White Bean Dip

This white bean dip recipe is a savory, rich hot dip with incredible flavor. Healthy and robust, this white bean dip can also be served as a cold dip with bread, crackers, or vegetables for dipping—skinning dipping at its best.

I'm a professed dip lover, and white bean dip is one of my favorite dips of all. White beans, although bland tasting, are a phenomenal base for absorbing flavors. In addition, with their nutty, earthy flavor and tender flesh, white beans are a protein and fiber powerhouse. For that reason, this white bean dip recipe packs the nutrients while tasting like a savory dip sensation. And it's great as a sandwich spread as well. 

Jump to:

• Four Varieties of White Beans
• Nutritional Benefits White Beans
• White Bean Dip Ingredients
• White Bean Dip Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make White Bean Dip
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Other Vegan Recipes to Try!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

White bean dip tastes creamy yet satisfying as a cold or hot dip. Served with bread, vegetables, or crackers, I watch people scrape the last morsels from the bowl. At my house, that's a dip success. 

Whenever I make this bean dip recipe, I'm always amazed at how quickly it disappears. 

Four Varieties of White Beans

Although I chose cannellini beans for my white bean dip, other white bean substitutions work well for this white bean dip recipe. 

Navy Beans

Also called pea beans, Navy beans are small, oval-shaped, and quick-cooking. Because they get creamy when cooked, they're perfect for mashing or pureeing in dips, and thickening soups, stews, ragouts, and more. 

Great Northern Beans

A little larger than navy beans but smaller than Cannellini beans, Great Northern beans are mild, nutty-flavored with firm flesh. Firmer than other white beans are typically used in soups and chilis because they maintain their shape when cooked. 

Cannellini Beans

Cannellini beans are kidney-shaped, and they are also referred to as White Kidney Beans. Meatier than Navy or Great Northern beans, they have a nutty, earthy flavor and tender flesh.

Butter Beans (Lima Beans)

Small, smooth, and creamy with a rich, buttery texture, butter beans are buttery. They're starchier than other beans and are often used in soups, stews, succotash, casseroles, or cooked with herbs and spices.

Nutritional Benefits White Beans

According to Healthline, a 1-cup (170-gram) serving of cooked white beans provides:

• Calories: 242
• Protein: 17 grams
• Fat: 0.6 grams
• Carbs: 44 grams
• Fiber: 11 grams
• Copper: 55% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Folate: 36% of the DV
• Iron: 36% of the DV
• Potassium: 21% of the DV
• Thiamine: 17% of the DV
• Phosphorus: 28% of the DV
• Magnesium: 26% of the DV
• Zinc: 22% of the DV
• Calcium: 16% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 12% of the DV
• Riboflavin: 6% of the DV
• Selenium: 4% of the DV

Dr. Furhman,  a board-certified family physician, seven-time New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized expert on nutrition and natural healing, specialize in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional methods. He claims everyone should consume 1 cup of beans daily for optimal health. 

• Beans (and other legumes) are a powerhouse of superior nutrition and the most nutrient-dense carbohydrate source.
• Beans act as an anti-diabetes and weight-loss food because they are digested slowly, stabilizing blood sugar, which promotes satiety and helps prevent food cravings. Plus, they contain soluble fiber, which lowers cholesterol levels.
• Beans are amazing foods because of their very high levels of fiber and resistant starch, carbohydrates that are not broken down by digestive enzymes. Fiber and resistant starch reduce the calories absorbed from beans and fermented by intestinal bacteria into fatty acids that help prevent colon cancer.
• Eating beans, peas, or lentils at least twice a week has been found to decrease colon cancer risk by 50%. Legume intake protects against oral, larynx, pharynx, stomach, and kidney cancers.

White Bean Dip Ingredients

• Cannellini Beans: Cannellini beans are naturally earthy and nutty in flavor, making them the perfect complement to other dishes or on their own.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Red Onion: Sweetness is the red onion's greatest strength. The sharpness of its flavor and the intensity of its smell are slightly more potent than that of the white onion, but the sugar content is much higher.
• Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh squeezed lemon juice for the freshest taste.
• Lemon Zest: Lemon zest has an intense lemon/citrus flavor with very little bitterness. The bitterness is primarily found in the white part of the lemon (the white pith). 1 medium-size lemon = approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest = 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• Vegan Worcestershire: I like Annie's Worcestershire Sauce.
• Hot Sauce: I used Sriracha, but any hot sauce works.
• Paprika: With fruity, slightly sweet notes and vivid red color, paprika brightens almost any dish
• Raw Cashews: The raw cashews provide the creaminess to the dip; however, there are several nut-free options in the substitutions below.
• Oat Milk: I like oat milk because it's naturally creamy.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar supplies the acidity to the recipe.
• Salt and pepper to Taste: Salt and pepper enhance the other ingredients in the dip.
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese: Vegan Parmesan Cheese is easy to make and adds a cheesy taste to the top of the bean dip.
• Parsley (Garnish): Parsley is used as a fresh green garnish.
• Toasted Baguette, Crackers, and Assorted Vegetables: This dip is excellent with sliced toasted bread, crackers, and raw or roasted vegetables.

White Bean Dip Ingredient Substitutions

• Any white beans work for this white bean dip. If you can't find cannellini beans, great Northern beans are the best stand-in.
• If you don't have fresh garlic, substitute garlic flakes: dehydrated (or dried) minced garlic; use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove. Granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove. Garlic powder: Use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
• Choose shallots for red onions.
• Use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice. And add 1 extra teaspoon of lemon juice to accommodate the lemon zest.
• Soy sauce, Tamari, or liquid aminos replace vegan Worcestershire sauce.
• Any hot sauce you prefer works well for this recipe.
• White beans, silken tofu, sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds replaces raw cashews.
• Although I chose oat milk, any type of unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works well.
• White vinegar substitutes apple cider vinegar.
• Buy store-bought vegan parmesan cheese, or skip this ingredient.
• If you don't like or don't have parsley, basil is a great substitute.

How to Make White Bean Dip

First, add apple cider vinegar and plant milk and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes to form vegan buttermilk. 

In the meantime, combine the garlic, onions, beans, lemon juice and zest, hot sauce, vegan Worcestershire, and paprika in a small food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Then, add the water, vegan buttermilk, and cashews to a small blender and blend until smooth. 

Once blended, add the contents of the blender to the food processor mixture. Next, pulse a few times, combining the ingredients. Do not, however, over-pulse; the mixture should be somewhat chunky, not thin. 

Pour the mixture into an oven-safe skillet and top with vegan parmesan cheese.

Even though the white bean dip can be eaten cold, I prefer it hot and bubbly. If you plan to cook the dip, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and cook for 20 minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top. 

Another suggestion, if eating with a sliced baguette, broil the bread until toasted and crispy. Then, add some fresh green parsley as a garnish for an added aesthetic. 

Or, if you prefer it as a sandwich spread, spread it on our favorite bread or wrap it and load it up with veggies. 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Do not over-pulse the white bean mixture; it should be chunky, not soupy and thin.
• You can use a blender if you don't have a food processor.
• For a richer flavor, saute the red onion and garlic before adding them to the dip.
• Prepare the dip ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Or, the white bean dip tastes fabulously cold as a sandwich spread.
• I also like this white bean dip recipe inside endive lettuce as a base for lettuce wraps.
• Use white bean dip as a replacement for hummus in any recipe.
• Properly stored, cooked white beans will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

If you love white beans, try this white bean dip recipe! You will love it!

Other Vegan Recipes to Try!

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