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.

Vegetarian Recipes

How to Make Crispy Hash Browns

Potatoes are THE budget-friendly kitchen staple. They’re cheap and can be used in about a bazillion different ways. When I was asked for a tutorial on How to Make Crispy Hash Browns almost 9(!) years ago, I jumped on it. And all these years later, I still use this same method to get perfectly golden, crispy hash browns every time. I love making an indulgent breakfast on the weekends, and this recipe makes the perfect base for what I like to call my ultimate hash browns. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see what I topped them with to take them to the next level. 😉

Overhead view of hashbrowns in a skillet.

“Just made these with frozen hashbrowns. My husband took one bite and asked “Wow, what’s the secret to making them crispy?” I replied with “Beth.” 😂”

Erin

Easy Recipe for Crispy Hash Browns

Just like any breakfast potatoes, I’m sure everyone makes their hash browns differently. BUT, there are three things that I’ve found to be key to making really great golden brown hash browns: rinsing the starch off the potatoes, drying the potatoes well, and using an adequate amount of oil. Yes, that’s right, OIL! If you don’t use enough oil, the potatoes will dry and tend to go from white to burnt. Use enough, and you’ll get crispy yet moist potatoes with a beautiful spectrum of golden brown color.

This recipe only uses 3 simple ingredients (potatoes, oil, and seasoning salt), so each ingredient really matters! That’s why I like to keep things simple and focus on technique. And I’m happy to say this easy recipe has never failed me yet. 😁

Side view close up of crispy hashbrowns cooking in a skillet.

Crispy Hash Browns Recipe

In just a few simple steps, you can learn How to Make Crispy Hash Browns at home. Follow my tricks to make them perfectly crisp and delicious!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Total Cost $1.97 recipe / $0.49 serving

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings (1 cup each)

Calories 303kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Ingredients

2 large russet potatoes (about 2 lbs.)* $1.76
4 Tbsp cooking oil, or as needed** $0.16
Seasoning salt to taste $0.05

Instructions

Peel the potatoes, if desired. Use a large-holed cheese grater or food processor to shred the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a colander and rinse well, or until the water runs clear. Let the potatoes drain.
Squeeze the potatoes of their excess water by pressing against the side of the colander or squeezing in your fist. Or, place the potatoes in a clean, lint-free dish towel, roll them up, then press to remove excess moisture.
Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat***. Once hot, add a tablespoon of cooking oil. Tilt the skillet to spread the oil over the surface. Add about 1/3 of the shredded potatoes or enough to cover the surface of the skillet in a solid, yet thin layer (1/2 inch thick or so). Let the potatoes fry, without disturbing, until deeply golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes). Season lightly with seasoning salt.
Flip the potatoes, and drizzle with additional oil if needed. Let the potatoes cook on the second side without disturbing until golden brown and crispy again. Season lightly on the second side.
If needed, flip and cook one more time to achieve the ratio of brown to white that you like. Repeat the process until all of the potatoes are cooked. Serve hot.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I use Russet potatoes because they crisp up great in the skillet due to their texture and composition. You can certainly try another type of potato, but just keep in mind waxier varieties might not crisp up the same.

**You must use an oil with a high smoke point, like canola, corn, peanut, or sunflower oil. Butter obviously gives amazing flavor, but the butter solids tend to burn, so you’ll want to use clarified butter or ghee instead. I didn’t have the patience to clarify any butter, so I just used canola oil.

***I always use my 10″ cast iron skillet because it offers non-stick protection while giving really even heat and a nice surface for crisping. While stainless steel is also great for crisping, starchy foods (like potatoes) tend to stick a lot more on stainless, so it can be tricky. If you’re not well practiced with keeping food from sticking on stainless steel, I’d suggest either cast iron or a non-stick skillet.

Nutrition

How to Make Hash Browns step-by-step photos

Clean the potatoes: Start with two russet potatoes (about 2 lbs). You can either scrub them clean and leave the skin on or peel them. Gather the other ingredients.

Shred the potatoes: Use a large-holed cheese grater or a food processor to shred the potatoes. I found that the potatoes shredded fairly easily with the cheese grater, so it wasn’t worth cleaning out the food processor.

Rinse the shredded potatoes: Place the shredded potatoes in a colander and rinse them really, really, really well. The water running from the colander should be clear. Then, let them drain.

Dry the shredded potatoes: Making sure the potatoes are as dry as possible is my secret to keeping them crispy. If they have too much water on them, that water will turn to steam while they cook, which basically steams the potatoes and makes them soft. So, you can either let them drain a long time in the colander, squeeze them dry with your hands, or roll them up in a clean, lint-free towel and press them dry. I chose the towel method.

A hand holding a pot of tony chachere creole seasoning.

Make the hash browns: Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add about a tablespoon of oil. Spread the oil over the surface of the skillet, then add about 1/3 of the shredded potatoes or enough to cover the bottom of the skillet in a solid but thin layer (only about 1/2 inch thick). You’re shooting for maximum surface contact here, so if they’re packed in there too thick, some won’t touch the skillet…and they’ll generate steam again and make everything mushy.

While the potatoes are cooking, sprinkle on a little seasoning salt. This is the kind I use, but you can use whatever brand you like. I love the little bit of extra flavor and kick that seasoning salt adds to the crispy hash browns compared to just plain salt and pepper.

Hashbrowns cooking in a cast iron skillet.

Now, the key here is to not touch them long enough for them to get really nice and brown and crispy. If you mess around with them, stirring or flipping too often, they won’t form a nice crust, and the long strands will kind of break down. So, LEAVE THEM BE. 😊 Then, once they’re very golden, flip them. You might need to drizzle on a little more oil at this point to help the second side crisp up.

Then, LET THE SECOND SIDE BE until it’s also golden and crispy. Now, depending on how many potatoes you have in the skillet, you may want to flip and cook one last time to get most of the potatoes crispy, but that’s up to you. Some people like a 50/50 ratio of crispy to soft, some people like almost all crispy. Repeat the process a couple more times or until you’ve cooked all the potatoes.

Overhead view of homemade hash browns on a plate, topped with a fried egg, sour cream, avocado, diced tomato, and sliced jalapeño,

These crispy hash browns are great on their own and all, but why not make them ULTIMATE by adding lots of yummy toppings? I did a fried egg, some avocado slices, diced tomato, sliced jalapeño, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream. Waffle House ain’t got nuthin’ on my hash browns.

Serving Suggestions

On those days when I don’t want to add any toppings, I like to serve these homemade hash browns with something equally delicious to make it a complete breakfast! I love piling them up alongside candied bacon for the perfect sweet-and-savory combo. Air fryer hard-boiled eggs are also great because they’re hands-off and cook themselves while I tend to the potatoes! But if I’m feeding a crowd, I’d go for something like a frittata or sheet pan pancakes since they’re both easy to make and can serve a lot of people at once.

Storage & Reheating

Let your leftovers cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a skillet with a little oil or in the air fryer to crisp them back up again!