I will admit that although I adore Mexican food, I do not routinely eat refried beans. Nor do I ever crave baked beans, although there is definitely a time and place for baked beans with bacon and cornbread. I mention all this to give weight to the claim that I’m about to make regarding this fermented bean dip: This is a really, really tasty way to eat beans. Take it from a bean skeptic- this stuff is really good.
This recipe begins from dried beans, so allow time for the soaking and simmering! If you don’t already have whey on hand, click down to the “how to make whey” section and start there, as that can take a couple days as well. When you’ve got all your different elements ready to go, the dip comes together very quickly. Three days of fermentation result in a flavorful and tangy dip that you’ll come back to again and again.
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Tools & Equipment for Fermented Bean Dip
- Food processor
- Saucepan with lid
- Jar or other airtight container
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients for Fermented Bean Dip
- Beans of choice: I’ve used kidney beans here. You can also use black beans, pinto beans, or white beans
- Whey: This is your starter culture. See below for how to make your whey!
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Salt: kosher salt or fine sea salt
The Process: How to Make Fermented Bean Dip
Soak and Cook Your Beans
Place your dried beans in a small bowl and cover the beans with warm water. If you’ve chosen black beans, add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Leave the beans in a warm place to soak for 12-24 hours.
After soaking, drain and rinse the beans and move them to a large pot. Add fresh water to cover the beans. Bring the pot to a boil and use a ladle or large spoon to skim off the foam that comes up. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 4-8 hours (check occasionally and add more water as needed).
When the beans are thoroughly cooked and very soft drain any remaining water and allow to cool. You can transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge when fully cool, or move on to make the dip right away!
Mix The Dip
Sterilize your jar: I do this by placing the jar in a clean sink and pouring boiling water over the entire jar. Use tongs to remove the jar to a clean towel on the counter and allow to cool until you can handle it by touch.
Peel and coarsely chop 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion. Also peel 2 cloves of garlic and set aside.
Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until well chopped, then add cooked beans, salt and whey and process on high speed until smooth and well blended.
Transfer the bean mixture to your prepared jar. Make sure there is about an inch of space between the bean paste and the top of the jar in case it expands a little during the fermentation process.
Ferment
Tightly cover your jar and leave to ferment at room temperature for about three days.
You may notice some small bubbles appearing throughout the jar after the first couple days.
After three days, transfer the fermented bean paste to the fridge (make sure it’s covered tightly).
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Make Whey?
Whey is the liquid that separates from dairy products (the curds are the solid, hence “curds and whey”.) Whey consists of water, proteins, enzymes, and beneficial bacteria. It is a highly effective starter culture, used by many to ferment a variety of foods. You have two easy options to extract your whey:
Extracting Whey from Plain Yogurt
This is the universally friendly option (I recognize that not everyone invests in many gallons of raw milk every month). Choose a decent quality, live culture plain yogurt and place two cups of it inside a cheesecloth. Tie the cheesecloth and hang it from a cupboard handle, with a bowl underneath to collect liquid. Let it hang for 4-8 hours, and then put the whey in the fridge.
Extracting Whey from Raw Milk
For those of us that DO make frequent trips out to the farm for our raw milk fix, this is an easy option, though slower than the yogurt one. Pour raw milk in a jar, loosely cover it and leave it to sit at room temperature. After 5-7 days, the solids and liquids will have separated. Pour the contents of the jar through a strainer to collect the whey.
Do I Really Need Whey?
If you already lacto-ferment other vegetables, like pickles, some of the liquid from those could be used as the starter culture in this recipe instead of whey (pickle juice may impart a unique flavor, though).
Otherwise, I do encourage you to include the whey. Some foods, like most fresh vegetables, do well being fermented with only salt. Other types of food, like fruits or beans, respond better to a starter culture. Whey also shortens the fermentation time and prevents the dip from becoming unbearably salty. All things considered, I think using whey is the best way to be successful with this dish.
Why Include Fermented Foods?
Lacto-fermentation is an ancient method of preserving food. The fermentation process also can make foods more digestible & more nutrient-rich, and lacto-fermented foods are rich in prebiotics & probiotics. The lactic acid bacteria that grow when we ferment foods are great at improving gut health (source below). If you already use a probiotic supplement, consider including fermented foods: they typically include even more strains of beneficial bacteria.
For more on the health benefits of fermented foods, check out this article & this one.
How Should I Serve and Store Fermented Bean Dip?
Store in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.
My personal favorite way to serve this dip is..as a dip! Dunk tortilla chips, pita chips, or fresh vegetables in and enjoy.
This bean dip also makes for a delicious side dish alongside Mexican dishes like quesadillas (or whichever Mexican style cuisine you prefer).
I also think that using this dip in place of the refried beans in a layered Mexican dip (the kind with cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, lettuce…) would be phenomenal. Remind me to try that one out soon!
Can I Add Other Seasonings to Fermented Bean Dip?
You absolutely can. This fermented bean dip is already flavorful on its own, but you can experiment with your favorite seasonings for sure.
Fermented Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried beans of choice eg kidney beans, black beans, white beans, pinto beans
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice only if using black beans
- 3 Tbsp whey
- 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 scant Tbsp fine sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
- Place your dried beans in a small bowl and cover the beans with warm water. If you've chosen black beans, add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Leave the beans in a warm place to soak for 12-24 hours.
- After soaking, drain and rinse the beans and move them to a large pot. Add fresh water to cover the beans. Bring the pot to a boil and use a ladle or large spoon to skim off the foam that comes up. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 4-8 hours (check occasionally and add more water as needed).
- When the beans are thoroughly cooked and very soft drain any remaining water and allow to cool. You can transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge when fully cool, or move on to make the dip right away!
- Sterilize your jar: I do this by placing the jar in a clean sink and pouring boiling water over the entire jar. Use tongs to remove the jar to a clean towel on the counter and allow to cool until you can handle it by touch.
- Peel and coarsely chop 1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion. Also peel 2 cloves of garlic and set aside.
- Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until well chopped, then add cooked beans, salt and whey and process on high speed until smooth and well blended.
- Transfer the bean mixture to your prepared jar. Make sure there is about an inch of space between the bean paste and the top of the jar in case it expands a little during the fermentation process.
- Tightly cover your jar and leave to ferment at room temperature for about three days.
- You may notice some small bubbles appearing throughout the jar after the first couple days.
- After three days, transfer the fermented bean paste to the fridge (make sure it's covered tightly).
- Enjoy!
Notes
Pin for Later:
What Should I Make Next?
Since you’ve got some whey on hand, why not try Fermented Fruit Salsa or Fermented Grape Soda?
For another ferment you can dip your favorite chip in, try Fermented Potato Cheese.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments! If you share on Instagram, please tag me at @sisuhomemaker. And I always love to hear from you- send questions, comments, concerns, etc to carol@sisuhomemaker.com!
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