A Creamy, Dreamy Black Bean Dip

A can of beans, a few ingredients and ten minutes later you get a creamy, dreamy black bean dip that’s greater than the sum of its parts. 

Think my classic hummus, swap garbanzo beans for black beans and lemon for lime. 

Ingredients: black beans, tahini, lime, garlic, cumin, salt, olive oil. 

I’d never call it black bean hummus cause hummus literally means garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and none of those in here. But I ain’t a culinary purist so if ya wanna think of my black bean dip as black bean hummus, you do you. You can even think of it as my tahini sauce with beans, swap lemon for lime. 

Black beans have a stronger, earthier flavor than the milder and nuttier garbanzo beans, lime is sharper and brighter than lemon, cumin brings warmth and the dip is better than it should be.  

Love hosting, with all the colorful dips, in every color of the rainbow. Not one of my more colorful dips but def one of the easiest to make.

I used canned black beans. Remember to wash your canned beans. The thick canning liquid they come in can have a metallic flavor and we don’t want any of that in our fresh dip. Obvi dried beans work too. 

Make Ahead: This black bean dip keeps 3–4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. 
Tip: to help maintain freshness, pour a very thin layer of extra-virgin olive over the top of the dip when refrigerating then stir the oil back into the dip before serving.

Print Recipe

Black Bean Dip

A creamy, dreamy black bean dip that comes together in one blender and ten minutes. Black beans, tahini, lime, garlic, cumin, salt and olive oil. That's it - and it's much better than it should be.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Condiments, Snack

Cuisine: Californian

Servings: 6

Author: Daniela Gerson

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• ½ cup tahini
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons ice water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Instructions

• Rinse and drain the black beans under cold water.
• Add the black beans, tahini, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt to a food processor or blender.
• Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
• Serve topped with fresh avocado, chives, cilantro, flaky salt, an olive oil swirl, or anything else your heart desires.

Notes

Make Ahead: This black bean dip keeps 3–4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. 
Tip: to help maintain freshness, pour a very thin layer of extra-virgin olive over the top of the dip when refrigerating then stir the oil back into the dip before serving.

More Colorful Dips

Think of this as your dip playground, very hummus heavy.

• Beet Hummus – a vibrant, earthy roasted beet hummus that's marvelously magenta.
• Carrot Hummus – a bright carrot hummus that works beautifully with every color of the carrot rainbow.
• Black Hummus – a dramatic hummus made with black tahini for a richer, nuttier, more intense flavor.
• Butternut Squash Hummus – roasted squash adds a seasonal sweet-and-savory twist to classic hummus.
• Hummus Without Tahini – classic hummus, minus the tahini – call it what you want.
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus – classic hummus gets a sweet, smoky, orange-ish red upgrade with roasted red peppers.
• Green Tahini – a bright, herby tahini sauce that goes on everything.
• Tahini Sauce – the classic Middle Eastern condiment, rich, creamy, and nutty.
• Labneh – a two-ingredient, tangy yogurt cheese you'll want to put on everything.
• Muhammara – a sweet, sour, smoky, spicy roasted red pepper and walnut dip.

If ya tried this black bean dip, I'd love to hear – leave a comment below and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too!

There's a whole lot more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides waiting for ya on the site.

Let's make waves in the kitchen.