How to Make Red Bean Popsicles at Home

If you are Chinese, or live any where near an Asian Super Market you have most likely already run into the red bean popsicle. Not every one likes these little delicacies. To the western palate they are less sweet than we expect our frozen treats to be. I wasn’t all that excited by them the first time I tried them but I have since developed an appreciation for the red bean popsicle. For starters, they are high in fiber and in protein. Beans are low on the Glycemic Index, which is an indicator of how quickly food is turned into glucose before it enters your blood stream. The longer it takes for a food to convert to sugar, the lower the glycemic index. Why is this a good thing? Low glycemic index foods absorb more slowly into you bloodstream and they don’t cause huge spikes in blood sugar. This is beneficial for weight loss, mood swings, appetite, blood sugar disorders, and a whole host of other things relating to your overall health. While Red Bean popsicles do have a lot of sugar in them, they are better for you than the traditional water, food coloring and corn syrup variety that are so readily available.

I tried for a long time to figure out how to make mine taste as good as the ones from the store. I finally realized that the secret was to cook the beans with sugar so that the sweetness was absorbed into the flesh rather than add it in afterwards. My children love this version and so I pass it on to you.

You will need:

Popsicle molds

Popsicle sticks

A Blender

A Freezer

1 cup of red beans

2 cups milk (I used coconut milk the last time because I was out of regular milk and it was a very pleasant variation. It has less protein though.)

1-2 cups evaporate organic cane juice or brown sugar

Wash and sorts the beans and then soak them for several hours in 5 cups of cold water. This step is essential. Soaking wakes up the beans, increases their nutrient content, and removes the enzyme inhibitors that make them hard to digest. Discard any beans that rise to the top of the water during the soaking process.

Once the beans are soaked, drain the water and place them in a heavy bottomed saucepan on the stovetop. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Once the water has boiled turn the heat down to low and stir in one cup of sugar. Allow them to simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more water before the end but be careful not to add too much, we want to have most of the water absorbed by the beans and very little liquid left over. When the beans are very soft remove them from the heat.

Let them cool little bit. You can mash them up a bit with a fork if you like. Once they are cooled somewhat you can pour them into the blender and add the milk. Blend it all together until smooth. Taste it so see if it’s sweet enough for your liking remembering that sweetness is harder to taste in frozen foods. It should be just a bit sweeter than you want it to be. Pour the mixture into the popsicle molds. If you only have wooden sticks put tinfoil over the top of the mold and then poke holes through with the sticks. The tinfoil will keep the sticks straight until the popsicles freeze. Once they are frozen through they are ready to eat.

For a tropical variation try it with coconut milk and add crushed pineapple as well.