• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Meet Kelly
  • Browse All Recipes
  • Contact

The Anthony Kitchen logo

  • Recipe Index
  • Dinner Ideas
  • Dessert
  • Entertaining
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Stay in touch...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home · Recipes · Side Dishes · Butter Beans Recipe

    May 24, 2019

    Butter Beans Recipe

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest
    Image for PInterest

    A delicious and savory quick-fix Butter Beans Recipe featuring frozen lima beans, chopped ham, garlic, and onion. After just 30 minutes of simmering, you can either serve this quintessential Southern dish as the main event with a hearty slice of Homemade Cornbread or as a starchy side to complement any Southern meal!

    A close up shot of Butter Beans in a white bowl.

    Need more Southern side dishes in your life? Bookmark these savory, full-flavored Collard Greens for next time!

    WHAT ARE BUTTER BEANS?

    Butter beans are tender, rich, and quite possibly the creamiest of all the legumes. They can be bought in frozen, canned, or dried form. 

    BUTTER BEANS VS. LIMA BEANS

    There's no "versus" to it: Butter Beans and Lima Beans are the exact same thing. Southerners and folks from the U.K. refer to them as Butter Beans, while pretty much the rest of the world calls them Lima Beans.

    NUTRITION FACTS

    While deceptively starchy and buttery, they're are actually very good for you. All legumes are known for being rich in protein and fiber, but these beans, in particular, are crazy high in the trace mineral, Molybdenum, which helps to detoxify sulfites. They also contain a good amount of iron and manganese per serving.

    BUTTER BEANS & HAM. ALWAYS.

    Pork and beans go together like bread and butter. Here lies no exception, and while these creamy legumes pair well with many things, it doesn't get much better than Butter Beans and ham. Briny, salty ham in combination with these rich, buttery beans is, in a word, heavenly.

    This recipe calls for easily accessible deli ham, however, if you have leftover ham from the holidays or a ham hock, feel free to sub them in. See the notes section of the recipe card for instructions. 

    INGREDIENTS

    • Butter
    • Yellow Onion
    • Ham
    • Garlic
    • Unsalted Chicken Broth
    • Butter Beans/Lima Beans

    An overhead shot of a bowl of Butter Beans with a silver spoon lying next to the bowl.

    HOW TO COOK BUTTER BEANS (FAST!)

    1. Melt butter and sauté the yellow onion.
    2. Add the ham and cook 2 minutes, then add the garlic and stir. 
    3. Add the chicken broth, beans, salt, and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
    4. Strain or serve with a slotted spoon.

    A spoonful of Butter Beans being held over a bowl.

    5 MORE SOUTHERN SIDES YOU’LL LOVE

    • Homemade Southern Biscuits are quick, simple and always bake up perfectly golden on the outside, flaky and buttery on the inside!
    • Black-Eyed Pea Salad is a colorful and tasty mix of vibrant fruits, vegetables, and black-eyed peas tossed together in a vinaigrette dressing. 
    • Southern Cornbread is savory with a hint of sweet and completely full of flavor. Featuring moist cornbread dressing, made with sauteed onions and celery, amped up with fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and parsley.
    • Cream Corn Casserole is loaded with sweet corn baked in a perfectly smooth and creamy sauce, topped off with melty Cheddar and buttery Ritz crackers, and baked to absolute perfection.
    • Fried Green Tomatoes with a perfectly golden, crunchy cornmeal crust are the perfect summertime treat!
    4.78 from 9 votes
    Butter Beans Recipe
    Print
    Butter Beans
    Prep Time
    14 mins
    Cook Time
    30 mins
    Total Time
    44 mins
     

    A quick and easy Butter Beans Recipe using frozen Butter Beans! Chopped ham, onion, and garlic help you get big flavor in a short amount of time.

    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Butter Beans, Lima Beans
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 101 kcal
    Author: Kelly Anthony
    Ingredients
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
    • 4 slices Black Forest Ham, diced
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
    • 2 cups unsalted chicken broth
    • 1 (10 ounce) package lima beans (fresh or frozen)
    • ¾ teaspoons Kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    Instructions
    1. Add butter to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. As soon as the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté 10 minutes, stirring often.

    2. Add the ham to the saucepan, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring occasionally.

    3. Add the chicken broth, lima beans (i.e. butter beans), salt, and pepper to saucepan and bring to a simmer.

    4. Cover and reduce the heat, if needed, to maintain a slow simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.

    5. Strain or serve with a slotted spoon and enjoy!

    Nutrition Facts
    Butter Beans
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 101 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 4g25%
    Cholesterol 22mg7%
    Sodium 537mg23%
    Potassium 148mg4%
    Carbohydrates 3g1%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 6g12%
    Vitamin A 115IU2%
    Vitamin C 1.7mg2%
    Calcium 9mg1%
    Iron 0.4mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Pinterest image for Butter Beans

    Sources: Britannica.com | Lima Bean, The Kitchn | What's a Butter Bean?, The World's Healthiest Foods | Lima Beans

    « S'mores Cookies
    Tamale Sauce »
    1091 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly

    Looking for more recipes?

    Be sure to check out the recipe index where you can browse recipes by meal type and category!

    Check Out the Recipe Index

    Primary Sidebar

    I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

    Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

    Trending recipes

    • Easy Taco Salad Recipe
    • Italian Margarita
    • Sugar Rim For Cocktails
    • Peach Muffins
    • Crumble Topping
    • Pineapple Mojito

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for weekly recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Contact

    • Work with me
    • Contact