This white bean dip is the easy recipe we have on repeat right now.
Delicious and simple to make, it works as well as a healthy snack as a party appetizer, and it comes together in minutes. It’s made with a combination of cooked white beans, garlic and sage-infused olive oil, and lemon juice for creates a creamy and flavorful white bean dip everyone will love.
Plant-Based Snacks
You know that we mostly eat plant-based when we aren’t traveling and we’ve shared all sorts of plant-based recipes for you to do the same.
If you’re all about being an omnivore, we hear you. We eat everything and anything when we travel. But may we suggest you dive into plant-based by making vegetarian snacks at home? From dips to nut mixes, they’re often make-ahead, great value, and seriously nutritious. And this white bean dip fits that bill.
Also, it’s a nice twist when you want a bean dip recipe but are searching for something aside from hummus.
Where Other White Bean Dip Recipes Go Wrong
It took us a long time to share a white bean dip recipe because so many out there are just okay. They’re just not very exciting and a little safe in their flavor.
Here we solved that by creating a white bean dip with loads of flavor but not loads of extra work. These two steps are key:
Flavor The Olive Oil
If you make homemade garlic oil, you could use it here but the point is in you want to flavor the oil that you use to blend the beans.
This recipe is a sort of shortcut garlic oil made by simmering garlic with olive oil and sage for a few minutes. And, while we use garlic and sage, you could mix it up and use leeks, green garlic, scallions, and any combination of herbs from fresh rosemary or thyme to oregano.
Feel free to make the flavored oil ahead of time and to make a double batch so you can use it elsewhere, like to baste pan roasted fish or whisked into a vinaigrette.
Garnish With Chili Crunch
Bring even more flavor to the party with this flavored chili oil. This is inspired by traditional chili crunch but doesn’t have the various spices and ingredients recipe. Here we take the key idea of sizzling aromatics in oil and make it into a simple garnish.Â
Mind you the end result is a tad spicy so you may want to halve the amount of chili flakes if you’re sensitive to spice. Oh, and this recipe makes almost a 1/2 cup of chili crunch and you only need a few tablespoons here so use the rest to sear shrimp, fry eggs, or to cook tofu.Â
Tips To Make This White Bean Dip
This is a super easy beginner cook-friendly recipe. However, there are a few keys to make this white bean dip awesome:
Use Good-Quality Beans
Using canned beans means this recipe is done in minutes, but not all canned beans are alike. Opt for a good-quality organic brand.
Or Use Dried Cannellini Beans
If you have time, go ahead and cook dried cannellini beans yourself.
If you don’t have time to let them simmer on the stove for hours, go ahead and put them in your slow cooker with water or broth on low and let them go all day. Just be sure to cook the beans well, as you want them to blend easily!
Don’t Hold Back On Seasoning
This dip needs a good amount of acid (lemon juice), salt, and olive oil to really bring out the best flavor. So, taste the dip when it’s made, and don’t be shy about adding more of each of those until you get the flavor you want.
Make The White Bean Dip Ahead
This dip tastes  est when it gets a chance to rest so go ahead and refrigerate it at least two hours before you serve it. That said this isn’t an all-essential step so you can skip it if you’re in a hurry.
Okay, that’s it for now. Now, go stock up on all your cooking essentials, then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
Chili Crunch Sage White Bean Dip Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Chili Crunch:
- 2 medium shallots peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
- 6 medium garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- pinch granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For The White Bean Dip:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 medium garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh sage leaves or thyme or rosemary
- 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans) or great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Maldon sea salt or other flaky sea salt, for garnish
Instructions
For The Chili Crunch:
- Place the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a heat proof container. Head the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully pour the oil over the shallot mixture (be careful as it may bubble up) and let it sit aside until it has cooled. TIP: Chili oil can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Store at room temperature in an airtight container until ready to use.
For The White Bean Dip:
- Place the olive oil in a small pot and place over low heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and simmer for 10 minutes until golden and easily smashed. Add the sage leaves and remove from heat to cool a few minutes.
- Combine the drained beans, garlic sage oil, and lemon juice in a food processor fitted with an "S" blade. Process on high until the mixture is smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides once or twice to ensure everything is evenly combined. TIP: If you have time, let the dip rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving as that will improve the flavor. Otherwise, go ahead and serve it right away.
- Top with a drizzle of chile-garlic oil and a pinch of flaky salt, and serve with pita chips, seeded crackers, or cut-up fresh vegetables like radishes, cucumbers, or carrots.TIP: Dip can be made up to 4 days ahead of time. Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.
