How Many Calories in Red Bean Ice?

Also known as 紅豆冰, Hung Dau Bing, Red Bean Icy Drink, Iced Red Bean with Evaporated Milk.

Red bean ice is a tall glass of sweetened red beans, crushed ice, evaporated milk and syrup, eaten with a long spoon. It is the classic Hong Kong summer drink, about HK$22 to HK$28 at a cha chaan teng.

260kcal / 1 glass (300ml)

One 300ml glass of red bean ice is about 260 calories with 36g of sugar, according to Centre for Food Safety testing. That makes it the highest calorie drink on a typical cha chaan teng menu, roughly double an iced milk tea (130). Ordering it less sweet only brings it down to about 240.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 glass (300ml) (300g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	260 kcal	87 kcal
Protein	4 g	1 g
Carbs	48 g	16 g
Fat	5 g	2 g

Where the calories come from

Sweetened red beans100g

150 kcal

Evaporated milk50g

70 kcal

Sugar syrup10g

40 kcal

Crushed ice140g

0 kcal

The real talk

Red bean ice tops every cha chaan teng drink ranking in Hong Kong. CFS measured it at 87 calories per 100ml, which is more than a cola (about 42). The reason is that the red beans are cooked in sugar before they go in, then the drink gets syrup, then evaporated milk on top. There are three separate sugar sources in one glass. A 300ml glass ends up around 260 calories, equal to a bowl of rice.

The evaporated milk is the only thing giving you any nutrition. About 50ml adds 70 calories, 4g of protein and most of the 5g of fat. The beans themselves have some fibre, but 100g of sweetened red bean paste is about 150 calories, and that is what the bottom third of the glass is. So a drink that looks like a snack is really dessert.

Less sweet barely helps here. CFS found the less-sweet version still lands at 240 calories and 30g sugar, because the beans are pre-sweetened and the shop cannot take that out. This is one drink where the 少甜 order does very little. If you want it, have it as your dessert, not as your drink with lunch.

How the portions compare

240 kcal

Less sweet glass

260 kcal

Regular glass (300ml)

340 kcal

Large glass with extra beans

Red Bean Ice variants, ranked by calories

Variant	Calories	Notes
Iced lemon tea	140 kcal	For comparison
Iced yuenyeung	160 kcal	For comparison
Red bean ice, less sweet	240 kcal	Beans are still pre-sweetened
Tri-colour ice (三色冰)	250 kcal	Red bean, grass jelly, sago
Red bean ice, regular	260 kcal	36g sugar

How to eat it lighter

Treat it as dessert. If you order red bean ice, skip the tong sui or the egg tart after.
Share it. Two spoons in one glass is a 130 calorie treat each.
If you want something cold and milky for fewer calories, an iced milk tea is 130 and an iced lemon tea less sweet is 90.
Ask for less syrup (少糖水), not just less sweet. Some shops will hold back the extra syrup and that saves around 40 calories.

Common questions

How many calories in a red bean ice?

About 260 calories per 300ml glass, with 36g of sugar, based on Centre for Food Safety data. It is the highest calorie drink on most cha chaan teng menus.

Is red bean ice healthy because of the beans?

The beans add a little fibre and protein, but they are cooked in sugar. A glass has as many calories as a bowl of rice. It is closer to a dessert than a healthy drink.

Does ordering red bean ice less sweet help?

Only a little. Less sweet drops it from 260 to about 240 calories because the beans are already sweetened before they go in the glass.

Related foods

Hong Kong Milk Tea

110 kcal per 1 cup (hot, 240ml)

Hong Kong Iced Lemon Tea

140 kcal per 1 glass (iced, 300ml)

Mango Pomelo Sago (Yeung Zi Gam Lou)

250 kcal per 1 bowl (330g)

Ais Kacang (ABC)

350 kcal per 1 bowl (hawker standard)

Milo Ais

250 kcal per 1 glass (iced)

Kopi Tarik

150 kcal per 1 glass (kopitiam standard)

See all Drinks calories, ranked ›

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical cha chaan teng, dai pai dong or dim sum serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on Centre for Food Safety Hong Kong, Nutrient Content of Non-Prepackaged Beverages (260 kcal regular, 240 kcal less sweet per 300ml). Macros estimated from the ingredients.

New here? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice ›