Make the most of nutritious beans with these 18 Best Bean Recipes! The meat-free recipes use dried, fresh, and canned beans in creative, tasty ways. From chili and tacos to stews and soups, beans are the star of these vegan and vegetarian recipes.
You're going to love this collection of the Best Bean Recipes!
Beans are such a great source of meat-free protein, plus fiber and nutrients, so they are a staple part of many vegan and vegetarian diets.
We love how they bulk up a dish, add flavor and incredible texture.
Whether you have a can of kidney beans, some fresh Broad Beans, or a frozen bag of black beans, these bean recipes will show you tasty ways to use them up.
What are beans?
Beans are the seeds of flowering plants in the Fabacea family. They are classified as a legume (along with peanuts, lentils, and peas).
Beans are considered to be vegetables and can be used as food for humans or animals. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking.
There are a huge number of varieties and they are used in many traditional cuisines around the world.
Examples of beans are kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, chickpeas and soybeans. You'll find many of them in this list of bean recipes.
Beans are an affordable source of fiber, protein, iron, and vitamins, with many health benefits. Beans often form a major part of your vegan grocery list. Be sure to also check out 15 Best Lentil Recipes and this list of Cruciferous Vegetables.
Note: We haven't included green beans in this list, since they are a different type of bean with an edible pod.
Types of beans
There are many different varieties of beans. Here are some popular ones that we hope you'll enjoy!
- lima beans (butter beans)
- mung beans
- black beans
- navy beans
- cannellini beans
- adzuki beans
- black-eyed peas
- soybeans
- kidney beans
- garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- great northern beans
- pinto beans
- red beans
Pulses
Pulses are dried beans. They need to be cooked in order to make them soft enough to eat.
You'll probably need to soak larger dried beans before cooking (usually boiling), though you may not need to soak smaller bean varieties.
Bean Recipes
Without further ado, here are all the tasty recipes!
I've left out chickpeas (garbanzo beans) from this list since we have so many recipes using them, that they can have their own roundup!
If you have any other favorite bean recipes, then let us know in the comments so we can check them out!
Bean Recipes
Dried and canned beans are not only inexpensive, but they're a great source of plant-based protein and fiber! They're nutritious, hearty, satisfying, and darn tasty.
Make the most of versatile beans with these great Bean Recipes!
Kidney Beans are the star of this easy, one-pot stew! Hearty potatoes, nutritious spinach, Middle Eastern-inspired spices, and tomatoes are all added for a comforting, satisfying, and flavorful stew. It's vegetarian or easily vegan and ready in just 35 minutes. This is a firm family favorite of ours!
Pan-frying Lima Beans (butter beans) until slightly crispy takes them to another level! They're perfect piled onto a warm salad of greens, asparagus and radishes. It's a plate of health that tastes incredible.
Refried beans form the basis of this quick and easy 20-minute burger recipe! The flavorful bean burgers are so simple and filled with great flavors. Top with an easy mustard mayo for even more big bold flavors.
Broad Beans (also called fava beans) have a wonderful, vibrant, and bright flavor. They're perfect lightly mashed with avocado and spread onto toast. Top with herbs and fresh parmesan cheese for a sophisticated take on toast.
White beans are perfect for making a nutritious, thick dip! Add in carrot tops, garlic and lemon juice and you're going to love this super easy and healthy bean dip!
Baked beans are great for more than just beans on toast! Enjoy them for brunch in this loaded waffle breakfast sandwich. Add your favorite toppings, like grilled mushrooms, poached eggs, and even some arugula. You can make the waffles fresh or use frozen toaster waffles for ease.
Kidney Beans (also called Rajma) are hearty and tasty - perfect in a Rajma Masala. This kidney bean curry is easy to make and full of bold Indian flavor.
Black beans combine with roasted sweet potato, bell peppers, and nutritious quinoa in these simple collard green wraps. A tasty lunch full of healthy ingredients.
This Vegan Chili Mac and Cheese is super easy to make! The addition of corn and kidney beans gives a Tex Mex flair to the cheesy pasta dish.
This one-pot dish of Spanish Beans is full of smokey flavor. The lima beans (butter beans) add bulk in the seasoned tomato stew. This is one of my family's favorite dinners!
Whip this flavor-packed Mexican Bean Soup up in no time! It's bursting with Mexican flavors and is filled with mixed beans, plus corn and tomatoes. Perfect topped with avocado slices, dried red chili flakes, and a big squeeze of lime.
Make these vegetarian tacos in your air fryer! Spices, veggies, onions, and kidney beans make an incredible taco filling that's full of goodness.
Pan fry white beans until they 'pop' and get slightly crispy on the outside. We love serving this with lots of fresh herbs over rice, salad or in soup as healthy croutons!
This one-pot peanut butter stew is filled with healthy vegetables, hearty beans, and lots of tasty seasonings. It's really quick and easy to make and is a comforting and satisfying dinner that's ready in under 30 minutes.
Black beans, grilled corn and avocado, and chipotle seasonings combine to make a tasty, plant-based filling for homemade tortilla bowls! It's easy to make and full of Mexican flavors.
Beets, oats and white beans combine with a few seasonings to make these bright purple veggie burgers! They're quick, easy and full of flavor.
Use Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans to make your own homemade baked beans! This version is full of flavorings, including healthy turmeric. They're easy to make and full of nutrition.
Find out everything you need to know about Broad Beans - plus lots of recipes to make the most of the nutritious beans.
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