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 …
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“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.
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- 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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Recipe
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.
Hi Lana. Growing up in Georgia (as kind of a picky eater as a kid) I practically lived off of these delicious little guys. But I could never find “butter” beans in the store as an adult and asked my mom if Lima and Butter beans are the same. The answer is yes and no. So, you’re right, Lima Beans are the big white mealy beans. but my mom informed me that BABY Lima beans are the little green ones. So just so you don’t think you’re going crazy, they SEEM different because they kind of are. Now i can find Baby Lima Beans in the frozen food section sometimes. But rarely canned. Great simple recipe. Thanks!
I really enjoyed your post. I am from Georgia, and we always used the names for lima beans and butter beans interchangeably. I really wish people would really learn to keep their mean spirited and rude comments to themselves. It is so easy to sit behind a computer and ridicule someone. Like I said, I really enjoyed your post and will be using your method to cook my Lima/butter beans!!
Oi. I had this problem when I wanted to recreate a stew I ate growing up. I accidentally bought butter beans (Fordhooks) when what I wanted were baby lima beans. The taste, texture, color – everything was all wrong. Finally found I could get baby lima beans in the frozen section and have been a happy camper since.
” (Lima Beans)… come in two main varieties: baby lima and Fordhook. The latter is the larger and more common variety in the U.S. Although the Fordhook might appear to be a mature baby lima, the two are, in fact, separate varieties.”
Lima beans are butter beans. Baby lima beans are not.
I do not think you are stupid. People in different areas call things differently, for their areas. I am from NE Alabama, and the green ones we called lima beans and the big ones, we called butterbeans. Doesn’t matter if they are cooked right, they are all good!!!
I 100% agree with you on the difference between limas and butter beans. They are NOT the same to me, and where I’m from, butter beans are the smaller of the 2. Thanks for the recipe!
Butter beans and Lima beans are the same bean. The Phaseolus lunatus. So…..
You’re not stupid. I can’t stand it when people call someone stupid, because they say things different. I grew up in Alabama. I’ve always called the large white ones butter beans. I love them. My grandmother and mother made them for me. Now my husband does. I never could make them right. Butter beans over crumbled cornbread with either sweet pickle relish, or sweet pickles or green onions. I have stage 3 chronic kidney disease and I can’t have the pickles or anything pickled anymore. I miss them. :( We called the green ones green butter or lima beans. I don’t care for the green ones unless they’re cooked and seasoned right. Now I’ve got a hankering for them. “Oh sweet heart I need to put in an order.” Ha Ha He’s to good to me.
Omg!! I love butter beans :)
If I don’t have a slow cooker may I use a regular pot? If so do you have any suggestions?
Thank you!
Of course. Add your ingredients to a large pot. Bring it to the boil and then turn it down to low or so that it keep a low simmer. Cook until done – about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Thank you so much! I’ll be making this soon :)
Sounds good, but use real butter, you need the fat for your body. Also, a small slab of fat back, and or six sauteed strips of bacon (drained) and a finely chopped sauteed onion are good too. If you want real fancy a touch of garlic and some Bay seed.
My mom insist that if they aren’t fresh shelled they’re not butter beans, but frozen taste great too.
Thank you for the crock pot variation on these yummy beans! I’m from NE Tennessee and I was always taught that butterbeans were the bigger, paler beans and limas were the smaller, greener type… REGARDLESS, I agree with your opinion on quality! The small, greener variety are MUCH better tasting than the bigger, mushier ones (no matter what you call them! – “A rose by any other name” etc.) :)
I’m with you – Butter beans and Lima beans are NOT the same! Lima beans are gross – they have a chalky taste. Butter beans are delicious! I have actually “almost” argued with people at our Farmers Market about this – usually people who were not raised here! Just got some butter beans today and am going to try your crock pot method!
I grew up in South Carolina…We would have butter beans, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob and fried chicken for Sunday dinner. I have been looking for a recipe without using salt park and I think you have it!! I brought back to Nebraska some frozen butter beans from my cousin. Just wanted a “taste of home”!
Will give this a try! Thanks for the posting!!
I from the north and grew up with the larger white lima beans. Which some people called butter beans. The smaller green ones which I found about 10 years ago are called baby lima beans which taste great too. Mom used to cooked the white lima beans with salt and bay leaves and always thought them the best. The small green ones, I get frozen, I just cook with some butter. Will be trying this way soon.
Lima Beans.. Butter beans.. Whatever you want to call it I’ve made this recipe with both & there’s no complaints at the dinner table !
I live in Terre Haute, Indiana, I have been searching for dry butter beans for over a year now. I too grew up on butter beans. My mother use to servebutter beans with fried potatoes and cornbread and apple butter. Oh the memories. It is really sad that I can’t go to the store and purchase a bag of dry butter beans. If there is anyone out there that can tell me where to find fresh dry butter bean please please let me know.