Let’s make some Mung Bean Mooncakes! Made from skinless mung beans, these mooncakes are unbelievably easy to make with such simple steps. We’re making this no bake mooncake with two flavors, original and Matcha Green Tea. 🫘🍵 This mung bean mooncakes recipe is perfect for beginners, or for anyone who wants to make a slightly different variation of mooncake this year.
Watch How To Make Mung Bean Mooncakes – Recipe Video
Let’s Make Mung Bean Mooncakes, An Easy To Make Mooncake for Mid Autumn Festival
These mung bean mooncakes are actually a traditionally dessert that can be served during the Mooncake Festival (also known as Mid Autumn Festival 中秋节). Hence this beautiful festive food is called mung bean mooncakes (绿豆月饼). These mooncakes can be made with or without a sweet filling in it. I prefer to have something simpler, without any filling. This mung bean mooncake has a moist texture and a distinct taste. It is smooth and creamy and not too sweet.
When you take a bite, the pastry will slowly melt in your mouth leaving a nutty and creamy taste. They can be served at room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator. As it can be quite filling, these little mung bean mooncakes are best enjoyed with hot Chinese tea. What’s more, they are super easy and fun to make! So let’s get started.
What are Mung Bean Mooncakes?
These Mung Bean Mooncakes or cakes are actually a traditional Chinese dessert made from skinless mung beans. The split skinless mung beans are first soaked overnight, cooked to soften the beans and then crushed into a paste. Then the Mung bean paste is cooked till it has a dough like consistency. It is then moulded into small cakes to enjoy. No baking necessary as this is a type of no bake mooncake. Perfect for those who don’t have an oven too.
Ingredients Needed To Make Mung Bean Mooncakes
- mung beans (split skinless)
- water
- butter
- sugar
- honey
- salt
How to Make Mung Bean Mooncakes
- Soak cleaned mung beans for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Put soaked mung beans in a non-stick pot with water. Using medium heat, bring it to a boil. Then reduce heat to lowest, put on the lid and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from stove and crush mung bean with spatula till smooth.
- Add in sugar, butter, honey and salt. Continue to cook on stove till mung bean paste turns into dough and does not stick to pan and spatula.
- Divide into two portions. Add one portion with matcha powder for colouring. Cover with cling wrap to prevent surface from turning hard. Cool mung bean dough till lukewarm.
- Divide the dough into 50g each. Roll into round balls and shape it with a mooncake mould.
How To Serve Mung Bean Mooncakes
Mung Bean Mooncakes can be serve right away at room temperature or served chilled. You can leave them at room temperature for a few hours. If you’re not going to eat them in the next few hours, refrigerate them in a container. Once the mooncake has firmed up, they have a soft texture to it and good to eat when they’re chilled. As it can be quite filling, it is best enjoy with hot Chinese tea.
Important Recipe Tips To Make Mung Bean Mooncakes
- Soak the split mung bean before use to soften the beans as this will reduce cooking time.
- Use a non-stick pan to cook the soaked mung bean. This will prevent the mung bean paste from sticking to the pan.
- Can also use a blender to crush the cooked mung bean to ensure a smooth texture.
- Use medium heat to first cook the mung bean paste. As the butter and sugar melts, the paste will become runny. Be sure to consistently stir with spatula to evaporate the excess moisture. When the paste starts to thicken, turn the heat to lowest and continue to stir till the mung bean paste becomes dough like. The mung bean paste is done when it does not stick to the spatula anymore.
- Be sure to cover the surface of the mung bean dough to prevent it turning dry.
- It is important to mould the mooncakes when the mung bean dough is still very warm but not hot. Otherwise the dough will crack and you will not be able to mould it.
- Do not reduce the amount of sugar too much as this will increase the likelihood of cracking. The sugar provides moisture and liquifies as it dissolves. The mung bean paste will be less moist if sugar is reduced significantly thereby causing the mung bean dough to crack.
Here Are Some Other Mooncake Recipes You May Like:
- Durian Mung Bean Baked Mooncakes 榴莲绿豆蓉月饼
- Traditional Baked Mooncakes 传统烘月饼
- Baked Bamboo Charcoal Mooncakes 竹炭烘月饼
- Mini Lotus Paste Mooncakes with Salted Egg Yolk 迷你单黄莲蓉月饼
- Plain Mini Lotus Paste Mooncakes 素迷你莲蓉月饼 (Vegan Mooncake)
- Shanghai Mooncakes 上海月饼
- Plum Blossom Mooncakes 梅花月饼
Don’t have an oven? No problem. Try these no-bake mooncake recipes:
- Purple Sweet Potato Mooncakes 紫薯月饼
- Lotus Flower Mooncakes 莲花酥月饼
- Matcha Green Tea Snowskin Mooncakes 抹茶冰皮月饼
- Ondeh Ondeh Snow Skin Mooncakes 娘惹椰丝球冰皮月饼
Mung Bean Mooncakes 绿豆月饼
Tap or Hover to Adjust Servings
Equipment
- 1 Mooncake Mould 50g
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 200 grams mung beans , skinless
- 375 ml water, 1 ½ cup water
- 56 grams butter, salted or unsalted
- 100 grams sugar
- 63 grams honey, 3 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp salt
Have ready all ingredients needed to make mung bean mooncakes.
Wash skinless mung bean till water runs clear. Add water into mung bean and soak for at least 4 hours preferably overnight.
Rinse under running water and drain thoroughly. Then add the soaked mung bean into a non-stick pot. Add just enough water to cover the mung bean.
Place the non-stick pot on a stove. Using medium heat, bring the mung bean to a simmer. Once you see it bubbling, put on the lid and using lowest heat, simmer for about 20 minutes, till the mung bean is cooked and softened.
Remove from heat and using a spatula, crush the cooked mung beans till it forms a paste and is nice and smooth. Then add in sugar, honey, salt and butter.
Place the pot back on the stove. Using medium to medium low heat, stir until the butter melts, sugar and honey dissolved. When the butter melts, the paste will become wet and runny.
As the moisture evaporates, the paste will start to thicken and separate from the bottom of the non-stick pan. Continue to stir and the paste will follow the stirring movement but it will still stick to the spatula.
Now turn the heat to the lowest so the paste will not be burned. Continue stirring and the paste will turn thicker and it doesn't stick to the spatula anymore. The paste has turned into a dough. And it is done!
Remove the mung bean paste dough from the stove, transfer to a bowl and divide into two portions. Add one portion with matcha powder for colouring. Mix well by pressing the paste with a spatula. Let both portions cool to lukewarm. Be sure to cover the surface of the mung bean dough to prevent a hard skin from forming.
Once the dough turns lukewarm, divide each portion into five even pieces, each about 50g. Roll each piece in between your hands and shape it into a round ball. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying.
Then shape it with a mooncake mould. Put the mung bean paste into the mooncake mould. First roll the mung bean dough into a longer ball with the palm of your hands. Carefully place the into the mould and place the mould on a flat surface. Gently press the handle down to impart the design. Press until you can't move it any further. Then pull the handle up and release the dough and we're done. Repeat to do the same for the rest of the round mung bean balls. You need to mould the mooncakes when the mung bean dough is not hot but still warm.
Place them inside a container with a lid and let them chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. They will firm up further. Taste great, smooth and creamy. They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to one week. Enjoy!
As these mung bean mooncakes are quite filling, they are best enjoyed alongside hot Chinese tea. So Enjoy!
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients:
Prepare Mung Beans:
Cook Mung Beans:
Make Mung Bean Paste:
Making Mung Bean Mooncakes:
Store Mung Bean Mooncakes:
Serve Mung Bean Mooncakes:
Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Soak the split mung bean before use to soften the beans as this will reduce cooking time.
- Use a non-stick pan to cook the soaked mung bean. This will prevent the mung bean paste from sticking to the pan.
- Can also use a blender to crush the cooked mung bean to ensure a smooth texture.
- Use medium heat to first cook the mung bean paste. As the butter and sugar melts, the paste will become runny. Be sure to consistently stir with spatula to evaporate the excess moisture. When the paste starts to thicken, turn the heat to lowest and continue to stir till the mung bean paste becomes dough like. The mung bean paste is done when it does not stick to the spatula anymore.
- Be sure to cover the surface of the mung bean dough to prevent it turning dry.
- It is important to mould the mooncakes when the mung bean dough is still very warm but not hot. Otherwise the dough will crack and you will not be able to mould it.
- Do not reduce the amount of sugar too much as this will increase the likelihood of cracking. The sugar provides moisture and liquifies as it dissolves. The mung bean paste will be less moist if sugar is reduced significantly thereby causing the mung bean dough to crack.
