Butter Beans vs. Lima Beans: What’s the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Butter Beans vs. Lima Beans: What’s the Difference? ›

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.

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.

Canned or frozen butter beans don't require any soaking or initial preparation beyond a quick rinse or thaw, but dried beans require a few extra steps. Soak the beans overnight (optional): If you choose to soak your beans to save cooking time, thoroughly wash, drain, and pick over beans for any debris.

Let's start by setting the record straight: Lima beans and butter beans are the same thing. Native to Central and South America, the flat, kidney-shaped legumes get one name from the capital of Peru and the other from colloquial use.

Cannellini beans are a great substitute for butter beans due to their similar size and texture. They have a mild, nutty flavor that can complement a wide range of dishes, making them a versatile option for soups, stews, and salads.

Butter beans are rich in vitamins and minerals, which are important for overall health. A source of potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc, they also contain calcium and protein. Both plant-based foodies and meat-lovers can really benefit from adding butter beans to their diet.

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).

It impacts the flavor of your food: "[Rinsing] gives the bean a cleaner mouthfeel and prevents the gel-like coating from altering the flavors of the surrounding ingredients." This is why you might want to rinse canned beans even if you are making a dish that calls for additional liquid, as tempting as it might be to ...

How to cook butter beans? Napolina Butter Beans are easy to use in your cooking and are extremely convenient as they have already been soaked and fully cooked, unlike dried pulses. Simply drain and add to the pan when cooking your favourite recipes.

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish.

What happens if you don't soak lima beans before cooking? ›

When we tested this, the beans cooked in the soaking liquid were much more flavorful, had a prettier, darker color, and had a more pleasant texture. Takeaway: You don't have to soak your beans; but if you do, cook the beans in their soaking liquid. Myth 3: If you don't soak overnight, you should at least quick-soak.

Beans contain oligosaccharides, a type of complex carbohydrate that humans can't digest on their own. When these carbohydrates reach the large intestine, the bacteria in the gut break them down and produce gas as a byproduct. This is why eating beans can cause flatulence.

Expert Response. You should not eat limas if they are bitter because they are probably high in cyanogenic glucosides. Normally this is only a problem in wild limas, but can occur in cultivated varieties even though lima bean breeders do have to measure cyanide content before they release a new variety.

Well, rest assured; the two are actually one in the same. There's no difference between lima beans and butter beans, though sometimes they're sold at different stages of maturity. As a matter of fact, our Large Lima Beans packaging actually states Butter Beans in parentheses, just to clarify.

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.

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.

The butter bean is a moon-shaped, beige-colored bean that is often lumped in with other white beans of similar shape and size. It specifically comes from a plant called Phaseolus lunatus which, for all those non-Latin speakers out there, means “moon-shaped bean.”

Butter beans (baby lima beans) and Cannellini Beans are two more common types of white beans. If your recipe calls for white beans, you can often use Cannellini Bean as an excellent substitute for Navy or Great beans. They are slightly larger, have a meaty texture, and have thicker skin.

Great Northern beans are not the same as butter beans, but they can be used as an alternative to butter beans. Compared to butter beans, Great Northern beans are a bit more grainy and not as buttery.

Substitutions- How to choose the best substitute for lima beans and edamame in a recipe- a good choice depends on which bean and what cooking method. Swap pinto beans, great northern beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, or kidney beans for lima beans in soup and casseroles.