Red Bean Nian Gao was inseparable from Lunar New Year in my childhood. I still remember my grandma using the back end of her chopsticks to gently place a piece into my bowl, smiling as she said, “Eating Nian Gao will make you grow taller.” in Taiwanese.
I never did grow taller, no matter how many pieces I ate. But it remains one of my favorite New Year’s Eve dishes.
As I spent more Lunar New Years in New York, I slowly realized that red-bean–flavored Nian Gao isn’t very common here. I searched through Chinatown hoping to find it, but all I came across was the Cantonese version of Nian Gao.
Making this Red Bean Nian Gao turned out to be surprisingly simple. I only wish I had known earlier that just five ingredients were enough to bring my childhood back to the table.
Want to learn other dishes for Lunar New Year? Try this Salted Egg Yolk Cookie or Sesame Tuile.
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What is Nian Gao (年糕)?
Nian Gao is a traditional Lunar New Year cake made from glutinous rice flour. Soft, chewy, and slightly sticky, it symbolizes growth and good fortune for the year ahead. Its name literally sounds like “higher year.” Depending on where you grow up, it can be savory or sweet. The version I knew as a child was sweet, lightly scented with red beans, and always served as part of our Lunar New Year’s Eve meal.
Ingredients for Red Bean Nian Gao
- Red Bean - Traditionally, sweetened red bean is made from scratch by soaking the beans, cooking them until tender, and sweetening them. For this recipe, I use canned Japanese red bean instead—it works just fine and saves a lot of time. Just make sure to get Yude Azuki (the boiled style with visible whole beans.) Ogura-an, Tsubu-an and Tsubushian are much more mashed, and they tend to melt into the Nian Gao batter.
- Glutinous Rice Flour - Sticky rice flour, or some people call it sweet rice flour, is another important ingredient here. I like to use water-milled glutinous rice flour from Erawan. You don’t have to buy the same brand, but make sure you get the water-milled type. Do not replace with Mochiko, which is is milled from dried sticky rice. “Slight differences in the type of rice and the way the flour is processed can create big differences in the final texture and composition of dishes that feature the ingredient.” says Alma Avalle from Bon Appétit. Water-milled glutinous rice flour has a smoother texture than dry-milled one.
- Black Sugar - Black sugar is often compared to dark brown sugar, but the flavor is quite different. Industrial dark brown sugar is usually made by adding molasses back into light brown sugar. True black sugar, on the other hand, is made by boiling sugar cane juice over a fire until it naturally darkens, without any added molasses. The result is a deep, naturally dark sugar with a much richer, more complex flavor. I used Taiwanese black sugar here, but I also really like black sugar from Okinawa. Both have incredible flavors.
- Turbinado Sugar - Turbinado sugar has a somewhat richer and more complex flavor than standard white sugar. If you don’t have it, you can replace it with white sugar, and increase the ratio of black sugar to reach the same flavor.
- Water - Using hot water does more than just help dissolve the sugar. Glutinous rice flour absorbs liquid very quickly, and warm water helps hydrate the starch evenly, preventing dry pockets and lumps.
- Oil - Oil is used to prevent the Nian Gao from sticking to the mold.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Red Bean Nian Gao?
Lightly grease a heat-proof container using any neutral vegetable oil. A kitchen towel works well for spreading a thin, even layer over the glassware.
Dissolve the black sugar and the turbinado sugar in 250 grams of the hot water.
Once all the sugar is melted, add all the glutinous rice flour, and mix with a whisk. Add 30 grams more water if the batter is too hard to mix.
Once the glutinous rice flour is all combined, gently mix in the red bean.
Pour the batter into the prepared heatproof container. Steam over medium low heat for an hour. The steaming time can slightly differ from the thickness of the Nian Gao.
Once it’s full cooked, put a plastic wrap directly over the Nian Gao. Press the plastic wrap against the Nian Gao. Chill the Nian Gao before demolding and cutting into it.
How to eat Red Bean Nian Gao?
You can eat Nian Gao at room temperature, but it’s best when warm. I love the soft, sticky chew, Q texture. Especially that moment when it stretches and pulls apart as you bite into it.
So how do you heat it up? There are many ways to cook Nian Gao. My favorite is just pan fry in the non-stick pan with very minimum oil. If I feel lazy, I just microwave it for 30 seconds, but it sticks to the plate sometimes. Taiwanese like to coat it with a thin flour batter or egg wash, and deep fry it. I love the crispiness of fried Nian Gao, but I hate dealing with fry oil, so I tried making a filo-wrapped Nian Gao, and the result was truly surprisingly good. It almost tasted like a sweet spring roll, but less greasy.
Storage
Steamed Nian Gao keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. If you’d like to store it longer, freeze it for up to two months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it the same way as before.
Recipe Tips
Chill the Nian Gao before portioning it! Nian Gao is much easier to slice when it’s cold or at room temperature. Once heated, it becomes soft and sticky, so always cut it into portions before warming it up.
Recipe FAQ
During steaming, hot steam hits the cooler surface of the Nian Gao (and the lid), condenses, and turns back into liquid water. That moisture has to go somewhere, so it settles on top. You can carefully dab the surface with a paper towel while it’s still hot, or wrap the steamer lid with a cloth or kitchen towel to catch condensation.
The cake should look evenly opaque-to-translucent throughout. If the center still looks cloudy or pale compared to the edges, it needs more time. If you’re unsure, steam it longer. Nian Gao is very forgiving, and extra steaming won’t hurt it.
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe Card
Red Bean Nian Gao
Ingredients
- 280 g hot water
- 50 g turbinado sugar
- 40 g black sugar
- 300 g glutinous rice flour
- 200 g sweetened red bean
- neutral vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prep: Lightly grease a heat-proof container using any neutral vegetable oil. A kitchen towel works well for spreading a thin, even layer over the glassware.
- Mix: Dissolve the black sugar and the turbinado sugar in 250 grams of the hot water.
- Mix: Once all the sugar is melted, add all the glutinous rice flour, and mix with a whisk. Add 30 grams more water if the batter is too hard to mix.
- Mix: Once the glutinous rice flour is all combined, gently mix in the red bean.
- Mold: Pour the batter into the prepared heatproof container.
- Steam: Steam over medium low heat for an hour. The steaming time can slightly differ from the thickness of the Nian Gao.
- Chill: Once it’s full cooked, put a plastic wrap directly over the Nian Gao. Press the plastic wrap against the Nian Gao. Chill the Nian Gao before demolding and cutting into it.
- Cook: There are many ways to cook Nian Gao. My favorite is just pan fry in the non-stick pan with very minimum oil. You can also microwave it for 30 seconds, but it sticks to the plate sometimes. Taiwanese likes to coat it with a thin flour batter or egg wash, and deep fry it.
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