What Are White beans and How Can I Use Them?

If white beans have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 110 recipes to try them in.

What are white beans?

Also check out our in depth articles on Dried Beans - A low-cost and healthy addition to your diet and Hill of Beans.

The small, white navy bean , also called pea bean or haricot , is particularly popular in Britain and the US, featured in such dishes as baked beans and even pies, as well as in various soups such as Senate Bean Soup.

Navy bean varieties include:

Great Northern beans
Rainy River
Robust
Michelite
Sanilac

Other white beans include Cannellini , a fairly popular variety in Central and Southern Italy which is related to the kidney bean and like the kidney bean has higher levels of the toxin lectin (Phytohaemagglutinin).

A notable Greek type of giant white beans exists, called yiyantes or gigantes. They are produced in a specific part of northern Greece (protected label) but can be found throughout the country.

Also check out our in depth articles on Dried Beans - A low-cost and healthy addition to your diet and Hill of Beans.

There are four main varieties of white beans.

Marrow beans, the largest and roundest of the white beans, are grown chiefly in the East but are popular throughout the United States in many types of bean dishes.
Great Northern Beans are very large and have a distinctive delicate flavor. They are grown in the Midwest US and are a favorite for baked bean dishes.
Navy beans, mainly grown in Michiga, are somewhat smaller than the Great Northern beans. They are used extensively by canners of pork and beans. Some producers do not differentiate between navy and pea beans.
Pea beans are the smallest of the white beans. They are in great demand in New England and along the Altantic coast of the US for use in Boston Baked Beans recipes.

Dried Bean Purchasing Guide

Dried beans should be clean, uniform in size and quality. Today dried beans are usually sold pre-packaged and a reliable brand will guarentee clean, uniformly sized beans.

1 pound, raw = approximately 2 1/3 cups

1 pound, cooked = approximately 6 cups

Storage

After opening the package place the unused beans in a clean, tightly covered container and store on the pantry shelf.

Kitchen shelf: 1 year

Refrigerator shelf, cooked, covered: 3 to 4 days

Refrigerator freezer, cooked beans and cooked bean dishes, prepare for freezing: 1 month

Deep Freezer, cooked beans and cooked bean dishes, prepared for freezing: 4 to 6 months

Basic Preparation

Packaged beans are usually sorted and washed before packaging, so need only be rinsed.

Bean bought in bulk should be sorted carefully, discarding broken and defective beans, and washed until the water runs clear.

It's a good idea to soak the beans to replace some of the water lost during the drying process.

In general, if directions are not given on the package, use the amount of water called for in the recipe; save the nutritious soaking water to use in cooking the beans.

There are two ways of soaking dried beans:

Quick method: Measure the soaking water into a large, heavy pot. Add the washed beans and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and cook for 2 minutes; remove from heat and let stand for one hour, then cook according to recipe directions.
Overnight method: Measure the soaking water into a large pot; add washed beans; cover pot, and let stand for 6 to 8 hours. To prevent souring and hard skins the two minute boil above is recommended even when the beans are soaked overnight.

Add one teaspoon of salt per cup of soaked beans. If ham, bacon or salt pork is to be added use a smaller amount of salt.

Always try to cook in the soaking water. Cover the pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer according to the recipe.

Stir carefully but not too often to avoid breaking apart the beans. When done they should hold their shape as well as be tender. Cooking time can range from 20 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on the type of bean and how long they have been stored.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (262g)

Amount per Serving

Calories 298Calories from Fat 6

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.8g 1%

Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%

Trans Fat ~

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 13mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 55.5g 19%

Dietary Fiber 13g 50%

Sugars 0.8

Protein 19.0g

Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 19% • Iron 44%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs.

recipeland.com/nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find white beans: White beans are usually found in the produce section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: White beans are a member of the Legumes and Legume Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese: 白扁豆
British (UK) term: White beans
en français: haricots blancs
en español: judias blancas

How much do white beans weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 cup	262 grams

Legumes and Legume Products

Beans 235 Beans with pork, canned 45 Beans, dried 19 Black beans 445 Black beans, dried 29 Great northern beans 58 Kidney beans, canned 128 Red kidney beans 519 Red beans 47 Navy beans, dried 26

Recipes using white beans

There are 110 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Pasta with Red Peppers, Greens, Beans, Garlic & Lemon Zest

Pasta with red peppers, escarole, white beans, garlic, and lemon zest. A bright, vegan Tuscan-inspired pasta bowl that's low-fat without feeling like a compromise. This dish stays true to simple Tuscan roots while delivering big flavor without added fat.

Summer White Bean Soup

Summer white bean soup with sauteed celery, swiss chard or kale, a splash of rice vinegar, and a hint of liquid aminos. Light, vegetarian, naturally high in fiber and gentle enough for warm weather.

Arcadian Eight Bean Chili

Arcadian eight bean chili packs six bean varieties, ground beef, bacon, and dried poblanos into a smoky simmered crowd-feeder. Cinnamon and coriander give this chili an unexpected depth.

Amazing White Bean Chilli

Delicious, savory winter-recipe ingredients that will surely satisfy are white beans and Oso Sweet Onions, an onion grown at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Onions are not only believed to be a cancer preventative, their low-salt, low-fat health benefits are the proactive equivalent to superhero powers.

Cheesy Gnocchi with Spinach & Beans

Italian gnocchi with spinach and white beans topped with melted mozzarella and Parmesan. Comes together quickly and hits all the right notes. An easy and delicious vegetarian dinner to make for your family.

Chard Panini with Bean Spread

These delicious panini is made with whole grain bread, spread with creamy yet tasty white bean spread, topped with swiss chard that's braised in a mixture of broth and wine. It fills you up, gives you all the nutrients you need, and satisfies your tummy.

Garlic Scape & White Bean Dip

Garlic scapes lift this bean dip into a seasonal, delicious and healthy beginning of summer dip.A fluffy and billowing fresh green colored dip with a velvety texture and mildly assertive green garlic warmth to wrap around any crudites of your choosing.

Caramelized Onion, White Bean & Cheddar Flatbread

Try this rectangular pizza, caramelized onion with white bean paste coated pizza dough, thinly sliced tomatoes and cheddar cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, let this homemade pizza colorful and delicious.

White Bean Soup with Broccoli Rabe & Kale

Light and tasty. Serve the soup with a few slices of garlic bread, delicious.

Broccoli Rabe (Rapini) & Pasta with White Bean & Anchovy Sauce

The pasta and rapini are tossed with a flavorful and creamy white bean and anchovy sauce. The ingredients are so inexpensive, but they create a delicious and wholesome meal.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wrap

Creamy avocado white bean wrap mashes white beans and avocado into a protein-rich spread, then layers in a smoky chipotle slaw of red cabbage and carrot. A no-cook, high-fiber vegetarian lunch.

Ukrainian Bean Soup (with video)

Learn how to make Ukrainian Sauerkraut Soup (Kapusniak) with White Beans. This variation is made even more hearty and comforting with the addition of white beans.

Old Fashioned Nova Scotian Baked Beans

Old-fashioned Nova Scotian baked beans: dried beans slow-baked for hours with salt pork, onion, molasses, and mustard into deep, sweet-savory comfort. The real Maritime tradition, from scratch.

Fennel, Zucchini & White Bean Pasta

Roasted fennel and zucchini are loaded with deliciousness. White beans not only give the dish protein boost, but also add some creaminess that's packed with health benefits. An easy and hearty dinner can be served within no time.

Roasted Cherry Tomato & Garlic Dip

Oven-roasted cherry tomato and garlic make this delicious dip absolutely addictive. Sweet, tangy and garlicky. You can dip some crunchy vegetables into it, spread it over the toast or toss it with some pasta. Heirloom or vine-ripe tomatoes work well too.

Tomatillo Pork Chili Verde Stew for Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

A Mexican twist for your slow cooker. Packed with flavor, lean pork in a tangy tomatillo sauce.

Congressional Bean Soup (Crockpot)

This savory bean soup made with ham, celery and parsley leaves is perfect served with a loaf of french bread on the side.

6 Bean Soup

The soup was delicious and easy to make. Ideal for cold winter days.

Bean Pasta Primavera

Spinach spaghetti tossed in a creamy white bean and roasted red pepper sauce with steamed broccoli, asparagus, and sun-dried tomato garnish. Vegetarian, vibrant, and satisfying.

Mediterranean White Bean Soup

Low-fat Mediterranean white bean soup with artichokes, black olives, potatoes, and Italian herbs. A hearty, naturally vegan one-pot soup with bold Mediterranean flavors.

Pasta with a Carrot Basil Sauce & Pine Nuts or Navy Beans

Angel hair pasta in a fresh carrot juice and basil sauce with pine nuts, lemon, and white beans. A creative, nearly fat-free vegetarian pasta with vibrant color.

Shaved Spring Vegetables & White Bean Salad

Shaved spring vegetables are crunchy and refreshing, and white bean absorb the flavor from the light and tasty vinaigrette. A well balanced spring or summer salad.

Fassoulatha or Bean Soup

Fassoulatha, the classic Greek white bean soup slow-simmered with olive oil, carrots, celery, and oregano. Vegan, hearty, and finished with a splash of white wine vinegar.

Good Luck New Year's Soup

Good luck New Year's soup: a hearty mix of black-eyed peas, lentils, and beans simmered low with smoky ham, tomato, and garlic until thick. The legume-packed pot that's said to bring prosperity in the new year.

Blackened Portobello-Mushroom Salad

Blackened portobello mushroom salad sears Cajun-spiced caps until deeply browned, then slices them over greens with white beans, tomato, red onion, and blue cheese. A hearty vegetarian steak-salad swap.

Superb White Chili with Chicken

Superb white chicken chili simmers white beans, tender chicken and sweet corn with tomatillos, green chilies and cumin, finished bright with lime and cilantro. A lighter, tangy take on chili with all the toppings.

Simplest Nachos (Vegan)

Simplest vegan nachos: baked tortilla chips with white bean spread, tomato, peppers, and onion. DIY-style, crisp chips, and everyone gets the toppings they love.

White Chili#4

White chicken chili with white beans, green chiles, poblano pepper, cumin, and oregano. A lighter, brothy chili loaded with garnish options.

White Beans, Greens & Sun-Dried Tomato Crosti

White Beans, Greens & Sun-Dried Tomato Crosti recipe

Bean & Pistou Soup

Bean and pistou soup with white beans, chicken broth, basil pesto, and Parmesan. Five ingredients, one pot, ready in 35 minutes. A Provencal-inspired weeknight soup.

Hearty Minestrone

Hearty minestrone: vegetable soup with leeks, potatoes, white beans, zucchini, orzo pasta, and spinach in chicken broth. Lighter weeknight take on the Italian classic in 30 minutes.

Ann's Garlic Bean Soup

Four-ingredient garlic and white bean soup made entirely in the microwave. Eight cloves of mellowed garlic, creamy pureed beans, vegetable broth. High-fiber, low-fat, vegan.

Robust Broccoli-Bean Soup

Broccoli and white bean soup with stewed tomatoes, oregano, rosemary, and Parmesan stirred in at the end. A hearty, Italian-inspired vegetarian soup ready in under an hour.

White Bean Cassoulet

A cassoulet is traditionally a rich, hearty stew of various meat (this recipe is vegetarian, but you can add meat if you prefer) and or beans with a mix of starchy and aromatic vegetables and herbs.

Easy Garlic Bean Soup

Easy garlic bean soup: white beans simmered with a whole head of roasted garlic and a sweet roasted red pepper. Five ingredients, naturally vegan, deep slow-cooked flavor.

Traditional Baked Beans

Traditional slow cooker baked beans made from dried white beans with molasses, brown sugar, salt pork, and Dijon mustard. Low and slow for 13 hours until thick and smoky.

My Super Baked Beans

Homemade baked beans slow-cooked for 7 hours with white beans, molasses, ketchup, dry mustard, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Old-fashioned, from-scratch Boston-style beans.

Portobello Paillards, Spinach, White Beans & Caramelized Onions Stew

Portobello caps breaded and pressed flat like paillards, piled onto a garlicky white bean and spinach stew with slow-caramelized red onions on top. A vegetarian main with real steakhouse presence.

Rosemary White Bean dip

A quick and easy white bean dip that’s ready literally in minutes.

White Beans

Pressure-canned white beans with ham hocks, brown sugar, chili sauce, and mustard. A classic batch canning recipe that fills your pantry with smoky, sweet baked-style beans.

Garden-Fresh Swiss Chard Pasta with Beans & Bacon

Discover a hearty one-pan pasta dish featuring garden-fresh Swiss chard—easy to grow yet underused. Sautéed stems and wilted leaves mingle with pasta, white beans, crispy bacon, garlic and rosemary (or oregano). Finished with Parmesan cheese for Italian flair.