This 30-min pesto butter beans recipe is unbelievably creamy, rich and flavorful, plus it is so easy to make! It is made using wholesome ingredients and is packed with fiber and plant-based protein. Perfect vegan and gluten-free lunch or dinner to share with your family alongside a good crusty bread.
Here is a simple and wholesome dish perfect for a filling plant-based lunch or dinner: Creamy pesto butter beans.
It features a rich and velvety cream sauce that combines all the flavors you love from a classic pasta al pesto dish, such as pine nuts, basil, lemon and garlic, but served with nutrient-dense butter beans instead of noodles.
I was also inspired by my creamy cashew-pesto sauce and blended the pesto basil sauce to a completely smooth texture, which gives the beans such a wonderful consistency. A real treat served with crusty bread to dip in the rich pesto sauce, this cozy dish is ultra satisfying and so easy to make!
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
Jump to:
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy and quick recipe that can be done in under 30 minutes!
- Butter beans are packed with fiber and plant protein, making this dish extra filling
- Loaded with amazing pesto flavor
- Silky rich sauce
- Very versatile recipe
- 100% vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- Pine nuts: they make for the best creamy and rich pesto, but they are also more expensive and can be harder to find. Feel free to swap for the same amount of cashews or almonds if that's easier. You can also make vegan pesto sauce with walnuts for a nice boost in healthy fats and extra flavor.
- Fresh basil: the fresher the better! Avoid bruised or darkened leaves for the best flavor.
- Tahini: I like using tahini for making creamy vegan sauces, although in this case you could use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil instead for a more classic pesto flavor.
- Nutritional yeast: adds a mild cheesy flavor to this vegan pesto sauce. You can also use grated vegan parmesan from the store.
- Butter beans: they have a great creamy texture perfect for this dish, although you can also use navy beans or great Northern beans. Chickpeas would work fine too, although they are more hearty and would change the overall texture slightly. I used canned beans for convenience and it worked out great!
- Spinach: other leafy greens would be great as well, such as kale or mustard green. You can also omit it if you prefer!
⭐️ Full ingredient list with quantities down below in the recipe card!
📝 Variations
This is such a versatile dish that can easily be modified depending on what you have or your preference. Here are a few ideas:
- Protein: if you are not into beans but want to keep this dish filled with plant protein, then you can use tofu instead. Simply roast some cubes of tofu in the pan before pouring the blended pesto sauce over.
- Vegetables: this is a highly customizable recipe where you can include your favorite veggies, such as mushrooms, leeks, zucchini, bell pepper, cauliflower or green peas.
- Spicy: this sauce is great with a nice punch of flavor, which you can do by adding plenty of freshly ground black pepper and some red pepper flakes.
🍽 How to make pesto butter beans
Step 1: Add the pine nuts, basil, garlic, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini (or olive oil) and salt in a blender.
Step 2: Blend until smooth and creamy, then adjust the flavor to your liking.
Step 3: In a small non-stick pan, cook the onions with a little oil and salt until browned (5-7 minutes). Then, add the butter beans and spinach and keep cooking until the leaves are wilted.
Step 4: Add the blended pesto sauce and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes to warm up the sauce and add extra water as needed.
⭐️ Detailed recipe down below in the recipe card!
💡 Helpful tips
- Adjust the consistency of the creamy pesto beans right in the pan by adding more water. This might be needed if you cook them for a little longer as the sauce will thicken over time.
- Store the extra beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir well before reheating in the microwave or on the stove and add extra water if the sauce has thickened while storing.
🍴Pesto Butter Beans Serving suggestions
This versatile white bean recipe can be served in so many ways! Just like these braised white beans, you can serve them over toast or simply over mini crostini, similarly to these white bean bruschetta. We loved scooping the creamy pesto beans into a bowl and dip in the bread to grab all the flavor. To keep this recipe wholesome and gluten-free, then try pairing it with this homemade yeast-free buckwheat bread, it is so easy and flavorful!
You can also serve the bean stew over noodles or rice with a side of vegetables, such as roasted zucchini and broccoli.
When serving, add some toasted pine nuts for a nice crunch and a sprinkle extra of nutritional yeast for more cheese flavor.
FAQs
Yes! Depending on their stage of maturity, they hold different names, but they are the same bean: lima beans are green when young and butter beans are beige or white when mature.
Yes! This will add an extra step since you will need to cook the dried beans in water until tender before starting this recipe. Here is a guide on how to cook dry beans from scratch from Love and Lemon that will help you!
🌱 More vegan white bean recipes
I hope you like these creamy pesto butter beans as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
Let's stay in touch with Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. Also, don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter to be sure not to miss anything.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Pesto Butter Beans
Equipment
- Blender
- Large pan
Ingredients
For the creamy pesto sauce
- ½ cup pine nuts - cashews and almonds work too
- 1 tbsp tahini or almond butter or olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast - or vegan parmesan cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil - plus more for serving
- ½ tsp salt - or to taste
- ½ cup water
For the beans
- 1 small onion - diced
- 15 oz canned butter beans - rinsed and drained
- 2 cups baby spinach or baby kale
- salt to taste
To serve (optional)
- pine nuts or slivered almonds - toasted (about ¼ cup)
- sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add all the creamy pesto sauce ingredients to a blender (pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, tahini (or olive oil), fresh basil, salt and water), then blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor to your preference. Set aside.
- Warm up a large pan with a little olive oil, then add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-high heat stirring often for 5-7 minutes or until they start to brown.
- Add the butter beans and spinach to the pan, stir well and keep cooking on medium heat until the spinach is wilted.
- Pour the blended pesto sauce over and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until warmed up and adjust the consistency to your preference by adding extra water if needed. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice if needed, then serve garnished with toasted pine nuts and red pepper flakes with a side of crusty bread.
Video
Notes
- Storage: store the extra pesto beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir well before reheating in the microwave or on the stove and add extra water if the sauce has thickened while storing.
- Adjust the consistency of the creamy pesto beans right in the pan by adding more water. This might be needed if you cook them for a little longer as the sauce will thicken over time.
- You can add more veggies, such as green peas, mushrooms, leeks, zucchini and cauliflower. Roast the veggies with the onions before adding the pesto sauce.
- Serve with crusty bread or over pasta or rice.
Great recipe and easy too! Everyone loved it!