If you love making wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets), you know that anko(red bean paste) is the heart and soul of almost every recipe. However, traditional anko can be a bit of a shock when you realise it often contains an equal amount of sugar to beans! As a lifelong fan of these sweets, I wanted to create a version that was just as delicious but much kinder to the body.
The challenge with simply reducing sugar is that you often lose that signature silky texture and deep sweetness. After much experimentation, I discovered the perfect secret ingredient: dates. These natural superfoods have a rich, caramel-like flavour that surprisingly mimics the earthiness of azuki beans. By using dates, I have managed to halve the amount of refined sugar without compromising on taste or satisfaction.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- ✔ Half the added sugar of a traditional recipe
- ✔ Naturally sweetened with dates — plus a boost of iron, magnesium and fibre
- ✔ No special equipment, just a pot and a wooden spoon
- ✔ Keeps well in the fridge or freezer for whenever a craving hits
- ✔ Endlessly versatile — mochi, oyaki, nerikiri and so on
Ingredients
For the anko
- 200g azuki beans (dried)
- 100g dates, pitted
- 100g whole cane sugar, or any sugar you have on hand
Ingredient note: Whole cane sugar (Vollrohrzucker in Germany, also sold as rapadura or whole cane sugar elsewhere) is pressed straight from sugarcane and dried, so it keeps more of its natural minerals than refined white sugar. If you can’t find it, any granulated sugar works fine here — the dates are doing most of the flavour work anyway.
How to Make Date-Sweetened Anko
Step 1: Start the azuki beans in boiling water
Rinse the azuki beans and add them to a deep pot. Pour in plenty of boiling water — not cold water from the start. This little switch helps the beans cook faster and more evenly.
Step 2: Simmer and skim
Drain that first water, cover the beans with fresh cold water, and bring back to a boil over high heat. This step (called shibukiri in Japanese) removes any bitterness from the beans. Once boiling, lower to a gentle simmer for about an hour to 2hours, skimming off any foam as it rises and topping up water so the beans stay just covered the whole time.
Tip: Keep the water level steady rather than letting the beans bounce around in a rolling boil — it helps them hold their shape.
Step 3: Check for softness
After an hour- 2 hours, scoop out a few beans, run them under cool water, and press one between your fingers. If it mashes with barely any pressure, you’re ready. Cover the pot and let the beans rest for 20 minutes to even out any unevenly cooked spots.
Tip 1: This is the step not to rush. If the beans aren’t fully soft here, no amount of extra cooking later will fix it — the sugar will actually stop them from softening further.
Tip 2: Cooking time can vary quite a bit depending on the type and freshness of the azuki beans. Treat the times here as a rough guide, and judge doneness by softness rather than the clock.
Step 4: Chop the dates
While the beans rest, chop the dates into pieces roughly the same size as the beans, so every spoonful has a nice mix of textures.
Step 5: Add the dates and sugar
Stir the chopped dates and sugar into the pot, mixing well. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so nothing catches on the bottom.
Step 6: Finish to your preferred texture
After about 10 minutes, you’ll start to see the bottom of the pot as the mixture thickens. Take it off the heat once it reaches the texture you like — a little looser for spooning over toast or pancakes, a little firmer if you’re wrapping it in dough.
Serving ideas
This anko truly shines wrapped inside oyaki and mochi — soft, chewy dough hugging a warm, naturally sweet filling — and it’s our favourite way to use it (recipe linked below). It’s just as lovely warm on buttered toast (a nod to Nagoya’s beloved ogura toast), spooned over pancakes, or stirred through yoghurt with a little kinako on top.
Oyaki: a Comforting Japanese Local Snack
A Little Background
This recipe grew out of a simple wish: to keep making the anko I love without quite so much sugar in the pot. Dates turned out to be the answer — sweet, a little earthy, and not far off the flavour of azuki themselves. It’s become a regular in our kitchen, especially on quiet weekend mornings with a slice of toast with a knob of vegan butter. (it’s called “Ogura toast”, and loved in my hometown, Nagoya so much.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — it keeps in the fridge for about 3 days, so it’s a good one to make on a slower day and enjoy through the week.
Yes, it freezes well for up to a month. To thaw, leave it in the fridge overnight.
Any granulated sugar you have on hand will work — it won’t change the method at all.
This almost always comes down to Step 3 — if the beans weren’t fully soft before the sugar went in, they won’t soften afterwards, since the sugar draws moisture out of the beans. Take the time to get that squeeze test right; it makes all the difference.
Date-Sweetened Anko (Red Bean Paste)
Equipment
- 1 Large pot Anko tends to splatter as it cooks, so a smaller pot makes for a messier stovetop.
- 1 Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 200 g azuki beans
- 100 g dates pitted
- 100 g whole cane sugar or any sugar you have on hand
Instructions
Start the azuki beans in boiling water
Rinse the azuki beans and add them to a deep pot. Pour in plenty of already-boiling water — not cold water from the start. This little switch helps the beans cook faster and more evenly.
- Simmer and skimDrain that first water, cover the beans with fresh cold water, and bring back to a boil over high heat. This step (called shibukiri in Japanese) removes any bitterness from the beans. Once boiling, lower to a gentle simmer for about an hour, skimming off any foam as it rises and topping up water so the beans stay just covered the whole time.
- Check for softnessAfter an hour to 2 hours, scoop out a few beans, run them under cool water, and press one between your fingers. If it mashes with barely any pressure, you’re ready. Cover the pot and let the beans rest for 20 minutes to even out any unevenly cooked spots.
- Chop the datesWhile the beans rest, chop the dates into pieces roughly the same size as the beans, so every spoonful has a nice mix of textures.
Add the dates and sugar
Stir the chopped dates and sugar into the pot, mixing well. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so nothing catches on the bottom.Finish to your preferred texture
After about 10 minutes, you’ll start to see the bottom of the pot as the mixture thickens. Take it off the heat once it reaches the texture you like — a little looser for spooning over toast or pancakes, a little firmer if you’re wrapping it in dough.- It’s just as lovely warm on buttered toast (a nod to Nagoya’s beloved ogura toast), spooned over pancakes, or stirred through yoghurt with a little kinako on top.
