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White Bean Croquettes [Victorian Era Recipe]

These Bean Croquettes have a crispy bread crumb coating with a soft and light mashed bean insides. They are similar to fish cakes and are perfect for dinner with mushy peas and chips.
The original Victorian recipe calls for haricot beans but I used Cannellini beans but really any white bean can be used.
There are a few time saving tips for this recipe within the recipe notes. Also, if you would like to prepare vegan or gluten-free croquettes easy ingredient swaps are included within the recipe notes.
Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine British
Keyword bean croquettes, meat-free recipes, vegetarian recipe, Victorian era recipes, Victorian recipes, white bean croquettes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 12 -14 croquettes
Calories 193kcal
Author Leigh

Equipment

  • large bowl for soaking beans
  • Large non-stick saucepan
  • potato masher
  • 2 shallow bowls
  • Fry pan or skillet
  • Fish slice

Ingredients

  • 250 grams dried cannellini or haricot beans
  • enough water to cover the beans
  • 30 grams butter or margarine 1 oz or 2 tablespoons
  • 125 millilitres milk ¼ pint or ½ a cup
  • 60 grams fresh breadcrumbs 2 oz [I used wholemeal breadcrumbs]
  • 1 medium onion, fine diced or 2-3 shallots
  • ¼ teaspoon salt add more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper add more to taste
  • 1 medium-large egg yolk whisked with a fork

For the crumb:

  • 1 medium-large egg white whisked with a fork
  • 114 grams fresh breadcrumbs 4 oz [I used wholemeal breadcrumbs]

To cook

  • vegetable oil enough to shallow fry

Instructions

Prep the beans:

  • The evening before soak the dried beans in plenty of water.
    250 grams dried cannellini or haricot beans

Pre-boil the beans: [see the recipe notes below for the safety reason for pre-boiling]

  • Once the beans have been soaked and drained, place the beans in the saucepan and cover with water.
    Bring to a rapid boil and boil fast for 10-30 minutes [some sources state 30 minutes is best for pre-boiling]. Carefully drain the beans and now they are ready to use for the recipe.
    if using haricot beans/navy beans you will not need to pre-boil.

Prepare the bean mixture:

  • Add the beans to the saucepan.
    [To speed up the cooking process you can cook the beans in a pressure cooker]
  • Pour enough water over the beans so that it comes about 1½ inch high above the beans. Add the butter or margarine.
    enough water to cover the beans, 30 grams butter or margarine
  • Bring to the boil, give it a stir as the butter melts, and cook for about 1½ hours or until the beans are soft.
    You will likely need to add extra water as the beans cook if it looks like the water may dry out.
  • Once the beans are soft and most of the water has gone add the milk.
    125 millilitres milk
  • Cook the beans for about 5 minutes in the milk, stirring as required.
  • Remove the beans from the heat and give them a good mash with a potato masher. Cool the mashed beans while you cook the onion.

Cook the onion:

  • Fry the diced onion in a fry pan with a little oil for a few minutes.
    1 medium onion, fine diced

Finish the croquette mixture:

  • Add the onions to the bean mixture along with the egg yolk, sugar, salt, pepper, and give the mixture a good stir.
    This is where you can add extra flavours if you like such as dried onion or garlic, paprika, fresh herbs such as sage or thyme, dried herbs such as basil or parsley, etc.
    ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 1 medium-large egg yolk, ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • Leave to cool completely. Once cool the mixture can be refrigerated until the next day if you are meal prepping.

Form the croquettes:

  • To the bean mixture stir in the breadcrumbs.
    60 grams fresh breadcrumbs
  • Add the egg white to a small bowl and the rest of the breadcrumbs into another bowl - these are for coating your croquettes.
    1 medium-large egg white, 114 grams fresh breadcrumbs
  • With a tablespoon scoop up good sized balls of the mixture and form into chunky balls about the size of a golf ball or just smaller. You can dust your hands in flour if it makes forming the croquettes easier.
  • Dip each croquette into the egg white and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Use extra egg white or breadcrumbs if necessary.
  • Place each croquette onto a plate or tray that has been dusted with flour or lined with parchment paper.
    You can chill the croquettes before cooking, or if you need them immediately, you can cook them right away.

Cook the croquettes:

  • Add a good amount of oil to the fry pan, enough to shallow fry, and heat the oil.
    vegetable oil
  • Once the oil is hot add the croquettes to the pan and cook each side until golden brown and crispy.

Notes

    • Storage: Store croquettes in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for a few months.
    • Reheating: Reheat by adding to a frying pan with a little oil to re-crisp and heat through.
    • Pre-boiling: You may wonder why I have included rapid boiling the beans for at least 10 minutes before using for the recipe so I thought I should include some explanation: When preparing certain dried beans, such as cannellini beans, it's essential to rapid boil them for at least 10 minutes after soaking. Cannellini beans are related to kidney beans and contain natural toxins called lectins, specifically phytohaemagglutinin, which can be harmful if consumed in large amounts. Rapid boiling for 10-30 minutes helps to destroy these toxins, making the beans safe to eat.
      However, if you are using haricot beans (also known as navy beans), they do not contain the same level of toxins as kidney beans. While they do not require rapid boiling, it is still important to soak and cook them thoroughly. Proper cooking ensures they are safe to eat and achieves the desired texture for the bean croquettes. 
    • Breadcrumbs: I used Co-op's own brand wholemeal bread for the breadcrumbs but any breadcrumbs will do fine.
    • It's always a good idea to turn stale bread into breadcrumbs and store them in the freezer. This is a great time-saver, saves money on buying store-bought breadcrumbs, and helps reduce food waste.

  • Make it Vegan:

    • Instead of egg yolk, use a flax egg: mix half a tablespoon of flax meal or ground flaxseed with 1 ½ tablespoons of warm water and let sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken.
    • Replace the egg white with aquafaba (canned chickpea water).
    • Replace the butter with dairy-free margarine.
    • Use dairy-free milk instead of dairy milk.

    Make it Gluten-Free:

    • Use gluten-free breadcrumbs.

    Time-Saving Tips:

    • Use a pressure cooker to cook the beans. Drain any excess liquid that may remain after cooking. Once cooked, proceed with the recipe in a separate saucepan by adding milk to the cooked beans, etc.
    • Prepare the bean mixture 1-2 days before needed.
    • Pre-boil [10-30 minutes] the beans 1-2 days before needed.
    • Pre-cook the beans 1-2 days before required.
    • Use ready-cooked beans: if doing so, add the drained cooked beans to the saucepan, add the butter and milk, and cook for 5 minutes before mashing. Proceed with the recipe.
    • Fully prepare the croquettes and store them in the fridge for 1-2 days before frying in the oil. 
    • Have breadcrumbs ready prepared: use stale bread to prepare breadcrumbs and store them in the freezer for a few months.

    Add Extra Flavours:

    • Garlic and/or onion powder are nice additions, as are any fresh herbs or dried herbs and spices such as chilli powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin powder, coriander powder, etc.
    • For a curry flavour, make them curried croquettes by adding curry powder.