Lotus seed paste is used in several desserts in Chinese cuisine, namely moon cakes, sweet buns, and other pastries. This sweet bean paste is made from dried lotus seeds, which are soaked and then pureed, brown sugar, and vegetable oil to create a creamy sweet nutty paste. Try using this paste in your favorite moon cake or sweet bun recipe, enjoy!

To see a video of instructions on how to make lotus seed paste at home click here.

10oz dried lotus seeds
1 cup light brown sugar
6 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Rinse the lotus seeds under warm water to remove any impurities. Then place them in a large pot, cover them with hot water and let them soak for 4 hours.


2. After 4 hours the seeds should be slightly soft and able to be pulled apart easily. Drain them in a colander and then pull each of them apart and remove the green sprout in the center and place the two halves of the seed back in the pot. The green sprout in the center is very bitter and will spoil the paste if left in the seed.


3. Once all of the sprouts are removed fill the pot with about an inch of hot water above the lotus seeds, turn the heat to high and let it come to a boil


4. Once it starts to boil, cover, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 1 hour.


5. After an hour, remove the lid, turn off the heat and make sure that the seeds are fork tender. Then drain them thoroughly in a colander.


6. Next puree the seeds by using either a food processor or a blender. If you’re using a small food processor or blender, do this in batches. Once it is done it should have a crumbly and dry texture.


7. Next, in a large pot add the light brown sugar and ½ cup of hot water. Heat this on medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. This paste has a medium sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter taste add more sugar – you can taste test this once the sugar mixture is absorbed into the paste and then mix up more with some water as needed.


8. Once the sugar dissolves add in the pureed lotus seeds and stir until the sugar water is absorbed. Then turn the heat to medium high and keep stirring until most of the water evaporates and the texture is a dry paste, about 6 minutes.


9. Then turn off the heat and place this mixture back into either a food processor or blender and add the vegetable oil. Puree until a smooth paste forms. Again if you have a smaller processor or blender do this in parts equally dividing the oil as well.


10. Once you have a smooth paste it’s ready to be used in another recipe, such as moon cakes or steamed buns.


11. This makes about 3 cups of lotus seed paste. Store in a tight container in the refrigerator.