Easy Microwave Red Bean Snowskin Mooncakes (Only 3-Ingredients!)

Here’s a quick and easy red bean snowskin mooncake recipe that only requires 3-Ingredients (glutinous rice flour, sweetened red bean paste and water) and just a microwave. NO wheat starch, and NO steaming required.

For a white snowskin mooncake version, go to my other recipe post here!

What is sweet red bean paste (koshi an)?

Red bean paste (also called Koshi An) is a thick and smooth sweet paste made from cooked adzuki red beans that’s been pureed and then cooked down with sugar. The sweetened red bean paste has a sweet almost syrupy flavor with mild earthy notes. It has a creamy and hearty texture that pairs perfectly with East Asian dessert recipes, especially those made with rice flour. Red bean paste is also the main ingredient used in my Sweet Yokan (Bean Jelly) Recipe.

What does adding red bean paste do to the rice dough?

The addition of sweet red bean paste to glutinous rice flour does two things. First, it acts as a sweetener and sweetens the dough, but more importantly, the protein and fiber that form the bulk of the thick and creamy red bean paste helps to turn the sweet rice dough into a smooth, pliable dough that can be easily pulled apart and molded into desired shapes.

Here’s why I love this recipe

• no-bake
• easy to prepare
• only 3 ingredients
• customizable (so many filling options!)

Ingredients Used to Make Red Bean Snowskin Mooncakes

_{**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 🙂}

• Sweetened Red Bean Paste (a.k.a. Koshi An): You can find Sweetened Red Bean paste in most Asian grocery stores, and online (Amazon). There are Fine and Coarse kinds, but be sure to use fine koshi an for this recipe.

• Glutinous Rice Flour – this goes by many names. You’ll see Glutinous Rice Flour and Mochiko Flour (my favorite brand) in Asian grocery stores, and Sweet White Rice Flour in most other stores. ***Please note that regular white rice flour or brown rice flour is NOT the same thing as glutinous rice flour!!!
• Water – room temperature is perfect.

Filling Ingredients

• I used the sweetened red bean paste leftover from making the snowskin dough as my mooncake filling, but you can also fill these mooncakes with lotus paste, mung bean paste or white bean paste.
• Read more on the filling variations towards the end of this post!

Equipment for Mooncakes

The main highlight of mooncakes is their beautiful engraved patterns and shapes. Mooncake molds are readily available at different Chinese grocery stores. You can also find it online, especially on amazon. They are of premium quality and quite affordable. I got the 75g and 125g mooncake molds here

Step by Step Guide

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins for Red Bean Snowskin Mooncakes:

There are many types of fillings used in traditional mooncakes. Here are some ideas below:

• Lotus paste – classic! You can buy these in the refrigerated section in a Asian grocery store, or buy them online (like Amazon, here)
• Shiro-an (sweetened white bean paste) – on Amazon, here, or here’s a Shortcut White Bean Paste Recipe I make when I’ve run out of Shiro An
• Koshi-an (sweetened red bean paste) – on Amazon, here
• Mung Bean paste – sweet and delightfully yellow, homemade mung bean paste is a perfect mooncake filling for those who are looking for a healthier bean paste alternative. Here’s my 2-Ingredient mung bean paste recipe here
• Coffee paste : 1/2 cup Shiro-an mixed with 2 tsp coffee extract (click on the link to see my 2 ingredient coffee bean paste recipe here)

How to Make Red Bean Paste Walnut Filling

I love the crunch and added texture of the walnuts in the red bean paste filling. To make, mix walnuts and red bean paste in a 1:1 ratio. Roll them into balls, and use as your filling!

Red Bean Snowskin Dough Variations

You can also play around with different snowskin flavors, too, to customize this red bean snowskin mooncake.

• Chocolate mooncakes – add 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder to the glutinous rice flour before mixing with other ingredients; add some mini chocolate chips to the filling before rolling into tablespoon sized (about 30 gram) balls.
• Coffee or mocha mooncakes? Yes please! Add either a teaspoon of coffee extract or espresso powder to the dough before microwaving.

See All of My Mooncake Recipes HERE