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!
Made this tonight exactly as written, and my whole family loved it! This is the third recipe that I’ve made by you, and all three were hits with all four family members – this is such a rarity, especially with my non-vegan husband, (and various allergies for the rest of us) that I am now in love with your site and can’t wait to try more! Thank you for making dinnertime easy again!!
Aww Kelly, this was wonderful to read, thank you!!
So so good!!
Me and my 14 yr old son loved it.
Will definitely be making again.
Cut one potato finally and cooked it with the onions to thicken the beans instead of using flour.
Looks.good…which of the two, mesquite or hickory liquid smoke would you recommend for this recipe?
Oh my!! This is truly a comfort food, especially at this time when it feels crazy all around us with the this virus going around.. Sooooo good!! What a blessing to get these recipes that are so delicious and good for us physically and mentally. Thank you! Bless you!
I agree with you 100%, Linda! We all need a little comfort right now.
What can I substitute for cashew milk due to all nut allergies?
It needs to be creamy so I would suggest canned Lite (low-fat) coconut milk! The Thai kitchen brand is best if you can get it.
Is there a substitute for liquid smoke? Don’t have that on hand and trying to stay home.
Hi Susan! It won’t have quite the same flavor but you could use smoked paprika, I’d start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste to your liking!
I’m allergic to cashews. Is there another “milk” product I can use in its place?
Yes, I would try canned lite coconut milk or soy milk. It needs to be a creamy one for it to turn out right.
Hi,
We are just embarking on our vegan food journey. This is def a recipe I am going to make but I wondered what to serve it with that would also be vegan? Would you have a few suggestions?
Thanks so much.
Kelly
Hi Kelly, the beans are very filling and soup-like, so I typically serve it with a side of roasted broccoli or veggie medley. Any roasted veggies you like or steamed veggies would work! Or a salad, something simple.
How would you modify this recipe for an Instant Pot?
Hi Lauren, I’m so sorry I do not own an instant pot so I can’t give advice on that. But this recipe is honestly so very quick to make, it’s a fast recipe anyways.
As good as or better than Zoe’s! Thank you! I followed the recipe exactly, except that I found I didn’t have the flour, so I substituted corn starch. It was a big hit, and I plan to make it a little thinner and combine it with ditalini and baby spinach to make a soup. This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you for the amazing review Lisa, so happy you loved these beans!!
These did not turn out well for me unfortunately. I did use a couple different things though, so I’m not going to rate it because maybe they affected the outcome? I used almond milk rather than homemade cashew milk, and regular flour instead of rice flour. But they were just not thick or creamy at all, even after taking the lid off to reduce some of the liquid down. Bummer!
Hi Laura, yes, that is because you used almond milk. Almond milk is VERY watery, especially compared to homemade cashew milk that I use for this recipe. The homemade cashew milk is very creamy and thickens up extremely well as it heats and makes a world of difference, as you can see how thick and creamy they are in the photos. Make it that way and you’ll notice a big difference! I never use almond milk for sauces because of that very reason.
Incredible! They taste just like Zoe’s kitchen without all of the oil! The rosemary is divine. You’ve done it again!
Yay Amy, thrilled to hear that!! This is how my family feels too, especially my daughter, as we used to eat them all the time at the restaurant!
hello i was curious if we could use any different flour? im trying to reduce my waste by buying in bulk and bringing my own containers but the market by me doesn’t carry brown rice flour in bulk:(
dying to try this because i go to zoes nearly everyday and i love these beans but theyre like 90% oil;(
Hi, yes regular white flour should work fine!
Love, love, love this recipe. Made it for the first time today and can’t stop raving about it. Shared with my sister and niece who are strict vegans. Fantastic and easy to make. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Pat, thank you so much for the wonderful review!
Just found this recipe. What a flavorful recipe and so easy and I get to trim my fresh rosemary plant! Thank you so much….definitely a keeper!
Very nice dish, again! My husband was super into it, and the kids ate it, too. I’m constantly surprised at how many dishes where I thought oil would be absolutely essential, can actually be recreated beautifully (maybe even better) without it. We do like olive oil around here, but it’s great to have more cooked dishes that aren’t so oil-based. Our family randomly happened upon Zoe’s kitchen during a US road trip, and it felt amazing to have something that actually felt like real, healthy food on the road. I don’t think we had the beans — I think I remember having lentil dishes and lots of veggies and hummus — but this is still a fun reminder of those times.
Hi Thera, thank you so much for always taking the time to leave your wonderful reviews! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it! So happy this was such a hit! The restaurant version is good, but definitely has lots of oil and sodium and we love this one equally and it’s healthy to boot! Thank you for the feedback!
The hot sauce s pretty! Your photography is beautiful Brandi. I only have my Galaxy 7 phone for now. I have been reading about the settings in pro mode to help take better food photography.
Thank you so much Nicole! The great thing about photography is the more you practice the better you get, no matter what camera you use!
I love this- so many great comfort foods on here! The thing that’s so amazing is that it’s oil free… i’m guessing almost fat free… but anyway, the ability to chow down, go for seconds. Zero guilt.
Right now, I’m just not worrying about portion control but I know the scale has gone down a little anyway.
Once I get myself more organized, I can’t wait to make this and then do that zucchini recipe that I saw of yours… so I get some veggies in too. https://thevegan8.com/2015/08/03/lemon-italian-herbed-grilled-zucchini/
One thing- I think I messed up on the rosemary. Do you know what it might be? they seemed like they didn’t get cooked or something… like they weren’t really part of the dish or not softened, I guess. Is it that I didn’t mince them enough maybe?
(It’s probably an impossible question though to answer, lol.)
(actually, now I’m betting that I didn’t cook it on high enough temp. I’ll try to get a better fast boil/simmer going next time.) 😀
Thank you so much Allie! Fresh rosemary is very potent and should have somewhat of a bite, but shouldn’t be hard. If you prefer them really soft, I would chop them very fine and add them to the cooking at step 2, as opposed to the 3rd and that will make a difference!
I’m so happy you loved them!
Thanks so much for this tasty recipe. I have shared it (the link) with my FB group “Super Quick Plant-Based Recipes” https://www.facebook.com/SuperQuickPBRecipes/ where I like to feature PB websites that have recipes that can be prepared in 20 min. or less and with as few ingredients as possible! I think my group will love it AND your site!
These beans are OH_EM_GEE creamy and delicious! Best I have ever had. Thanks so much for posting this recipe. Like you, I have eaten beans at Zoe’s and lamented all the oil. This is now my go to recipe for white beans. I used great northern beans soaked and cooked in my Instant Pot, a tad more garlic because I love it, and homemade cashew milk in my Vitamix as you suggested. (I omitted the liquid smoke because I don’t like it.) I ate a double portion for lunch! Yum!
Oh yay!! So very happy you loved them so much Susan! Thank you for the kind words and great feedback, I really appreciate it!
These were A M A Z I N G!!! The rosemary and the liquid smoke takes this to a whole new level! I’m so glad found your website.
Wonderful Tanya! So very happy to hear you loved these so much. Thank you for the feedback!
Holy goodness these are amazing. Probably went to the top of my favorite side dish list.
Yay! That is awesome Jim. So happy you enjoyed them so much,thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback!
I made these and thought they were even better than Zoe’s Kitchen’s beans! Thank you for this recipe! It’a keeper.
Oh wow, thank you so much Lori! So glad to hear that!
These look amazing! I’m wondering how the recipe could be modified to sit in the slow cooker all day using dried beans? Thanks so much for taking the oil out!!
Hi Sarah! Thank you! I have no idea since I’ve only tried it the above way, since I created it to be a really fast dinner. I’m just not sure how much liquid or adjustments that would be needed in a slow cooker. Sorry! I really don’t use one of those.
These beans turned out really delicious! I accidentally only put 15 oz of beans, but the consistency turned out really well. It seems like it would be a great topping to mashed potatoes, as it tastes like gravy. This dish will become a staple in our kitchen!