It is not every day that I say a bean recipe is craveable. I know. BEANS. They are such a humble food and honestly, very underrated. And that’s why it’s time to go HARD for the crispy (baked!) white bean, because tbh, they have been ignored for too long.

I serve this white bean recipe on a bagel with avocado and juicy tomatoes (it’s the season after all), but you can really serve it with anything. The recipe itself is super versatile, and great to have as a snack, easy meal prep or even part of a quick weeknight lunch or dinner.

And the best part, all you do is season and bake. Which is basically my brand at this point. If you can throw it in the oven and be done, you know I already love it.

A bit about ~the beans~

When I chose white beans for this recipe, it was honestly out of necessity. I had them in my pantry, I didn’t like how long they were just *sitting* there, and I knew they had the potential to be something delicious.

Beans themselves are highly versatile – you can make them stewed, mashed, seasoned, plain, refried – so many ways. But crispy has to be my absolute favorite.

You can obviously use whatever beans you have on hand for this recipe, that’s what makes it such a functional recipe. Got chickpeas? Go for it. Black beans? Hell yes, make these and serve ’em in tacos. Butter beans? Let’s crisp them up!

When I said crispy white beans I really should have said crispy any-kind-of beans, because I’m really not picky with this recipe!

What makes them crispy?

The key to these crispy beans is that we are drying them out from the start, then putting them in a high heat oven to really crisp them up. Adding a bit of oil helps crisp the outside of the beans, while drying them out at the beginning helps create a crispy texture throughout.

When you add the extra seasonings, that helps the beans get an extra crispy crust at the end, as well as some extra flavor. It’s really super easy to make crispy beans, you just have to be patient with the process!

A few ideas on how to eat this crispy white bean recipe

Of course I’m partial to this recipe on a bagel 😉 but here are a few other suggestions on how to eat it if you aren’t in a brunchy mood or if you are craving something different!

Eat them on an easy, creamy pasta recipe – this would go great with my butternut squash pasta or my avocado pasta.
As a side to a quick lunch sandwich – it’s a great high-protein crunch addition to literally any meal.
Make it part of a veg-based charcuterie board – maybe pair it with my nooch crackers? Just a thought 😉
As a super-crunchy salad topper – you know I love my salads, and this would add some amazing extra flavor.

Honestly, the options are totally up to you! But if you do make these, please tag me on Instagram or Pinterest so I can see! I love seeing recipes out in the wild 🙂 In the meantime, happy cookinggg <3

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

▢ 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed , about 15 oz.
▢ 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, stored in olive oil
▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 tsp each ground coriander, garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes
▢ salt & pepper to taste

For the remainder of the recipe (optional)

▢ 2 large bagels, toasted
▢ 3 small campari tomatoes
▢ 1/2 large avocado, ripe and mashed

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425F.
Drain and rinse your beans. Spread them out on a sheet of paper towels and pat them dry.
Drizzle the olive oil on a baking sheet and spread around with your hands to make sure that the baking sheet is well coated.
In a large bowl, toss the beans with the sun-dried tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper until they are well coated. Then spread them evenly on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the beans are crispy. Begin checking them every five minutes at the 20 minute mark.
For the rest of the recipe, toast your bagels, top with avocado, then the sliced tomatoes, then the crispy bean mixture. Enjoy open-faced!