Bean picnics: Building community one bean at at time

She’s referring to an experience in 2017 when she was grappling with some health issues, and began eating beans in an attempt to address them. It worked. (NB: Schapiro is not alone in this. There’s a broad swath of people on Instagram and TikTok — known collectively as Beantok — who swear by the legumes’ alimentary powers to address an array of health problems, from healing the gut microbiome to boosting mood.) Later, in June 2025, after a series of life changes prompted her to refocus on her health, a friend jokingly suggested she try an experiment: Eat only beans for 30 days, and post about it on social media. What followed was unexpected: On day four, one of her posts went “semi-viral”; she has since gone on to amass 100,000 followers across multiple platforms, plus 3,000+ subscribers to her Substack, The Luxury of Legumes, where she writes almost exclusively about the little plant powerhouses.

But it wasn’t just curiosity or Schapiro’s quirky-relatable appeal that drew so many views and follows. Turns out, people really love beans! A prime example: the virality of Violet Witchel’s Dense Bean Salad, which kicked off a bean salad craze in early 2024. Beans are having a moment, perhaps because more of us are realizing what a tasty, nutritious, affordable, adaptable plant protein (and meat substitute) they are.

“ The power that they have for our planet and our bodies and our wallets and our ecosystem is just endless,” says Schapiro. “And now the power that they even have in creating community, which I’m like, okay, beans will cure your health, beans will cure the planet.  Beans are great financially. And they’re now also great for building community.”

At some point on her journey helping “people online realize beans are cool,” Schapiro got a message: Had she ever considered hosting a bean-themed get-together? Six days later, the first Bean-Up — a gathering of about 20 people — met in Berkeley’s Willard Park. The rules were simple: Bring a bean dish. “A bean dish is not optional,” she says. “You have to bring to participate.”

Beyond that, creativity has been the guiding principle. While a bean-centric spread might sound like a recipe for tedium, Schapiro says there are actually fewer limitations than she thought. “Beans level the playing field. … What you’re working on in beans is creativity and cooking prowess and resourcefulness. … There isn’t that stress of what to bring. You know what you’re bringing. You’re bringing beans.”

As the Bean-Up concept and attendance have matured and grown — Schapiro has now hosted six gatherings, drawing about 70 participants each — you’re as likely to see picnickers toting bean snacks, bean desserts and bean bakes as you are bean salads. Recent dishes include Taiwanese green bean buns stuffed with mung beans, a lemon almond bean cake, Schapiro’s blondies. Schapiro herself was shocked to see pinto bean milk, brought by “these girls outta UC Berkeley, who come to my Bean-Ups and blow my mind every time.” Two Bean-Ups ago, they brought the milk; at the last one, in March, they took it a step further, turning the liquid into pinto bean yogurt and pinto bean sweetened condensed milk, featured in a sweet bean soup.

Beyond these surprises of the what, there are also the marvels of the how: Some crafty participants have devised methods for toting hot beans to the gatherings, like securing the lid of a still-steaming Dutch oven with string and carrying it to the picnic wrapped in dish towels.  Others lean into tech: “There are people who show up at my Bean-Ups with their entire Instapot,” she says, laughing. “They have Marry Me Butter Beans they made in an Instapot that, like, they undo the top and we’re all eating hot beans together.”

Snacks: Spiced super crunchy roasted chickpeas, crispy chickpeas with leftover red curry paste (Schapiro says the trick to maintaining beans’ crunch is letting them cool completely before packaging), cheesy smoky chickpea crisps, crunchy lentils (delicious on their own or atop a salad), savory crispy lentils and pepitas, roasted broad or fava beans, herby breaded butter beans (or other canned beans), quick-pickled green beans (also great with big-batch Bloody Mary’s, just saying).

Salads: Dense bean salads are a no-brainer: They can be made well in advance, typically involve hardy veg that won’t wilt in hot weather, and only improve in flavor the longer they sit. There are near-infinite variations; think Southwestern, Mediterranean, miso-sesame, dilly white bean and so on.

Or go retro by stirring beans into picnic classics like this warm potato salad (served at room temp) or pasta salad, or make a traditional three-bean salad (turns out the Queen of Country Music is a bean queen, too: Dolly Parton’s recipe gets rave reviews).

Bean bakes: Again, it’s easier than you might think to bring hot beans to a picnic – especially if you have an Instant Pot. Otherwise, use a Dutch oven or other heavy, lidded pot that lends itself to being wrapped in dish towels and the lid secured with string.

Although canned baked beans aren’t Schapiro’s personal favorite, there are those among us who love them – and they can offer a tasty canvas for a variety of toppings like different cheeses and crunchy or pickle-y things. Pizza beans are always popular at picnics and potlucks; curries are, too: Try a jerk sweet potato and black bean curry, a green bean and potato curry or a coconut chickpea curry. Or riff on the iconic ’80s recipe Chicken Marbella with this brilliant Beans Marbella recipe, which marries all the piquant savory-sweet flavors of the original – minus the chicken. (There’s also this salad spin on the dish.)

Desserts: It’s no secret by now that beans are a power player in baked goods like black bean brownies and peanut butter chocolate chunk blondies, but it’s worth thinking beyond the bar, like lemon cake, red bean mochi (chapssaltteok), navy bean pie, sweet red bean soup and vegan meringues (made with aquafaba) that you can use in a deconstructed Eton mess (pack the berry and cream mixtures in separate containers and assemble the messes on-site).