I have a feeling today's post will be something new for a lot of people.
We were first introduced to red bean ice cream at Canadian sushi restaurants. I was hesitant to try it at first because I assumed beans in ice cream would be weird. I had no clue how it would work! Then I pushed my fears aside and gave it a try. Instant favorite! I always order it now when I go, usually with a side of green tea ice cream. My daughter calls red bean ice cream "pink ice cream" and she loves it just as much as me.
So how does red bean ice cream work and how is it made? You actually make red bean ice cream using red bean paste. I talked about red bean paste in another post, so pop over there to take a look at how to make it. Red bean paste is used in Japanese sweets and the sugar content depends on your own tolerance. I kept mine pretty low in sugar because I knew it was going in ice cream. Next time I will probably add more sugar so it adds a sweeter element to my matcha shortbread cookies with red bean. Since red bean paste is made with azuki/adsuki beans, you may have to make a special order online to grab a hold of the beans (of course after I order mine online, my local grocery store started carrying them!)
Once you have a batch of red bean paste on hand (or if you are lucky enough to find it at the store, you can use store-bought,) you are ready to make read bean ice cream! Now I no longer have to go to sushi to enjoy red bean ice cream!
📖 Recipe
Red Bean Ice Cream
Red bean ice cream is popular at local sushi restaurants. Now you can make your own at home with this simple recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups red bean paste
- ½ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add egg yolks to a large mixing bowl and whisk.
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of cream, milk, and sugar over medium heat. Heat until hot, but do not let boil (and all the sugar has dissolved.). Carefully and slowly pour the hot cream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so the eggs do not scramble. Continue whisking until all the cream is blended. Transfer the mixture back into the pan and stir in the red bean paste, remaining cream, and salt. Bring up to a hot temperature again, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to keep film from building up. Cool in refrigerator overnight.
- To make the ice cream, follow your machines instructions.
- When the ice cream is finished churning, transfer to a freezer safe storage container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 551Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 216mgSodium: 200mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 3gSugar: 46gProtein: 10g
(Here is the recipe for my homemade red bean paste.)
You could easily make a vegan red bean ice cream, similar to the way I made my vegan green tea ice cream. I like to use cornstarch in my vegan ice creams now because it helps create a smooth consistency and helps the ice cream from freezing solid (since vegan ice cream tends to lack fat.) Even in non-vegan ice cream, some people prefer to use cornstarch over egg yolks.
Judy@ImBoredLetsGo
I haven't met an ice cream I didn't like yet. This is a new one to me and I would love to try it!
Kacey
Trust me, it does not taste like beans, lol. As an ice cream lover, you must try it!
Heather | girlichef
Yes, this sounds fantastic! I love sweet red bean paste in buns, and I've made bean candy before, so I definitely know that I'll love this ice cream. Pinned!
Kacey
I am so happy to see many people loving red bean paste!
Lila Asnani
Like you I usually only get red bean ice cream at sushi. I never knew it was so easy to prepare and now I am definitely going to give it a try. Great pics too.
Kacey
This method is much cheaper than going to sushi every time I want red bean ice cream (though, do I really need an excuse to go to sushi?!)
Ashley (QLCC)
I have some Korean ice cream sandwiches with red bean paste in them that I just LOVE. I'll have to try my hand at ice cream soon!
Kacey
Those ice cream sandwiches sound like something I must try 🙂
CatK
I LOVE red bean ice cream! Really I love just about everything with Red Beans... this is perfect for summer! I can't wait to try it!!
Kacey
Woohoo! Glad you love it as much as I do!
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel
Definitely a new one for me, but I'm intrigued. It looks awesome!
Kacey
If you ever have a chance to visit a Canadian sushi restaurant, give the ice cream a try!
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
I love red bean paste! I haven't had it for years, and I'm so glad this delicious ice cream recipe popped up in my Facebook feed today because I bought a bag of adzuki beans last weekend. I was just going to make them into stew, but I'm so happy I found them a sweeter home 🙂 Time to dust off my pink ice cream maker and make some pink ice cream 🙂
Kacey
I am glad you found the recipe! I always think of adzuki beans paired with sweets, but I keep forgetting they work in savoury meals as well (I am really intrigued by your stew!)
Elizabeth
Love this idea, Kacey. I've never had red bean ice cream, but I love the sweet little Korean dumplings with red bean paste.
Kacey
I have only had red bean paste in ice cream, but all these other confectioneries that people are mentioning sound wonderful!
amanda @ fake ginger
Mmm, I love red bean ice cream but I've never made it! I need to order some beans and do it!
Kacey
Get to it, Amanda 🙂
Nutmeg Nanny
I love that you took your paste and turned it into ice cream. So delicious!
Kacey
Thanks! Had it not been for the sushi restaurants, I would never have known about red bean ice cream.
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector)
I just totally learned something new! I had no idea about red bean paste! That is something that would be neat to try!
Andi @ The Weary Chef
Loving all these red bean recipes! This sounds amazing, Kacey!