These Delicious Southern Butter Beans are simmered in vegetable broth and liquid smoke for that authentic smokey flavor you get from a traditional pot of butter beans.
Perks and Highlights of the Best Butter Beans Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Soulful Southern with a Vegan Twist
Comfort food comes in all forms, and these butter beans bring the soul of the South to your plate, with a creamy texture that’s all indulgence, no dairy!
Primary Cooking Method: Simmer and Savor
These beans are all about that low and slow cookin’. Simmered to perfection, they’re tender, creamy, and oh-so-flavorful.
Dietary Info: Vegan & Dairy-Free
No animal products here! This dish is 100% vegan, making it a perfect star for Meatless Mondays or any day you’re feeling plant-powered.
Key Flavor: Savory Creaminess with a Hint of Earthiness
Think buttery, creamy, with an earthy undertone that comes from those beautiful beans. It’s a simple profile with an addictive depth of flavor.
Skill Level: Easy Peasy
Whether you’re a kitchen newbie or a culinary whiz, you got this. Simple ingredients, straightforward process, spectacular results.
Special Perks
- Heart-Healthy: High in fiber and cholesterol-free, these beans are a heart’s best friend.
- Protein-Packed: No meat? No problem. These beans pack a protein punch that’ll satisfy and nourish.
- Flexibility: Perfect as a main, a side, or a base for more complex dishes. These beans play well with so many flavors!
- Meal Prep Friendly: Make a big batch, and you’ve got a versatile base for meals throughout the week.
- Comfort Food with Benefits: All the creamy comfort you crave, but packed with nutrients and completely guilt-free.
What Are Butter Beans?
Butter beans are essentially just large lima beans. In the south they are called “butter beans” because when cooked, they create this creamy butter texture that is so comforting. So when you are in the store, just look for the package labeled “large lima beans.”
Ingredients
Traditionally my grandmother would cook her big pot of butter beans in neckbones (and sometimes ham hocks) along with chicken broth and butter. Obviously those things aren’t vegan, however with a few swaps I made to my grandmother’s recipe, I was able to recreate a vegan version that is just as comforting using these following ingredients:
- Liquid Smoke: This is the key ingredient for replacing that smokey flavor you would get from neck bones or ham hocks.
- Not Chicken Broth Cubes: Outside of making my own homemade broth, this is the only vegetable broth I use because it has so much flavor. When using this broth you won’t need to add much salt at all.
- Vegan Butter: Vegan food has come a long way from when I first started and there are some awesome vegan butter products on the market! I faithfully use the Earth Balance brand.
- Organic Cane Sugar: Adding a little sugar to your beans helps bring out the flavor of your beans. I emphasize using organic cane sugar because regular white sugar is overly processed and filtered through pig bone char.
How to Make Butter Beans
- The Soak Is Key: Start by soaking your beans for 8 hours or overnight. It’s like a spa day for your beans – it makes ’em tender and helps your tummy digest them better.
- Sauté That Aromatics: Set a large pot over medium-high heat and melt that golden combo of oil and vegan butter. Toss in your chopped onions, black pepper, and garlic powder, and sauté them until they’re fragrant and see-through, like a culinary crystal ball – about 3 minutes.
- All the Good Stuff: Now, pour in water, those magical Not Chicken Broth Cubes, your pampered, soaked lima beans, a dash of hickory liquid smoke (hello, flavor town!), organic cane sugar, dried parsley, dried thyme, sea salt, and don’t forget the bay leaves. They’re the silent hero in this pot of deliciousness.
- Bubble, Simmer, Magic: Crank up the heat and bring it to a boil, which should take about 5 to 6 minutes. Then, lower the heat to a simmer, pop a lid on, and let it do its thing for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. You’re looking for thick, creamy, dreamy beans.
- Final Touches: Fish out those bay leaves—they’ve done their job. Give your seasoning a second glance, adding pepper or sea salt to make everything pop, if needed. Swirl in the remaining vegan butter for an extra velvety finish. Let your masterpiece cool for 10 minutes to reach peak lushness.
How Long Should I Soak Lima Beans?
The longest part about cooking this dish is the soaking time by far. However it’s important that you soak your beans for this one main reason: enzyme inhibitors.
Dried Lima Beans (like most dried beans) have enzyme inhibitors. This makes it hard for you to not only digest beans, but extract the nutrients out of them. Soaking helps release most of those inhibitors. Plus soaking beans also speeds up your cooking time. So it’s of importance that you do not skip soaking your beans regardless of your cooking method.
Tip: The best way to soak your beans is overnight for at least 8 hours in a large bowl of water.
When soaking large lima beans, they will expand and slightly start to split a little. The skin of the beans will start to “wrinkle” a bit. That is natural so you have nothing to worry about if you notice this.
How to Serve
Nothing pleases me more than cozying up to a big bowl of butter beans and cornbread! This recipe will also serve well alongside both cornbread and southern mustard greens at your holiday table! Your friends and family won’t even realize the beans are vegan!
You can also keep the entire meal vegan with Fried Oyster Mushroom recipe or Vegan Fried Chicken as a wonderful main dish.
Best Bean Recipes
If you love these, you will also love these Pinto Beans, Red Beans and Rice, Hoppin John and Black Eyed Peas!
Thank you so much to Vegan With Curves for sharing this incredible recipe with my audience!
Southern Butter Beans
Ingredients
- 16 oz large dried lima beans 1 lb
- 1 tbsp oil olive or vegetable or canola
- 4 tbsp vegan butter, divided I used Earth Balance
- 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 Not Chicken Broth Cubes
- 1/2 tsp hickory liquid smoke
- 2 tsp organic cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 dried bay leaves optional
Instructions
- First you will want to soak your beans for 8 hours or overnight. This helps the beans cook faster as well as release enzyme inhibitors on the beans allowing you to digest them better.
- Place a large pot over medium high heat. Add oil, 1 tablespoon of vegan butter, chopped onions, black pepper, and garlic powder. Saute’ onions for about 3 minutes until they are soft and translucent.
- Next, add water, Not Chicken Broth Cubes, soaked large dried lima beans, hickory liquid smoke, organic cane sugar, dried parsley, dried thyme, sea salt, and bay leaves to your large pot.
- Bring your pot to a boil (should take around 5 to 6 minutes). Then reduce heat to a simmer and cover with lid for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until your lima beans are thick and creamy.
- Once done, remove bay leaves, and adjust seasoning to your liking (adding additional pepper or sea salt to taste) and the remaining butter. Allow your beans to sit and cool for about 10 minutes. This will help it thicken even more. Serve.
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This looks wonderful! I would love to cook it in the instant pot. Have you ever done that?
I have not made this recipe in an Instant pot, but if you try it you’ll have to let me know how it went!
This dish was delicious!!! I usually tamper with recipes but all the proportions are already perfect. I did add in a bag of frozen chopped kale near the end of cooking to get our vegetables in for our meal. I’m bookmarking this recipe to make it many more times in the future!
This looks delicious! How long will they last in the fridge? Can I freeze?
TY for letting me know.
You can absolutely freeze. We add to bags and freeze all the time.
I made these yesterday and they were fantastic! I served them over a bed of greens and made my own lemon + olive oil dressing and it was everything warm and cozy. Thanks!!