Vegan bean butter: health benefits and an easy chef-inspired recipe

Veganism is no longer just a popular way of eating — it has become a global lifestyle trend. Growing awareness of animal welfare, personal health, and environmental sustainability has encouraged millions of people to choose plant-based foods.

Plant-based ingredients and recipes can provide excellent nutritional value, essential vitamins, minerals, and delicious flavors. The key is knowing how to prepare them properly and selecting high-quality ingredients.

One of the most nutritious and increasingly popular additions to a vegan diet is vegan bean butter — a creamy bean spread made from legumes, vegetable oil, herbs, and spices. This dairy-free alternative to traditional butter is rich, satisfying, and versatile.

Benefits of vegan bean butter

Replacing dairy butter with bean butter offers several important health benefits:

• Contains no saturated animal fats, helping support healthy cholesterol levels and reducing strain on the cardiovascular system;
• Supports healthy weight management. Beans are rich in complex carbohydrates that provide long-lasting fullness, while plant protein supplies steady energy throughout the day. They are also high in dietary fiber, which supports healthy digestion and nourishes beneficial gut bacteria;
• Naturally hypoallergenic. White beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peas, and lentils are generally well tolerated, making them suitable even for people with sensitive digestive systems;

Bean butter has a delicate, creamy texture with mild buttery notes and a neutral flavor. It is perfect as a spread for sandwiches, burgers, toast, and bruschetta. It can also be mixed with fresh herbs, garlic, and spices to create flavorful dips and appetizers.

How to make vegan bean butter

The original recipe is widely attributed to Chad and Derek Sarno, American chefs and culinary innovators known for promoting vegetarian and later vegan cuisine. They are the authors of The Wicked Healthy Cookbook, a collection of restaurant-quality vegetable and mushroom recipes.

The Sarno brothers recommend using white beans, as they create the smoothest and creamiest texture.

Ingredients:

• 200–250 g (7–9 oz) dried white beans;
• 50–60 g (about ¼ cup) cold-pressed vegetable oil;
• 1 lemon;
• 1 tsp salt;
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or a pinch of dried rosemary);
• Herbs and spices to taste;

Rinse the beans thoroughly and soak them in cold water for 8–9 hours. Drain, rinse again, cover with fresh water, add the rosemary, and simmer until tender (approximately 2 hours).

Pour boiling water over the lemon, cut it in half, and squeeze the juice from one half. Mix the lemon juice with the vegetable oil. Mild oils such as extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, or corn oil work best because they do not overpower the flavor. Blend the cooked beans together with the lemon-oil mixture until perfectly smooth. Add the salt, blend once more, and refrigerate for 1–2 hours before serving.

Season with your favorite herbs and spices if desired. Fresh garlic, black pepper, smoked paprika, dill, parsley, or thyme all complement the mild flavor beautifully.

The quality of the vegetable oil significantly affects both the flavor and nutritional value of vegan bean butter. Cold-pressed oils retain more natural nutrients, antioxidants, and aroma than refined oils. Fresh cold-pressed oils can easily be produced at home using a quality oil press, a pressing barrel (mold), and premium oilseed crops.

CraftOil equipment and seeds for homemade cold-pressed oils

CraftOil supplies professional equipment and premium raw materials for producing natural vegetable oils at home or on a commercial scale. Our catalog includes certified hydraulic oil presses in various capacities, complete with everything required for efficient oil production, along with carefully selected oilseeds, nuts, herbs and spices.

For home production, popular options include 20-ton channel hydraulic press, 20-ton plate hydraulic press, 30-ton disassemblable hydraulic press and 30/30-ton hydraulic press.

For small businesses and commercial oil production, we offer 50-ton Ukrainian hydraulic press, 50-ton Italian hydraulic press, 70-ton Austrian hydraulic press or 50-ton Combo hydraulic press.

The Ukrainian model can be upgraded with additional components to increase productivity and meet growing production demands.

CraftOil also offers premium-quality ingredients for homemade oils and vegan recipes, including  sesame seeds (2 varieties), mustard seeds (3 varieties), white amaranth, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds (hulled and in-shell), sunflower seeds (kernels and in-shell), hazelnuts, peanuts and a wide selection of herbs and spices. Using high-quality cold-pressed oils together with premium ingredients allows you to prepare flavorful, nutritious vegan bean butter and many other healthy plant-based recipes.

Contact CraftOil today to learn more about our equipment and products, and our specialists will help you choose the ideal hydraulic press for your needs.