Zesty Fat-Free Black Bean Dip
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This Fat-free Vegan Black Bean Dip is one of our favorite recipes of all time! It tastes amazing and is sooo simple to make–you probably have all the ingredients in your home right now so what are you waiting for?
We love bean dips of all kinds. But have you seen the price of them in the grocery store? Unbelievable and untenable in today's economy.
And really – even the dips made from beans are crazy expensive? I thought they were supposed to be the budget-friendly food!
Well, here is a money and a time-saving recipe for you. A seriously delicious and Easy Bean Dip Recipe.
As in lick your lips delicious.
This easy bean dip recipe is a remake of one that I got from a Vitamix demonstrator. It apparently used to be on the Vitamix website, but no longer. What a loss, but at least you can find it here!
This is one of those “tried and true” recipes, a real go-to when you need something fast that you know will be a success. And boy, is it fast to make!
I gave the recipe to one of my friends two years ago and she said that she made it for all of her Christmas gatherings and it was a great hit!
Then another friend asked me for the recipe this year so that she could take it to her Holiday gatherings as well. Finally, we had some friends from Nicaragua over this past summer and served this.
Again, a bit hit! Simple and satisfying!
Take this to your next gathering. Your friends will thank you. And you will thank me!
Oh, and by the way, I don't eat fat free as a rule. In fact, I eat a lot of fat. It's just that this is a great recipe that happens to have no fat. It just happened that way.
Why This Black Bean Dip Is Different
Once you have this black bean dip, there's simply no going back to buying bean dip every again. Here's why you'll love it. This bean dip is:
- oil-free—but still creamy
- made with only whole ingredients (no fillers)
- great chunky OR smooth
- budget-friendly
- ready in minutes
Recipe Notes
- Canned beans can be used, but preferably use de-gassed beans. Our favorite varieties are organic cranberry, black turtle, pinto, and kidney, but you can use any bean that you have available.
- 1/8 cup minced dried onion, plus a bit of water, can substitute for the onion half if you're short on time.
- For help using cilantro, see my cilantro tips post.
Time and Money Saving Tips for This Black Bean Dip
- Cilantro can be purchased in large amounts and then washed, chopped and frozen (stems and all) in baggies in the freezer. Then it is ready at your fingertips year round!
- For lime juice, I use bottled organic lime juice to save time. (I recommend Dream Foods.) However, you can also just throw in a whole washed lime into your blender or food processor if you happen to have limes in your kitchen. The rind is healthy too!
- Problems digesting beans? See my post on How to De-Gas Beans, so you can eat a lot of bean dip and not suffer the consequences!
- No time to make beans? Try making them ahead of time and storing them in the freezer for quick access whenever you need them!
- Tomatoes left over after making this bean dip? See my post on The Easiest Way to Preserve Tomatoes. Works for fresh or canned!
More Bean Dip Recipes
– Super Savory Hummus (with tahini-free option)
– Tuscan Bean Dip — full of garlic and herbs
– Pizza Hummus — a fun twist on traditional hummus
Easy Black Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups cooked beans
- 2 to 3 medium tomatoes (fresh or use the about 7 ounces of canned or jarred tomatoes)
- 1/4 cup lime juice (or the juice of 2 limes)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 jalapeno (optional)
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients except for the tomatoes and beans in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add tomatoes and beans. Process slowly to desired consistency – just a little for a chunky / salsa-like dip; a lot for a smooth, thick, hummus-like dip.
Notes
- Canned beans are OK, but preferably use previously-soaked beans that have been cooked with organic ajwain (ajowan) and/ or epazote. You can read my post on both of them here. Our favorite varieties are organic cranberry, black turtle, pinto, and kidney, but you can use any bean that you have available. See How to De-Gas Beans.
- Make sure you read The Easiest Way to Peel Garlic for tips on peeling garlic.
- 1/8 cup minced dried onion, plus a bit of water, will work well instead of 1/2 onion.
- For help using cilantro, see my 6 Tips for Cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Enjoy!
Note: If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this is an E.
This easy bean dip is great served with vegetables, chips, or Focaccia Flax Bread (it's gluten-free with a vegan option – and it's super easy too!)
What will you serve this Easy Bean Dip recipe with?
I happen to have some beans soaking tonight! I’ll be making this tomorrow! Thanks for sharing. Great to find your site through Tip Junkie!!!
Sounds amazing…never made anything like that before…but it’s sure time to try. Can I use parsley instead of cilantro as I’m allergic to cilantro?
Connie,
I would probably try it without the parsley and see how you like it. Then add the parsley to a bit of it and see what you think. I think that they have very different tastes, but my husband thinks it would taste OK :-).
I’ve really been enjoying black beans. I think I’ll try this one.:)
I can’t wait to try this! And thanks for the cilantro tip, I too, have seen many a bunch of cilantro go bad.
Whole Foods sells a black bean hummus that I absolutely love. It’s been on my list of things to make, but I haven’t yet. Your recipe sounds very similar. I can’t wait to try it out.
Thanks!
Michelle
OH I am so making this tonight! I have all of the ingredients — thanks so much — I love your blog!
Let me know how you like it!
I tried this recipe. It tasted nice but it became sort of solid. How to make it liquified as seen in your pic?
Hello Scinia! I suppose it could be that you blended it too much? Blend the garlic, cilantro, etc. first and then add the tomatoes and beans last. Blend ever so slightly. That way the beans stay in chunks instead of being blended up when they will thicken the whole thing and it will be more of the texture of a hummus.
How much ajwain &epazote do you use for that amount of beans?
Angela,
I mistakenly left out a link to that information.
Here is a post on my site about ajwain and epazote. Let me know if you need more information!
https://wholenewmom.com/your-home/healthy-kitchen/ajwain-and-epazote/
Jolon, I didn’t know what ajwain and epazote were until a few years ago. You can soak the beans overnight and then drain the water, rinse the beans and then cook them. That is the basic method for degassing beans, but we found that it wasn’t enough for our family.
By the way, I am sure that there are other resources, but it is hard to find both of those spices. Penzeys has both, but I prefer Mountain Rose Herbs since you can get the organic for less money.
And I never knew about being able to freeze cilantro either.
I think even if I live to be 80 I will still be leaning new things and trying to decide what I can implement into my life! 🙂
Thanks for the link, Adrienne. This sounds delish and super easy (my kind of recipe!).
I had no idea cilantro could be frozen. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve only used a little bit in a recipe and the rest of the bunch has gone in the trash. Ugh. Live and learn, I guess.
For now, I’ll make it without the ajwain/epazote because I have no idea what that is (haha) but someday when I’m ready for the next step of healthy eating, I will check it out! 🙂