Last Updated on February 14, 2021
Don’t you crave for a different type of dip? Try our Lemony Butter Bean Dip! It’s light and refreshing with a hint of smokiness and spiciness. You can serve with flat bread, toasted baguette, pita bread etc.. It’s vegan and gluten free.
Butter Beans
There are a few different types of white beans such as Great Northen Beans, Canellini Beans, Navy Beans, and Butter Beans (Baby Lima Beans.) They are commonly used in Southern cooking. It’s creamy and smooth which is great for stewing but also perfect for making a dip. What we love about the dip with butter beans is that the texture doesn’t come out completely smooth. It may be from the fact that the shell is slightly thicker than the other beans…this is just our guess but we actually enjoy it!
In our kitchen, beans are always prepared from scratch. It just tastes better that way and you can also control the texture, the amount of sodium, not to mention it’s fresher and you produce less waste!
To prepare dried butter beans, soak them in water (we measure 1 1/2 cups of dried beans to 6 cups water ratio) for 8 hours. Discard the soaking water, rinse them and they are ready to cook!
The Key Ingredients
For this dip, there are some key ingredients you really want to incorporate to make it shine!
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Fresh Lemon Zest
- Piment d’Espelette
Beans can be bland if you don’t use the right seasonings. Since this is lemony dip, you can skip the lemon or nor you can’t substitute with bottled lemon juice (who uses that anyways?.) Also, to intensify the lemon flavor, the zest is a must ingredient to finish the dish!
Now, here is the ingredient that we really love using; Piment d’Espelette which is French red chili pepper flakes. They are relatively mild in spiciness, has a slight smokiness and sweetness. In a way, it tastes like a cross over between paprika powder and cayenne pepper combined. If you never tried one we highly recommend trying it out!
If you see the symbol of “AoP”, that means it’s certified and imported from the origin (French commune of Espelette) in comparison to the domestically grown ones in the U.S..
Although, it may not be one of the key ingredients, it’s always important to finish a dip with an extra drizzle of “good” extra virgin olive oil. Don’t be afraid of the consumption of added oil because this makes a huge difference in the finished taste of the dish!
How to Serve
It’s best serving this dip with good quality flat bread, artisan-kind toasted baguette, or toasted fresh pita bread. In other words, we don’t recommend bagged ones like corn chips or potato chips…you get the idea.
Or you can certainly eat it by itself or with veggie sticks as a healthy snack!
Feeling Inspired?
Try other bean recipes down below!
Chickpea Salad with Fennel Orange
Lemony Butter Bean Dip
Ingredients
Cooking Butter Beans
- 1 1/2 cup dried butter beans (soaked in water for 8 hours)
- 3 quarts water
- 2 bay leaves
The Rest
- Cooked butter beans (see the above)
- 1/4 cup butter beans cooking water
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 small garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for serving)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (garnish)
- A pinch of Piment d’Espelette (garnish)
Instructions
- After soaking the butter beans for 8 hours, drain and discard the soaking water. Rinse well and drain. Transfer to a large pot. Add water (3 quarts or fill up 2 inches above from the butter beans) and bay leaves. Cook on high heat to bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 1 hour or so until they are tender.
- Once the butter beans are cooked, Reserve the bean cooking water then use a colander to drain well. Set aside for 15 minutes or so until cool down.
- Use a food processor. Combine the cooked butter beans, bean cooking water (start with 2 tbsp and add more), lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt, black pepper and smoked paprika. Purée until smooth. Scrape the sides if needed. While the food processor on, start adding extra virgin olive oil until well blended.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, and Piment d’Espelette on top.
Notes
- Serve with good flat beard, artisan-kind toasted baguette, toasted fresh pita bread etc.
