Vegetarian Recipes

White Bean Hummus

My family is a hummus family, through and through. My husband, stepdaughter, and I love to make White Bean Hummus, cut up a ton of veggies, and put on a big spread for a healthy snack! Now, my 3 year old daughter has joined the gang, and she’s crazy about this hummus, too. It’s a crowd-pleaser and works out to be much cheaper than store-bought hummus! You only need 5 ingredients and a food processor to make this delicious, protein-packed dip. I’m sure your family will love it just as much as mine does!

What is White Bean Hummus?

We’ve been on a white bean kick recently here at Budget Bytes (Tuscan white bean stuffed tomatoes or chicken sausage white bean skillet, anyone?!), so it only makes sense that I share my favorite white bean hummus recipe with y’all. It’s just as delicious as traditional chickpea hummus but is made with creamy white beans instead. I add canned cannellini beans, toasted garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and olive oil to a food processor and blend until smooth—that’s it!

Side note: I love following Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and one of his teachings has always stuck with me: G-BOMBS! Fit in greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds daily, and you’re on the road to excellent health. This easy white bean hummus recipe combines a few of those requirements, so it’s always in my refrigerator as an easy-to-grab snack!

Aside from the cannellini beans, this recipe stays true to the classic ingredients found in regular hummus. Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade white bean hummus recipe:

Cannellini Beans: Most of us probably have a few tins of this creamy white bean in the pantry, making it a great option for a last-minute dip! Drain and rinse the beans before using. Butter beans, navy, and Great Northern beans could also work.
Tahini: This is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s one of the main ingredients in most hummus recipes and adds a nutty, slightly bitter flavor. You can usually find it in the nut butter or international aisle of your grocery store.
Garlic: Crush your garlic cloves to release all that delicious flavor. We’ll toast them in a skillet before blending to mellow out the sharpness.
Olive Oil: Use it to cook the garlic and to add richness to the hummus.
Lemon Juice: Adds a bright acidity that balances out the creaminess of the beans and tahini.
Water: Use some cold water to thin out the hummus to your desired consistency.
Seasonings: Salt and black pepper enhance the flavors of this white bean hummus.

Serving Suggestions

This white bean dip is the best snack to take on the go! I dip everything from carrots and celery to crackers and pita bread in it. If you’re serving this hummus at a party, try drizzling some extra olive oil, fresh herbs, and crushed red pepper on top (as I did in these photos!). Here are a few more ideas for serving this creamy cannellini bean hummus:

Spread it on your favorite sandwiches or wraps
Use it as the base for these Mediterranean hummus bowls
Mix it into cooked pasta for a simple and delicious sauce (add a little water to thin it out, if needed)
Serve it as a side with roasted or grilled vegetables
Level up your breakfast game by making hummus breakfast tacos!

Storage Instructions

This recipe for white bean hummus makes about 4 cups, so there’s a good chance you’ll have leftovers. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on top of the hummus before storing to help keep it fresher for longer, but this is optional.

White Bean Hummus

You won’t miss the chickpeas in this protein-packed white bean hummus! It’s creamy, flavorful, and so easy to make at home.

Course Dip

Cuisine Mediterranean

Total Cost ($4.15 recipe / $0.34 serving)

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 4

Total Time 14

Servings servings (⅓ cup per serving)

Calories 145kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 cans cannellini beans, strained and rinsed $1.72
½ cup tahini $1.28
3 Tbsp olive oil $0.57
3 cloves garlic, crushed $0.15
4 Tbsp lemon juice $0.20
¼ tsp salt $0.01
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper $0.22
¼ cup cold water $0.00

Instructions

Gather all your ingredients and set aside until time to use.
In a small frying pan, combine smashed garlic cloves and olive oil. Cook on medium low heat to gently cook the garlic, swirling it in the pan occasionally to infuse the olive oil. After about 4 minutes or when the garlic has some light color on it, remove pan from heat.
In a food processor, combine cannellini beans, tahini, olive oil and garlic from the frying pan, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, streaming in cold water as-needed to help blend and smoothen the hummus.
Adjust salt and pepper to your liking and serve with fresh vegetables, toasted pita or crackers. Enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

A hand spooning white bean hummus onto pita bread

how to make White Bean Hummus – step by step photos

Gather all your ingredients and set aside until time to use.

In a small frying pan, combine 3 smashed garlic cloves and 3 Tbsp olive oil. Cook on medium low heat to gently cook the garlic, swirling it in the pan occasionally to infuse the olive oil.

Garlic cloves toasted in hot oil in a pan

After about 4 minutes or when the garlic has some light color on it, remove pan from heat.

Ingredients for white bean hummus added to a food processor

In a food processor, combine 2 cans cannellini beans, ½ cup tahini, the olive oil and garlic from the frying pan, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper.

A hand pouring water into a food processor making white bean hummus

Process until smooth, streaming in ¼ cup cold water as-needed to help blend and smoothen the hummus.

Adjust salt and pepper to your liking and serve with fresh vegetables, toasted pita or crackers. Enjoy!

A bowl of white bean hummus topped with olive oil and fresh herbs

Who knew making hummus at home could be so simple? This creamy white bean hummus is the perfect snack or appetizer for the whole family!

Pesto Hummus

$4.03 recipe / $0.50 serving

Coconut Curry Hummus

$4.74 recipe / $0.59 serving

Roasted Poblano Hummus

$4.81 recipe / $0.52 serving

Homemade hummus is quick, easy, and inexpensive, and can be made with several different flavor add-ins. Here are four delicious flavors to try. BudgetBytes.com

The Best Homemade Hummus (Plus Four flavors)

$2.24 recipe / $0.37 serving

The post White Bean Hummus appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

Just like vegetable lasagne, vegetarian moussaka is one of those dishes that I adore, but I rarely cook for myself, because it always seems like such a huge effort. Cooking lentils, boiling potatoes, grilling slices of eggplant, simmering tomato sauce… the vast majority of the time, I really, truly can not be bothered.

That’s why this vegetable moussaka casserole is such a revelation! It’s a casserole-style version of my favourite veggie moussaka, which tastes just the same, but is so much less effort to make! Just stick everything in a baking dish and let it do its thing, casserole-style.

A spoon taking a scoop from a baking dish of cheesy moussaka casserole.

This moussaka casserole has two sections:

a tasty tomatoey layer underneath, made with all the usual ingredients you’d expect to find in a vegetable moussaka – tender lentils, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant and roasted potatoes, cooked in a rich tomato sauce
a thick layer of creamy bechamel sauce on top

As you scoop into the casserole, the creamy sauce drips down and smothers the tomatoey layer. It. Is. Delicious.

How is this Easier than a Regular Vegetarian Moussaka?

I’m not going to lie, this vegetable moussaka casserole takes quite a long time to bake, and the ingredients list is a fair bit longer than the majority of my easy recipes.

However, I stand by the fact that this is so much easier to make than most moussaka recipes. Although it takes a while to cook, it’s almost all hands-off time, where you can go and relax / do some other useful jobs / play with your kids / whatever else you like to do with your life.

Vegetarian moussaka casserole topped with sliced tomato.

This vegetarian moussaka casserole is easy to make because:

using canned lentils mean there’s no boiling required.
the vegetables are roasted in the oven, rather than the more hands-on method of cooking them on the stovetop.
there’s no fiddly layering of sliced ingredients – it’s all baked up together.
even the tomatoey sauce is cooked right there in the oven with the other ingredients.

It’s definitely not a quick weeknight dinner, but if you’re at home over the weekend, it’s the perfect dish to have baking in the oven while you’re busy with other things.

Sign up to get recipes by email, and get a FREE e-cookbook!

(1-2 emails per week, no spam)

Overhead shot of a cheesy topped moussaka casserole with sliced tomatoes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

potatoes
eggplant (aubergine)
canned lentils (mine were green lentils)
onion – I only used half an onion (a small onion would also work!)
canned tomatoes
tomato paste
garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar (my favourite time-saving ingredient!)
dried herbs – mint and oregano. I very rarely use dried mint but trust me, it tastes amazing in moussaka! Not a hint of toothpaste, I promise.
tomato – to slice up for the topping
milk, flour and butter – for the creamy white sauce. You can add a pinch of nutmeg to it as well, if you like.

Becca’s Top Tip

I used the same baking dish to roast up my vegetables, and then to cook the casserole itself. If you’ve got a little less time on your hands, the veggies will actually roast a little quicker if you spread them out on a baking tray – but I wanted to save on dishes to wash! I love a one pot meal.

Recipe Video

Overhead shot of a portion of vegetable moussaka with salad.

Printable Instructions

Vegetable Moussaka Casserole

This vegetable moussaka casserole is a much easier version of a vegetarian moussaka – but is just as tasty, with a luxurious creamy topping!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek, Middle Eastern, Turkish

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 35

Total Time 2

Servings

Calories 523kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

For the lentil layer:

1 medium eggplant (aubergine) (~ 250g / ~ 9 oz)
~ 500g (~ 1 lb) potatoes
1 medium onion (or 1/2 large onion)
2 Tbsp oil
400 g tinned lentils, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried oregano

For the topping:

60 g (~ 2 oz) butter
60 g (~ 2 oz) plain flour
500 ml (~ 2 cups) milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 large tomato, sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
Cut the eggplant, potatoes and onion into 2cm dice (I didn’t bother peeling the potatoes). Toss them in a little oil, and add to a baking dish – mine measured approx. 8 x 8 inches.
Roast the vegetables in the centre of the oven for around 50 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking, or until the vegetables are fairly soft (the potatoes might still be a bit al dente). If you decide to spread the vegetables out onto a baking tray instead of using the dish, they will cook more quickly.
Add the tinned lentils, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, and dried herbs, and mix well to combine.
Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have thickened up into a rich sauce. Mix well.
To make the béchamel topping, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the flour. Mix to create a thick paste (a roux), and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth each time before adding more milk. Season to taste with salt. If you need more detailed instructions, check out my white sauce recipe.
Pour the béchamel sauce over the lentil mixture, and top with a few slices of tomato.
Return to the oven for a final 25 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned.
Allow to stand for a few minutes, then serve.

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare moussaka in advance?

Absolutely! The casserole can either be cooked entirely and then reheated when needed, or you can assemble it, then do the final bake just before serving.

Can I freeze leftover moussaka?

Moussaka is perfect for batch cooking – just transfer any leftovers to a freezer-safe tub, and freeze. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave.