These red bean pan-fried sticky rice cakes (紅豆燒餅) are crispy and golden on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle, with a smooth, gently sweet red bean paste filling. I love that they’re not too sweet, making them the perfect afternoon snack or sweet bite after dinner!
Table of Contents
- Watch How to Make It
- What is Red Bean Pan-Fried Sticky Rice Cakes?
- Why I Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for This Dish
- How to Make Red Bean Pan-Fried Sticky Rice Cakes
- Karen’s Top Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
Watch How to Make It
What is Red Bean Pan-Fried Sticky Rice Cakes?
Chinese red bean pan-fried sticky rice cakes (紅豆燒餅) are one of those snacks that immediately remind me of my childhood. I used to get them from the markets with my dad, and I always loved the contrast between the crispy golden outside and the soft chewy rice cake.
They’re made with glutinous rice flour, which gives them their signature chewy mochi-like texture, then filled with a lightly sweet, smooth red bean paste and pan-fried until golden.
It’s a simple dessert that’s perfect as an afternoon snack or a sweet bite after a meal, and it doesn’t feel overly sweet (not-too-sweet, my kind of dessert!)
Why I Love This Recipe
● Crispy outside, chewy inside – I LOVE the contrast between the golden, crispy exterior and the soft chewy rice cake.
● Not too sweet – I prefer making my own red bean paste because you can adjust the sweetness to your liking. But this red bean dessert in general has a gentle sweetness.
● So nostalgic – These remind me of going to the markets with my dad in Hong Kong, so making them at home always brings back childhood memories!
Ingredients for This Dish
You’ll find the full ingredients list and quantities in the recipe card below, but let’s run through a few key ingredients.
Red bean paste
I prefer making my own red bean paste from scratch, and you can find my recipe for it here.
I find store-bought red bean pastes are usually too sweet for my liking, so I like being able to control how much sugar goes in when I make it at home. It also means there are no preservatives, and you can really taste how fresh the paste is.
Or, use store-bought red bean paste
If you’re short on time, you can buy sweetened red bean paste (sometimes labelled 豆沙 or “red bean filling”) from most Asian supermarkets, or online on Amazon.
The most common brand of red bean paste I see in Asian supermarkets is Wang Zhi He, which usually comes in pouches. If you’re buying store-bought red bean paste, make sure to look for a smooth, thick paste rather than one with whole or chunky red beans, as you want a smooth filling for these rice cakes.
Glutinous rice flour
Glutinous rice flour is the main flour in this recipe, and it’s what gives these rice cakes their signature soft, chewy texture. Despite the name, glutinous rice flour does not contain gluten. It’s made from sticky rice (糯米) that has been ground into a fine flour.
You’ll find it in most Asian supermarkets, usually in the baking or flour section. Look for glutinous rice flour / sweet rice flour / 糯米粉. I use 100g in this recipe because it gives the rice cakes a nice chewy mochi-like texture you expect from this type of Chinese dessert.
You cannot substitute this with regular rice flour. Regular rice flour is made from non-glutinous rice and will give you a completely different, much less chewy texture.
Tapioca flour
I also add a small amount of tapioca flour (20g) to the dough. Tapioca flour is made from cassava root and is naturally gluten-free. It adds a little extra elasticity and bounce to the rice cakes, making them softer and chewier rather than just being dense and sticky.
You can find tapioca flour in most Asian supermarkets. It may also be labelled tapioca starch, and they are the same thing for this recipe.
I use a smaller amount than glutinous rice flour because I want it to complement the chewy texture without overpowering it.
I don’t recommend substituting either flour. The 100g glutinous rice flour + 20g tapioca flour ratio is what gives these rice cakes their soft, chewy and slightly bouncy texture.
How to Make Red Bean Pan-Fried Sticky Rice Cakes
1) Make the dough
Sift the glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour into a mixing bowl and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and salt. Heat over medium-high until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just starts to bubble. Immediately remove from the heat to prevent too much water from evaporating.
Slowly pour the hot sugar water into the flour mixture while whisking continuously. Add the oil and mix until a dough forms, then knead by hand until smooth, soft and no longer sticky.
2) Prepare the filling
Divide the red bean paste and dough into 6 equal portions. Each portion should be about 31–32g red bean paste and 36g dough. Roll each into a ball.
Flatten one piece of dough with your palm until it’s about 3.5 inches wide. Place a red bean paste ball in the centre, then gently wrap the dough around the filling, pinching the edges together to seal. Roll gently into a ball again, then flatten into a disc about 2cm thick. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
3) Add the sesame seeds
Optional: lightly brush both sides of each disc with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pressing gently so they stick.
4) Pan-fry the rice cakes
Heat a little oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the rice cakes for 5 minutes per side, until golden.
Add a splash of water (about 2 tbsp), cover with a lid, and let the rice cakes steam for another 2–3 minutes to make sure the centre is fully cooked through.
Remove the lid and let the water fully evaporate before moving the rice cakes. Fry for another 1–2 minutes to re-crisp the surface.
5) Serve
Serve immediately while hot for the best crispy-outside, chewy-inside texture.
Karen’s Top Tips
1) Add hot water to make the dough
Hot water makes the dough much softer and more pliable, which makes it easier to wrap around the red bean paste without the dough cracking or breaking. It also helps give the rice cakes a soft chewy texture once cooked.
2) Seal the edges properly
When wrapping the red bean paste with the dough, make sure to seal the edges properly, as any gaps would lead to the filling bursting out while frying.
3) Don’t skip the covered steam step
Once the rice cakes and nice and golden on both sides, add a splash of water and cover the pan with a lid to steam the rice cakes. This ensures the dough is properly cooked through.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can absolutely use store-bought red bean paste if you don’t want to make your own. I usually see Wang Zhi He red bean paste in Asian supermarkets. Just make sure you get a smooth, thick red bean paste rather than one with chunky red beans.
Yes, and I actually prefer it! Homemade red bean paste lets you control how much sugar you add, so you can make it much less sweet than many store-bought versions. You can find my homemade red bean paste recipe here.
After pan-frying and steaming, the outside of the rice cake should look slightly translucent and feel soft and chewy. If you’re unsure, cook for another minute or two over low-medium heat. You want the dough cooked through while keeping the outside golden and crispy.
They’re best eaten straight away while they’re hot and crispy. You can prepare the dough and red bean filling ahead of time, but I recommend cooking the rice cakes just before serving for the best texture.
If you have leftovers, let them cool completely and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few days. The texture will become firmer once chilled, so reheat them in a pan until warmed through and crispy again.
Yes. Once cooked and completely cooled, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze them for up to 1 month. Reheat them from frozen in a pan over low-medium heat until warmed through, then increase the heat slightly at the end to crisp up the outside.
Red Bean Pan-Fried Sticky Rice Cakes
6
servings10
minutes15
minutes222
kcalCrispy, chewy red bean pan-fried sticky rice cakes (紅豆燒餅) filled with smooth, gently sweet red bean paste. An easy Chinese sweet treat!
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the rice cake dough
100 g 100 glutinous rice flour
20 g 20 tapioca flour
20 g 20 white sugar
1/8 tsp 1/8 salt
90 ml 90 water
1 tbsp 1 oil
- For the red bean filling
190 g 190 homemade red bean paste (or store-bought)
- Optional topping
3 tbsp 3 white sesame seeds
Directions
- Sift the glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and salt. Heat over medium-high until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just starts to bubble. Immediately remove from the heat to prevent too much water from evaporating.
- Slowly pour the hot sugar water into the flour mixture while whisking continuously. Add the oil and mix until a dough forms. Add the oil and mix until a dough forms, then knead by hand until smooth and soft, and no longer sticky.
- Divide the red bean paste and dough into 6 equal portions. Each portion should be about 31–32g red bean paste and 36g dough. Roll each into a ball.
- Flatten one piece of dough with your palm until it’s about 3.5 inches wide. Place a red bean paste ball in the centre, then gently wrap the dough around the filling, pinching the edges together to seal. Roll gently into a ball again, then flatten into a disc about 2cm thick. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Optional: lightly brush both sides of each disc with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pressing gently so they stick.
- Heat a little oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the rice cakes for 5 minutes per side, until golden. Add a splash of water (about 2 tbsp), cover with a lid, and let the rice cakes steam for another 2–3 minutes to make sure the centre is fully cooked through.
- Remove the lid and let the water fully evaporate before moving the rice cakes. Fry for another 1–2 minutes to re-crisp the surface.
- Serve immediately while hot for the best crispy-outside, chewy-inside texture.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 serving g
- Total number of serves: 6
- Calories: 222kcal
- Fat: 4.9g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7g
- Cholesterol: 1mg
- Sodium: 81mg
- Carbohydrates: 40.6g
- Fiber: 1.9g
- Sugar: 18.4g
- Protein: 3.9g
- Calcium: 52mg
- Iron: 1mg
- Vitamin E: 0.4mg
- Vitamin K: 1.7mcg
- Thiamin: 0.1mg
- Niacin: 0.6mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.1mg
- Folate: 5.5mcg
- Pantothenic Acid: 0.1mg
- Phosphorus: 41mg
- Magnesium: 20mg
- Zinc: 1mg
- Selenium: 4.1mcg
- Copper: 0.2mg
- Manganese: 0.3mg
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