5 Minute Creamy White Bean Dip

Light, zesty, fresh and utterly delicious, this super creamy white bean dip takes less than 5 minutes to make AND uses just 5 easy to find ingredients. Serve with pita chips, a crudité platter or pile meatballs on top – this is a versatile dip the whole family will love.

Cracker swirled through white bean dip in a small pink bowl with more crackers on the side.

I love hummus, but this white bean dip is a quicker, lighter version that still delivers a similar flavour in minutes. Chickpeas need quite a bit of help to become super smooth – they need to be cooked down until very soft before blending – whereas white beans can go straight from the jar to the food processor and create an incredibly smooth dip.

White beans need lots of fresh, bright seasoning to help them sing, so this recipe is loaded with lots of lemon and garlic which I wouldn’t skimp on – it makes for a wonderful zesty dip perfect for spring or summer. The dip is actually equally delicious heated where it becomes a white bean puree. Use it as a base for grilled meat or veggies and watch it transform into a cosy loaded bowl, perfect for cold weather.

It’s also incredibly versatile and a great base recipe – you could throw in some fresh or dried herbs (thyme, basil or oregano would be lovely), chilli flakes or a spicy paste like gochujang to switch up the flavour to make it your own.

Ingredients

You only need five easy to find ingredients for this recipe.

White beans. I’m using butter beans, but you can use cannellini beans, haricot beans, navy beans or lima beans here. Go for a high-quality bean if you can – canned is fine, but I prefer jarred beans for the best flavour and texture. Bold Bean Co is my go-to when I’m in the UK.
Lemon. Ideally you want to use fresh lemon juice here, if possible. Lemon is a key flavour in the dip and fresh is always best.
Ground cumin. I love the subtle warmth the cumin brings to the dip, but you can leave it out if you don’t have any.

You’ll also need a food processor for this recipe, or you could use a blender. If you’re using a blender, you may need to add a little more olive oil or water, just to get things moving.

How to make it

Get all your ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, then blitz for a couple of minutes, until super smooth and creamy. And it’s as easy as that!

Drizzle with more olive oil and scatter over fresh mint leaves and chilli flakes, then dig in.

White beans, garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor.

Blended white bean dip in the bowl of a food processor.

Three ways to serve the dip

Serve with a selection of your favourite chips, crackers or crudites. I love it with pita chips!
Pile it onto flatbreads then top with sweet chilli halloumi or honey harissa halloumi.
Use it as the base for grilled meat or meatballs – try pairing it with miso grilled chicken, Greek chicken meatballs, lamb koftas or Asian style meatballs.

Got a question?

How long will the dip keep?

You can store it in the fridge for 5 days in a covered container. I’ll often make this on a Sunday to enjoy throughout the week!

What are the best white beans to use?

Ideally, use a high quality jarred white bean for the best flavour. White beans are mild and can sometimes be bland, so choosing a high quality version will help the dip taste the bes and have the best creamy consistency. When I’m in the UK, I love using Bold Bean Co. You can use cannellini beans, butter beans, navy beans or haricot beans.

Like this recipe? Here are more dips you might enjoy

Hand dipping pita chip in sundried tomato feta dip on a small blue and white plate. — 5 Minute Sundried Tomato & Feta Dip

A small white plate of chilli oil topped super smooth hummus, with pita chips on the side. — 5 Minute Sundried Tomato & Feta Dip

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.

5 Minute Creamy White Bean Dip

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Author: Kate Alexandra
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 cups 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the dip –

450g/1lb white beans (drained weight)
1 lemon, juiced
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

To serve (optional) –

1 tablespoon olive oil
A handful of chopped mint leaves
1 teaspoon chilli flakes or dukkah
Pita chips or sourdough crackers

Instructions

Blitz the dip. Add all the drained white beans, 3 garlic cloves (no need to chop them up), 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, the juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz on high for a couple of minutes, until a super smooth dip forms. Taste, season with a little more salt if you think it needs it.
Top and serve. Spoon the dip onto a serving plate or into a bowl, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the chopped mint leaves and the chilli flakes or dukkah on top. Serve with your favourite crackers and enjoy!

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES: You want to make sure you’re using a high quality white bean here. White beans can be quite bland, so going with a high quality product (ideally jarred) is going to make this dip taste the best. You can use butter beans, haricot, cannellini or navy beans. In the UK, I love using Bold Bean Co. Leave out the ground cumin if you don’t have any – I love the subtle warmth it brings, but it’ll still be great without it.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The dip will keep really well for 5 days, stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Enjoy with your favourite chips, crisps or crackers (I adore this with pita chips or sourdough crackers), or use it as a base for grilled meat or veggies. I love piling grilled miso chicken, sweet chilli halloumi, honey harissa halloumi or lamb koftas on top.

Prep Time: 5
Category: dips
Method: no cook
Cuisine: mediterranean