If you’re looking for a simple snack that feels effortlessly elegant, this creamy Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip is about to be your new obsession. It elevates humble ingredients with a luxurious, homemade rosemary lemon oil and a punch of savory roasted garlic and bright lemon for a flavor-packed bite that completely steals the show.
Bite after flavor-packed bite, this Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip is one of my favorite simple snack or appetizer recipes right now. It is simple to make, and when drizzled with the homemade rosemary lemon oil, it feels effortlessly elegant served with sliced peppers, radishes, or carrots. Pair this dip with a simple meat and cheese platter for a timeless, elegant spread to elevate for any party or game night.
Why I Love this Lemony White Bean Dip Recipe
Starting with simple ingredients, thoughtfully combined, this dip coaxes elevated flavor out of ordinary ingredients, making the ordinary, extraordinary. Taking just a few minutes to mix together, this dip is perfect when you want an elevated snack or need a quick appetizer to impress.
- Loaded with Flavor: This White Bean Dip is not short on flavor. The creamy white beans pair with lots of roasted garlic, bright lemony flavor, herby rosemary, and a hint of spice for a snack that is perfectly balanced and packed with savory flavor.
- Simple Ingredients Elevated: This dip is simple luxury. Made with ingredients you probably already have laying around the house, it combines simple ingredients in a way that feels elevated. Quickly heating fresh rosemary, garlic, and lemon peel in high quality extra virgin olive oil, brings out the floral notes of rosemary and infuses a bold lemon and garlic flavor in the oil, making a flavorful topping that brings this dip to the next level.
- Versatile: The easiest way to serve this is as a dip with veggies, pita chips, pretzels, or crackers. But you can also leftover Lemony White Bean Dip to add extra flavor as a sandwich spread or in wraps.
- Great Source of Fiber & Protein: This dip is loaded with wholesome nutrients – like protein, fiber, and antioxidants, making it a great option when you are looking for a snack that will help fill you up and fuel you with wholesome ingredients.
How Do You Make Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip?
This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients to bring a lot of bold flavor. So it is important to use quality ingredients. Here are a couple of tips to ensure your recipe success:
- Use good quality olive oil: Since we are drizzling the oil over top as a finishing oil, make sure to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. I prefer a single-origin, first press olive oil. Spanish olive oil brings a nice fruity, bold flavor that pairs nicely with this savory White Bean Dip.
- Use fresh lemon juice: This is one of my top tips for ensuring your recipes shine – always use fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice just falls flat. Squeezing fresh juice right from a lemon will have more bright flavor, and ensure your recipes are packed with flavor.
- Don’t skip toasting your nuts: Toasting the walnuts brings out the natural oils, transforming the flavor from raw and sometimes bitter into a rich, sweet, and robust nutty flavor. To toast your walnuts, just add them to a dry pan and lightly toast over medium heat for about 3 – 4 minutes – stirring regularly to avoid burning. Be careful not to burn them, when ready the walnuts will be fragrant and appear just lightly toasted.
What Can I Serve with this White Bean Dip?
I like to serve this creamy Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip with:
- Fresh, Colorful Veggies: Including Carrots, Radishes, Bell Peppers, Celery, Cucumber, and more
- Pita Chips
- Pretzel Sticks or Twists
- Your Favorite Crackers
Recipe Substitutions
If you want to customize this recipe, here are a couple of variations I recommend:
- Use Different Beans: You can swap out different beans such as other types of white beans (try navy beans or great norther beans) or even try making this dip with black beans for a different twist.
- Swap Out the Nuts: Walnuts add a nice nutty, buttery richness to this White Bean Dip, but if you have allergies or are just looking for something different, you can try other nuts or seeds. You can substitute cashews, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, or even sunflower seeds.
- Experiment with Different Herbs: For a slightly different twist, try experimenting with different herbs. You will want to stick with heartier herbs that can stand up to the heat of the oil, so try things like fresh thyme, sage, tarragon, or even parsley. Softer, more delicate herbs (like sage, tarragon, and parsley) should fry for less time to prevent burning, so keep this in mind when substituting.
Looking for More Healthy Dip Recipes?
If you love this White Bean Dip recipe and are looking for other wholesome dips and appetizer recipes, here are some of my favorites:
- Easy Tahini & Avocado Dip
- Whipped Feta Dip with Artichokes & Kale
- Smoky Chipotle & Roasted Beet Hummus
- Spinach Artichoke Wonton Cups
Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip with Rosemary and Lemon
If you're looking for a simple snack that feels effortlessly elegant, this creamy Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip is about to be your new obsession. It elevates humble ingredients with a luxurious, homemade rosemary lemon oil and a punch of savory roasted garlic and bright lemon for a flavor-packed bite that completely steals the show.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic (separated from the bulb but not peeled)
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- 1 medium lemon
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- 2 - 3 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Place 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic on a small piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Pinch the top of the foil together to form a little bundle. Cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes until garlic is very soft and roasted.
- In a small pan over medium heat, add walnuts and toast about 3 - 4 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted. Watch carefully, and stir as needed to prevent walnuts from burning. Remove walnuts from heat and set aside when toasted.
- Using a vegetable peeler, gently peel the yellow rind of the lemon into thin, long strips, using care to avoid going too deep and getting the bitter white pith. Slice lemon peel pieces crosswise to create thin strips.
- In same small pan, heat extra virgin olive oil over low heat. Add in remaining 1 clove of garlic (peeled and lightly crushed using the flat side of a knife), lemon peel, rosemary leaves (removed from stem, but no need to chop), and red pepper flakes. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent lemon and rosemary from burning. When rosemary and lemon are lightly crisp but not brown, set aside to cool.
- In a food processor, combine toasted walnuts (reserve just a few for topping if desired), beans (drained and rinsed), juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper, cumin, and coriander. Peel roasted garlic cloves, and add to food processor. Blend several minutes to combine until beans and walnuts are smooth - stopping a few times to scrape down sides as needed. Add in 2 tbsp cold water and blend again until dip is completely smooth and creamy, if needed, add 1 more tablespoon water to thin a little more.
- Transfer dip to serving bowl. Remove crushed garlic clove from oil mixture and discard. Drizzle or spoon oil with fried rosemary and lemon peel over top of dip. Serve immediately.