan
- shiro ingen mame (白いんげん豆)
- shirohana mame (白花豆)
- oofuku mame (大福豆)
- tebo mame (手亡豆)
- kintoki mame (金時豆)
- shiro azuki (白小豆)
How To Make Shiroan
- Soak the dried beans overnight in a large bowl of plenty of water. Peel off and discard the skins.
- Add the beans to a pot with just enough water to cover and turn on the heat to medium. Let it boil for 2 minutes, then drain the water in a sieve. Put the beans back in with just enough cold water to cover.
- Simmer on low heat with the pot lid ajar until tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. You can also shorten the cooking time by using a pressure cooker. Skim off the foam and scum from the surface from time to time and add more water to keep the beans just covered, if needed.
- Test the beans for doneness. When you can easily crush the beans between two fingers, it’s done. Save a little bit of cooking liquid, then drain the beans.
- Press the beans through a fine-mesh strainer using a wooden spatula. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to purée the beans. Add a little bit of cooking liquid, if necessary.
- Put the paste in a clean saucepan. Add the sugar and kosher salt and let the sugar dissolve over medium low heat.
- Let the moisture evaporate from the mixture until it becomes a smooth and moldable paste, roughly 15–20 minutes. Don’t let it burn. Remove from the heat.
Transfer to a clean container with a lid. Refrigerate and use within a few days or divide the paste into small portions and freeze for up to 2–3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What types of white beans should I use?
Use lima beans (butter beans) or navy beans. I used shirohana mame (白花豆) from Hokkaido in this recipe (bought in Japan).
2. What type of sugar should I use?
Use granulated white sugar to keep the paste white in color. Do not use sugar that has any color, such as brown sugar.
3. Can I reduce the amount of sugar?
You can, but if you reduce the amount of sugar significantly, the paste will not have enough moisture and the texture will change. Sugar is necessary for the preservation of the bean paste, but if you are going to consume it soon, you can reduce the amount slightly. Also, wagashi is meant to be on the sweet side to complement the bitter taste of matcha (green tea beverage).
Typical traditional recipes require ⅔ to 1 part of sugar for 1 part of dried beans (in some cases, more than 1 part). You can replace sugar with a healthier alternative, such as maple syrup or honey but the paste will be more liquidy and the flavor can be overpowering.
4. Is salt necessary?
You may wonder why salt (or salty taste) is required in the mixture when you are trying to sweeten. Adding some salt contrarily makes it taste a lot sweeter and brings out more flavors.
5. Can I use a pressure cooker instead of simmering on the stove?
Yes, you can cut down on the cooking time by using a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). According to the Instant Pot, it takes 6–10 minutes for soaked lima beans and 7–8 minutes for soaked navy beans. However, for making white bean paste, I use high pressure for 15–20 minutes and run the food processor.
6. Can I use a food processor instead of pressing through the fine-mesh sieve?
Yes, you can use a food processor or blender to make a smooth puree. But even though you don’t have these kitchen appliances, you can use a fine-mesh sieve to make a fine and smooth puree.
Do you have any other questions? Please leave a comment below.
How To Use White Bean Paste in Recipes
You can simply replace the red bean paste with white bean paste for wagashi, Japanese confectionery. Here are some recipes you may like to try:
Try These White Bean Paste Variations
You may not see white bean paste as often, but instead, you will see colorful fillings that are made of white bean paste. To improve the taste of bland white bean paste, it is often mixed with other aromatic and colorful ingredients like the ones below:
- Matcha An (抹茶餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 2 g matcha (green tea powder)
- Sakura An (桜餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 5 g salted cherry blossoms
- Miso An (味噌餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 10 g sweet saikyo miso
- Kabocha An (南瓜餡) – 100 g white bean paste + 100 g kabocha (pumpkin/squash) puree
- Kimi An (黄身餡) – 150 g white bean paste + 1 egg yolk
- Kuri An (栗餡) – white bean paste + kuri kanroni
- Yuzu An (柚子餡) – white bean paste + yuzu zest
- Kurumi An (胡桃餡) – white bean paste + chopped chest
- Goma An (胡麻餡) – white bean paste + ground sesame seeds
White bean paste is also used to make Nerikiri combined with gyuhi (soft mochi). Add a few dollops of food coloring to create beautiful wagashi (picture above).
Are you looking forward to experimenting with wagashi filled with white bean paste? I’d love to see your creations!
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White Bean Paste (Shiroan)
Video
Ingredients
- 7 oz dried lima beans (about 1 cup; for Japanese bean names, see end Notes)
- ¾ cup sugar (5.3 oz, 150 g; adjust to taste; you can increase up to equal the weight of the dried beans; see end Notes)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Soak the Dried Beans (Overnight)
- To a large bowl, add 7 oz dried lima beans and rinse them under running water. Then, soak them in plenty of water overnight (8 to 12 hours; longer hours required in winter).
To Cook the Beans
- After 8–12 hours, you can easily remove the beans’ outer skin with your fingers. Peel off and discard the skins.
- Add the peeled beans to a pot and pour just enough tap water to cover the beans. To properly cook the beans, use the minimum amount of water needed to cover them; you don’t want the beans moving around in a large amount of water.
- Bring it to a boil on medium heat. Let it boil for 2 minutes while foam starts to appear.
- Pour then beans into a sieve to drain the water. Quickly rinse the pot, then put the beans back in the pot. Add just enough cold water to cover the beans.
- Cover with a lid slightly ajar and let simmer on low heat until the beans become tender, about 1½ to 2 hours. You can shorten the cooking time by using a pressure cooker (set at High pressure for 15–20 minutes).
- Once in a while, check the beans and skim off the foam on the surface. This helps to make the white paste even whiter. Add a bit more water to keep the beans covered, if needed. Make sure the amount of water is just enough to cover the beans.
- When you can easily crush the beans between two fingers, it’s done.
- Save a little bit of cooking liquid for the next step. Then, drain the remaining liquid from the beans.
To Make the Shiroan
- Transfer a small portion of drained beans to a fine-mesh strainer set over a large plate. I used a Japanese uragoshi-ki (it‘s also a flour sifter). Press the beans through the strainer using a wooden spatula. You will get a finer and smoother paste built up under the sieve/over the plate. If it’s too dry, put a tiny bit of cooking liquid on the beans before pressing. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to purée the beans. Add a little bit of cooking liquid, if necessary.
- Put the paste in a clean saucepan. Add ¾ cup sugar and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix well to combine.
- Turn on the heat to medium low and let the sugar dissolve. The paste will become looser and softer.
- Then, let the moisture evaporate from the mixture until it becomes a smooth and moldable paste, roughly 15–20 minutes. Keep an eye on the paste at all times to make sure it doesn‘t burn. When you can draw a line on the bottom of the pan with your spatula, it’s done. Remove from the heat. Moisture will continue to evaporate as the paste cools down, so remove it from the pot immediately.
To Store
- Transfer the white bean paste to a clean container with a lid. If you’re using it in a few days, refrigerate. Otherwise, divide the paste into small portions and freeze for up to 2–3 months.
Notes
- Lima Beans: If you’re in Japan, you can get a variety of shiro ingen mame (白いんげん豆) such as shirohana mame (白花豆), ofuku mame (大福豆), tebo mame (手亡豆), or kintoki mame (金時豆). Or you can use shiro azuki (白小豆). For white bean paste, please use lima beans (butter beans) or navy beans. If you can’t find them, then the last option is cannellini beans. I do not recommend substituting other beans because the taste and texture will be completely off.
- Sugar: Please use granulated white sugar, and do not use sugar that has a color (such as brown sugar) because you’re trying to make WHITE bean paste. If you’re going for traditional white bean paste, the sugar amount will be two-thirds to one part sugar (by weight) to one part dried beans. If you reduce the amount of sugar significantly, it will not give enough moisture to the paste, which may result in a different texture. Wagashi is meant to be a bit on the sweet side in order to complement the bitter taste of matcha (drink).
does this need to be stored in the fridge after piping or can be left out at room temp? Thank you!
Hi, Dina! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
You can store it at room temperature (about 20-22 °C (68-72 °F)) for up to three hours. Please follow the instructions at the bottom of the recipe card to save it for a longer time. We hope this helped!
Are chestuts used for making An?
Hi, Keith! Thank you for reading Nami’s post.
Yes. We called it Kurian in Japan. We currently do not have a recipe on our website, but we hope to add it soon! Please stay tuned for updates!
Was wondering if I could make shiroan using canned butter beans? And if yes how much should I use? And how much of the recipe should I change?
Hi, Louisa! Thank you for reading Nami’s post.
We have never used it in Shiroan. If you attempt it, please let us know how it goes!
Will do! How many grams did the beans become once cooked?
Hello, Louisa! We did not measure the weight, but it’s normally about 260% greater than the dry weight.
We hope it works for you!
Did you try using the canned beans? I tried yesterday and the mixture never solidified on the stove, even after 45 minutes. I’m not sure if I did something wrong or if the canned beans require a different approach.
Hi, Tessa! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
We’d never attempted this recipe with canned beans before, but when you can draw a line on the bottom of the pan with your spatula, it’s ready. And the mixture thickens as it cools. How are the beans today after cooling?
Is it necessary to peel the beans if using navy beans? This is shaping up to be a tedious task haha, and I feel bad getting rid of all the fiber.
Hi, Mina! Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe.
You can leave the skin on, but if you want it smoother, use a food processor to break down the fibers.
Here is the red bean past procedure, which offers two types of past. One is smooth, called Koshian, and the other contains fiber, called Tsubuan.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the recipe. Mine tasted a little acidic compared to the very delicate taste of Japanese Shiroan I’ve tried. Could I have overcooked or is it the beans?
Hi Sam, Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Have you soaked the beans? Also, did you discard the first boiled water (Step 6)? If you did, it could be the type of beans. We recommend trying a different batch of beans or brand.
We hope this helps!
Thanks! I looked again pretty sure the taste was improved from both additional discards (more than once), and switching pans, just in case it helps anyone else.
hi Naomi, thank you so much for the clear instruction and lovely recipe. I enjoy tasting it very much as I made it!
I do have few questions though, will the paste texture stays when I unfreeze it? How to properly retain its paste texture, specifically to make Nerikiri (Wagashi) from this paste?
Hi Ros, Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind words.
We are so happy to hear Nami’s instruction was very helpful.🤗
To defrost, we recommend defrosting it in the refrigerator overnight. If the texture isn’t quite right for the Wagashi, put them in the pot and reheat them to adjust the texture. You can make it softer by adding water. We hope this helps!
Hi – can I use American brand lima beans?
Hi Kelly! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. It should work fine.😊
We hope you enjoy the homemade Shiroan.