Creamy Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip is a savory snack that comes together in only a few minutes. Made with roasted garlic, cannellini beans, and cashews, it’s a simple recipe you can dress up and take to parties!
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Garlic makes everything better
Dunk crackers, bread, and vegetables into this savory Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip. It’s the best party snack that will please dairy-lovers and vegans alike! It has a mild flavor and is irresistibly creamy.
This mild-flavored and irresistibly creamy dip gets its smooth texture by blending soaked cashews, cannellini beans, and a whole head of roasted garlic together. The list of ingredients is short, but the layers of flavor are substantial. Keep the recipe in your back pocket when you need something quick, easy, and budget-friendly.
Enjoy this dairy-free dip with sliced veggies like celery, radishes, or carrots to keep it light, or lay out some pita chips, bread, and crackers. Add it to a great line up of other savory dips, like my Hot Artichoke Dip or Shallot Dip.
Ingredients you need to make creamy bean dip
This super creamy dip has a surprisingly short list of ingredients. Everything is easy to find and budget-friendly. These are the key ingredients you need:
White beans
Cannellini, navy, baby lima, and Great Northern beans all fall under the “white bean” title, but not all are alike! For this recipe, we’ll be using cannellini beans. They’re the largest of the group, are shaped just like kidney beans, have a mild flavor and are tender.
Try to find a low-sodium variety to cut down on the salt in the dip. Using canned beans is easier and faster, but you can still make this recipe with dried beans if that’s what you have at home!
Roasted garlic
If you’ve never roasted garlic before, prepare to have your mind blown! Roasting a whole head of garlic is not only easy but adds plenty of depth to the dip without being overpowering. Use it in salad dressings, in a garlic aioli, or mixed into mashed potatoes.
Cashews
Soaked and blended cashews may seem unusual in a dip recipe, but when combined with the beans and garlic, they create a smooth and creamy texture. It’s best to soak your cashews overnight, but if you’re running low on time, soak them in hot water while the garlic is roasting.
Extra flavor
We’ll finish the dip with a little extra lemon to brighten it up. Use fresh or bottled lemon juice to add a little acid, then use salt and olive oil to round everything out.
Garnish the dip with herbs and freshly cracked pepper, and you’re ready to serve!
How to make roasted garlic white bean dip
All you need is a blender and a handful of ingredients to make this easy bean dip. It’s ready to eat in only a few simple steps:
Step 1: Chop the top ¼ off of a head of garlic to expose the tops of the cloves.
Place the garlic on a piece of parchment on top of foil. Finish with a drizzle of oil on top.
Step 2: Roast the garlic until it's soft and golden brown.
Step 3: Place the softened cashews in a highspeed blender (I love my Vitamix) with olive oil and water.
Step 4: Blend the cashews into a cream.
Step 5: Add the rest of the dip ingredients into the blender with the cashew cream.
Step 6: Blend until the dip is smooth. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and herbs on top and enjoy!
How to serve vegan white bean dip
This easy creamy vegan dip deserves the best garnishes to spruce up its presentation. Pour a little olive oil and pepper on top, finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and chives, then go to town!
It’s delicious with chopped vegetables on the side, or you can include a platter of crackers, crostini, pita chips, or bread. Start your celebration by toasting with glasses of pear and gin prosecco cocktails and dip-slathered crackers!
Recipe tips and variations
There are a few substitutions available, as well as key tips to help make this recipe as easy as possible:
Using dried beans
Yes, you can make creamy white bean dip using dried beans if that’s what you have at home. This is a great guide that will teach you how to cook dried beans. Even if you overcook the beans, they can still be used in this recipe!
Making it ahead of time
If you’re short on time, roast the garlic a few days ahead of time, remove the roasted cloves, and keep them in a container in the freezer. You can even roast several heads at a time and freeze them so you always have roasted garlic available in a pinch. Just thaw the frozen garlic completely and use it in all of your favorite savory recipes!
The dip can also be made up to 3 days in advance. Just cover it well or keep it in a sealed container in the fridge after it’s blended.
Equipment you need
A high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) will make this dip super creamy. A regular blender or food processor still works, but the dip won’t be as smooth and creamy. To help it, soak the nuts for several hours so they’re extra soft, and blend the dip for a longer period of time.
Did you forget to soak your cashews?
If you forgot or didn’t have time to soak the cashews overnight, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour it over the cashews in a heatproof bowl. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes.
Mix in more herbs
You can bump up the flavor of the dip by stirring in finely chopped fresh herbs. Rosemary, dill, parsley, oregano, or basil would all be delicious. Just made sure to stir them in after the dip has finished blending so it doesn’t turn green!
Don’t have time to roast the garlic?
No problem! Skip this step and grate one to two cloves of raw garlic using a rasp grater and then blend with the rest of the ingredients. Finely grating raw garlic still disperses all of its great flavors but leaves the big chunks out.
How to store white bean dip
The finished and chilled bean dip will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just keep it in an airtight container. The leftovers are delicious as an easy grab-and-go snack!
It's time to blend, baby!
Alright, friend! It's time for you to make a batch of this delish dip. Your party guest will love it!
When you do make it, leave a comment below so I know how much you liked it.
Recipe
Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 large head of garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided plus 1 teaspoon for roasting garlic
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 15.5 ounce can
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
Garnish
- chopped parsley
- chopped chives
- extra olive oil
Instructions
- Soak the cashews overnight in the fridge in 1 cup of water.*
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Peel off most of the outer layers of garlic paper from the head, leaving the head intact. Chop off about a ¼ inch of the top exposing the tops of the cloves.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on top of a piece of foil. Place the intact head of garlic on the parchment.
- Coat with 1 teaspoon olive oil and loosely wrap-up. Bake until cloves are golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until cool enough to handle.
- Drain and rinse cashews and place into a high-speed blender.
- Add ¼ cup water and remaining ¼ cup olive oil and blend until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Before serving, season to taste with salt.
- Drizzle with olive oil and herbs to garnish and serve with veggies, crackers or bread!
Notes
- This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Don’t forget to tell everyone about squeezing the roasted garlic out! Not in instructions and not everybody might know what to do 🙂
Good catch! Thanks for letting me know. I'll update the recipe!