Crushed broad bean bruschetta is so simple to make yet super satisfying. Double podded broad beans (fava beans) subtly flavoured with some lemon, olive oil & mint on top of garlicky sourdough toast. Heaven!
Out of all broad bean recipes out there this super simple broad bean bruschetta (posh way of saying broad beans on toast) must be a clear winner.
At the peak of their season broad beans (also known as fava beans) really don't need much to make your taste buds happy - little lemon juice, good extra virgin olive oil, some fresh mint and basic seasoning and you've got yourself a winner!
If, however, you wanted to take it one step further then serve them on toasted or griddled slice of sourdough bread rubbed with a little bit of garlic and you've got yourself Broad Bean Bruschetta!
Make sure to read my guide on How to Cook Broad Beans to prepare and cook your fresh broad beans (fava beans) to perfection and ready for making bruschetta!
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✔️ Why should you make it?
- Quick & easy broad bean recipe
- Vegan
- Makes easy yet impressive starter or appetiser
- Perfect for parties
- Fresh & seasonal
- Bruschetta topping itself can be prepared in advance
🥘 Ingredients
Broad Beans (Fava Beans) - To make enough bruschetta topping for 4 medium to large slices of sourdough, you'll need 250-300g of cooked broad beans or approx. 900g-1kg (9-10.5oz) of fresh beans in their pods and before double podding.
Lemon Juice & Zest - They bring lovely acidity and freshness to broad beans. You could skip lemon zest here if you wanted to but do add the juice. Lime juice would work really nice here as a variation too.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - It adds touch of its own lovely flavour and pairs so well with broad beans. You could skip it if oil-free but for me it's an essential addition.
Fresh Mint - As in my Broad Bean Dip I went for fresh mint as perfect pairing for broad beans. You could try other herbs like parsley, coriander (cilantro) or oregano if you really can't stand mint though.
Sourdough Bread - I went for sourdough as my toast of choice here but you could also go for sliced baguette or ciabatta (especially if you'd like to serve it as a small and portable party food).
Garlic - I don't add garlic to broad beans here at all, instead I rub it all over griddled or toasted bread. You'll be surprised how much garlic flavour you get from that.
Extras - I like my broad bean bruschetta in its unadulterated form but for a bit of variation you could mix crushed broad beans with roughly chopped avocado (make sure to use plenty of lemon or lime juice here straight away to prevent discolouration) or even mixture of broad beans and fresh peas.
🍽 Equipment
You don't need any special equipment here although I do swear by potato masher when crushing broad beans as it can be tricky to do this with just a fork (they are quite slippery).
As for toasting your bread I prefer doing it on the griddle pan or under the grill. It might take a bit longer then if you were using your toaster but bread is so much crunchier this way.
💭 Top Tips
- Double pod your broad beans! They're so much tastier and definitely much more appealing visually!
- Taste and adjust seasoning and the amount of lemon juice and mint to suit you.
- Potato masher is simply the best when it comes to getting those pesky broad beans crushed but make to leave some texture here and don't go for complete mush.
For something silky smooth check out my Broad Bean Dip instead. - Go to the effort of toasting your bread on the griddle or under the grill rather than in your toaster, it is so much nicer that way.
- For super garlicky flavour on your toast, make sure to cut fresh garlic clove in half and rub your griddled bread with the cut side of the clove.
- Use sourdough bread if you can and especially if you're serving bruschetta as a starter (it will serve 4 this way). For party finger foods, small baguette or ciabatta slices might work better and will stretch much further too.
🥡 Storing
As a whole broad bean bruschetta is best consumed as soon as you prepare it or within few hours as after a while toast will start going soggy.
I think it is definitely at its best when the toast is still slightly warm, although it is still delicious cold which makes it perfect for finger food type of snack at parties, BBQs etc.
If you have any leftover broad bean bruschetta topping, you can keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days no problem. Make sure to give it a good stir and bring back to room temperature before serving.
🍴 Serving Suggestion
Serve it as a stand alone starter before main meal. Follow it with my Vegan Tofu Fish (Tofish) or Spring Pean & Asparagus Risotto main course for summery dinner.
Serve it as a party food snack (using small baguette or ciabatta bread slices) at your next garden get together or BBQ.
Accompany it with my Vegetarian Sausage Rolls or Vegan Sausage Rolls (Greggs Copycat), Baked Polenta Chips, and an array of lovely salads like this Buckwheat & Beetroot Salad with Chickpeas or delicious and super summery Tabbouleh.
Personally, I also like to have it as a light lunch with a side of simple green salad!
🔪 How to make Broad Bean Bruschetta?
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
One: Shell, cook and double pod broad beans as per my "How to Cook Broad Beans" guide.
Two: Put double podded broad beans (fava beans) in a bowl and mash them up roughly with a potato masher or a fork. Make sure to keep some texture to the beans, you don't want complete puree.
Three: Add olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chopped fresh mint, salt and pepper (to taste) and give everything a good mix with a fork.
Four: Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside as you prepare your toast.
Five: Slice your sourdough bread, drizzle it with some olive oil and toast (both sides) in a griddle pan or under the grill until nice and crispy.
Six: Cut fresh garlic clove in half and rub your toasted bread with the cut side of the clove to infuse the bread with garlicky flavour.
Seven: Top with prepared broad bean bruschetta topping and enjoy! Feel free to drizzle some extra olive oil or sprinkle some more fresh mint on top.
Have you tried my Broad Bean Bruschetta recipe?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below.
😋 Related Recipes
Here are few more summery, light lunch recipe ideas you might want to try!
Homemade Fresh Tomato Salsa (Pico de Gallo)
Vegan Vegetable Fritters (Gluten Free)
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📋 Recipe
Broad Bean Bruschetta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh broad beans in their pods or 250-300g (9-10.5oz) shelled ones.
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (half a lemon) or to taste
- zest of half a lemon optional
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil or to taste
- 15 fresh mint leaves finely chopped or to taste
- 1 clove of garlic (cut in half) for rubbing bread
- 4 sourdough slices or small baguette/ciabatta slices instead
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shell, cook and double pod broad beans as per my "How to Cook Broad Beans" guide.
- Put double podded broad beans (fava beans) in a bowl and mash them up roughly with a potato masher or a fork. Make sure to keep some texture to the beans, you don't want complete puree.
- Add olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chopped fresh mint (or your chosen herb), salt and pepper (to taste) and give everything a good mix with a fork.
- Taste and adjust flavourings and seasoning as needed. Set aside as you prepare your toast.
- Slice your sourdough bread, drizzle it with some olive oil and toast (both sides) in a griddle pan or under the grill until nice and crispy.
- Cut fresh garlic clove in half and rub your toasted bread with the cut side of the clove to infuse the bread with garlicky flavour.
- Top with prepared broad bean bruschetta topping and enjoy! Feel free to drizzle some extra olive oil or sprinkle some more fresh mint on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving based on 4 starter servings and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Best eaten fresh but broad bean bruschetta topping leftovers (without the toast) can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. Make sure to give it a stir and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Double pod your broad beans! They're so much tastier and definitely much more appealing visually!
- Taste and adjust seasoning and the amount of lemon juice and mint to suit you.
- Potato masher is simply the best when it comes to getting those pesky broad bans crushed!
- Go to the effort of toasting your bread on the griddle or under the grill rather than in your toaster, it is so much nicer that way.
- For super garlicky flavour on your toast, make sure to cut fresh garlic clove in half and rub your griddled bread with the cut side of the clove.
- Use sourdough bread if you can and especially if you're serving bruschetta as a starter. For party finger foods, small baguette or ciabatta slices might work better.
Please leave a comment & rating if you've made my recipe! Feel free to ask questions too, I reply to all!