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    Home » Appetizers

    Spicy Cannellini Bean Dip

    Published: Feb 12, 2023 » Modified: Feb 12, 2023 by Haley » This post may contain affiliate links

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    cannellini bean dip in a bowl surrounded by bread.

    This spicy cannellini bean dip is so full of flavor with roasted garlic, Calabrian chilis, fresh rosemary, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s a great vegetarian dip appetizer with an Italian flare that’s perfect for any time of year or occasion. Serve with toasted bread, crudités, or crackers. 

    cannellini bean dip in a bowl surrounded by bread.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Ingredient substitutions
    • Step by step instructions
    • Tips and tricks
    • How to serve
    • Storage
    • FAQs
    • More delicious dip recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Some pretty simple ingredients are needed for this creamy white bean dip, hopefully most you have on hand! The full ingredients list with quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

    Ingredients needed to make cannellini bean dip on a table.
    • Cannellini beans: 2x cans of cannellini beans, a mild, creamy bean that when blended is nice and smooth in texture.
    • Garlic: A whole head of roasted garlic really transforms the flavor of this dip. Roasting the garlic before putting it in the dip mellows out the flavor and gives it more of an umami taste. 
    • Calabrian chilis: Either chopped Calabrian chilis or full chilis can be used. From the jar of chopped it’s 1 tsp, from full it’s 1-2 chilis. To avoid spice all together, just omit this ingredient. 
    • Fresh rosemary: This brings an earthy herbaceousness that is delicious. 
    • Lemon juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds acidity and brightness, and balances out the dip. The bottled stuff really is just not the same, so avoid it if you can.
    • Extra virgin olive oil: A good extra virgin olive oil is best here because aside from the garlic, it’s not cooked, so the robust flavor from EVOO will add to the flavor of the dip.
    • Salt & pepper: A good pinch of kosher salt and crack of black pepper is key to bring all the flavors to life. 

    Ingredient substitutions

    If you don’t have or don’t like any of the above, below are some good ingredient substitutions that can be used in this cannellini bean dip recipe. 

    • Beans: Any white beans should be fine to swap here. Great northern beans,  navy beans, butter beans, etc. You can even use a combination of two different beans if you’d like. 
    • Spice: Instead of Calabrian chilis you can simply add some red pepper chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
    • Herbs: Rather than rosemary, a lot of other fresh herbs would be great – thyme, oregano, or parsley, for example.
    • Acid: A splash of white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar would do the trick.

    Step by step instructions

    One of my favorite things about this homemade white bean dip recipe is that it’s a super hands off simple recipe. Aside from cutting off the top of the garlic clove, you really just throw everything into a food processor and let it do all the work! 

    1. Roast the garlic. Cut the top ¼ off the garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes at 400°F. 

    2. Blend everything together. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the roasted garlic (squeeze the garlic cloves out of the wrapping), drained and rinsed beans, Calabrian chilis, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pulse until you get a smooth and creamy texture. Transfer to a small bowl for serving.

    Side by side image of steps to make cannellini bean dip.

    Tips and tricks

    • Make sure you drain and rinse your beans. We don’t want that additional liquid in the dip. 
    • Make the dip as smooth or chunky as you’d like by pulsing the food processor less or more. 
    • If you want the dip thinner, add more olive oil or even a tablespoon of water at a time to thin it out.
    • If you want to infuse even more flavor into this creamy bean dip, cook your own beans as opposed to using canned beans! You can use my brothy beans recipe. One can of beans equals 1 ¾ cup of cooked beans. 
    • If you love the sharper flavor of fresh garlic, grate a few cloves of that in as opposed to roasting the whole head.

    How to serve

    This white bean dip is so good scooped up or served with just about anything for an appetizer or delicious snack, but below are my favorite ideas. 

    • Drizzle olive oil or the infused oil from the Calabrian chili jar on top of the dip for nice presentation
    • Serve with crusty bread or crackers (sourdough, baguette, french bread, pita chips, pita wedges) as a dip
    • Spoon some onto bread yourself and serve as a little crostini 
    • Serve with fresh veggies (carrot sticks, bell pepper, celery sticks, cucumber sticks, snap peas)
    • If you have leftover dip:
      • Use it as a white bean spread on a sandwich or wrap 
      • Use it in place of hummus in a layered dip or veggie grain buddha bowl 

    Storage

    To store, transfer dip to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Before serving take it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes to come down to room temperature. 

    To freeze, put in an airtight container leaving a little room for expansion. To defrost, put it in the fridge overnight. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

    FAQs

    How can I thicken my dip?

    Given the nature of the dip, the best way to thicken it is to add more beans. 

    Can I make this without a food processor?

    Yes! You can use a high powered blender instead. 

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      Roasted Poblano Corn Dip
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      Roasted Garlic Baked Ricotta Dip

    Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating and review below and tag me on social!

    📖 Recipe

    Cannellini bean dip in a bowl.

    Spicy Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip

    This spicy cannellini bean dip is so full of flavor with roasted garlic, Calabrian chilis, fresh rosemary, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s a great vegetarian dip appetizer with an Italian flare that’s perfect for any time of year or occasion. Serve with toasted bread, crudités, or crackers. 
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 6 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 bulb garlic
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 2 cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
    • 1 teaspoon chopped Calabrian chilis
    • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
    • 3 teaspoon lemon juice about ½ a lemon
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

    Instructions

    • Cut the top ¼ off the garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tin foil. Place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes at 400°F. 
    • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the roasted garlic (squeeze the garlic cloves out of the wrapping), drained and rinsed beans, Calabrian chilis, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pulse until you get a smooth and creamy texture. Transfer to a small bowl for serving.

    Video

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Course: Appetizer, Appetizers, dip
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: bean dip, beans, cannellini beans, Dip, white beans
    Author: Haley

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    Comments

    1. Kat Higashiyama says

      July 10, 2020 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      Spicy roasted garlic white bean dip is the perfect vegetarian starter for any gathering or at-home snack! The Calabrian chili adds a spicy kick and goes well with the roasted garlic.

      Reply
    2. Rylee says

      July 10, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      5 stars
      White beans are m absolute favorite! I love how smooth the dip gets! I could eat that whole bowl!

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 19, 2020 at 11:12 pm

        Oh trust me, I did!

        Reply
    3. Lori says

      July 11, 2020 at 9:55 pm

      5 stars
      White bean dip is one of my all-time favs and such a great alternative to hummus! This recipe is one worth saving!!

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 19, 2020 at 11:12 pm

        Most definitely! And the spicy kick is just perfect.

        Reply
    4. Laura Scherb says

      July 12, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      5 stars
      LOVE LOVE LOVE white beans! Somehow, making dip with those instead of garbanzo really satisfies!

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 19, 2020 at 11:13 pm

        Yesss! It's so creamy!

        Reply
    5. Sara Lynn says

      July 13, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      Um this sounds amazing! We usually make hummus every week, but this would definitely be a nice little change for the summertime 🙂

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 19, 2020 at 11:12 pm

        Yes! Perfect to switch it up a bit.

        Reply
    6. Becca says

      July 13, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      This dip is all of my favorite things in one!

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 19, 2020 at 11:12 pm

        Yay! So yummy.

        Reply
    7. Sarah says

      July 14, 2020 at 12:03 am

      5 stars
      I have been searching for more ways to use beans and this recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Haley says

        July 19, 2020 at 11:11 pm

        I'm so glad! It's absolutely delicious.

        Reply
    5 from 9 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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