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This savory, creamy white bean dip comes together quickly and easily from ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. Makes a crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Why we love this recipe
White beans are way up there on the very short list of foods that are both creamy and good for you. Let’s just take a minute with that, shall we? Turn them into a flavorful, versatile dip, and you’ve basically unlocked one of the keys to the universe.
This white bean dip recipe is:
- Quick, easy, and make-ahead friendly
- Creamy and satisfying
- Flexible — vary the flavors and uses as you like
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free, in case you’re into that sort of thing
I first published a version of this recipe here back in 2018. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made a few tweaks to the recipe itself.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- You can use any canned white beans in this recipe. I tend to use cannellini beans, which are are also called white kidney beans. They’re mild, creamy, and fairly large. The two cans called for in this recipe equal about 3 ½ cups of cooked beans, from one heaping cup dried. You can of course use beans cooked from scratch if you prefer.
- Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, but it doesn’t have to be your very best. It adds creaminess and depth of flavor and helps the other ingredients bloom.
- Plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds vibrance and tang.
- Garlic and shallot give you a well-rounded allium flavor. I’ve calibrated the recipe to be very flavorful but not overwhelming — though this is largely a matter of personal preference. Feel free to adjust the amounts suit your tastes.
- A little bit of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary add a gentle woodsy vibe and really round out the flavor of the beans. This is my favorite combo, but other herbs work well, too. In the summertime, for example, feel free to swap in a few torn basil leaves, a little bit of fresh tarragon, or whatever you like.
- I don’t usually call out the salt in a recipe, but here I’ll say that replacing the fine sea salt with truffle salt makes for a super-easy and delicious upgrade if you ever feel like it.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a perfect batch of white bean dip. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Rinse the beans and drain them well, then place into a food processor fitted with the blade.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Process until perfectly smooth.
- Dip is ready to serve as-is or use in recipes.
Expert tips and FAQs
It’s great served in a bowl for dipping veggies and chips (pita, tortilla, or potato). I also love using it to make these appetizers and these sandwiches. Or use it pretty much anywhere you’d use hummus.
Definitely. White bean dip will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. You can even freeze it for up to a year if you like — the flavors will mellow a bit if you do. I like to bring it to room temperature before serving, but you don’t have to.
More favorite bean dip recipes
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White Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 2 15.5- ounce 439-gram cans white beans
- 2 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh shallot
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary needles, picked from their stems
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, picked from their stems
Instructions
- Drain the beans in a colander, rinse well, and shake off any excess water.
- Place all ingredients Into the bowl of a standard food processor fitted with the blade.
- Process dip until perfectly smooth. You can let the machine run for a full minute or two, scraping down the sides if necessary.
- Transfer to a small bowl to serve with fresh vegetables and/or chips (tortilla, pita, or potato) for dipping.
Notes
- You can use any canned white beans in this recipe. I tend to use cannellini beans, which are are also called white kidney beans. They're mild, creamy, and fairly large. The two cans called for in this recipe equal about 3 ½ cups of cooked beans, from one heaping cup dried. You can of course use beans cooked from scratch if you prefer.
- Use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, but it doesn't have to be your very best. It adds creaminess and depth of flavor and helps the other ingredients bloom.
- Plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds vibrance and tang.
- Garlic and shallot give you a well-rounded allium flavor. I've calibrated the recipe to be very flavorful but not overwhelming — though this is largely a matter of personal preference. Feel free to adjust the amounts suit your tastes.
- A little bit of fresh thyme and fresh rosemary add a gentle woodsy vibe and really round out the flavor of the beans. This is my favorite combo, but other herbs work well, too. In the summertime, for example, feel free to swap in a few torn basil leaves, a little bit of fresh tarragon, or whatever you like.
- I don't usually call out the salt in a recipe, but here I'll say that replacing the fine sea salt with truffle salt makes for a super-easy and delicious upgrade if you ever feel like it.
- In addition to serving this dip straight-up, I also love using it to make these appetizers and these sandwiches. Or use it pretty much anywhere you'd use hummus.
- Dip will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. You can even freeze it for up to a year if you like — the flavors will mellow a bit if you do. I like to bring it to room temperature before serving, but you don't have to.
Sun-dried tomato and pesto variation
An earlier version of this recipe included sun-dried tomatoes and a swirl of pesto. If you'd like to make this version, you'll also need: 6 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pieces, 6 tablespoons pesto, and 3 tablespoons pine nuts. Include half the sun-dried tomato pieces among the ingredients in the food processor. After processing the dip, with a spoon or spatula, stir in half the pesto until streaked throughout but not well mixed. Scrape into a wide, shallow serving bowl and garnish with remaining pesto, sun dried tomato, and pine nuts. For this purpose, I really prefer soft sun-dried tomatoes in a resealable bag, such as Trader Joe's Julienne Cut California Sun Dried Tomatoes. They're easy to work with and nice and tender. Here's our favorite pesto recipe, or use your favorite brand.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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