Peanuts, chickpeas, almonds, hazelnuts. Those are all healthy things by themselves, but when we make butter out of them, we put in a ton of oils. Yes, oils do have good healthy fats, but let’s be honest — how many of us actually only manage to eat recommended servings of anything with the word “butter” in it? Yeah. I didn’t raise my hand either.
So I decided to use something else: mung beans.
To be honest, smashing mung beans and making it yummy isn’t a new invention — mung bean paste is something used across Asia to jazz up pastries. This mung bean butter is more like a simplified version of an old Chinese favorite.
Whoa. That just sounded like a description of me, in comparison to my parents.
Also, mung beans are really healthy. Just ask my friend the Nutrition Label:
(Don’t be freaked out by the 330 calories thing. Unless you’re a stegosaurus or other 1,000-pound vegetarian animal, there is no way you’ll be able to stomach a straight 1/2 cup of mung beans. Don’t take that as a challenge. I’m not paying for your stool softeners.)
Mung Bean Butter
The taste: Depending on how much sugar you put in it, it can range from “sweeter than a promotion-chasing subordinate” to subtly sweet. The mung bean gives it a slightly beanish taste and a thick buttery texture (oh, now you’re paying attention).
Ingredients:
- Some mung beans. Red, green, whatever. Just don’t use chickpeas ’cause this ain’t no hummus.
- Some sugar. I’ve never met a sugar I didn’t like.
Steps:
1. Cook the mung beans. Soak them overnight, then boil them in the morning until they’re soft. Takes about 30 minutes to boil, or 10 minutes if you have a pressure cooker (we may not have an egg whisk but we sure as heck have a pressure cooker #asiankitchenswag).
2. Take out the beans and blend them until they’re really really really smooth. Like, seriously smooth. Smoother than Justin Timberlake in “Suit and Tie.”
3. Put ’em in a saucepan and cook on Medium until it’s thick. Thick as peanut butter, as thick as your geeky nerd glasses from 5th grade.
The Extra Mile:
- Serve with toasted baguettes, on croissants, or on ice cream. Fill your cake with it. Fill your crepes with it. Fill your yearning stomach with it. Pretty much wherever peanut butter or nutella can go, so can this mung bean butter.
Who needs Nutella. Who needs peanut butter.
KITCHEN CICI 
Can I use sprouted mung beans for this?
Since it’s all blended together, I’m assuming you can! If all else fails add more sugar.
Kidding. But it should be fine!
Delicious and informative! Nice! ^_^
Thank you! Being delicious comes naturally to me. I have to work on the informative part though.
Delicious! I have a guilty pleasure for spreads and am always looking out for healthy alternatives!
what a great idea! I’ll definitely have a try!
will try your mung bean butter-cool blog!
Thanks! 🙂
Thanks for liking “crazy ates” and for your culinary adventures. Hope other quips fit your interests. Best to you and your blog.
Oooo, like this unique idea!! I may have to try this with some other things like honey or dates instead of sugar to see how that works….
Good idea! So many possibilities.
I love your moong bean butter idea! We Indians make this regularly. Its called Moong Halwa (which is a dessert to die for). Because its cooked with oodles of ghee! You’ve stumbled upon an age old brilliant idea 🙂
Yeah, the Chinese use this regularly too! But we usually stuff it inside pastries, haha. Oh, now I have to get my hands on some ghee…
Oh, so do we. When it’s stuffed into soft rotis it’s called ‘Puran Poli’.
Look for ghee in any Indian grocery store. Are you in the US?
Yes, but I don’t think I live near any Indian grocery stores, sadly!
Reblogged this on naomivaldivia.com and commented:
I am a huge fan of mung beans, or as my grandma called them, mungo beans. I will definitely be trying this recipe. I’ve got a bag of the beans in my pantry to use right now!
Im always looking for healthy alternatives, i’ll have to try this!
This sounds brilliant! I still have leftover mung beans that I don’t know what I should do with it, this will be a perfect way to finish it^__^
Haha no kidding! I have that problem too.
what a great way to use these nutrition backed beans.. excellent, thank you.
Definitely trying this!
do you have a recipe for almond butter?
You know what, I was just thinking about making that last night! It’s definitely on my list! Along with cookie butter. 🙂
This is a really good idea! Im guessing it tastes good?
Haha yep! I don’t know if you’ve had mung beans before but it tastes like those. (I like to state the obvious. Obviously.) It tastes like sweet mung beans and it goes really well with toasted baguettes. I would’ve used a baguette for the photo but I was too lazy and I’d already eaten most of it…
Fantabulous idea! Don’t know why more of us (Asians) haven’t thought of this??!? D’oh! And yes, we Asians have tonnes of kitchen swag… 😀
Haha it’s true, I suppose! I still just wish I had an egg whisk….
Mung bean is a part of my daily diet! So… will definitely try these!!! Thanks!
Funniest recipe ever! And the photo of the bread and (******) butter made me really really hungry —
Great idea. I will certainly try it and also the same with adzuki beans, which are already quite sweet and used a lot in Asian pastries. Great blog.
Yep, this can be done with so many types of beans! Let me know how you like it. 🙂
I’m always looking for healthy recipes, I will have to try this one
Hahaha! Thanks for the like on my Hummus! This little secret you have going really fascinates me!!! I must try! 🙂
Yep, you must try! I love hummus btw. Very very very addictive stuff.
This looks delicious; thanks for sharing!
Well it IS pretty delicious 🙂 You’re very welcome!
This looks like such a tasty, interesting use of mung beans— thanks for sharing!