Beans had a conspicuously good year. As gut health, fibre and the slow reckoning with ultra-processed food dominated food chat in 2025, pulses kept turning up as the sensible answer hiding in plain sight. Not flashy, not new, but quietly doing exactly what we’ve been told to want: feeding our guts, filling us up and asking very little in return. And as Veganuary looms and the post-Christmas bloat makes itself known, they feel less like a trend and more like common sense catching up.
Beans work because they solve several January problems at once. They’re naturally plant-based, deeply comforting and cheap enough to make “eating better” feel achievable rather than performative. Heart UK puts it plainly: “Cholesterol-busting beans are packed with goodness, and the evidence is strong,” noting that just four servings a week can make a real difference to heart health. Diabetes UK highlights their low glycaemic index and high fibre content – good news for blood sugar, digestion and that sluggish, overfed feeling many of us know too well by now.
Then there’s the long view. Professor Tim Spector has described beans as “incredibly high in protein and fibre” and “really good for the planet”, praising their anti-inflammatory benefits and their knack for making food taste better rather than worse – a rare feat in January eating.
Which brings us to these five recipes. Smoky barbecue beans, silky white-bean hummus, fennel-spiked cannellini dishes and Mediterranean butter beans that earn their place on toast. Proof that beans aren’t about denial – they’re about eating well, properly, and carrying that habit beyond January.
Quick-fire BBQ beans
This quick and easy recipe is far greater than the sum of its parts. Its smoky, spicy, rich flavours really hit the spot, leaving you sated and – dare we say it – happy.
Ingredients:
A little oil (unless you are using a non-stick pan)
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 green chilli, chopped finely (seeds left in if you like the heat)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
¼ tsp oregano
¼ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
75g barbecue sauce
Spring onion, chopped to garnish
Method:
1. Heat a non-stick saucepan on a medium-high heat. If you don’t have a non-stick pan, use a little oil.
2. Add the onion, chilli and garlic to the pan, then the herbs and spices, the pepper and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes. Keep stirring.
3. Splash in a little bit of water (or beer!) to loosen it up and sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Add the beans and barbecue sauce to the pan. Add 50ml of water and bring to the boil. Cook on a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Splash in a little more water if it looks like it is drying out or going to stick.)
5. Remove from the heat and serve on a big hunk of toasted wholemeal bread.
Recipe by Derek Sarno
Greens and beans with paprika
This is the perfect pick-me-up after a big night out or whenever you are in need of something nourishing for body and soul. And don’t panic by the amount of greens with your beans! They really shrink down so you’ll get all the goodness without the bulk.
Ingredients:
150g spring greens (or collards or Savoy cabbage), rinsed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, diced (seeds removed unless you want more heat)
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1½ tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
100g baby spinach
Handful parsley, chopped
Method:
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the chopped greens, then immediately remove the pan from the heat, and let the greens stay in the hot water, gently cooking. Set the pan aside.
2. Meanwhile, mix the garlic, red chilli and chopped tomato in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat a little olive oil in a large pan on the hob, ensuring the bottom of the pan is coated. Add the onion and beans, then the tomato purée, smoked paprika, salt and pepper and half of the chopped tomato. Cook, stirring even now and then, until it starts to brown and stick to the pan – about five minutes.
4. Then add 125ml water, bring to the boil, lower the heat and let simmer for another 4-5 mniutes. Remove from the heat and pour the beans into a separate dish. Set aside.
5. Drain the greens, squeezing out any excess water. Set aside.
6. Now, put the saucepan you cooked the beans in back onto the heat (no need to clean it!). Add a little more olive oil, the remaining tomatoes, garlic and chilli, and some more salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or two, then add the drained greens. Sauté for a few minutes, adding 2 tablespoons of water.
7. Add the spinach to the pan, and let it steam for a few minutes, stirring, until the spinach has wilted. Load the greens and then some beans onto toasted malted bread. Sprinkle with parsley.
Recipe by Derek Sarno
White beans and fennel with harissa
Well, this is rather fancy and yet it can be in your belly in under 15 minutes. The gentle Italian flavours combine with the kick of harissa to create a heartwarming plate of feel-good fare.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 bulb fennel, chopped into small pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans
100ml vegetable stock
Handful spinach
Handful parsley, chopped
1 tsp vegan butter
2 tbsp harissa sauce
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onions and fennel. Add some salt and sauté over a medium-high for 5-6 minutes, stirring every now and then, until both are softening. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
2. Add the beans to the pan along with the stock and bring it to a simmer for 4-5 minutes until the fennel is soft and most of the water has gone.
3. Remove from the heat, add the spinach to the pan and cover it again until the spinach has wilted. Add the parsley and vegan butter.
4. Load it onto your toasted sourdough bread.
5. Dollop a good tablespoon of harissa paste on top.
Recipe by Derek Sarno
White bean hummus
Oh look! We’ve gone leftfield! There are so many different ways to create beans on toast and we believe that rustling up a tasty, tangy, home-made dip is a scrumptious act of self-care. It takes just moments to make so you can put your bagel in the toaster and have the dip ready by the time it pops.
Ingredients:
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp tahini
¼ tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Method:
1. Put all the ingredients except the parsley into a blender and blend, adding a little water if you need a looser consistency.
2. Spread onto your toasted bagel and scatter the parsley on top.
Recipe by Veganuary
Mediterranean butter beans
The richness of the sundried tomatoes with the saltiness of the olives takes this version of the beans on toast classic to next-level soul food. Stay with the theme and serve the beans on top of toasted olive bread, focaccia or ciabatta.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and diced finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp sundried tomato paste
2 tbsp green olives, sliced
100ml vegetable stock
Pinch black pepper
1 tbsp basil or dill, chopped
Method:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan, and add the onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes, then add the garlic and chilli flakes, and cook for 2 minutes more.
2. Stir in the butter beans, sundried tomato paste, olives, vegetable stock and black pepper. Cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, then load onto your toasted bread and top with fresh herbs.
Recipe by Veganuary
