If you’re looking to incorporate more plant-based meals into your diet, beans are an essential ingredient that can elevate your cooking while nourishing your body. Like all plants that you’ll incorporate into your diet, beans provide many nutritional benefits.
An excellent source of plant-based protein, beans are an incredibly versatile foundation to many meals, where they can act as an effective alternative to animal protein for those looking to reduce their animal product consumption. Rich in essential amino acids, beans provide the building blocks necessary for muscle repair and growth, and will leave you feeling fuller for longer. If you want to know more about protein, read here for our plant protein 101, or here for more information about the best sources of plant-based protein.
Beans are also one of the top dietary sources of fibre. We should aim to get around 30g of fibre a day, and most beans provide around 7g per 100g serving. A diet that is rich in fibre will see improved digestion and gut health. For more information on fibre and its benefits, read our guide here.
By eating beans, you’ll also receive the benefits of vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. These benefits include improved immunity, blood sugar control, and energy.
So, where to start? We’ve rounded up some of our favourite bean recipes to give you some inspiration of how to transform your boring cans of beans into something truly delicious.
Dishes like stews and chillis often rely on animal protein, but bean alternatives are a great place to start if you want to incorporate more beans in your diet. Warming and hearty, these recipes are guaranteed crowd pleasers, and a great option for those new to plant-based eating as they’re simple, delicious, and only require store-cupboard ingredients.
Just 4 simple steps and you’ve got yourself a bowl of comfort! Cherry tomatoes, black beans and sweet potato are simmered with warming cumin, chilli flakes, garlic and ginger. The final flavour kick comes from the tang of lime juice, creamy coconut yoghurt and umami miso paste.
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A warming bowl of chilli makes for great comfort food on cold winter evenings. With quinoa and beans, this nutritionally balanced dish packs in the plant-based protein, fibre and provides a good source of folate, iron and magnesium — plus it’s super satisfying.
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Made from a handful of ingredients, this stew couldn't be easier to make. The flavour of the sun-dried tomatoes paired with the creamy texture of the tahini is a match made in heaven. We love to serve this with a handful of fresh green leaves and a dollop of coconut yoghurt.
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This black bean stew is so simple to make and packs a punch of flavour. We love to serve it with a handful of fresh coriander, a sprinkle of dried red chilli flakes and brown rice — it's also great with jacket potatoes or just a side of sliced avocado.
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This chilli is packed full of delicious flavours and textures and tastes incredible served warm with some rice and smashed avocado.
View RecipeFrom simple traybakes you can throw in the oven on busy weeknights, to an innovative savoury crumble and a veggie shepherd’s pie that would be perfect for a Sunday lunch or entertaining guests, these recipes are a great way to pack in beans as well as lots of delicious veg.
This is simple, full of amazing flavours, and so easy to bring together. The roasted garlic yoghurt makes a rich, creamy dressing for a traybake full of veggies and protein-rich beans seasoned with smoked paprika, oregano, tangy ginger and a little warm chilli kick. Also makes a super delicious lunch for the next day.
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You’ll be a convert to savoury crumbles after trying this. A great centrepiece for the table, this scrumptious crumble is packed with sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, creamy butter beans and topped with a crunchy golden crumble.
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The different textures are what really make this traybake a hit. Sweet tender squash, golden roasted mushrooms and butter beans mixed with kale and crunchy walnuts, all stirred through with a deliciously creamy Caesar-type dressing made with oozy roasted garlic and cashews.
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This is my favourite Shepherd's pie recipe and it's such a crowd-pleaser. The beans are sautéed with red onion, garlic, maple, coriander, lime juice, spring onions, mushrooms and tomatoes, until they’re soft and full of flavour, before being baked under a layer of sweet potato mash.
View RecipeFor many of us, beans might mean baked beans from a can, which are much lower in nutritional value. So we came up with a few bean recipes that work brilliantly on toast, allowing you to keep that comforting lunch but give its nutritional content a huge boost. You can also add beans to pretty much any salad, but these are some of our favourites where they’re the real hero.
We’re giving the humble beans on toast a makeover with this hearty homemade version. This recipe wins hands down when it comes to flavour, texture and simplicity — a great brunch, lunch or weeknight dinner.
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After you all loved our green orzo on socials, we set about creating a pink version! It’s ended up much more summery with the addition of rocket and lemon. Beetroot is rich in antioxidants, fibre and vitamin C, so you know this dish not only tastes delicious but is also doing your body a world of good. A great addition to a picnic or barbecue, or just a super simple dinner that’s ready in under half an hour.
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As delicious as they are vibrant, these beans will take your toast up a level. With a super easy sauce of spinach, cavolo nero and basil, it's a great one to make a batch of at the start of the week for quick lunches. Plus, it's incredibly versatile — it works just as well on top of a jacket potato or some rice.
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This panzanella salad is a real celebration of summer produce; juicy tomatoes, refreshing cucumber, and fragrant basil — you’ll be making this recipe on repeat! Look for tomatoes with a deep colour and a strong tomato aroma; storing them out of the fridge is the best way to preserve their flavour.
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This is such a simple salad to make ahead and enjoy throughout the week for lunch or dinners. We love to mix through homemade pine nut pesto, but if you don't have time you can make it even quicker by mixing through a few tablespoons of any pesto you have at home.
View RecipeGot fussy eaters? One simple, cheats’ way to incorporate beans is to whizz them up into an easy, 5-minute dip. Because beans don’t have the strongest flavour, it’s extremely easy to pair them with other ingredients like garlic, miso, or roasted vegetables, but the beans themselves come into their own in these dips by being the natural shortcut to a delicious creamy texture.
Packed with flavour and ready in minutes, this dip is perfect for a picnic, BBQ or served with lots of fresh veggies, crackers or as part of a spread when you have friends round. It also keeps in a sealed container for up to 5 days, so enjoy the leftovers in sandwiches or on the side of salads and traybakes.
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Colourful, creamy and packed full of flavour. This is our favourite dip to enjoy with crunchy crackers or a side of salad. It's so simple to make and only uses a handful of ingredients. We use roasted red peppers from a jar to make it really quick but you can also roast your own red peppers in the oven.
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We love this fresh and simple cannellini bean hummus swirled with a fresh and bright green pesto. Served with fresh veggies, chips or seeded crackers we think the gorgeous marbled effect of this one makes it perfect for a party.
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This creamy and satisfying spread is like a punchier version of hummus. We love it spread on sandwiches, toast, or served with veggies as a snack throughout the week.
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