As a kid, I used to hate fava and vigorously protested whenever my mom tried to make me eat it. Although I regret every single bite I missed out on for lack of good gustatory senses, I am very happy to have fallen in love with fava beans in my 20s. Vegan fava bean puree is one of those recipes that you can enjoy every season. Serve it hot or cold, in whichever shape you like. This dish is a favorite at Turkish tea parties, where women usually serve it in creative shapes thanks to fava beans setting very easily.
While vegan fava bean puree is fairly easy to make, you want to pay close attention to quantities of each ingredient. Think of this one as more of a baking project where seemingly small changes can make a huge difference. For example, the first time I made it, there was way too much water and it turned into a nice thick bean soup. Tasty, yes; but not quite what I was going for. Assuming you don't want to have to experiment, I will show you step by step how to get it right on the very first try.
Vegan Fava Bean Puree: Tips to Get it Perfect
This recipe is very easy. You don't even have to do much chopping. Above photo shows how I simply quartered the onions. Just add the beans, onions, garlic, lemon juice & zest, white pepper, and salt to water at this stage.
Above photo shows how mushy it's supposed to look after cooking. Give it a taste and if anything is less than creamy, keep cooking.
I could mash the whole thing with a potato masher, or even a fork, but for faster results, I just put it through the blender.
In Turkey, it is common to serve "fava" as squares on a mezze table. But I've seen it set on cake molds, muffin tins, and a variety of different shapes— so feel free to get creative! Check out Seasonal Cook in Turkey's recipe post of fava to get an idea for what it can look like.
*Make sure to thoroughly oil the pan so that the set fava can slide right out.
Above photo shows what it looks like after pouring all the mixture in. This side doesn't have to look pretty since we will turn it upside down after cooling.
Make sure to cool it for at least 3 hours in the fridge. The longer it has to set, the better. Just be patient. (I know that is easier said than done... so I usually end up eating the leftovers from the blender.)
This Recipe is...
- Creamy
- Savory
- Flavorful
- Versatile
- Easy-to-make
- So delicious
Optimizing Nutrition for Vegan Fava Bean Puree
With a whopping 50%+ of your daily recommended fiber intake, it is hard to give this recipe a bad mark on nutrition. However, you can try the following to make it even healthier:
- If you'd like to avoid refined sugar, try going with maple syrup or better yet, date or sweet potato syrup to sweeten it.
- Unless you are using a rubber mold, the oil to coat the pan is essential. You can remove the olive oil that goes into the recipe itself, but it will taste a bit more grainy.
Serve This Recipe Alongside:
To throw a mezze party, make the following to accompany in the spread:
- turkish roasted eggplant dip
- vegan turkish carrot dip: havuç tarator
- mediterranean vegan tahini dip: hibeş
- red pepper and walnut spread: acuka
Turkish Fava Bean Puree with Dill
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Try this Turkish vegan fava bean puree that sets to whichever shape you prefer! This creamy bean puree is also gluten-free & nut-free, with an oil-free option.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried fava (broad) beans, peeled (similar to this one)
- 1 medium onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil (plus more to oil the pan)
- 4 ¼ cups water
- sprigs of dill to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with the specified amount of water and add the fava beans, onion, garlic, lemon juice, zest, white pepper, and the salt.
- Bring to boil, skimming the foam as needed.
- Reduce heat then cover the pot to cook for 30 minutes. The beans must be thoroughly cooked and mushy as shown in the photo above. Therefore cook for longer if needed.
- Remove from the stove and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar, then either mash with hands or put it through the blender / food processor.
- After thoroughly oiling the pan in whichever shape you'd like fava to set to, pour it in then cool at room temperature. Once cooled, cover and chill in the refridgerator for at least 3 hours.
- Cut up and serve with sprigs of dill and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- If all you have available near you are unpeeled fava beans, there still may be a way of making this dish. I would suggest the following: soak the beans overnight and boil them for 10 minutes—until each bean is peelable. Proceed to peel off the skin of each bean, and cook according to the recipe—except add only 2 cups of water instead of 4 ½.
- You can also add the dill into the puree itself. Slice the dill finely, then add it after putting the mixture through the blender, unless you want the end result to turn green. Gently mix the sliced dill in.
- In Turkey, it is common to serve "fava" as squares on a mezze table. But I've seen it set on cake molds, muffin tins, and a variety of different shapes— so feel free to get creative!
- It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days
- If you want a thin texture that will not set, mainly a thick soup, use x1.5 more water and salt to taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 3.25 hours resting)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, Turkish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 7.4 g
- Sodium: 299 mg
- Fat: 7.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.3 g
- Fiber: 13.1 g
- Protein: 13.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: fava bean puree, how to cook fava beans, vegan fava beans
Sherry S.
Hello,
I just made this today--it is currently setting. It was my first fava bean recipe ever, and I was a bit disappointed to learn 2+ hours into cooking that I should have soaked the fava beans first for 12+ hours. After 2 1/2 hours of cooking, I transferred the whole thing to a pressure cooker for another 40 min before it finally got soft enough to puree.
Can you address what kind of beans you used, peeled or not, and if there is a soaking period beforehand? I bought whole medium fava beans at my local Mediterranean market. That would be so helpful! Thank you.
Gonul
Hi Sherry, I've now updated the exact type of fava beans used for this recipe. Unfortunately, the variety you've used was unpeeled as noted in our email exchange which must have resulted in that unpleasant texture and flavor at the end. I hope you give it a try again with the peeled variety! Best,
Gina
I made this recipe using an instant pot & it came out really well! I also purchased the beans with the skin on and next time I'll make sure to get the peeled kind, the beans have an unpleasant smell when you peel them. This recipe was still a win for the fiber content and also the creamy taste! It tasted fine after sitting in the fridge for 3 hours but it was so much better the next day.
Thank you for posting this recipe, your blog is so helpful!
★★★★★
Gonul
That is great to hear! I haven't tried it with an instant pot yet so that is very helpful--it must have cut down the cooking time considerably. I'll make sure to update the post. I know what you mean about the unpleasant smell... hopefully you'll find the readily peeled kinds near you easily! Middle Eastern grocery stores tend to carry a variety of fava beans: large, small, peeled etc.; Amazon in the US carries it too but it's much more expensive that way. This mezze is certainly better the next day as you observed as well!
Thanks for your kind words, much appreciated!