FAQs
Butter beans are a type of white bean from the Phaseolus lunatus plant, with a buttery, creamy texture. The beans are especially popular in the American South. They appear in many iconic regional dishes, from succotash—a dish with roots in early Native American cuisine—to skillet beans with salt pork.
What else is a butter bean? ›
A lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.
What are the characteristics of a butter bean? ›
These slightly curved legumes are buttery in flavor and have a creamy texture when cooked, which may account for the "butter" nickname (that, and the beige color they take on when mature). And if you come across butter peas, Madagascar beans, or gigante beans, you're also getting lima beans.
What is good about butter beans? ›
Butter Beans are a fantastically healthy ingredient – they're high in protein and fibre, and they're an excellent source of carbohydrates. Low in fat and calories but high in folate, starch and iron, they're one of the best store cupboard ingredients there is.
What are large butter beans called? ›
The larger, moon-shaped limas (also called butter beans) are used in a variety of dishes. In America, they are featured in succotash and sugar bean recipes, as well as Kentucky burgoo, a savory stew commonly served at Derby Day parties.
What is considered a butter bean? ›
Butter beans are also widely known as lima beans, named for the capital city of their country of origin, Peru. Lima beans are a common side dish in the cuisine of South America, often served with ceviche. “Butter bean” is far from the only moniker for lima beans.
Is a butter bean a pinto bean? ›
Lima beans are also commonly called butter beans for their buttery, rich flavor, and velvety texture. Popular in Southern American dishes, lima beans are the main ingredient in a classic succotash and are common to add to casseroles, soups, or simmered with pork to serve as a savory side dish.
Are butter beans like chickpeas? ›
Perhaps the best substitute for chickpeas across the board is white beans. They have both a similar taste and look to chickpeas. Any white bean will do, including cannellini beans (white kidney beans), lima beans (butter beans), great northern beans, and navy beans.
Are butter beans a vegetable? ›
Technically, beans are legumes
As legumes are nutritionally unique, they're sometimes considered their own food group. However, they're more frequently categorized with other plant foods like vegetables. The term “bean” refers to one category of legume seeds.
Are kidney beans and butter beans the same? ›
Butter, Broad, Lima or White Kidney Beans – one and the same in taste, looks, flavour and nutritional value. They have a delicate creamy texture and taste – while being fat, cholesterol and gluten free + it has the added bonus of being a major source of protein, fibre, and iron and B vitamins.
The bottom line is that beans should be a staple in your diet, especially if you have diabetes. A study published in the journal JAMA found that eating more beans, lentils, and other legumes helped people with type 2 diabetes gain better glycemic control and lower their risk of heart disease.
Can you eat butter beans straight from the can? ›
Although you can technically eat beans straight out of the can, even low-sodium varieties can be quite salty, so it's a good idea to drain and rinse them before eating them or cooking with them (unless a recipe specifically says otherwise).
Is there another name for butter beans? ›
You'll see them labeled in different ways in the store, after all: frozen lima beans, canned butter beans, dried large limas—or is it dried large butter beans? Turns out, lima beans and butter beans are the same thing. Both terms refer to the same species, Phaseolus lunatus.
What is the American version of butter beans? ›
Lima Beans. While they're all the same bean botanically, butter beans have different names depending on the region. In the South and in the United Kingdom, they're typically referred to as butter beans. Elsewhere in the U.S., they're known as lima beans (named for Lima, Peru, the bean's point of origin).
Do you have to soak butter beans before cooking? ›
The short answer to this question is no. You don't have to soak your dried beans overnight. We'll get to what you can do instead in a second, but first, a note about why we soak beans. Soaking beans in the refrigerator overnight will reduce the time they have to cook drastically.
Everything to Know About the Amazing Butter ...Treehuggerhttps://www.treehugger.com ›
From how to cook butter beans to recipes and health benefits, here's the lowdown on the tastiest legume in the pantry.
What is a butter bean? It's a white bean…but what else? Are lima beans and butter beans the same? Find out in our buttery FAQ about butter beans.
These Texas butter beans are simmered with a meaty, smoky ham hock. Garlic, onion, and black pepper also flavor these tender, meaty beans.
There are actually several different types of beans that fall into the category of “white beans.” The first are navy beans (also called pea beans, if you want to further confuse matters), then there's great northern beans (for all you Twin Peaks fans), cannellini beans (we'll get to that one a little later), and ...
Are butter beans and kidney beans the same? ›
Butter, Broad, Lima or White Kidney Beans – one and the same in taste, looks, flavour and nutritional value. They have a delicate creamy texture and taste – while being fat, cholesterol and gluten free + it has the added bonus of being a major source of protein, fibre, and iron and B vitamins.
