Lobio

Name: Lobio
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 bowls
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 500 g Kidney beans, cooked weight; 250 g dried soaked and boiled, or two tins drained, liquid kept; 2 medium Onion, finely chopped; 3 tbsp Neutral oil; 3 clove Garlic, crushed; 80 g Walnuts, finely ground; 30 g Coriander, fresh, chopped, stalks too; 1 tsp Ground coriander; 0.5 tsp Fenugreek, ground; or 1 tsp blue fenugreek; 0.5 tsp Chilli flakes; 0.5 tsp Paprika, for colour, standing in for marigold; 1 piece Bay leaf; 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar, to taste; 300 ml Water, bean cooking liquid topped up with water; 1 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper

ლობიო

Georgian red beans stewed with onion, garlic, walnuts, coriander and fenugreek, served warm with cornbread and pickles.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: ლობიო.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Rest: None
Total: 1 hr
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Lobio is Georgia's bean dish, and this is the hot, stewed version served in a clay pot. Red kidney beans are cooked until soft, then part-mashed and simmered with fried onion, garlic, ground walnuts, fresh coriander, ground coriander seed, fenugreek and a splash of vinegar until the pot is thick and the beans taste of the spices rather than just of beans. It should be deeply savoury and a little sour. Blue fenugreek, utskho suneli, is the Georgian spice; ordinary fenugreek is stronger and more bitter, so use less. Serve with mchadi cornbread or any crusty bread, pickled vegetables and raw onion.

What you'll need

15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 15 ready

4 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Kidney beans, cooked weight; 250 g dried soaked and boiled, or two tins drained, liquid kept500 g
Onion, finely chopped2 medium
Neutral oil44 ml
Garlic, crushed3 clove
Walnuts, finely ground80 g
Coriander, fresh, chopped, stalks too30 g
Ground coriander4.9 ml
Fenugreek, ground; or 1 tsp blue fenugreek2½ ml
Chilli flakes2½ ml
Paprika, for colour, standing in for marigold (optional)2½ ml
Bay leaf1
Red wine vinegar, to taste15 ml
Water, bean cooking liquid topped up with water300 ml
Salt4.9 ml
Black pepper2½ ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
If using dried beans, soak overnight, then boil in fresh water with the bay leaf until completely soft, 60 to 90 minutes. Drain and keep the liquid. Tinned beans skip this.
5 min
Step 2
Fry the onion in the oil over medium heat until soft and golden, 12 minutes. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
13 min
Step 3
Mash about a third of the beans roughly with a fork or pestle. Add all the beans to the onion with the bean liquid and simmer 10 minutes.
10 min
Step 4
Stir in the ground walnuts, ground coriander, fenugreek, chilli flakes, paprika, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes more, stirring, until thick and the spices have lost their raw edge.
10 min
Tip: Thicker than soup, looser than refried beans. Add liquid if it catches.
Step 5
Off the heat, stir in the fresh coriander and vinegar. Taste: it wants salt, sourness and a clear note of coriander. Adjust.
2 min
Step 6
Serve warm in bowls with cornbread or crusty bread, pickled vegetables and raw onion slices.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 395 kcal
Protein: 16.7 g
Carbs: 41.6 g
Fat: 20.1 g
Saturated fat: 1.9 g
Fibre: 14.2 g
Sugar: 4.5 g
Sodium: 652 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Tree nuts

Vegan
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Dairy-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Kidney beans → Borlotti or pinto beans
Different colour, same dish. Georgians use several local red bean varieties.

Tips

Grind the walnuts fine in a food processor or mortar; coarse pieces float rather than thicken.
Lobio improves overnight. Loosen with a little water when reheating.
Georgian shops sell khmeli suneli, the blended spice mix. A teaspoon of it replaces the coriander, fenugreek and paprika here.

History & culture

Everyday food in every Georgian home and the vegetarian anchor of the supra, the feast table. Eaten during Orthodox fasts, when meat and dairy are out, and on any Tuesday. Cold lobio with walnut paste and pomegranate is the other version. Lobio with pickled jonjoli flowers is a Tbilisi lunch.

Beans came to Georgia from the Americas by the 17th century and lobio, a word that simply means beans, replaced older pulse dishes. The walnut, coriander and fenugreek seasoning is the oldest layer of Georgian cooking and predates the beans by centuries.

Traditional — Blue fenugreek and dried marigold (Georgian saffron) are the proper spices and are not in the catalogue. Ordinary fenugreek at half the quantity and a pinch of paprika for colour get close.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Lobio take?

1 hr all in — 15 min prep, 45 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Tree nuts. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Saucepan, Frying pan, Mortar and pestle.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Kidney beans → Borlotti or pinto beans. Different colour, same dish. Georgians use several local red bean varieties.

Any tips from this recipe?

Grind the walnuts fine in a food processor or mortar; coarse pieces float rather than thicken. Lobio improves overnight. Loosen with a little water when reheating. Georgian shops sell khmeli suneli, the blended spice mix. A teaspoon of it replaces the coriander, fenugreek and paprika here.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Lobio improves overnight. Loosen with a little water when reheating. If using dried beans, soak overnight, then boil in fresh water with the bay leaf until completely soft, 60 to 90 minutes. Drain and keep the liquid. Tinned beans skip this.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.