At the table
Enjoy it with a spoon as a sweet snack or dessert, warm or chilled. Stir to bring the soft beans up from the bottom; thickness and sweetness vary.
Hot soup can burn; check the temperature before tasting. Ask about sweeteners and additions if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. For children, check that the beans are soft, use small spoonfuls and supervise; sweetness alone does not make every version suitable.
The usual bean-and-sugar version is vegetarian and can be vegan. Honey-sweetened versions are not vegan, so confirm the sweetener and any additions. The representative sweet soup has no chili heat.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Thickness varies. It may be served warm or chilled, plain or with kelp and tangerine peel. Some versions use honey instead of sugar.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Lightly sweet beans, with citrus aroma when tangerine peel is added.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Soft, grainy beans in a liquid or thicker purée-like base.
- How it’s made
- Simmer soaked mung beans in water until they soften, then dissolve sugar into the soup.
Thickness varies. It may be served warm or chilled, plain or with kelp and tangerine peel. Some versions use honey instead of sugar.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Guangdong.
About this regional connection
Guangdong: Guangdong/Cantonese association, not an exclusive origin claim.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有绿豆沙吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
The soft, grainy texture of Guangzhou mung bean soup
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
In Guangzhou, 绿豆沙 is a sweet soup dessert, not a savory starter. Local cooks prize a slow simmer that lets the beans break down until the bowl is thick, soft and finely grainy—the texture called “sha,” or “sand.” Dried tangerine peel is a familiar Cantonese pairing. In Guangzhou, sweet soups can be an afternoon treat, a late-night bowl or a light finish to a meal. This is a local texture preference, not one fixed recipe for every mung bean dessert.