Creamy Butter Beans

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Hummus, baby spinach, crushed red pepper, butter beans, and grape tomatoes in white bowls with a carton of hummus, garlic, and one lemon on a gray table.

Butter beans are a type of legume, also known as lima beans, that are creamy white, and have a buttery texture and flavor. They are popular in Southern American cuisine and are often used in stews, casseroles, salads, and soups. They are rich in protein, fiber, and nutrients such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. They can be found in both fresh and canned forms. This recipe calls for canned butter beans for extra creaminess, but you can also use cooked fresh beans instead.

Hummus is an easy and healthy way to add creaminess to a dish. Use store-bought or homemade hummus.

Lemon zest contains aromatic oils that add a bright, tangy flavor. It adds a fresh and citrusy note that balances the other flavors in this dish. Lemon juice adds tang, and increases the absorption of the iron in the greens.

Garlic adds flavor and health benefits to these Creamy Butter Beans. Garlic contains allicin, a sulfur-containing compound that is responsible for its pungent smell and many of its health benefits. Allicin may have antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties.

See recipe card for quantities.

🌿 Substitutions

Butter or lima beans - instead of butter beans, use any variety of white beans

Canned beans - Use fresh lima beans instead as desired, and cook them beforehand. Substitute the can liquid in the recipe with vegetable broth. Note: This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups cooked beans, which is about one-half cup dry beans.

Baby spinach - use baby kale, or chopped greens of your choice instead

Crushed red pepper - omit for non-spicy

Maple syrup - add a drizzle to balance the tang from the lemon

Sun-dried tomatoes - chopped jarred sun-dried tomatoes would be a great addition to this dish

For more quick and easy bean recipes, visit my Vegan Bean Recipes page.

📖 Instructions

Drain the beans and reserve the liquid from the can. The beans are added at the end of the cooking process so they don't get mushy.

Vegan sauce in a white saucepan with burst grape tomatoes, and spinach.

Step 1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, and crushed red pepper, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the bean liquid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 3 minutes more, while smashing the tomatoes to release their juice. Add the hummus, and lemon juice, and stir to combine.

Vegan sauce in a white saucepan with burst grape tomatoes, and spinach with white beans on top.

Step 2. Mix in the spinach and beans. Cook until the spinach is just wilted. Add water or vegetable broth as needed until the desired texture.

Creamy butter beans with grape tomatoes, and spinach in a white skillet, and a microplane with lemon zest above.

Step 3. Add lemon zest, and a drizzle of maple syrup, if using. Season with salt, and pepper, and adjust lemon juice to taste.

Creamy butter beans with grape tomatoes, spinach, and toasts in a white bowl.

For serving: Serve Creamy Butter Beans with pasta, rice, farro, quinoa, millet, or on toast. Or add vegetable broth and make a cozy butter bean stew!

💡 Expert Tips

When using lemon zest in a recipe, it is important to only grate the outermost layer of the lemon peel, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. Use a microplane or fine grater for best results.

For cooking dry lima beans: Rinse the beans before cooking. Place ½ cup beans in a large pot with 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 1 hour, or until tender. Drain well. To reduce the cooking time, soak the beans overnight in 1 ½ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt.

Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Creamy Butter Beans in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Reheat in a saucepan or microwave, adding vegetable broth as needed for the desired consistency.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Are butter beans and lima beans the same?

There is no difference between lima beans and butter beans (and sieva beans). All three are the seeds of the plant Phaseolus lunatus. They are available fresh, frozen, or dried, and are sold in both younger and mature forms.

How do you thicken canned butter beans?

An easy, budget-friendly way to thicken vegan sauces, and make beans creamier, is to use the starchy liquid from canned beans. The liquid's viscous, thick consistency simply comes from the starch that the beans release naturally. In addition, hummus acts as a secondary thickener in this deliciously creamy butter bean recipe.

How do I make a Butter Bean Stew?

To make Butter Bean Stew, simply add vegetable broth to this recipe, and more hummus as needed until the desired consistency. You can also add chopped sun-dried tomatoes to pack in more flavor.

📖 Recipe