Where all my chip ‘n dip fans at?! Oh, hello there. Come on over, get a little closer, and let me tell you about this spectacular roasted garlic-laden bean dip that doesn’t last a hot minute in our house.
With a family that doesn’t exactly jump up and down at the idea of a bowlful of hummus (I swear, some days I think I’m surrounded by heathens 🙃), this lighter take on the traditional chickpea dip is our answer. Naturally creamy cannellini beans ensure the texture is velvety smooth and a generous addition of caramelized roasted garlic turns up the volume on flavour, but in a mellow, “cool jazz” kinda way.
First, let’s talk roasted garlic. You could roast up just the amount needed for this or any other recipe, which isn’t a terrible idea if your oven will already be on for something else and you can just tuck one or two heads in there.
BUT, if saving time and energy sounds good to you – roasting several heads of garlic at a time is the way to go. You can either stash the extras in the fridge (they’ll last about 3 days) or freeze them for another day when you really want some roasted garlic, which could very well be tomorrow if you’re anything like me.
While your oven is on and your house is filling with the tempting aroma of roasting garlic, why not whip up some homemade pita chips, you multi-tasker, you. Heck, maybe you even have a tray of Greek-ish turkey, feta, and spinach meatballs in there too, rockstar.
These chips only take about 10-15 minutes in the oven and disappear faster than that every time, with or without the dip, so make extra.
Alright, so let’s recap:
Roasted Garlic ✔︎
Homemade Crispy Pita Chips ✔︎
Several People Standing Nearby At The Promise Of This Dip ✔︎
Now for the best part.
This silky smooth, addictive, and mild – but far from meek – bean dip that comes together with a handful of simple ingredients and minimal effort. Sounds dreamy, right?
And, when I say minimal effort, it’s thanks to a good food processor (I’m partial to Kitchenaid as a quality brand), or a powerful blender if that’s what you have. I have both options, but for foods like these, I get much better results using my food processor and would highly recommend investing in one if you’re still considering it. I utilize mine to make light work of tedious food prep, from fresh bread crumbs to shredding several carrots in a flash for our favourite carrot-apple muffins. I probably use it most often to make my date-based, no-bake “brownie bites” for kid-approved snacks and I know I couldn’t do it as easily or efficiently without my Kitchenaid food pro.
Which leads me to the hardest part about this recipe. Waiting for it to rest.
Do you HAVE to wait 30 minutes before you can eat it? No, of course not.
Who am I stop you?
I can’t even stop myself.
What I will say though, is that the flavours really do get better acquainted over time and would be worth allowing your dip the freedom to become its best self. Oh, and for what it’s worth, this one tastes better at room temperature too. Just sayin’.
Besides with chips, this dip doubles as a spread and would elevate any sandwich or your avocado toast to the next level. I even swooped up the last little bit of it from my dinner plate recently with a couple bites of roasted asparagus, and OMG! I quickly made a mental note of grilled veggies arranged on a cushion of this bean dip, casually laid out on a platter as a side for our next backyard gathering.
If you haven’t already noticed, I love this recipe. I love that my family enjoys it and I hope you do too.
Creamy Roasted Garlic Cannellini Bean Dip with Homemade Pita Chips
A spectacular roasted garlic-laden white bean dip that doesn't last a hot minute in our house. Complete with crispy homemade pita chips sturdy enough to take generous scoops of this silky dip that comes together in minutes with a handful of simple ingredients and of course, loads of perfectly roasted garlic.
Perfect Roasted Garlic
- 2 medium heads garlic ((feel free to roast more for other uses – it's addictive!))
For the White Bean Dip
- 1 398 ml can cannellini beans (no salt added), rinsed and drained ((can also use other types of white beans such as great northern beans or white navy beans))
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ((plus more for drizzling))
- ¾-1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice ((about 1 lemon))
- ¼ cup roasted garlic
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley ((plus more for garnish))
For the Homemade Pita Chips
- 1 300 g package whole wheat pita pockets
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Cut the top off each head of garlic, about a quarter of the way down the bulb – you just want to expose the inside of the cloves. You can either set the heads into a small roasting dish, or place them on a piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil then season lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, or simply wrap up the heads individually. Bake for one hour or until the cloves are soft and a deep golden, caramelized colour. Remove from the oven and once the garlic is cool enough to handle, take out the cloves by peeling away the papery skins, or simply squeeze the heads from the root end to squish out all that savoury yumminess.
Meanwhile, prepare the pita chips. Brush both sides of the pita with olive oil then cut each round into eight wedges. Arrange in a single layer on one or more baking sheets and season lightly with salt and pepper. Put the tray(s) into the oven to bake during the last 10-15 minutes of the garlic bake time. You can move the garlic to the bottom rack in the oven if needed. Remove the chips when they are golden and crisp. Let cool on the tray.
Into a food processor or high-speed blender add the cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and roasted garlic. Purée for 2-3 minutes or until the dip is creamy and smooth. If your appliance of choice is struggling with the contents, drizzle in a little more olive oil to get things moving.
At this point, check the seasoning and adjust the salt to taste. If you're keen to add more lemon, now would be the time. At this point add the parsley and pulse a few times just to the point the parsley is evenly distributed, otherwise you'll end up with a green-hued dip.
Transfer to a covered dish and allow the bean dip to rest for a least 30 minutes so the flavours get nice and happy. When ready to serve, drizzle with a good quality olive oil (that you've hopefully been using all along), and garnish with extra chopped parsley. I love adding extra cloves of the roasted garlic to one side of the bowl so that those who are true garlic lovers can scoop them up along with the dip.
Enjoy!
* Nutrition facts are an estimate and always calculated without the optional ingredients.
Please, drop me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you. Don’t forget to tag me @myfamilyfoodlife #myfamilyfoodlife so I can see your creations too!
xo
Gayle
My Family Food Life 
One response to “Creamy Roasted Garlic Cannellini Bean Dip with Homemade Pita Chips”
[…] completely from scratch – you virtuous angel, you – might I suggest whipping up a batch of my creamy roasted garlic cannellini bean dip in the same food processor bowl, right before you make the falafel mixture. You have to wash it […]
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