Adzuki Bean Bowls - Love and Lemons (2024)

Never tried adzuki beans? Learn how to cook them for this tasty grain bowl recipe! And don't worry, if you can't find them, black beans work here too.

Have you ever tried adzuki beans? If you haven’t, you totally should. Like most bean varieties, they have a host of health benefits. They’re packed with protein and fiber, and they’re even said to promote heart health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Because of their small size, they cook quickly, and last but not least, they’re delicious! Their unique sweet, nutty flavor is at home in everything from hearty grain bowls to Japanese ice cream.

If you’re ready to try them, find my method for how to cook adzuki beans below, along with my all-time favorite adzuki beans recipe.

How to Cook Adzuki Beans

While it’s possible to find canned adzuki beans, you’ll more often see them dried. Unlike other dried beans, there’s no need to soak adzuki beans before you cook them. Even without soaking, they typically cook in less than 90 minutes on the stove! In fact, because they cook relatively quickly, I prefer the dried beans to canned ones. Cooking adzuki beans yourself allows you to control their final texture, and you can amp up their flavor by simmering them with aromatics like quartered onions, smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves, or black peppercorns.

Want to try it? Here’s my easy method for how to cook adzuki beans:

• First, pick them over. Small stones or debris are often mixed in with dried beans, so sift through the beans before you cook them. Discard this debris along with any shriveled or discolored beans, and rinse the beans in a fine mesh strainer under running water.
• Then, cook them! Place the beans in a large pot, and add cold water to cover them by 2 inches. Season them with salt, and add any aromatics to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, but not mushy. This could take anywhere from 35 to 90 minutes, depending on the freshness of your beans (note: if your beans are very old, they could take a little longer). If the beans begin to dry out as they cook, add more water to the pot, as needed.
• Finally, eat or store the beans.When the beans are tender, eat them hot off the stove with a ladle of their cooking liquid, drain them to use in your favorite adzuki beans recipe, or store them for later use. Refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze them for several months.

Adzuki Beans Recipe Components and Variations

This Adzuki Bean Bowl from the cookbook Healthyish is my all-time favorite adzuki beans recipe. The sweet, nutty beans pair perfectly with earthy brown rice and a crisp, miso-dressed slaw. All these components keep well if you prep them ahead of time, so this recipe would be a fantastic make-ahead lunch or weeknight dinner. And if you don’t have these exact ingredients on hand, don’t worry! Like most good grain bowls, you can easily swap in what you do have. Here’s what the recipe calls for, plus a few ideas for easy substitutions:

• Cooked adzuki beans – The main event! If you can’t find them, use black beans instead. I often use them interchangeably. For speedy assembly, cook the adzuki beans up to 3 days in advance, or use canned beans.
• Brown rice – Red beans and rice are a classic pairing, and these tasty bowls show why! If you don’t have brown rice on hand, white rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa would also work well here.
• Napa cabbage, snap peas, and carrots – Use this combination, or swap in your favorite crispy veggies to make the slaw for this bowl. Snow peas, cucumbers, green onions, or red or green cabbage would all be delicious.
• Cilantro– I love to finish grain bowls with a fresh herb. The cilantro is wonderful here, but mint or Thai basil would work too.

• Sesame Miso Dressing – This has become one of my go-to dressings. It’s made with white miso paste, rice vinegar, sesame oil, tamari, and olive oil.

Finish the bowls with creamy avocado, red chiles, and toasted sesame seeds or crushed cashews. Let me know what variations you try!

More Favorite Grain Bowls

If you love this adzuki beans recipe, check out the Healthyish Cookbook! It has a mix of really-healthy and mostly-healthy recipes, hence the name. The book is not entirely vegetarian, but there are SO MANY vegetarian recipes. I have my eye on the Linguine with Trumpet Mushroom “Scallops” and the Smoky Cauliflower and Onion Frittata. I hope you love this book as much as I do!

Then, try one of these grain bowls for more healthy recipe inspiration:

• Tamago Kake Gohan
• Bibimbap
• Roasted Veggie Grain Bowl
• Best Buddha Bowl
• Sesame Soba Noodles
• Or any of these 15 healthy rice bowl recipes!

Or find more of my best bean recipes here!