If you enjoyed my creamy harissa butterbean recipe, you are going to LOVE these creamy pesto butterbeans. This recipe was created using my kale cashew pesto recipe which is 10/10 so you know the flavor is delicious.

Here’s everything you will need to make these delicious creamy kale cashew pesto butter beans:

Canned/Boxed Butterbeans - Most major grocery stores sell canned butter beans. I recommend getting low/no-sodium butter beans that way you can control the sodium in this dish. This will also work with with other white beans such a great northern or cannellini beans.
Olive oil for cooking
Shallot or red onion

Garlic cloves or minced garlic
Canned, unsweetened, lite coconut milk or a milk of your choice - this will also work well with plain, unsweetened almond or cashew milk. If you use full-fat coconut milk, you will need to add either water or vegetable broth to thin the dish out
Nutritional yeast - this gives the dish a nutty/cheese-like flavor without being too overpowering
Garlic powder
Salt and black pepper

KALE CASHEW PESTO

Curly kale - I’ve also tried this with dino/lacinto kale but have to say curly kale is my favorite
Fresh basil
Garlic cloves
Nutritional yeast - you can also use dairy-free parmesan. My go-to brands for dairy-free parmesan are Follow Your Heart, Vio Life, and Simple Truth
Salt and black pepper
Cashew butter - store bought or homemade works. To make the cashew butter at home, at 1-2 cups of cashews to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth
Lemon juice or Apple Cider Vinegar
Olive oil
Water

Step 1: Make the Kale Cashew Pesto by adding curly kale, fresh basil, garlic cloves. nutritional yeast, cashew butter, lemon juice/apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and water to a food processor.

Step 2: Sauté the shallots and garlic until fragrant and add the butter beans, homemade pesto, lite coconut milk, and the seasonings. As a reminder, if you use full-fat coconut milk, you will need to add either water or vegetable broth to this the dish out

Step 3: Mix well and bring to a simmer so that the dish begins to thicken

Step 4: Once the stew has thickened to your liking, remove it from the heat and drizzle with additional lite coconut milk, and top with more homemade pesto and fresh basil leaves

If you give this recipe a try and be sure to let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment or tagging me on social media or leaving a review below!

This makes roughly 4-6 servings depending on you decide to portion it out!

Ingredients:

Kale Cashew Pesto

2 packed cups curly kale, washed and stems removed

2 cups fresh basil, washed and stems removed

3 garlic cloves

1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast or dairy-free parmesan

1 1/2 tbsp cashew butter

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 tbsp water

Salt and black pepper to taste (I recommend starting with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper)

3 tbsp olive oil

Remaining Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, minced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup kale cashew pesto (from above recipe)

1 1/2 - 2 cups canned lite coconut milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)

2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional but adds to the overall flavor)

Salt and black pepper to taste (I recommend starting with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper)

Instructions:

Prepare the kale cashew pesto:

In a food processor, combine kale, basil, garlic, nutritional yeast (or dairy-free parmesan), cashew butter, apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice), and water.

Pulse to break down ingredients. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your food processor.

With the processor still running, slowly stream in olive oil until a smooth paste forms.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, add more olive oil.

Set aside 1 cup to be used in the dish and as a topping. Refrigerate the rest in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Creamy Pesto Butter Beans:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots for 1-2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add butter beans, 3/4 cup kale pesto (remaining 1/4 cup to be used as a topping), and lite coconut milk (or non-dairy milk) starting with 1 1/2 cups. Stir to combine.

Mix in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast, if using. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut milk in 1/4 cup increments as needed.

Remove from heat once desired thickness is reached.

Serving Suggestions:

Drizzle with more lite coconut milk, and top with dollops of the remaining 1/4 cup of pesto, and fresh basil leaves

Serve as a main dish with toasted sourdough bread.

Use as a side dish paired with your choice of protein.