12+ Best Bean Recipes

The world of beans is one of my favorite culinary playgrounds. Beans are beautiful, nutritious, adaptable, and delicious. Each bean is full of personality, and as you cook through different types, it is like making new friends. These are some of my favorite bean recipes, enjoy!

How to Cook Beans that are Tender, Creamy & Nearly Perfect:

The best way I know to cook beans, and the one I always return to. A version of the much-loved Tuscan bean recipe - fagioli al fiasco. Traditionally, beans were baked overnight in a Chianti bottle placed near the embers of that night's fire. While not exactly authentic (no fire here), I do a riff on the general idea, using a low-temperature oven and enamel-lined pot. Get the recipe.

Homemade Refried Beans:

If you've only ever had refried beans from a can, this should be the next recipe you cook. Homemade refried beans are a game-changer. Use just the right amount of olive oil to cook well-minced onions along with the beans and plenty of their broth. Smoked paprika adds a hint of smoky depth you can't quite put a finger on, my secret ingredient is a finishing splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice. I think it's the element that helps keep the beans from seeming too heavy, and the acidity counters the starchiness of the beans. Get the recipe.

Chipotle Cinnamon Slow-Cooked Coconut Beans:

These are so, so, so good. Tender, slow-cooked beans in a red broth tempered with coconut milk toward the end. The broth hums with a strong cinnamon, chipotle, and tomato foundation punctuated with cayenne pepper and Thai chiles. Get the recipe.

Health Nut Vegan Chili:

A special, triple-bean, vegan chili inspired by Jess Damuck’s new cookbook. It’s bold, flavor-packed and uses a technique to achieve the best texture of any chili I’ve eaten. It’s time to schedule a big chili night. Get the recipe.

Giant Chipotle Baked Beans:

A riff on Laurence Jossel's fantastic NOPA beans - plump, creamy beans baked in a bright, chunky chipotle tomato sauce, topped with crunchy breadcrumbs, plenty of oozy queso fresco, and an emerald drizzle of cilantro pesto. Get the recipe.

Fire Broth Noodle Soup:

Soup of the year in our house. It's loaded with good things like beans, greens, and pasta and the broth is spicy and invigorating with lots of pepper, garlic, ginger, and chiles. Get the recipe.

Mung Bean Dip:

To get the smoothest, creamiest bean dip you can imagine, use mung beans They work beautifully accented with shallot oil and chives in this hummus-inspired spread. Get the recipe.

Pierce Street Vegetarian Chili:

The best pot of chili I've made in years. A vegetarian chili recipe Inspired by a bunch of little bags of remnant grains and pulses collected in my cupboards - bulgur, farro, and lentils, join chile peppers, crushed tomatoes, some chickpeas, and a secret ingredient. Get the recipe.

Heirloom Bean and Mushroom “Carnitas” Casserole:

A favorite Rancho Gordo heirloom bean casserole recipe. The smell of garlic and herbs baking alongside the beans, simmering tomatoes, and mushrooms will bring neighbors in off the sidewalk. Get the recipe.

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad:

Warm, coin-shaped slices of pan-fried carrots, white beans, and herbs tossed with a tangy-sweet lemon shallot dressing. It tastes good the day you make it, even better the day after. Get the recipe.

Black Bean Skillet Dinner:

An on-point, one pan, black bean skillet dinner from Melissa Clark's book, Dinner: Changing the Game. Topped with lime yogurt, avocado, and quick pickled red onions. Get the recipe.

Ribollita – The Tuscan Stew you Should be Eating Regularly:

Ribollita, a beautifully thick Tuscan stew made with dark greens, lots of beans, vegetables, olive oil, and thickened with day-old bread. One of my favorites. Get the recipe.

Dried Fava Soup with Mint and Guajillo Chiles:

Easily one of the best, most interesting soups I've cooked in years. Adapted from a recipe in Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen - a dried fava bean and roasted tomato base topped with a fascinating cider-kissed tangy/sweet quick-pickled chile topping. Get the recipe.

Pan-Fried Beans with Kale:

Love these - white beans pan-fried until they're golden, with kale, Parmesan, lemon, walnuts, and nutmeg. Get the recipe.

And a little bonus! The lead photo image is these beautiful Lemon Gigante Beans. Enjoy!