These Vegan Rosemary Smoky White Beans are so creamy and thick and the perfect side to a main meal or can be eaten as the meal. They are very hearty and filling, yet dairy-free and oil-free and come together in 30 minutes!
If you are aware of the super popular “Braised White Beans” over at Zoes Kitchen, then this post may have you all excited. If you’ve never heard of them, still be excited, because these are the creamiest, dreamiest rosemary white beans ever, but totally oil-free. I first discovered Zoes Kitchen a few years ago, as I had heard about these famous white beans through some friends and since I love rosemary, I was dying to try them. Oh boy, they lived up to every expectation. They are creamy, full of flavor, filling and simple. Just one big problem, FULL of oil. I could taste the oil in them, I could see the oil in them. Yuck. Well, that didn’t stop me from eating there sometimes. I don’t stress about eating so perfectly 100% of the time when eating out is concerned, because I don’t eat out but maybe once a month.
I have always had it on my to-do list to recreate Zoes kitchen braised white beans recipe at home. So, when one of my most loyal readers, Estee, asked me to recreate them too, that was the bump I needed to get it done sooner.
Well, I’m here to tell you, not only did I nail the flavor and the texture……dare I say, they are even better?? My hubby and daughter were just flabbergasted at how amazing they are. My 4 year old even exclaimed “Mommy, these taste just the same as Zoes!” I was so happy because that is her favorite item to eat there and just loves them. But I hate consuming all that oil, so now we will never have to. I can hear my arteries rejoicing!
So, whether you know of this item or not, I’m here to tell you that this is not a soup type of bean dish, it’s much thicker, which should be evidenced in the photos. It’s not a soup, or meant to be a soup, but rather, a side dish. However, I would never hesitate to eat a large bowl of it as my meal, as if it were a soup.
I still have no idea what the exact ingredient list is for their beans, but I was still able to pull off the flavor. I have always smelled and tasted a slight smokiness to the beans and even though they are vegan, they have that smoky ham flavor to them. I was able to recreate that by adding liquid smoke. It couldn’t be easier too, it’s only 8 ingredients (+ S&P), 1 pot and ready in about 30 minutes!
Now, the restaurant doesn’t add hot sauce to their rosemary white beans, but hey, I always like to add a touch of hot sauce to the beans for that slight spicy kick. SO good. Hubby and daughter don’t like it, but it’s just an optional touch if you like it. Sure is pretty too.
I really hope you all love these Vegan Smoky Rosemary White Beans!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Smoky Rosemary White Beans
Ingredients
- 1/2 packed cup (80g) finely diced white or yellow onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt for cooking the onions (you'll be adding another 1/2 tsp later)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced (11g)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium veggie broth for cooking onions/garlic and 3/4 cup more to add later
- 1/2 cup (120g) homemade cashew milk (See NOTE)
- 1 scant tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons (20g) brown rice flour or regular flour is fine
- 2 15 oz cans low-sodium Great Northern or Cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
- Optional: drizzle of hot sauce for a spicy kick
NOTE
- I make my own homemade cashew milk, as it's MUCH better and creamier than store-bought. To make, add 1/2 cup whole raw cashews to a vitamix with 1 1/2 cups filtered water, blend on high until completely smooth. That's it, no need to drain! Use just 1/2 cup of the milk for the recipe. Use any extra for oatmeal, coffee, lattes, or soups for extra creaminess.
NOTE
- Tip for chopping the fresh rosemary. If you've never chopped fresh rosemary, it is very simple. Do not just chop the whole thing with the stem, or it's too fibrous. Simply take your fingers and slide off the rosemary leaves pulling them off the stem in the opposite direction that they point. They will slide right off. A tip I learned from Giada.
Instructions
- Add the onion and only 1/2 cup of the veggie broth and only a 1/4 tsp of the salt to a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook for 8 minutes until the onions are tender.
- Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes.
- Add the remaining 3/4 cup broth, plant milk, rosemary, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, liquid smoke and rice flour. Whisk well to make sure all the flour is smooth.
- Once smooth, add the beans.
- Bring it back to a simmer around the edges, cover and reduce to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don’t stick to the bottom. Once creamy to your likely, serve immediately.
- I love to give mine a spicy kick with a drizzle of hot sauce, but this is totally optional. If you have any leftovers, it will thicken up a ton in the fridge overnight, so add more broth to loosen up if necessary and reheat on low. Depending on whether you serve this as a side dish or a main dish, the servings would vary from 2-4 people. They are VERY filling!
I just made these today and they are amazing !! i wasn’t sure if I would like them because I have never been a fan of rosemary BUT I also have only ever cooked with dried rosemary not fresh. Anyway I bought some fresh rosemary and these were delicious – I cut back a bit on the rosemary because I wasn’t sure I would like it but next time I will use the full recommended amount. I make baked beans (with molasses etc) regularly and the consistency of these is the same but the flavor of course is totally different. A winner!! I’m going to bring some of these to a Good Friday meal we are invited to this Friday. There is going to be lots of meat there but this is something my husband and I can eat 🙂
I’m so happy you loved these so much Heather! Thank you so much for the fabulous feedback, thrilled you and your hubby love them! Yes, fresh rosemary is really strong, but it cooks down wonderfully and is so mild and mellow then 🙂
We have been huge fans of Zoe’s kitchen but as everyone knows their food is pretty much all full of oil. In come their beans, which are totally addictive and also full of oil. I am so glad you created these. They are lovely and yummy and creamy and smoky – totally addictive. I’m so glad I made a double batch to begin with. I cant wait for a great bread recipe to pair these with and I feel so much better eating bowls of these since there is no guilt and no oil.
Thank you so much Estee! I’m so happy you loved them so much! Thank you very much for leaving feedback!!
I’ll never understand why people use a ton of oil to make beans creamy. They’re creamy on their own! This looks like a totally dreamy way to make white beans, Brandi. And I love that your daughter compared them to Zoe’s. Too sweet.
Thank you Linda! I agree, and the Zoes, while tasty, I could always taste and feel the oil…so not necessary. Now I can eat these instead and they taste the same!
Oh my goodness! I just made these beans and took a taste and they are AMAZING!!!! Thank you, for sharing!
Wonderful Tina! I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so much for making them and leaving feedback!
I made this tonight and it exceeded my expectations! So delicious! I was a little concerned that Mr Pickypants (my 6 year old) wouldn’t like it because he said yuck when I let him sniff the fresh rosemary, but he gobbled it up too! 🙂 Next time, I’m making a double batch!
SO awesome to hear this Eva, thank you so much for the awesome feedback and big win for the little guy loving it too, yay!
I made these tonight and they were seriously delicious (like all of the other recipes I’ve made off of your blog!) So creamy, perfectly seasoned…the perfect comfort food. This didn’t detract from the amazing was of the recipe, but the smokiness was a little pronounced for me, so I’m curious about what brand of liquid smoke you use? I have found it slightly overpowering in pretty much all the recipes I’ve made that call for it. Maybe I am just more sensitive to it and should just use less than called for going forward. I use Wright’s (hickory) but it’s a bottle that’s probably been in my cupboard going on 5 years now and I’m wondering if it maybe gets more concentrated over time or something. I just ran out tonight but wanted to ask your opinion before I buy a new bottle. Thanks! I can’t wait to keep trying more of your recipes.
Hi Emma! So so happy you loved it! Ok, you are the 2nd person who said they used the Wright’s brand and said the smokiness was a tad too strong, so I believe that it is just stronger. I actually used the Colgin “Natural Hickory” brand in this recipe and found it just perfect, so I’d recommend that brand, OR just use 1 tsp of the Wright’s brand going forward and you can always add more later on if necessary. I updated the recipe to reflect that as well. I also think that something like liquid smoke tolerant levels varies as well because some people just don’t like it at all. Thank you so much for making it!
I’ve never heard of these but I’m excited alright! They look so rich and creamy <3 I love your tip on homemade cashew milk, it's so unbelievably simple, no nut milk bag needed 🙂 you're right, homemade one is so much better than store bought! I bet it makes the beans extra creamy
Brandy – question: would you change any ratios if you were doubling this recipe? My family loves Zoe’s beans so I doubled and I’m finding the smoke flavor a more than a titch strong – I taste it more than the fresh rosemary. Maybe it is the brand of Liquid Smoke (Wrights)? I can’t rule out “operator error” but I’m fairly confident I did 3 tsp.
Any ideas?
Sandy
Hi Sandy! Yeah, typically if I double a recipe, I will scale back a bit on the flavorings/spices as even though you are doubling everything, it still tends to cook about the same time so the flavorings don’t always need doubling or they taste a bit too strong. I would have just started with probably 2 tsps liquid smoke. Whenever I double my chili recipe, I never double the chili powder/cumin for example and just add to taste.
Oh and yes, the Colgin liquid smoke and Wrights do taste slightly different. I thought I had used Wright’s but I just looked in my fridge and I actually used the Colgin “Natural Hickory” for this. I just updated the exact one I used above in the recipe.
Made this last night for my nephews who were having a sleepover at my house and it was a HUGE HIT with all of us. We were too busy wolfing it down to take a pic but oh my! SO GOOD!! I will be making it often! Thank you Brandi! <3
Yay! So very happy to hear it was such a hit with everybody Dana, thank you so much for the feedback!!
made this on Friday night and loved them! So yummy , comfort food!
Thank you so much Yvonne! I’m so happy you loved them, thank you for the feedback!
I made this today, and we all (husband, teenage son, and I) absolutely loved it! We used cannellini beans and lite coconut milk. So smoky and creamy, it tasted completely decadent (but wasn’t!). Thank you so much for the recipe.
That’s so awesome to hear Sabrina, I’m so happy they were such a hit with everybody, thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback and rate the recipe, truly appreciate it!
Ok, I’ve never heard of Zoe’s, but I’m pretty sure this would be my favorite dish! I love that you were able to recreate it without the oil – this seriously looks incredible. I absolutely love white beans because they’re so creamy on their own, but goodness, this is taking creamy to another level! I want to dive in face first!!! And that hot sauce swirl is so perfect! I love that you added in Giada’s tip about the rosemary – she’s so clever and back when we were staying with my parents, I really enjoyed watching her on the Food Network! I’m pretty sure this dish will find its way onto our menu for next week 🙂
Haha, gotta love Giada!! Thank you so much Mandy! These are so darn good and comforting, yet so easy! I hope you all love them!
Rosemary is the perfect compliment to white beans, but I love how you kicked it up a notch with liquid smoke and that generous hot sauce drizzle – oh my!
Thank you so much Alisa!
So I have never heard of Zoe’s Kitchen but I now have no desire to go there because these sound and look insane. I LOVE white beans and I LOVE rosemary. This dish reminds me a lot of my baked lima bean and veggie dish I have on my site, just the creamy bean consistency and the fact that you can eat it as your main dish or have it as a side. It’s one of my favorite recipes and I know this one is going in on the rotation with that one because I know I’ll love it. Seriously making this next week!!! And I’m definitely doing the hot sauce. Hot sauce on bean dishes like these is AMAZING.
Thank you so much lady!! I will have to check out that recipe of yours! I can honestly say I’ve rarely eaten lima beans in my life but I love ALL beans so I’m sure I would love it too. I love beans in dishes because it makes them super creamy. Yes to the hot sauce, LOL! It kind of just goes on everything, right?!
It’s on the stove right now simmering away filling the kitchen with delicious smells! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks again Brandi ?
Thank you so much Beverley! I hope you love it!!
I can’t wait to try this! I’m making this tomorrow. Thanks for posting such awesome, healthy recipes!
You are so welcome Valerie! I can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂
Oh, my gosh! I am totally pinning these. I love how white beans are a blank canvas for flavors, so creamy, and can just pick up whatever they’re seasoned with. As a big rosemary fan, I know I would be all over these. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thank you so much Cadry!
These look great, Brandi! I love white beans!
I love white beans! I always like to use them mashed instead of mashed potatoes to serve with veggies. One of my favourite dinners! This is calling my name… I bet it’s delicious with the rosemary 🙂
This is comfort food perfection! It looks so delicious and inviting. I have to admit I’ve never heard about of Zoes Kitchen so this is new to me. But just looking at your recipe I can see why it’s your favorite. I really know I would love this and could eat the whole bach. So glad to see you find a way to create a oil free version of your favorite dish. The hot sauce on top looks superb. The middle picture and the last close are just gorgeous, Brandi! I’m so hungry and craving this right now! 🙂
You are so sweet, thank you so much Florian for the photo compliments! This was totally comforting and delicious, I think I could eat it everyday!
Oh my goodness, this does look like a total dream. I am so happy to see you using rosemary. I am really into it and have masses (and I mean masses) of the stuff in my garden – far more than I could ever use.
What a beautiful recipe!
Thank you so much Trinity!
This recipe looks delicious! Thanks for sharing, Brandi! I can feel and taste the creaminess now. Definitely will have to go on my rotation list.
Comfort food perfection, Brandi! I love white beans and rosemary so I know this is a winner!
These look amazing and will be making them tonight 🙂 just curious, what hot sauce you use….looks yummy!
Thank you Susan! I buy Sky Valley brand from Whole Foods…it’s my favorite. They have several different types, but it’s just the one that says “hot sauce” nothing extra or fancy. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
thanks for the quick reply! I will be near a Whole Foods today and will pick some up! so happy I found you and your simple and delicious recipes 🙂
Hi Brandi….unfortunately , I couldn’t find the hot sauce at my Whole Foods. I looked on Amazon and I see Sky Valley but they all say Siracha Sauce. Is that correct? I usually buy Franks, but looking for something new 🙂 thanks!!!! making these beans tomorrow 🙂
Yes, I’ve never found just the plain on Amazon either. It’s not necessary for the beans, it’s just optional…but Franks would totally work! I guess different Whole Foods carry it and some don’t. You are correct though, the Sriracha is not the same thing..different flavor. Awesome, can’t wait to hear!
I just love how creamy white beans naturally are! This sounds super yum! Love that comforting rosemary <3
Thank you so much Rebecca!