Butter Bean Mash - My Gorgeous Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are lima beans and butter beans the same? ›

Is There a Difference Between Butter Beans and Lima Beans? Other than what they're called and sometimes their color, butter beans and lima beans are exactly the same. Their species is called Phaseolus lunatus and the difference in their name is only a matter of geography.

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.

Compared to butter beans, cannellini beans have a nuttier flavor and sturdier makeup. Nutritionally, both butter and cannellini beans are high in protein and fiber and have very similar nutritional profiles.

What Do Butter Beans and/or Lima Beans Taste Like? These small and slightly curved members of the bean family have a creamy and buttery flavor (which could contribute to that “butter” name). They've also been described as mild and velvety in taste.

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.

Although beans contain carbohydrates, they are low on the glycemic index (GI) scale and do not cause significant spikes in a person's blood sugar levels. Beans are a complex carbohydrate. The body digests this form more slowly than other carbohydrates, helping to keep blood sugar levels stable for longer.

From the tin – not a cooking method, but butter beans and be enjoyed straight from the can. Try scattering them in a salad or alongside a sharp, salty cheese with a drizzle of olive oil and herbs.

To put it simply, yes, butter beans can be classed as a healthy and nutrient-dense food. If you're struggling for inspiration on how to get more of them into your diet, then we've added some tasty plant-based recipes at the bottom of this article.

Butter beans, also called lima beans and sieva beans, are the seeds of the plant Phaseolus lunatus. They are available fresh, frozen, or dried, and are sold in both younger and mature forms.

What are the creamiest beans? ›

Cranberry beans are known for their creamy texture with a flavor similar to chestnuts. The red specks disappear when these beans are cooked. Cranberry beans are a favorite in northern Italy and Spain. Great Northern Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with thin white skin.

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.

Soaking: Soaking the beans in water for several hours can help remove some of the bitterness. A general rule of thumb is to soak the beans for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Boiling: Boiling the beans for 5-10 minutes in a pot of water can also help remove the bitterness.

Bottom Line. If beans make you uncomfortably gassy, sprinkle a little baking soda into their soaking water. It will reduce the volume of gas produced by the legumes, plus, they will cook quicker. If you're even shorter on time, you may want to try some of our favorite recipes to make with a can of black beans.

They do have a creamy, buttery texture when they're cooked, so “butter beans” is a fitting moniker.

There is no difference between lima beans and butter beans, though you can find them for sale at different stages of maturity. The younger green-hued beans, usually identified as baby lima beans, have a starchy texture similar to raw fava beans (which some describe as mealy). You can consume them fresh or cooked.

During the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, lima beans were exported to the rest of the Americas and Europe, and since the boxes of such goods had their place of origin labeled "Lima, Peru", the beans got named as such.