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You are here: Home / Desserts / Dessert / How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead)

February 5, 2022

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead)

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Vegan
Nut Free
Egg Dairy-Free

I absolutely love Sweet Japanese Steamed Buns, especially with a sweetened red bean paste filling. That’s why I’m so excited to share my new recipe for steamed buns that requires NO yeast. NO kneading. NO proofing. How amazing is that?

This recipe conveniently uses just 5 ingredients: tofu, self-rising flour, sugar and oil. Just mix, stuff with red bean paste, then steam and it’s done and done!

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

Unlike the traditional yeasted bread dough, the addition of tofu brings adds protein and nutrients and slightly lower carbs. Heck, I’ll take that excuse. Fewer carbs per bun means more buns for me!

Here’s how YOU can make these sweet steamed buns below

What You'll Find in this Post:
1. Ingredients Used to Make Sweet Japanese Steamed Buns with Tofu
2. More Tofu Recipes (HERE)
3. What I Used for the Filling
4. How to Make
5. Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:
6. How to Store
7. Final Tips for Steamed Buns
8. More Bread Recipes (HERE)
9. Tofu Steamed Buns with Sweet Bean Paste Filling
How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

Ingredients Used to Make Sweet Japanese Steamed Buns with Tofu

**I’ve linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂

Tofu – high in protein and nutrient-dense, tofu contains minerals such as calcium, manganese, selenium, zinc, as well as B vitamins. It’s also a “complete protein” because it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids your body needs. A ½ cup serving of firm tofu provides around 8 grams of protein. Definitely a keeper. 

Tip: The best tofu for this recipe is silken tofu, which you can find in most Asian grocery stores. You can also buy them online, here

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

  • Self-Rising Flour – you can actually make your own self-rising flour at home! Recipe below:
    • 1 cup of self-rising flour = 1 cup of all-purpose flour + 1.5 tsp of baking powder + 1/4 tsp of salt
  • Oil – any oil of choice. I used light olive oil – but if you don’t have olive oil, you can use coconut oil, or avocado oil here if you’d like.

More Tofu Recipes (HERE)

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What I Used for the Filling

  • Sweetened Red Bean Paste (a.k.a. Koshi An): I eat this stuff by spoonfuls! It’s a versatile ingredient that goes inside my sweet rice mochi recipe as well my tofu mochi recipe, but it’s also used as fillings inside sweet breads, pancakes, cookies and more. You can find Sweetened Red Bean paste in most Asian grocery stores, and online (Amazon).

How to Make

Sweet Japanese Steamed Buns made with Tofu

STEP 1

easy healthy vegan steamed buns

mix the silken tofu with the flour until smooth.

STEP 2

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

Mix oil once the dough comes together. You can use a spoon but it’s faster to mix using your hands.

STEP 3

how to shape steamed buns with sweetened red bean paste filling

Divide the dough into 6-8 portions, then wrap the dough around a ball of sweet red bean paste or filling of choice.

STEP 4

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

Steam the buns for 15 minutes.

STEP 5

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

Enjoy!

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

  • Go without the filling! These tofu steamed buns have a great texture, and make great sides to savory meals. Recipe here
How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns
  • Add color to the buns – matcha powder, food coloring, etc!
  • Other than coloring you can also add different flavorings to the dough before cooking. For example, you can add either a teaspoon of coffee extract or espresso powder, cocoa, cinnamon or Cardamom Powder. They’re not typically added in a traditional recipe, but you’re welcome to experiment!

How to Store

  • These steamed buns can be kept covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, I would store the buns in the fridge inside an airtight container. They are good for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Final Tips for Steamed Buns

  • You can use regular tofu, but the texture won’t be the same. Stick with silken tofu. You’ll thank me later!

More Bread Recipes (HERE)

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns
How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns
How to Make Gluten-Free Cheddar Drop Biscuits made with Cauliflower
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Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Biscuits (Paleo, Dairy Free)
How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns
Cauliflower & Honey Steamed Buns Made with Almond Flour (Paleo)
How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns
Gluten-Free Oatmeal Steamed Bread w/ Makgeolli (오트밀 찐빵)
save this recipe for later! Pin now at Pinterest
How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed buns

Tofu Steamed Buns with Sweet Bean Paste Filling

How to Make Japanese Steamed Buns Recipe with Tofu (Easy & No-Knead) - steamed bunsAll Purpose Veggies
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Course Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 8 servings
Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 1 package Mori-Nu silken tofu (12.3 oz)* firm
  • 2 cups of self rising flour
  • 4 Tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp sugar of choice**

Filling

  • 1 pkg sweetened red bean paste (koshi an)

Instructions
 

  • Mix flour and tofu together, then mix in oil when the dough comes together
  • Divide dough into 6-8 portions
  • Wrap the dough around prepared filling (red bean paste, black sesame, etc).
  • Steam the buns for 15 minutes
  • Enjoy!

Notes

*you can use regular firm tofu, but silken tofu (make sure it’s firm, too) gives you the best texture!
** I like using light-colored sweeteners such as raw cane sugar in this recipe because it doesn’t affect the color of the final product. Coconut, date, and maple sugars are less processed, more natural granulated sugars, but it results in a browner, darker donut so I don’t recommend them here. I also like to use honey powder, since it’s light in color as well as less processed (but it won’t be vegan). For the low carb option reflected in the nutrition facts, you can use sugar-free substitutes such as monk fruit sweetener or stevia powder (but be sure to convert the amount of stevia according to package directions)

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 8gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mgZinc: 1mg***Net Carbs: 45g
Keyword steamed, tofu
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below or share a photo on Pinterest and tag @allpurposeveggies ♥
Rate this Recipe here

Filed Under: Dessert, Desserts, Nut-Free, Vegan, Winter Tagged With: 5ingredient, anko, asian-inspired, bread, no-bake, NutFree, steamed, tofu, Vegan

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Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    March 16, 2022 at 9:29 pm

    5 stars
    This is a great idea but could I use gluten free flour?

    Reply
    • All Purpose Veggies says

      April 21, 2022 at 6:37 pm

      Thanks! I haven’t tried personally, but gluten-free flour should work just as well

      Reply

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