All About White Lima Beans

With their bubble-like shape, pale color, and delicate taste, white lima beans are consumed all over the world at different stages of maturity. Plus, their buttery texture has made them famous in many different types of traditional dishes. This gave rise to many different names for the same wonderful bean—which sometimes gets confusing!

Keep reading to learn all about white lima beans—where they come from, how to use them, and more!

Description

White lima beans are essentially a paler and flatter version of green beans, with bigger beans within their pods. Lima beans’ color can be anywhere from beige to pale green. They have a delicate and creamy flavor, and a waxy texture to the touch.

Because of their unique appearance, you may have heard white lima beans called wax beans, double beans, Madagascar beans, Gigante beans, chad beans, baby lima beans, and butter beans. Do all these names refer to the same exact bean? Not always.

---

White Lima Beans vs. Lima Beans vs. Butter Beans

While there is no hard and fast rule for these colloquial terms, we can rely on some general definitions.

White lima beans are the mature legume of the Phaseolus lunatus plant. Mature lima beans have a pale, creamy color, and are obviously bigger than younger lima beans. Thus, they are called white lima beans and are often referred to as butter beans, especially in the US.

“Regular” lima beans are just a younger version of the same legume of the Phaseolus lunatus plant. At this earlier stage of growth, they still have the green coloring that they’ll at their fully mature state.

Thus, lima beans are younger white lima beans. But what about baby lima beans? Baby lima beans are actually a dwarf variety of lima beans, which we know are the same exact legume as the white lima bean.

At the end of the day, all lima beans come from the same plant. Their size, color, and names indicate different geographical locations, stages of maturity, and more.

Because of all the ambiguity talk to your local grocer if you have any confusion about the type of bean you’re about to purchase!

---

Origin

Lima beans have a surprisingly ancient history! According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, experts believed lima beans were first domesticated by the Incan Empire nine thousand years ago. They were a staple food, and quickly spread to the rest of the world through trade.

The word “lima” comes from the name of the Peruvian capital, Lima. In the previous section we went over a lot of different names for this legume, but there is one we haven’t mentioned yet!

That would be the bean’s true name, “lunatus,” which means half-moon and emphasizes the bean’s crescent shape.

---

Nutrients

The good news is that white beans are a great source of many nutrients!

According to healthline.com, one cup of cooked white lima beans has:

• around 200 calories
• .5 grams of fat
• 12 grams of protein
• 9 grams of fiber

White lima beans are a great source of magnesium, vitamin B, protein (which differentiates them from most other legumes), and iron.

---

Health Benefits

So what do all these great nutrients in white lima beans mean for your health?

Research suggests that white lima beans can have the following effects:

• healthy blood sugar levels
• lower chance of blood pressure
• lower overall inflammation
• lower oxidative stress
• reduced cholesterol
• lower chance of heart disease
• lower food cravings
• healthy weight loss

What are you waiting for? Keep reading to discover all the ways to use this healthy lima bean!

---

Eating White Lima Beans

The great thing about white lima beans is that you can eat them in many different ways: in many diverse recipes, at different stages of maturity, and either canned, frozen, or dried! Talk about a versatile ingredient!

As I mentioned earlier, lima beans generally refer to the younger bean, whereas white lima beans are the older, mature form of the legume. Both are delicious!

Here are some ideas for how to incorporate white lima beans into your meals:

• In soups and stews: similarly to other kinds of beans, white lima beans can be cooked down to a creamy consistency, which helps to add texture to brothy recipes.
• In salads: it’s super easy to sprinkle a couple of cooked, plain lima beans into your salad to add some more texture to your leafy bite!
• In casseroles: white lima beans are superstar ingredients when it comes to baked entrees!
• As a side dish with salt port: Trust me. Add butter and dark leafy greens—you won’t regret it!
• With ceviche: this is a beloved combination in South America.

Now let’s look at a couple of popular recipes that include lima beans.

• Succotash is a Native American traditional dish that, besides lima beans, includes other veggies like peppers and okra.
• Lemon-Garlic Lima Beans: this recipe might take a little longer than I’d like, but it makes for a great side dish!
• Brunswick Stew: this makes for a great sweater-weather meal.

---

Health Warning

It would be irresponsible of me to talk about these beans and not mention a couple of rare health hazards related to white lima beans.

Keep in mind that some people have serious legume allergies. White lima beans are a legume, and so if you are one of these people, you should steer clear of them.

Uncooked lima beans are known to contain linamarin, which can be toxic to humans if consumed in high levels. But the good news is that by cooking the white lima beans, you almost completely eliminate an already low risk!

Now You Know All About White Lima Beans!

I hope this post has inspired you to include white lima beans in your next hearty meal. Excited for more bean content? Then visit our Beans, Peas, and Lentils page where you can learn all about beans and their close relatives!