Most people in Britain grab the same tin of baked beans without ever realising how many incredible varieties are out there waiting to be discovered. Beans and lentils are packed with protein, fibre, and nutrients that can seriously boost your health without breaking the bank.
From creamy butter beans to earthy black lentils, these humble ingredients deserve a much bigger place on British dinner plates. Here are 16 beans and lentils worth adding to your shopping basket right now.
1. Puy Lentils
Grown in the volcanic soil of Le Puy in France, these tiny dark-green lentils have earned a protected status — like champagne for pulses. They hold their shape beautifully when cooked, making them ideal for warm salads and hearty stews.
Unlike red lentils, they stay firm and slightly peppery, adding real depth to a dish. Try them with roasted beetroot and goats cheese for a meal that feels genuinely special without much effort.
2. Black Beluga Lentils
Tiny, glossy, and dramatic-looking in the pot, black beluga lentils resemble fish roe — hence the name. They pack an impressive amount of iron and antioxidants into each little bead, making them one of the most nutritious pulses you can buy.
Cooked simply with garlic and a splash of red wine vinegar, they transform into something restaurant-worthy. Most British supermarkets stock them, yet they remain oddly overlooked on weeknight dinner menus across the country.
3. Borlotti Beans
Speckled like a painter's canvas in shades of pink and cream, borlotti beans are a staple of Italian cooking that Britain has largely ignored. Once cooked, they turn a rich chestnut colour and develop a creamy, slightly nutty flavour.
They work brilliantly in minestrone, pasta e fagioli, or simply braised with olive oil and sage. Dried versions are easy to find online, and the flavour payoff over canned alternatives is genuinely worth the extra soaking time.
4. Mung Beans
Mung beans might be the most versatile pulse most British cooks have never used whole. Familiar as bean sprouts in stir-fries, the whole dried bean is equally impressive — soft, mild, and quick-cooking compared to many other legumes.
No overnight soaking is needed, which makes them a brilliant weeknight shortcut. Cook them with coconut milk, ginger, and turmeric for a warming dal that comes together in under 30 minutes and tastes wonderfully comforting on a cold evening.
5. Adzuki Beans
Sweet, small, and deeply red, adzuki beans are beloved across East Asia but barely register on British radar outside of Japanese desserts. They have a natural sweetness that makes them unusual among savoury pulses, yet they work just as well in hearty soups and rice dishes.
Rich in folate and magnesium, they are a quiet nutritional powerhouse. Try cooking them with a pinch of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey for a surprisingly satisfying, naturally sweet snack.
6. Chickpeas (Dried, Not Tinned)
Most Britons know chickpeas from hummus or the occasional curry, but cooking them from dried is a completely different experience. Dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and simmered slowly, become creamier and more flavourful than anything that comes out of a tin.
The cooking liquid — called aquafaba — can even replace egg whites in baking, making dried chickpeas a two-for-one ingredient. If you have never made hummus from scratch with home-cooked chickpeas, you are genuinely missing something remarkable.
7. Green Split Peas
Split pea soup has been warming people up since medieval times, yet somehow it has fallen off most British menus in favour of fancier options. Green split peas dissolve beautifully when cooked, creating a thick, velvety soup without any blending required.
They are also incredibly cheap and loaded with plant-based protein. A simple soup made with split peas, a smoked ham hock, and some onion is honest, satisfying food — the kind of meal that makes you wonder why you ever ordered a takeaway instead.
8. Urid Dal (Black Gram)
Dal makhani — that luxuriously creamy, slow-cooked lentil dish found in Indian restaurants — owes everything to whole black urid dal. These small black beans turn silky and rich after long, slow cooking, absorbing butter and spices in a way that feels almost indulgent.
Cooking them at home is deeply satisfying and far cheaper than eating out. The secret is patience: a low simmer for several hours unlocks a depth of flavour that simply cannot be rushed or faked with shortcuts.
9. Cannellini Beans
Silky, mild, and wonderfully filling, cannellini beans are the unsung heroes of Italian cucina povera — peasant cooking at its most delicious. Mashed with olive oil and garlic, they make a brilliant alternative to mashed potato.
Whole, they soak up broths and sauces with impressive enthusiasm.
Tuscan ribollita soup, built around cannellini beans and stale bread, is one of the most comforting dishes in European cooking. Yet most British households walk straight past them in the supermarket aisle without a second glance.
10. Red Kidney Beans (Cooked From Dried)
Everyone uses tinned kidney beans in chilli, but very few people bother cooking them from dried — which is a shame, because the result is noticeably better. Dried kidney beans require proper preparation: soaking overnight and a vigorous boil to neutralise natural toxins before slow cooking.
Once safely cooked, they are meatier, firmer, and far more satisfying than their tinned counterparts. The extra effort is modest, and the upgrade to your chilli, stew, or bean burger is genuinely impressive and worth repeating.
11. Butter Beans (Lima Beans)
Butter beans deserve far more love than they currently receive in British kitchens. Plump, creamy, and almost meaty in texture, they absorb flavours from whatever they are cooked with, making them endlessly adaptable across seasons and cuisines.
Slow-cooked with smoked paprika, leeks, and a splash of white wine, they become something genuinely luxurious. Mashed roughly and spread on toast with a drizzle of good olive oil, they rival avocado toast for satisfaction — and cost a fraction of the price.
12. French Green Lentils
Slightly larger than Puy lentils but equally firm when cooked, French green lentils are a bistro classic that translates beautifully into home cooking. Tossed with a sharp mustard vinaigrette and caramelised shallots, they make a side dish that outshines most vegetables on the plate.
They are also excellent cold the next day, making them perfect for meal prepping lunches. High in protein and fibre, they keep you full for hours — which is more than you can say for a sad desk sandwich.
13. Black-Eyed Peas
Black-eyed peas have a rich cultural history stretching from West Africa to the American South, where eating them on New Year's Day is said to bring good luck. Earthy, slightly smoky in flavour, and wonderfully filling, they deserve a regular spot on British tables year-round.
They cook faster than most dried beans and pair brilliantly with smoked meats, leafy greens, or tomato-based sauces. Finding them dried in the UK is easy — using them more often is the only challenge left to tackle.
14. Marrowfat Peas
Marrowfat peas are actually a British classic hiding in plain sight — the base of proper mushy peas, a chip shop staple that most people never think to make at home. Dried marrowfat peas, soaked with bicarbonate of soda overnight, cook down into something far superior to the tinned version.
Beyond mushy peas, they work well in thick soups and stews. There is something quietly nostalgic about cooking them from scratch — a small act of reclaiming a genuinely British food tradition worth preserving.
15. Moth Beans
Moth beans are a drought-resistant pulse grown mainly in India and rarely spotted on British shelves — which makes finding them feel like a small culinary adventure. Tiny and tan-coloured, they have a robust, earthy flavour that holds up well to bold spicing and slow cooking.
In Rajasthani cooking, they star in a dish called dal baati churma alongside crispy baked dumplings. Nutritionally impressive and wonderfully filling, moth beans are the kind of ingredient that makes you rethink what everyday cooking can look and taste like.
16. Chickpea Flour (Besan) From Whole Chickpeas
Technically derived from ground dried chickpeas, besan — or chickpea flour — unlocks a whole new world of cooking possibilities beyond the bean itself. Used across South Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, it makes crispy fritters, silky sauces, and the famous Provencal flatbread called socca.
Gluten-free and packed with protein, it is a brilliant pantry ingredient for almost everyone. A simple batter of besan, water, and spices transforms into golden pakoras in minutes — arguably one of the most satisfying snacks a British kitchen can produce on a rainy afternoon.
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