We’re living in a bean renaissance

With each year that passes, beans seem to be getting hotter. Back in 2024 I wrote about how beans were getting a glow-up, and their rise in popularity has continued unabated. As NPR explains, today bean cuisine reigns supreme. So what has driven this unprecedented interest in all things legume? As with anything these days, social media plays a role – and so does our pocketbook.

There is a corner of TikTok that features bean influencers, known as (naturally) BeanTok. Rancho Gordo’s Bean Club has a waitlist that numbers over 30,000. Speaking of Rancho Gordo, I haven’t heard any more about their cease-and-desist campaign against other beans clubs that we reported on several weeks ago – if anyone has an update, please leave a comment. But the fact that Rancho Gordo feels like they need to issue that kind of letter to other clubs underscores how popular beans have become.

What’s not to love about beans? They are a great source of both fiber and protein, the latter being the “it” ingredient of the moment. Health meets deliciousness; it’s a match made in wellness influencer heaven. Even better, beans are affordable. With the price of meat continually inching up, people are searching for cheaper ways to fill their bellies, and beans fit that niche perfectly. The icing on top is the fact that beans help replenish the soil when planted in rotation with heavy feeders like grains. It seems like there is no way to lose when it comes to beans.

The EYB Library contains several books that dive into this subject. The first five listed below are new since the last time I wrote about beans in 2024:

• Beans by Ali Honour
• One Pan Pulses / Beans: Creative Recipes Using Beans, Chickpeas and Lentils for Everyday Meals by Claire Thomson
• Pulse – Modern Recipes with Beans, Peas & Lentils by Eleanor Maidment
• Bangin’ Beans: 60 Vibrant Vegan Meals Powered by Plant-Based Protein by Sara Doig
• Bold Beanco – Full of Beans: Delicious Beany Recipes to Obsess Over by Amelia Christie Miller
• The Complete Beans and Grains Cookbook: A Comprehensive Guide with 450+ Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen
• Bean by Bean: A Cookbook: More Than 200 Recipes for Fresh Beans, Dried Beans, Cool Beans, Hot Beans, Savory Beans…Even Sweet Beans! by Crescent Dragonwagon
• The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans,\ from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen
• Greens & Beans: Green Cuisine with Peas, Lentils, and Beans by Anne-Katrin Weber
• Bold Beans by Amelia Christie-Miller
• Grist by Abra Berens
• Cool Beans by Joe Yonan. All of these books enjoy high ratings among EYB Members.
• Baking with Beans by Lina Wallentinson