Spring

White Bean Dip with Fresh Herbs

June  7, 2021
4
18 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

The perfect celebration of fresh herbs, this dip is wonderful with crostini, pita, radish slices, or even wrapped up in kale or romaine leaves. Serve with an extra drizzle of nice, fruity olive oil. —Gena Hamshaw

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cooked white beans
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided into 1 tablespoon and 3 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
Directions
  1. In a medium-sized pan, heat the garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook for two minutes, and then add the white beans, rosemary, and thyme. Sautee for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until garlic is soft and fragrant.
  2. Transfer the beans to a food processor. Add the salt, pepper, lemon, and remaining olive oil. Process on high, stopping every now and then to scrape the bowl down, until mixture is totally creamy and smooth.
  3. Pulse in the fresh parsley. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Melissa Y
    Melissa Y
  • Ryan Jette
    Ryan Jette
  • Cheryl
    Cheryl
  • Shirlee Mina
    Shirlee Mina
  • Taylor Stanton
    Taylor Stanton

23 Reviews

Melissa Y. March 25, 2023
So easy and a great addition to a charcuterie plate! If using canned beans, I highly recommend omitting the salt until after processing. Even with a low-sodium brand of beans, it ended up being pretty salty with the full tsp.
 
Ryan J. October 19, 2019
I made this recipe with fresh herbs and added some fresh grated Parmesan cheese and an entire roasted garlic bulb and it came out excellent. The garlic and cheese really added a lot of flavor.
 
Maureen M. July 1, 2018
I had 4 cups of white beans cooked from another recipe. So I doubled the recipe and instead of using all the olive oil used some of the bean water with fresh herbs from the garden. Far exceeded my expectations. Delish!
 
beejay45 December 24, 2017
Not sure why, but I see this on a veggie sandwich with Swiss cheese! I'm not even a Swiss cheese lover, but this dish just made me think of it...thanks for the great and evocative recipe!
 
Cheryl October 25, 2016
Delicious! Suggest like others to cut salt in half and then taste.
 
Shirlee M. February 6, 2016
I just made this tonight ..... it's amazing!!! So healthy and delicious !! Wow!
 
Taylor S. January 20, 2016
Really delicious! I did a more "mashed" consistency and left it quite chunky. It's awesome on sweet potatoes, with carrots, as part of a sandwich, or just by itself!
 
Jessica M. July 24, 2015
Is this served cold or warm?
 
Lourdes July 22, 2015
how long would this keep in the fridge after making?
 
Kayla March 31, 2015
This is *insanely* good. I got away with canned beans & dried thyme/rosemary and it's still disappearing faster than I can make it! Now I must hunt for some good bread...
 
saramarsh July 22, 2015
How many cans of white beans? And were they Great Northern or Cannellini?
Thanks in advance!
 
Regine February 21, 2015
Really good. But next time I may cut the salt to half and then increase amount after tasting it. Easy to make and very tasty.
 
L K. January 28, 2015
Tried this recipe to dupe Felidia's NYC delishious cannellini spread. She drizzles pesto over hers garnished with a few whole beans, so making this I left out the rosemary and used a smidge of freshly dried Italian parsley. Topped with the pesto it is divine! just like Lydia Bastianich serves in a small round shallow old word dish.
 
CA D. December 26, 2014
I made this for an open house style Christmas this year so our vegan friends would have a snack to nosh on-it was a big hit! I could have made a double batch and still not had enough! Thanks!
 
laurenlocally December 13, 2013
If you were serving this on a crostini (like I am tonight!), would you heat up the dip with the toast or just smear it on warm, crusty bread?
 
Regine November 28, 2013
Yummy I must make this. But I may buy canned white beans and rinse them several times prior to using, rather than boiling them myself.
 
MamaCanela June 27, 2013
I did not have any fresh rosemary so I used dry. Fresh parsley and lemon thyme from my garden. No lemon so I used lime. Nice healthy snack with jicama sticks.
 
Chris N. April 26, 2013
I made this recipe after work. I bought the herbs at the farmer's market for $1/bunch, organic! The beans were soaked overnight and cooked for close to an hour. The final product looked just like the picture above and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
 
Frances P. April 18, 2013
Looks great but can you add garlic raw to save on time? Thanks
 
KristiW April 18, 2013
Frances, I've used a similar recipe but without heating it up first and it turns out great. Cannellini beans, evoo, lemon juice, salt. I also use a little curry powder and pinch of cayenne for variety. I am interested to see how much more infused the flavors are with this recipe.
 
Gena H. April 18, 2013
Definitely! As Kristi says, you can simply process all of the ingredients.
 
Amber S. November 26, 2016
I wouldn't add garlic raw unless you intend to cook something later. Raw garlic has a totally different flavor than cooked. But you could use garlic powder if you don't have time to cook ahhh
 
beejay45 December 24, 2017
Some of us love our raw garlic! ;) For me, the gentler cooked/roasted version is nauseating. Not sure what the cooking does, but it brings out something I can't tolerate. Fortunately, I have friends and family who also love the bite of raw garlic. It's all good.