‘Bloody delicious’: Aussie chefs share their favourite way to use a tin of white beans

When we hear the phrase ‘pantry staples’, items like a packet of pasta, a bag of rice or a tube of tomato paste tend to spring to mind.

But when it comes to bang for your buck and versatility (not to mention health benefits), don’t discount the humble tinned white bean as a worthy contender for your supermarket trolley.

You can pick up a tin of butter or cannellini beans for as little as 95c (that’s at Aldi) and it’s not an exaggeration to say your meal options are endless.

But don’t take our word for it.

We’ve asked leading Aussie chefs and food icons Brendan Pang, Andrew Ballard and Vincent Yeow Lim – who are all part of the lineup of the 2026 Good Food & Wine Show – to share their favourite way to use the tinned white bean when they’re cooking at home.

Prepare to feel inspired (and hungry).

Brendan Pang

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Cook, author, content creator and Masterchef alum Brendan Pang agrees tinned beans are “cheap and incredibly versatile”.

“They bulk out meals beautifully, absorb flavour really well and make it easy to put together a filling dinner with whatever vegetables you already have in the fridge,” he tells nine.com.au.

Pang, whose culinary creations often celebrate the flavours of his Chinese-Mauritian heritage, particularly loves turning butter beans into a creamy Mauritian curry.

“I sauté onion, garlic and ginger, add curry powder and tomatoes, then simmer everything with coconut milk and the beans until they’re rich and comforting,” the Bumplings founder says.

“It’s an easy weeknight meal that feels really satisfying, especially served with rice or flatbread.”

Andrew Ballard

Beans are the “perfect kitchen bulker – in the best possible way”, if you ask chef, event leader and culinary strategist Andrew Ballard.

“Curry looking a bit sad? Add a tin. Vegetable soup a little thin and apologetic? Blend in a tin. Need a gluten-free stuffing for a roast chook? Crush some white beans with herbs, garlic, olive oil and a bit of lemon, then bung it in,” he says.

“They’re cheap, filling, healthy, and they make you look like you had a plan all along.”

As for his favourite way to use a tin when cooking at home, Ballard – the captain of the Australian Culinary Team – promises his dish is one “anyone who loves hummus is going to love”.

“Drain a tin of white beans, then throw them in a blender with garlic, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice. No need to get the scales out or pretend we’re trying to cook a recipe from the finals of Hell’s Kitchen, just add things a bit at a time until it tastes delicious,” he says.

The result: a lighter, smoother, creamier version of hummus.

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“Smear it on crunchy bread, spoon it beside roast vegetables, or, if you want to look like you’ve got your life together to impress your hungry masses, spread it on a plate under a slow cooked organic roast chook (the ‘bachelor’s handbag’ out of the hot box in the supermarket),” Ballard adds.

“Suddenly, a tin of beans has gone from ‘cupboard emergency’ to ‘restaurant adjacent’. Bloody delicious.”

Vincent Yeow Lim

Chef and restaurateur Vincent Yeow Lim – or Dimsimlim or ‘The Wolf of Wok Street’, as you might know him – praises tinned beans as a filling, affordable and “incredibly versatile” pantry staple.

“A tin of beans can turn a few basic ingredients into a proper meal,” Lim, whose culinary creations have earned him four million online followers, says.

Case in point: the simply yet delicious method he uses to take them from the tin to the plate.

“I love braising them with garlic, onion and a bit of stock. They’re great on toast, alongside grilled meat, or as a quick meal on their own.”

The Good Food & Wine Show (GFWS) will be held at the ICC in Sydney from June 19-21, then the PCEC in Perth from July 17-19, with more events to follow later in the year.