Fresh or Frozen Southern Butter Beans cooked to melt in your mouth tender in the slow cooker. Serve with fried chicken, fried okra, and cornbread for a very traditional southern dinner.
Fresh, green butter beans. What a southern summertime delight! This traditional side dish, served along with fried chicken, fried okra, cornbread, and sliced tomatoes, is a perennial favorite at many Southern tables.
I’ve read many opinions about butter beans and lima beans and whether they are the same thing. It appears that they are. Green butter beans are simply immature lima beans. Technically, the same vegetable, but two very different flavors, textures, and even a significant difference in size.
— This post was originally published on June 28, 2009. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: Vintage
Cooking Method: Slow Cooker
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 4
Primary Ingredient(s): Green butter beans (aka baby lima beans), bacon fat, chicken bouillon
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I love butter beans. If we go to a “meat and three” type place, and if they have butter beans on the menu, you can probably count on those being on my plate.“
— Miss P
What’s the Difference Between Lima and Butter Beans?
Butter beans and lima beans taste nothing alike to me. Lima beans, in my opinion, have a distinctly mealy quality that I dislike. Butter beans, on the other hand, have a fresh, creamy texture. Limas are pale grey to white when cooked, and butter beans keep their pretty green color.
Because butter beans are the immature version (hence the green color) of the mature (white/beige) lima bean, it only makes sense that the texture, flavor, and overall appearance contribute to them being identified as two separate beans.
Update
Since this post was originally published in 2009, many people have emailed me with comments about the differences between lima beans and butter beans. Many people insist that the big, white, mealy beans are known as butter beans, and the small, green, tender beans are called lima beans.
Well, where I come from in the South, it’s the exact opposite. The big white beans are called lima beans, and the little green ones, as I have shown in the blog post, are called butter beans. That’s what I’ve heard them called all my life. Everyone that I know calls them the same thing.
Perhaps the post wasn’t written clearly, but the point I was trying to make is how different they seem. Not that they are actually two different, unrelated things. Can we let this issue rest, please?
Butter Beans Are A Southern Staple
We always had a garden when I was a child, and we always grew butter beans. We shelled and cooked them fresh during the summer and froze the excess to enjoy the rest of the year. I still “put up” some when I can get them so that I have them on hand year-round.
Old-time Southern cooking has a bad reputation when it comes to preparing fresh vegetables. We tend to cook our vegetables for a longer time and season them more highly than other regions of the country. I like them both ways. I like the bright taste of quickly cooked vegetables, but I also enjoy the homestyle taste of longer cooked, well-seasoned vegetables. In my opinion, butter beans are one vegetable that really benefits from the hours-long cooking time.
Because of the long cooking time needed, I cook mine in a slow cooker. They can happily simmer away for the afternoon with little to no attention from me.
In traditional southern cooking, we would season with a bit of fatback, salt pork, smoked ham hock, or bacon fat. If you want to cut back on the fat, try substituting a mixture of chicken bouillon and butter substitute. They’ll still be great, but will lack the smoky background flavor.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 130 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter Beans — If you don’t have access to fresh ones, you can certainly use frozen; look for “petite” or “baby” lima beans in your grocery store’s frozen section. In my opinion, both PictSweet and McKenzie’s brands frozen petite lima beans are good size and taste matches for fresh.
- Bacon Fat — Doesn’t everybody keep a jar of bacon grease in the refrigerator? Most southern cooks do. But if you don’t have it on hand, you can either render the fat from about 4 slices of bacon or add a nice smoked ham hock or even smoked turkey wings to approximate the correct flavor.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Cook Southern Butter Beans
- Place the butter beans (no need to thaw if frozen), bacon fat, bouillon, salt, and enough water to cover in a small slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 1½ hours.
- Turn the cooker to low and cook for another 2-3 hours or until the butter beans are tender.
- Add a small amount of additional water during cooking only if needed.
These cooked all afternoon and are still pretty and green and firm. If you can get your hands on some fresh or frozen green southern butter beans, give this method of cooking a try. It also works great for field peas.
Questions About Slow Cooked Southern Butter Beans
Absolutely! That’s the more traditional method, actually. To cook butter beans on the stovetop, place all the ingredients in a medium pot, bring it to the boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours stirring periodically. Add a little more water if needed to prevent scorching.
Store any leftover butter beans in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat your butter beans, I recommend using the stovetop. A quick reheat on medium-low heat will work perfectly.
You can freeze cooked butter beans, but their texture will be degraded. Place in airtight containers and freeze for no more than three months.
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Southern Butter Beans
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen green butter beans or substitute baby lima beans – also called "petite" lima beans
- 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon such as Maggi brand, or 1 cube of Knorr chicken bouillon
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Water to cover butter beans by one-inch
Instructions
- Place butter beans, bacon fat, chicken bouillon, salt, and enough water to cover the butter beans by one inch in a small slow cooker.4 cups fresh or frozen green butter beans, 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat, 1 ½ tablespoons granulated chicken bouillon, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, Water
- Cook on high for 1 ½ hours.
- Turn cooker to low and cook for another 2-3 hours or until butter beans are tender.
- Add a small amount of additional water during cooking only if needed.
Notes
- If you don’t have access to fresh butter beans, you can certainly use frozen; look for “petite” or “baby” lima beans in your grocery store’s frozen section.
- For the bacon fat, if you don’t have it on hand you can either render the fat from about 4 slices of bacon or add a nice smoked ham hock or even smoked turkey wings to approximate the correct flavor.
- Store any leftover butter beans in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat your butter beans, I recommend using the stovetop. A quick reheat on medium-low heat on the stovetop will work perfectly.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
Just what I needed, soooo good!
You exactly correct about butterbeans!!
Shelled them half my life with my grandmother and now wish I had garden grown all year round! :)
I have shelled many a pan of butterbeans! I wish I had room for a garden.
Added a little garlic and onion and they turned out great.
Growing up in VA I thought butter beans were called that because we cooked them in water with a ton of butter, salt and pepper. Nothing else! I’m going to try this recipe and see how they are :)
Hope you enjoy them!
This recipe was perfect for our frozen(from garden) butterpeas! i wanted to eat the whole crock myself!. 😛 but i thought i might not better take it that far. 🤭
I’m so glad to hear that you liked the recipe, Carolyn! It’s my favorite way to cook butterbeans/peas.
I agree. Small ones ARE butter beans. I’m a Louisiana boy … an old one. 😊
I couldn’t get your ‘Save’ button to work.
I agree, too. You may have a pop-up blocker that is preventing you from “saving” the recipe post.
Recipe was easy and tasted great. Most recipes required bacon or ham. As I had plenty of bacon fat in the freezer, I decided to use your recipe . I bought a 10 pound bag of butter beans at a farmers market and kept putting off cooking them.
Glad to know you enjoyed it!
i don’t know what part of the south you’re from but I’m from the deep south and Lima beans are green and butter beans are not. No matter what they’re called I love both of them. My grandmothers or my mother put chicken bouillon in them either but I’m going to try it.
I love 99% of your recipes. By that I mean I’m not a sweet eating person
I’m from southwest Georgia. That “deep south” enough for you?
could i use butter instead of bacon fat?
The purpose of the bacon is to impart a smoky flavor. You can use butter but you won’t get the same flavor.
In the Food Lion grocery store, just recently, there is a product sold in the Crisco and bottled oils section…..it is bacon grease in a small container (shelf stable). Cannot remember the name, but will verify it on my next grocery store visit.
Virginia, the product is called “Bacon Up”. I have used when I don’t have extra in my fridge.
Where have the large Fordhook limas gone? Can’t find them anywhere.
I don’t work in the grocery supply chain so I’m afraid I have no idea. Maybe ask someone at your local grocery store.
We have them in Apalachicola Fl
Ask your grocer to get them
They are delicious !!
Love these.
Great
Edamame beans ( immature green soybeans) are a good substitute for butter beans. They grow in similar climates but edamame aren’t bothered by any insects or disease in my area( USDA zone 6b), basically no maintenance in the home garden. I don’t know where to find them outside a home garden.
Edamame is available in the frozen foods sections of grocery stores here. I can’t say I’d cook them as a substitute for butter beans.
Soy beans are NOT a good substitute for butter beans! I am a native Texan. My grandma Ida grew speckled butter beans in her garden. Creamy and tasty paired with hot water corn bread, collard greens and fried okra. Yum!
I love butter beans. If we go to a “meat and three” type place, and if they have butter beans on the menu, your can probably count on those being on my plate. Southern butter beans are timeless and absolutely satisfying. Your recipe captures all of the goodness.
Miss P
I’m confused about the “butter substitute”, why not just use real butter?
Well, as I said in the post, “In traditional southern cooking, butter beans are seasoned with a bit of fatback or a smoked ham hock. To cut back on the fat, I use chicken bouillon and a butter substitute for my seasonings.” Of course you can use real butter if you want.
Ah ok, thank you, sorry I missed that part! I just thought maybe there was something to how the beans cooked that made butter less desirable.
No problem! And nothing at all wrong with a little butter in your butter beans :-)