Best 25 Healthy Vegetarian Bean Recipes (#1 is my fave)
- Updated on Oct 21, 2022
If beans are a vegetarian’s best friend, then vegetarian bean recipes are too. Beans are an excellent source of protein and fibre, while also being low in fat, salt and sugar.
Black beans, white beans, navy beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans…the varieties are endless and they are all amazing!
Want to Save This Post?
Enter your email & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Hurry the Food Up.
I cannot stress enough how awesome beans are.
Most importantly for vegetarians, they are high in protein. One cup of cooked black beans contains 14g of protein!
While most beans alone do not contain all 9 essential amino acids (apart from soy beans!), all you have to do is combine them with rice, nuts, seeds or dairy, to get a complete protein.
They are also high in fibre which helps to regulate your appetite and digestion. Eating a high fibre diet has also been linked to lowering the risk of diabetes, as fibre can help lower blood glucose.
What’s more, beans contain plenty of folate and antioxidants and have been linked to heart health and a reduced risk of developing cancer.
How to eat beans!
It is easy to make a healthy meal out of beans. The simplest place to start is preparing beans in a tomato sauce with vegetables of your choice, maybe red bell pepper and sweet potatoes, maybe broccoli and red onion.
Serve with brown rice for a healthy dinner!
There are many different types of beans, so you can always mix it up. You can also use beans to make bean burgers, dips, mix them into a salad or add them to a soup.
Wait…are chickpeas beans?
Before we get started, I just want to clarify that chickpeas are in fact beans! Some English dialects call them garbanzo beans, and they’re right – chickpeas are all part of the bean family.
They are differently shaped to a lot of other beans, but, just like black eyed peas are beans, so are chickpeas. So get excited for homemade hummus!
What’s on the menu for vegetarian bean recipes?
Check out this list of bean recipes and see what takes your fancy!
Vegetarian bean recipes for lunch
1. Sweet Potato and Beetroot Salad
Bonus: substantial, full of antioxidants
Smooth and hearty meets sweet and crunchy, this sweet potato, beetroot and chickpea salad has got it going on!
2. Sweet Potato Burritos
Bonus: perfect packed lunch, filling
Sweet Potato Burritos – bursting with Mexican flair and tantalising flavours, this authentic recipe is easy to make for one or the whole big family!
Subscribe to get our FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss
3. Healthy Huevo Rancheros
Bonus: flavorful, gluten-free
Huevos rancheros are a quick and easy traditional mexican breakfast that make a great healthy option for vegetarians.
4. Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Bonus: great packed lunch, easy to prep
Upgrade your vegetarian sandwich offerings with this chickpea salad sandwich (one of our all time fave vegetarian sandwiches)! It’s simple and speedy with 20g of protein!
5. Black Bean Arepas con Queso
Bonus: gluten-free, simple
Looking for new lunch ideas? Try our Venezuelan-inspired vegetarian arepas – cornmeal flatbreads with beans & feta!
6. Fennel & Carrots with Chickpeas
Bonus: tasty, unusual flavors
Looking for new oven ideas? Try this delicious roasted fennel and carrots with chickpeas! 22g protein per serving!
7. Refried Beans and Tortillas
Bonus: healthy, adaptable
These healthy refried beans are our take on the traditional Mexican dish, with a health-conscious twist!
8. Chickpea Spinach Salad
Bonus: filling, high fibre
Running out of quick lunch ideas? This garbanzo beans and spinach salad is high in protein and fibre and ready in 7 minutes!
9. Easy Green Bean Salad
Bonus: vegan, speedy
This easy green bean salad is ready in a staggering three minutes. Not many lunches can beat that! Also works as an easy side dish.
10. Low Calorie Beetroot Soup
Bonus: colourful, tasty
Looking for a light but filling soup to warm your belly this winter? Try our beetroot soup, topped with crunchy chickpeas!
11. Kidney Bean Chickpea Salad
Bonus: easy, hearty
This simple chickpea salad is the first step to eating better by building powerful eating habits with simple yet delicious main ingredients!
12. Falafel Salad with Fake Tahini
Bonus: high protein, quick
This quick take on the falafel salad is packed with protein – and adds even more with our peanut sauce! It’s quick, it’s easy and completely animal-friendly!
Vegetarian beans for dinner
13. Meatless Chili Sin Carne
Bonus: warming, vegan
A great example of amazing vegan comfort food for those chilly days! This chili sin carne is warming and full of flavor.
14. Saucy Eggplant Tomato Pasta
A tasty vegan eggplant and tomato pasta with navy beans and kale. Super healthy and super tasty!
15. Mexican Bean Stew
Bonus: high fibre, high protein
After a high protein, high fibre, low calorie vegetarian dinner? Our Mexican bean stew is just the ticket! Try it now!
16. Sweet Potato and Broccoli Salad
Bonus: simple, comforting
This time-saving traybake with sweet potato, broccoli, and quinoa is big on superfood nutrition and even bigger on taste.
17. Weight Loss Tikka Masala
Bonus: creamy, light
A vegan version of the classic tikka masala. Low fat coconut milk keeps the fat levels low. Full of healthy veg and fragrant flavours, this is sure to win your heart! Serve with basmati rice.
18. Vegan Coconut Chickpea Curry
Bonus: flavorful, high iron
Vegan Chickpea Curry. Our awesome vegan take on the insanely popular dish. Ridiculously tasty and nutritious – just look at all that protein, fibre and iron.
19. Bean and Pasta Vegetarian Casserole
Bonus: dump and bake, simple ingredients
A dump and bake dish that will please everyone, this bean and pasta vegetarian casserole makes a perfect healthy dinner (if this sounds tempting, we have so many more healthy vegetarian dinner ideas over here!).
20. Black Bean Burgers
Bonus: bbq fave, comfort food
A black bean burger recipe that doesn’t fall apart, tastes awesome and can even be made vegan (more delicious veggie burger recipes this way)! What could be more BBQ perfect?
Dips and side dishes
21. Avocado Hummus
Bonus: awesome hybrid, healthy fats
Love guac? Love hummus? You’re about to meet your new favourite food – try our avocado hummus today! You won’t look back!
22. Smashed Cucumber and Edamame
Bonus: portable, high protein
Try this oriental-inspired smashed cucumber and edamame recipe, a quick high-protein snack to have at home or on the go!
23. High Protein White Bean Dip
Bonus: vegan, speedy
A tangy high protein white bean dip that’s ideal for munching at home or taking to parties. Your body will thank you for this nutritious beast!
24. How To Make Homemade Hummus
Bonus: garlicky, ready in 5
How To Make Homemade Hummus. A ridiculously easy three minute take on the classic dish. Perfect as a dip or healthy snack to keep you feeling full between meals (for high protein veggie snack recipes check these out).
25. Black Bean Lime Dip
Bonus: high protein, party perfect
A revolutionary high protein black bean lime dip. Perfect for parties, snacking, dipping or post-workout. Simple and with crowd-pleasing results every time.
Ingredients
- 1 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger, fresh (1 inch = 2.5 cm)
- 1 can black beans (1 can = 15.5 oz; 435g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lime (juiced) (maybe a little more)
- 10 tbsp water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grate or chop the garlic and ginger. Then fry both in oil on a medium heat and in a large saucepan for a minute or two. Don’t let it burn!1 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger, fresh, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Drain and rinse the black beans, then add them to the pan.1 can black beans
- Fry for a couple more minutes, adding a couple of tablespoons of water as you go.10 tbsp water
- Finally, remove from the heat, add the salt, pepper and lime juice.½ lime, Salt and pepper to taste
- Use a potato masher or even fork to mash it all up into a smooth paste.
- Add it to bread, potatoes a salad or just munch it down as a real high protein snack!
Nutrition
Vegetarian bean recipes FAQs
Got more questions about beans? Maybe you’re wondering how to store and prepare them, or what to season them with? I’ve got all bases covered here.
How do you make beans taste good without meat?
Meat doesn’t make beans taste good, seasoning does! Try eating beans in a flavorful soup, a tomatoey stew or in a delicious garlicky dip. As with any food, the flavor is all in the seasoning, so be generous with those spices!
How should I store beans?
It is very important to refrigerate beans properly. If you leave leftover beans out at room temperature overnight they can grow some unpleasant bacteria. The risk isn’t super high, but better safe than sorry – so keep those beans in the fridge!
How do I prepare beans?
You can buy a can of beans or you can buy dry beans and cook them. If you buy dry beans, it is important to soak them overnight first, which removes toxins. Then cook them in a pressure cooker, maybe with a bay leaf and some salt. Once they are cooked, you can use them over the next few days and store them in airtight containers.
How can vegetarians eat beans?
In stews, in “burgers”, in soups, in curries, in salads! It depends on personal preferences, but a homemade vegetarian bean recipe can take so many different forms.
Fundamentally, beans are there to provide protein, so are usually a fairly large part of a meal, like a replacement for meat.
What to add to beans to add flavour?
Olive oil, garlic and onions are a good place to start. If you are cooking beans from scratch, fry these up first in the bottom of the pressure cooker or slow cooker, add beans, water, salt and a few bay leaves. You will have super flavorful beans shortly!
What can be made from beans?
So many things! You can make soups, stews, curries, salads, burgers, dips and more!
We hope you enjoyed checking out these vegetarian bean recipes. Let us know which easy recipe you enjoyed most in the comments below.
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Comments
Leave a comment below
One comment
Need to find ways to add little more flavor but the combo is great.9