Just five ingredients are needed to make this creamy, delicious cannellini bean dip. Serve with crudités, pitta bread or your favourite salads. This delicious white bean dip that's suitable for vegans.

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Beans are great for our bodies, good for the environment and cheap to buy.
Annoyingly it can be hard to get kids to gobble up their beans. I’ve spent literally years serving up beans to my three children. My older two will now happily eat beans on most occasions but I’m still working on the youngest.
Blending beans up into a delicious dip is a good solution to the problem of how to get kids to eat beans.
I adore this cannellini bean dip.
Although at first glance it looks much like hummus - after all the same ingredients are used with white beans instead of chickpeas - it has a softer, subtler taste and texture.
And it’s also whiter in colour than hummus. But it's no less delicious.
We should all be eating more beans
If you're not already eating beans on a regular basis it's well worth incorporating them into your diet. They’re
- a better choice for the environment
- full of protein
- a good source of fibre
- packed with nutrients - different beans contain different vitamins etc so try to eat a wide variety.
What are cannellini beans?
Cannellini beans are a large white bean. They’re sometimes known as white kidney beans and this is just what they look like.
If you see a tin called simply “white beans” it’s likely that it contains cannellini beans.
Substitute other types of white beans
I listened to a fascinating podcast about beans on the BBC recently. The presenter reported that there are over 40,000 types of beans in the world.
Of course most of these are stored in a seed bank and only some are grown for us to eat.
However, there are several kinds of white bean available to buy and you can use them in place of cannellini beans in this recipe.
Some examples that work well are butter beans (lima beans) and haricot beans (navy beans).
You can also use chickpeas although then you’d end up making hummus.
More bean-based dip recipes
If you like this you might also like:
Serving suggestions
Honestly, cannellini bean dip is just so delicious served as a simple dip with some pitta bread and/or crudités (chopped vegetable sticks).
However, if you want to make more of a meal out of it here are some serving suggestions:
- with your favourite salad eg grilled aubergine salad
- spread on sourdough toast
- with roasted vegetables
- with homemade tortilla chips
- in a jacket potato
- in a sandwich.
Storage
Store any leftover dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
This dip can be frozen. Beans shouldn’t be frozen for as long as some other foods so you should defrost and eat your white bean dip within four months.
Equipment
You will need a food processor* to make this recipe.
The following items are also useful:
- a sieve* (for rinsing the beans)
- measuring spoons*
- rubber spatula* (for scraping down the sides of your food processor).
Ingredients
For full recipe, ingredients and quantities go to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
You will need the following ingredients to make cannellini bean dip:
- 240g cannellini beans (1 standard 400g tin)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Salt, to taste
- 1-3 tablespoons water
To serve:
- Chopped parsley
- Extra olive oil
- Pitta breads or crudités
How to make cannellini bean dip
For full recipe, ingredients and quantities go to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
1. Rinse your cannellini beans and place in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt.
2. Process until broken down. Scrape the sides down and then process again, adding water a spoonful at a time until you have the consistency you like. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle over extra olive oil and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
If you've made this recipe please a leave a star rating and comment below. Thank you
Please do not reproduce this recipe without permission.
Cannellini bean dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 240 g cannellini beans 1 standard 400g tin
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- Salt to taste
- 1-3 tablespoons water
To serve
- Chopped parsley
- Extra olive oil
- Pitta breads or crudités
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the tin of cannellini beans.
- Place in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt.
- Process until broken down. Stop and scrape the sides down.
- Continue to process adding water a spoonful at a time until you have your desired consistency.
- Taste and add more salt if needed.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only. It does not include the serving suggestions.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
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