What I love about Spiced Beef and Butter Bean Hummus Dip
This Spiced Beef and Butter Bean Hummus Dip is absolutely irresistible! Personally, I love snacking on hummus—whether it’s with bread, crackers, or crisp vegetables. Not only does it pack a punch of flavor, but it also delivers a satisfying dose of protein, making it a consistent winner in my kitchen.
Recently, after noticing the rise of butter beans in food trends, I decided to give them a try. As a result, I crafted a butter bean “hummus,” and wow—what a delicious surprise! The beans whirl into a smooth, silky, buttery base, which serves as the perfect foundation for this creative appetizer.
From there, I layer on savory spiced ground beef, sweet roasted yams, tangy feta cheese, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Together, these flavors create a dynamic and mouthwatering dish that now ranks high among my favorite appetizers to serve to guests.
If you’re hosting a group of adventurous foodies, this dip is a must-try. In fact, it often outshines more familiar options like chicken wings or french fries, earning rave reviews from true food lovers. My husband and I even enjoy it as a light dinner—it’s that satisfying!
And if butter bean hummus isn’t your thing? No worries—feel free to substitute chickpeas for a more traditional hummus flavor. Either way, this dip is a showstopper!
Recipe Notes
A few things to keep in mind:
- Butter beans – Canned butter beans make up the bulk of the butter bean hummus. They are a type of white bean that is very soft and smooth. You can buy these as most grocery stores in the canned bean section! White cannellini beans could work as well.
- Olive oil – I recommend using a good quality extra virgin olive oil for this.
- Tahini – Tahini is usually found with the nut butters at the grocery store. If not, check your local health food store!
- Onion – I like to sauté a bit of white onion with the beef for added texture and flavour. You could also use shallots, yellow onion or purple onion here as well. All would work.
- Yams – The yams add an important element of sweetness to this otherwise very savoury dish. You can use either yams or sweet potatoes.
FAQ:
Yes! You could also use white cannellini beans. They would be a fitting substitute.
There are other ways of making this dip without a food processor, however a food processor will be the easiest way to go! A high-powered blender would work, but you may have to scrape down the sides quite a few times. You could also use a large mortar and pestle but this would be a little more time consuming.
Yes! The bean dip base can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving to make it easier to spread. The beef and yams can be made up to 4 days in advance. Reheat gently on the stovetop in two small fry pans, or in the microwave, when ready to serve.
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days if it was not made ahead of time. Or, up to 3 days if it was made and stored in advance.
Yes, you can substitute the ground beef with ground plant-based “meat” and use vegan feta cheese instead of regular feta.
This dip is also really delicious with corn tortilla chips! Or, try fresh veggie sticks for a lower carb option.
Spiced Beef and Butter Bean Hummus Dip
Equipment
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
For the butter bean hummus:
- 1 398ml can butter beans rinsed and drained
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For the spiced beef:
- 1/2 cup white onion diced
- 3/4 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
For the toppings:
- 1 cup yams (or sweet potatoes) peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
- avocado oil for roasting
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1-2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
- naan bread for serving
Instructions
- Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400F and add the sweet potatoes to a baking sheet
- Drizzle with avocado oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat the potatoes/yams.
- Roast the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until soft.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, make the hummus: add the butter beans, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, paprika and black pepper to a food processor and blend on high speed until smooth. Set aside.
- Make the spiced beef: in a cast iron or stainless steel pan, add a drizzle of avocado oil and the diced white onion and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute or until slightly softened.
- Add the ground beef and cook along with the onions, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
- Sprinkle on the paprika, salt, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and cayenne and toss the beef to coat in the spices.
- Plate the appetizer: spread the butter bean hummus in a thin layer on a large plate or small serving platter. Top with the spiced beef and roasted sweet potatoes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and feta. Serve with warm naan bread and enjoy!
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