21 Tasty Recipes That Use a Can of Beans (2024)

These 21 Tasty Recipes that use a Can of Beans are filled with staple pantry ingredients. From red beans and rice to black bean brownies, so many creative uses for beans are revealed in this recipe roundup!

How many different ways can you use a can of beans?

Canned beans and legumes are such a great staple to have on hand in the kitchen. They can be used in a variety of ways, and last pretty much forever.

From Kidney beans to lentils to chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), each of these legumes has their own unique tast and are delicious in a variety of dishes.

Beans are packed with protein, fibre and essential nutrients, making them a great option to include in your cooking for a hearty and filling meal.

Enjoy these 21 recipes that use a can of beans, send some to a friend, and save your favorite ones to Pinterest for later!

1. Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

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These Black Bean Quinoa Burgers are completely vegan and gluten-free! They pack a big flavour for a veggie burger, loaded with protein and bold flavours of onion, garlic, bbq sauce and cumin.

2. Roasted Chickpeas 3 Ways

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These Roasted Chickpeas 3 Ways are perfect as a snack, or on top of your favourite salads, toasts, or veggie bowls! Choose between spicy, sweet and salty, and chilli lime flavours!

3. Instant Pot Vegan Chili

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This Instant Pot Vegan Chili has two types of beans, onions, and spices galore to make this hearty and filling meal. There’s also a secret trick in there to help create the perfect chili texture!

4. Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

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These Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice are filled with red beans cooked from scratch with veggies, flavorful cajun spices, and vegan sausage. Serve over rice and fresh herbs for a fresh and wholesome meal!

5. Middle Eastern Bean Salad

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Feeling like a trip to the Mediterranean? Satisfy your cravings with this bean salad, or Balela – filled with lots of fresh herbs, vegetables, sumac, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice!

6. White Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic

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These White Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic are so simple and delicious! Filled with cannellini beans cooked with tomatoes, garlic, and chicken broth, the flavour sounds too good to be true!

7.

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These Quick and Easy Maple Baked Beans come together in just 20 minutes, with simple sweet and savory ingredients you already have in your kitchen! A delicious breakfast item to enjoy with eggs, hashbrowns, or on toast!

8. Vegan Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

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We love a good slow cooker meal, like this Black Bean Soup! Combine black beans vegetables like onion, bell pepper, and jalapeños, and a ton of spices, top with avocado and sour cream, and let it simmer until eating time!

9. Lentil Bolognese

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This comforting Lentil Bolognese is the ultimate comfort food, loaded with veggies and lentils, and a sneaky helping of red wine to deepen the flavours from the spices!

10. Vegan Minestrone Soup

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This delicious Vegan Minestrone Soup is made with beans, potatoes, noodles, and vegetables for a healthy soup that will keep you feeling full!

11. The Best Chickpea Veggie Burgers

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If you’re looking for a veggie burger that’s loaded with spices and flavour, this is just what you need! This Chickpea Veggie Burger is packed with vegetables, whole grains, and has the perfect burger texture!

12. Quick & Easy Refried Beans

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These homemade Refried Beans use canned pinto beans, onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder for a quick and easy to make side dish! This recipe is super versatile, and pairs perfectly with your favoriteMexican dishes!

13. Coconut Chickpea Curry

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This Coconut Chickpea Curry is light and can be as spicy as you choose! It’s loaded up with warm spices like ginger, garlic, and turmeric, and packed with flavour, protein, and fiber!

14. Vegan Lentil Loaf

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Vegan Lentil Loaf is made with a combination of green lentils, portobello mushrooms, quinoa and vegetables! It’s topped with a sweet and tangy balsamic ketchup sauce, and is perfect for a vegetarian/vegan meal!

15. Curried White Bean Dip

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Move over, hummus! This curried white bean dip is made with some madras curry powder for a bold flavour that is so smooth and easy to make!

16. Quinoa and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema

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If you’re not drooling over your screen yet, maybe this will help. These plant-based Quinoa & Black Bean Tacoswith Cilantro Lime Crema areso simpleto make, and vegetarian too!

17. Tuscan White Bean Soup

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This Tuscan White Bean Soup is a healthy vegetarian recipe that comes together in less than 30 minutes! It’s made with white cannellini beans, veggies and kale for a delicious soup that is creamy and filled with flavour!

18. Sri Lankan Style Dal

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Sri Lankan Style Dal is made with coconut milk and curry leaves, which gives it a creamier texture, and a smoother softer flavour. It makes a delicious vegan and gluten-free meal that is high in protein.

19. Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip

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We’ll admit, we’re suckers for raw cookie dough – just without not the raw egg part. So, this Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip sounds like the perfect alternative for a healthy dessert or snack!

20. Easy Black Bean Brownies

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In case you’re a skeptic, you should know that Black Bean Brownies are absolutely delicious. Plus, the black beans make them fudgey and healthy, and they can be made with a blender and some cocoa powder!

21. White Bean Blondies

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This recipe for delicious White Bean Blondies is naturally sweetened, filled with protein, and so easy to make. Bonus, the white chocolate chips add that delicious melty texture we all know and love in a blondie!

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21 Tasty Recipes That Use a Can of Beans (2024)

FAQs

How to fancy up canned beans? ›

Toss drained/rinsed/dried beans with a bit of olive oil (or avocado oil) and your favorite seasonings. You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.

What can I do with leftover beans in a can? ›

Leftover beans make for a quick meal when wedged in a tortilla or two. Scatter a few in your quesadilla before it hits the pan, roll leftover beans up in a burrito with some cooked rice and vegetables or sluice them down the center of a sauced enchilada, top with cheese and bake until mind-blowing.

How to use a can of beans? ›

15 Ways to Use and Cook with Canned Beans
  1. Hummus. Hummus is not just for chickpeas! ...
  2. Taco Filling. Fork-mash with ½ cup prepared salsa for a chunky taco filling.
  3. Dip or Sandwich Spread. ...
  4. Succotash. ...
  5. Grain Salad. ...
  6. Refried Beans. ...
  7. Pasta e fa*gioli. ...
  8. Light Lunch Salad.
Mar 26, 2020

What can I add to beans to make them flavorful? ›

Those aromatics in the pot will revolutionize the beans' final flavor. The aromatics I tend to use are onions, carrots, garlic, and celery, and then heartier, woodsy herbs, like rosemary, sage, and thyme, which marry beautifully with the earthy-sweet flavor of beans.

Should you throw away liquid from canned beans? ›

The liquid in good canned beans is just the water and salt the beans were cooked in… filled with delicious bean flavor. And this liquid is a great thickener for not only the specific dish you're making at the moment, but for any dish that could use some thickening, some salt, and some bean flavor.

How do you cut gas out of canned beans? ›

"To reduce the gas caused by eating beans, you can either soak them before eating them, which helps to draw out some of the gas-producing sugars, or cook them with kombu, a seaweed that contains the enzyme glutamic acid that helps to break down raffinose," says Kunik.

Can you freeze canned beans after they are opened? ›

To preserve flavor, transfer the canned food to plastic or glass containers before refrigerating. Leftovers should be consumed after 3 to 4 days of refrigeration. Freezing your extra canned beans should be fine.

Why do you drain rinse canned beans? ›

In order to properly reduce the sodium from canned beans, it is important to rinse them correctly. "Draining and rinsing canned beans can reduce their sodium content by more than 40 percent. But taking just a few extra minutes is key to getting the most benefit," The Bean Institute website states.

What is the thick liquid in canned beans? ›

You probably never knew it had a name, but that thick liquid in cans of beans and legumes like chickpeas is called aquafaba, a term coined by vegan baker Goose Wohlt. It can also be produced by home-cooking dried beans in water until it thickens.

How to incorporate beans into meals? ›

Canned beans can be drained, rinsed and added to your pasta dishes along with other veggies. Beans also can be pureed and mixed into spaghetti sauce for a protein-packed dinner. And, even easier — you can find dried pasta made entirely out of beans.

How to spruce up a can of beans? ›

My technique, typically, was to caramelize the onions and garlic a bit, then add the drained cannellini beans, finishing with salt, lemon zest, sherry vinegar or lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs.

How to make can beans taste like homemade? ›

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

Should you use the liquid in a can of beans? ›

For soups, stews and anything else liquidy, feel free to use the whole can — just keep in mind that you'll be adding more liquid than if the recipe calls for drained and rinsed beans.

How to make beans fancier? ›

Fry some onion until browned a bit, add bell pepper(or a hotter kind) and fry til softened, add some garlic, cumin, chili powder and black pepper. Add your beans and heat them through. Then season, beans especially need salt to go from terrible to pretty good/great.

How do you make a tin of beans better? ›

Caramelized Onion + Bacon + Espresso Powder

Slowly caramelize a chopped onion in a bit of oil, then add bacon and cook until crispy. Add the can of beans and stir, making sure to scrape up any tasty bits that have stuck to the pan. To finish, toss in a pinch of espresso powder for an extra hit of earthy flavor.

How to improve canned beans on Reddit? ›

Add olive oil or a bit of lard, some diced onion, cumin, chili powder and cayenne. And some cut up peppers if you want. You can also mix it some different beans as well, but beans are expensive where I am so I usually don't.

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