Kidney beans simmered and half-crushed with walnuts, coriander, and Georgian spice — served in clay with cornbread.

Where does Lobio come from?

Lobio is a Georgian dish from Racha, Georgia.

Can Lobio be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Lobio recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Lobio take to make?

About 55 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Recipe

Name: Lobio
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 4 cups kidney beans, cooked (or 3 cans); 2/3 cup walnuts, ground; 1 large onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp blue fenugreek (or regular); 1/2 tsp marigold (or turmeric); 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 cup total cilantro + parsley, chopped; 3 tbsp neutral oil; for 4 mchadi (cornbread) or crusty bread, to serve

Asia → 🇬🇪 Georgia → Racha

Lobio

Georgian · easy · serves 4

prep 15 min · cook 40 min

~718 cal · 38g protein · 113g carbs · 12g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Clay pot of thick bean stew with herbs and cornbread

🇬🇪 Racha

Racha’s mountain valleys grow the beans all Georgia praises, and lobio is their destiny — thick, herbal, faintly sour, eaten straight from the ketsi clay pot with mchadi cornbread. The walnut thickening is old Georgia in one gesture.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

4 cups kidney beans, cooked (or 3 cans)

•

2/3 cup walnuts, ground

•

1 large onion, diced

•

4 cloves garlic

•

2 tsp ground coriander

•

1 tsp blue fenugreek (or regular)

•

1/2 tsp marigold (or turmeric)

•

1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar

•

1 cup total cilantro + parsley, chopped

•

3 tbsp neutral oil

•

for 4 mchadi (cornbread) or crusty bread, to serve

Instructions

Soften the onion in oil; add garlic and the spices for 1 minute.

Add the beans with a cup of their liquid and simmer 20 minutes.

Crush about half the beans against the pot — lobio should be thick enough to stand a spoon in, but never smooth.

Stir in the ground walnuts and vinegar; simmer 10 more minutes.

Fold in the herbs off the heat. Serve hot in bowls (clay if you have it) with cornbread and pickled peppers.

Rachan bean-country tradition.

Ratings & reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Racha. Mountain valleys famous across Georgia for their beans.

🗺️

Georgia. A Caucasus wine country with a bread you eat like a boat.

🌍

Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →