Lobiani, a Traditional Georgian Pie Stuffed with Red Beans

Lobiani is a traditional Georgian pie stuffed with spiced red kidney beans and wrapped in either flaky or doughy pastry. It is one of the most common and best-loved Georgian dishes, and because the filling is all beans and herbs, it doubles as a hearty vegetarian comfort food.

What Is Lobiani

Lobiani is a traditional Georgian savoury pie filled with spiced red kidney beans and baked inside a soft, yeasted dough. The name comes from lobio, the Georgian word for beans, which sit at the heart of the dish. It belongs to the same family of filled Georgian breads as the cheese-stuffed khachapuri, but swaps the cheese for a hearty, all-vegetable bean filling seasoned with onion, garlic, and fresh coriander. Because the filling is entirely plant-based, lobiani is a naturally vegetarian comfort food, filling enough to serve as a meal on its own. It is one of the most common everyday pies across Georgia and is often baked in large batches to share at gatherings and feast days.

Lobiani Recipe

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How to Make Lobiani

For the dough

• Sift the flour into a big mixing bowl together with salt.
• Add water, yeast, and sugar, knead the dough until it reaches an elastic consistency.
• Wrap oil into the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 45-60 minutes (until the dough is doubled in size).

For the Filling

• Boil the kidney beans, strain existing water, and mash them.
• Chop the onions and saute them in oil until golden color.
• Add chopped fresh and dry coriander, salt, and chopped garlic.
• Add kidney beans into the mixture.
• Take it off the heat and let it cool down.
• Divide it into 4 equal-sized (400 g each) part.

For the Pie

• Dust the table with flour, transfer the dough from the bowl and divide it into 4 pieces. Each should be 200 g.
• After scaling, roll them into the balls. Roll up each ball using palms and place the filling in middle.
• Bring the dough from the edges to the center so that filling is completely covered and make them into pie balls.
• Cover these pie balls with cling film and leave them on the counter for another 30 minutes to rest.
• Carefully press the dough by hand and spread it to get medium (20-25 cm) circle.
• Make a hole in the middle so that the air can go out during baking.
• Bake it in a preheated oven (220 degrees) for 10-12 minutes.
• After baking, brush the surface of the pie with butter (or oil) while the pie is still hot.
• Wait for 10 minutes and slice the pie into 4-6 triangle pieces and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is lobiani made of?

A: Lobiani is made from a simple yeasted dough wrapped around a filling of mashed cooked red kidney beans, seasoned with onion, garlic, fresh coriander, and ground dry coriander. The dough is soft rather than crisp, and the whole pie is baked until golden. It contains no meat or cheese, only beans, herbs, and pastry.

Q: Can you make lobiani with puff pastry?

A: Yes. The classic version uses a soft yeasted dough, but a popular variation called penovani lobiani uses flaky puff pastry instead. Both hold the same spiced red kidney bean filling; the puff pastry simply gives a lighter, crispier crust.

Q: Is lobiani vegetarian?

A: Yes, lobiani is naturally vegetarian. The filling is entirely plant-based, cooked red kidney beans with onion, garlic, and coriander, and the dough is made from flour, yeast, water, and oil. It makes a filling meat-free meal on its own.

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‍Chef Maia Tsakanova

Baking has always been a passion for Maia from her childhood which made her pursue a career in the culinary industry as a pastry chef. From a home baker to a Head Pastry Chef at hotels and production houses such as Marriott, TGP Group, and Pro Bake, she has done it all to learn and improve her skills & knowledge.

Her career highlight includes working under the Michelin starred chef Thomas Muller in Georgia as a Head Pastry Chef which pushed her to go further and explore more in the world of patisserie.

Being trained by several renowned French pastry chefs in French patisserie along with her fourteen years of experience working in different sectors of the industry has helped her gain immense knowledge in the world of sugar and butter which she is now sharing with the students at ICCA Dubai as a Pastry Chef Instructor.

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