Looking for some of the best vegan bean recipes to cook up at home? Discover which beans are fully vegan and explore our delicious collection of cozy, hearty, and fresh bean dishes for the next time a craving strikes!
Are All Beans Vegan?
Beans themselves are vegan. However, certain types of bean products contain animal-derived ingredients. Common non-vegan foods added to beans are pork, bacon, lard, chicken broth, and eggs. Read on to find out which beans are vegan and which may not be.
Which Beans Are Typically Vegan?
Typically, any time you have whole beans by themselves available at restaurants (think Chipotle), they will be good vegan options. Whole kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, white beans, edamame, etc will usually be vegan. If there's any sauce added into the mix, that's when you'll have to do some more digging.
Mediterranean, Asian, and Indian cuisines are often pretty cognizant of a vegetarian diet, but I'd still check to be sure there's no dairy or fish. I've never heard of a hummus containing animal products, so you should be good there.
Are Refried Beans Vegan?
Traditional refried beans are not vegan. Many Mexican restaurants make refried beans with lard (aka pig fat). However, many restaurants now use plant oils in place of the lard, so it's always good to double check with servers or cooks to know whether or not they use lard.
For canned vegan refried beans, you'll have to look for those that are labeled "vegetarian" or you can look at the nutrition facts label on the back and read through the ingredients. A good majority of store-bought refried beans do contain lard, but some use oils like canola oil, and some use no oil or lard and are fat-free altogether.
Are Baked Beans Vegan?
While baked beans can easily be made vegan, the majority of them contain bacon, pork, or pork fat. I will rarely, if ever, eat baked beans because there is a very high likelihood that they are not vegan. However, you can certainly make them yourself at home, ask about them at restaurants, or look on the ingredients label to double check.
Are Black Bean Burgers Vegan?
Black bean burgers are assumed to be vegan -- it's a meatless burger right?? Unfortunately, many restaurants and pre-packaged black bean burgers contain eggs as binders. For store-bought burgers, you can look at the ingredients list and find brands that have a "vegan" label. For restaurants, you may need to check with the chef as most restaurant staff will not know for sure.
If the patty itself does not contain egg, you may still want to ask where they are being cooked. Many restaurants do not have a separate grill or cook top for the vegan products -- they just cook them in the same place as the regular beef burgers, clearly contaminating them with the animal juices.
Furthermore, sometimes the buns that are served with the veggie burgers contain milk ingredients or they are buttered prior to serving. I know, all of these little things and added animal ingredients make eating at restaurants as a vegan so frustrating, and sometimes it's frankly hard to know for sure what's going on in the kitchen even if a well-meaning server thinks it's vegan because it's a black bean burger.
I've had many occasions where servers or even chefs aren't sure because they don't know enough about what "vegan" means. I've had some repeat back "Oh, yes. It's gluten-free." You just never know with restaurants unless it's a fully vegan or well-trusted restaurant -- it's like the wild wild west out there for vegans. That's one of many reasons I prefer to just cook at home.
Are Beans Healthy?
Yes! Beans are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. They're associated with better blood sugar control, improved gut health, better heart health, and satiety/weight management.
Beans contain:
- Significant amounts of fiber (both insoluble and soluble fiber)
- Plant-based protein
- Vitamins and minerals (They are a good source of essential nutrients like iron, B vitamins, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and phosphorus.)
- Antioxidants
Check out my post here for more details on the health benefits of beans.
And for more information on health effects of going vegan, check out the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Want to lose fat on a plant-based diet — without counting every calorie or giving up carbs?
If you're loving these high-protein vegan recipes and you're ready to take things to the next level, check out my course:
Homemade Vegan Bean Recipes
If you're like me and prefer to just cook your vegan food in the comfort of your own kitchen--where you know exactly what's going into your food--check out this list of delicious vegan recipes to start making at home!
White Beans (Great Northern, Cannellini, and Navy Beans)
Arrabbiata Beans (Spicy Italian Beans)
This spicy Italian recipe is a twist on the classic pasta dish and is made with Great Northern beans, tomato sauce, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and parsley. It's traditionally topped with Parmesan cheese, but if you're veganizing it, you can find dairy-free Parmesan cheese in grocery stores as well. You can serve these beans as a side dish or with some bread as a meal.
Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Potatoes
This soup is quick and easy to make with fresh veggies and pantry staples like onion, garlic, avocado oil, cabbage, great northern beans, potatoes, green onions, fresh basil, vegetable bouillon, rosemary, and thyme.
Easy Bean Salad
This Mexican bean salad uses four different kinds of beans (cannellini beans, black beans, red kidney beans, and garbanzo beans). It's such an easy recipe that it can be made in just 15 minutes! It's delicious and fresh with ingredients like red onion, bell pepper, celery, corn, cherry tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, avocado, and a zesty red wine vinaigrette.
Smoky Beans on Toast
This quick meal or snack is filling and satisfying. It can be made in just 20 minutes with crusty bread, great northern beans, onion, garlic, tomato paste, veggie broth, tamari, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and a few spices for the smoky flavor.
Tuscan White Bean Skillet Pasta Bake
This skillet bake recipe is made with just one pot and a few simple ingredients - cannellini beans, pasta, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, oil, vegan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
White Bean Burger
These delicious veggie burgers are made with white beans, garlic, onion, bell pepper, pecans, chili sauce, soy sauce, avocado oil, almond flour, flax seeds, Panko bread crumbs, chives, and a bunch of spices for flavor.
White Beans & Peppers Stew
This cozy white bean stew is inspired by the Italian dish of Peperonata. It only requires one pot on the stove top and is made with onion, yellow pepper, red pepper, garlic, olive oil, cannellini beans, capers and olives.
Vegan Pesto Pasta with Beans and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This delicious Italian dish is made with pasta, cannellini beans, vegan pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and vegan parmesan. If you wanted to increase the protein and add in more beans, you could also sub the pasta for a chickpea or lentil pasta.
Vegan White Bean Chili
This creamy white beans chili is made with great northern beans, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, diced green chilies, onion, garlic, vegetable stock, olive oil, vegan cream cheese, cilantro, avocado, and spices. It's full of flavor and requires only one large pot to make.
Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is one of my favorite soups to make when I'm wanting something warm and hearty on a cold day. This one is made with white beans, kidney beans, olive oil, garlic, onion, veggie broth, red wine, tomatoes, celery, carrots, green beans, zucchini, pasta, and herbs. It's typically made with parmesan cheese, so if you're making this vegan you'll simply omit it, replace it with nutritional yeast, or use a store-bought non-dairy parmesan.
Albanian White Bean Soup
This hearty Albanian white bean soup was inspired by a trip to Albania and is perfect served with bread for a warm and cozy meal. It's made with white beans, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, carrots, olive oil, flour, veggie broth, and spices like oregano, paprika, and bay leaf for flavor.
Butter Beans (aka Lima Beans)
Butter Bean (Lima Bean) Curry with Spinach
This flavorful curry is made in a large skillet with lima beans, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, vegan cream, spinach, lime, ginger, cilantro, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and cardamom. It's a warming and comforting plant-based meal and pairs well with rice or naan bread.
Creamy Tuscan Butter Beans
These creamy butter beans are warm, comforting, and ready in only 15 minutes. They're made with canned lima beans, extra virgin olive oil, shallot, cherry tomatoes, hummus, garlic, veggie broth, leafy greens, fresh basil, and crushed red pepper.
Butter Bean Salad
This salad is fresh, crisp, colorful, and healthy. It's made in just 15 minutes with butter beans, carrot, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, parsley, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Butter Bean Soup
This simple butter bean soup is perfect for cold weather or a cozy night in. It's made with savory ingredients like butter beans, garlic, onion, vegan butter, white miso paste, vegetable broth, cabbage, lemon juice, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Smokey Butter Bean Stew
This easy stew is made in one pot by simmering butter beans with tomatoes, red onion, red pepper, carrots, garlic, fresh herbs, olive oil, and spices like smoked paprika. It's hearty, healthy, smokey, and makes for a simple weeknight meal.
Black Beans
Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Burritos
These vegan breakfast burritos feature black beans, tofu scramble, potatoes, veggies, and vegan cheese. They're a delicious way to add more beans to your diet if you're wanting to add just a little to start with to get your gut more used to eating more beans!
Refried Black Beans
These refried beans are made with black beans, onion, veggie broth, olive oil, cumin, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. They make a perfect side dish along with rice or can be used in tacos, nachos, burritos, enchiladas or any other Mexican meal!
Vegan Black Bean and Bulgur Burgers
These veggie burgers are ready in just 30 minutes with 7 ingredients -- black beans, bulgur, veggie broth, lime, cumin, salt, cilantro, and green onion. They are also freezer friendly so you can make extra when you meal prep to pull out whenever you want!
Black Bean Hummus with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This black bean hummus is a quick and easy dip to whip together in just 5 minutes. It's made with black beans, sun-dried tomatoes, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, fresh basil, and salt. Enjoy it with crackers, pita bread, pita chips, or fresh veggies for a healthy snack or appetizer.
Black Bean Soup
This brothy beans soup can be made in just 30 minutes with a few simple ingredients -- black beans, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, veggie broth, diced tomatoes, and spices. You have the option to top with fresh foods like avocado, lime, green onion, and tomatoes.
Cowboy Caviar
If you've never heard of it, don't worry, cowboy caviar doesn't have any fish eggs in it! It's a bean salad made with black eyed peas. This one also has black beans, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime, olive oil, jalapeno, avocado, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing. You can enjoy it as a dip with tortilla chips or just eat it with a spoon if you want!
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Stuffed butternut squash is an easy and delicious way to get more veggies into your diet. It's made with roasted butternut squash, rice, black beans, corn, green onion, spinach, and a ton of spices.
Black Bean Mango Salad
Ready in just 15 minutes, this salad is fresh and full of colorful fruits and veggies. It's made with black beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, red onion, green chilies, mango, cilantro, and a homemade lime dressing.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
This chili is made in just one pot with a ton of black beans, sweet potato, veggie broth, diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, and chili spices.
Vegan Swedish Meatballs
These Ikea copycat meatballs are wholesome and high in protein thanks to the black beans and vital wheat gluten. They also have oats, bulgur, nutritional yeast, flax, tahini, coconut aminos, tomato paste, and a ton of spices for so much flavor. Their taste and texture are both close to the real thing.
For more black bean recipes, check out my post here.
Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)
Vegan Chickpea Curry (Without Coconut Milk)
This vegan chickpea curry is full of flavor with an array of spices and veggies. It uses unsweetened almond milk in place of coconut milk for all the savory and spicy flavors without the taste of coconut. It's warming, comforting, and satisfying.
Roasted Beans Snack
This simple roasted beans snack recipe uses both chickpeas and cannellini beans along with some Indian spices and lemon zest for a crunchy and satisfying high protein snack.
Sweet and Sour Chickpeas
This dish is a vegan version of the popular Chinese dish - sweet and sour chicken. Instead of chicken, the plant-based recipe uses chickpeas! It's saucy, sweet, and tangy with flavorful ingredients like pineapple, scallions, onion, garlic, and bell pepper.
BBQ Chickpea Tacos
Perfect for busy weeknights, these barbecue chickpea tacos can be thrown together in 15 minutes with a few simple ingredients -- chickpeas, bbq sauce, salsa, corn tortillas, and a few veggie toppings like pickled red onions and lettuce.
Balela Salad (Middle Eastern Bean Salad)
Balela is a bean salad popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries, with "balela" meaning cooked chickpeas in Arabic. It's made with a mixture of chickpeas, black beans, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, olives, herbs, and a lemon-garlic dressing. You can serve it as a salad, with pita bread and hummus, or with tzatziki in a wrap.
Vegan Butter Chickpeas
This dish is the vegan and dairy-free version of classic vegan butter chicken. It's flavorful and creamy with an array of Indian spices and both full-fat coconut milk and coconut yogurt. You can serve with rice, naan bread, or potatoes.
Pinto Beans
Vegan Refried Bean Dip
This mouthwatering refried bean dip is made with canned refried beans (pinto beans), non dairy yogurt, vegan cheese, salsa verde, diced green chilies, and Mexican spices. Top with jalapeno, cilantro, avocado, tomato, and green onion and serve with tortilla chips.
Vegan Baked Beans
As you may have read at the top of the post, most baked beans you find will not be vegan. So here's a perfect recipe to use when you're wanting the baked beans flavor without any animal products. It's a blend of sweet, savory, and smoky with ingredients like pinto beans, veggie broth, molasses, maple syrup, tomato paste, onion, garlic, soy sauce, and spices.
Vegan Bean and Cheese Tamales
These authentic Mexican bean and cheese tamales are made vegan by omitting meat and using a vegan cheese. Learn how to make them homemade (including the masa and beans!) with this recipe. You simply make a homemade red chile sauce to mix into the masa, spread it onto corn husks, fill with refried beans and vegan cheese, and steam for delicious bean and cheese tamales.
Frijoles Charros (Mexican Charro Beans)
Traditional Mexican charro beans often use hot dogs, chorizo, and bacon in the recipe. This one is made plant-based by using the vegan versions along with pinto beans, Poblano pepper, Serrano pepper, onion, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, veggie broth, cilantro, and Mexican spices.
Vegan Enchilada Casserole with Green Sauce
This vegan enchilada casserole is made with refried beans (pinto beans), black beans, corn, onion, bell peppers, garlic, spinach, veggie broth, corn tortillas, green sauce, vegan cheese, and a bunch of spices for flavor.
For more pinto bean recipes, check out my post here.
Red Kidney Beans
The Best Vegan 3-Bean Chili
This chili has not only red kidney beans, but also black beans and pinto beans. It's such an easy one-pot meal to make when you are feeling lazy but it still provides the warmth and comfort of a home-cooked meal. I love to top it with avocado and corn chips.
Three Bean Salad
This three bean salad is made with red kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, red onion, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing. It's a super-easy high protein side to throw together and serve with just about anything!
Vegan Taco Soup
If you're craving something hearty with a bit of Mexican spice, this taco soup is super simple and easy to pull together. It's made with red kidney beans, chickpeas, diced tomatoes and green chilies, onion, garlic, veggie broth, olive oil, corn, and taco seasoning. Garnish with avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips.
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Baked Beans
Using a slow cooker or crock pot to make food is one of the easiest ways to cook. All you do is throw everything into the pot, turn it on, and go about your day for several hours. When you come back, you have a hot meal that's ready to go. This baked beans recipe uses a mix of chili beans, kidney beans, and cannellini beans along with onion, sriracha, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, garlic powder, and vegan Worcestershire sauce for hearty baked beans with a little spicy kick.
Kidney Bean Brownies
These vegan kidney bean brownies are made with just a handful of (mostly) healthy ingredients -- kidney beans, cocoa, chocolate chips, almond butter, oats, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. They can be made in just 35 minutes and you'll feel good knowing you're getting in extra nutrients in your sweet treat.
Fava Beans (aka Broad Beans)
Egyptian Fava Beans
This dish is a popular Egyptian dish to eat in the mornings served with warm bread. It's a warm and creamy bean dip made with fava beans, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, jalapeno, salt, and cumin. It's traditionally served at breakfast, but you can cook it up and eat it at any time of day!
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