Creamy Lemon Garlic butter beans with bright, lemony flavors are a super quick, 1-pan, 30 minute bean recipe. Serve it with rice, pasta, or crusty bread for an easy meal.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: dinner, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon flour (all-purpose or a gluten-free blend)
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons Italian herbs (or use a mix of Italian herb blend and dried dill)
  • 1/3 cup non-dairy yogurt (or non-dairy cream (such as cashew cream) or cream cheese)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • zest of 1 small lemon
  • 2 slices of lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon prepared stone-ground mustard (or 1/2 teaspoon dried ground mustard)
  • 1 cup water (or vegetable stock)
  • 15 ounce can butter beans, drained (or other white beans, such as cannellini, great northern, or chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked beans or use cubed tofu)
  • black pepper, vegan parmesan, and chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

Method

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, and once the oil is hot, add the garlic. Mix and cook for 5 to 10 seconds, then add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add splashes of water or broth, as needed, to help the onions cook evenly and faster.
  2. Add in the onion powder, black pepper, flour, nutritional yeast, and Italian herbs. Mix in for a few seconds, then stir in the non-dairy yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon slices, mustard, and the remaining salt. Bring to a boil, then mix in the water and beans. Cover with a lid, and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes to come to a good boil, then simmer for another minute, open the lid, and taste and adjust the flavor. Add more salt if you need, and if you want more heat add some red pepper flakes. If you want it more herby, then add fresh dill or fresh Italian herbs, like oregano or basil.
  3. Switch off the heat, garnish generously with black pepper, vegan parmesan, and fresh parsley and serve. Serve with sourdough, garlic bread, over pasta, grilled cauliflower or veggies.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.