Curried Butter Beans

These creamy curried butter beans are packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. The comforting spices in this Indian butter beans recipe will make you want to go back for seconds. It's gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, oil-free, low-fat, and vegan.

This recipe makes 4 entrees or 6 side dish servings.

What's in this curried butter beans recipe?

1. Butter beans (large lima beans), dry
2. Onion
3. Sweet red bell pepper
4. Garlic
5. Yellow curry powder
6. Garam masala
7. Cayenne
8. Coconut aminos
9. Plain, unsweetened coconut milk (NOT the full-fat can)
10. Lemon
11. Fresh cilantro

How to make these butter beans

This dish comes together quickly after the dried beans are cooked. So, you'll need to start by cooking the dry butter beans (large lima beans).

Prepare the dried beans

These butter beans are cooked in the Instant Pot. Sort, rinse, and strain the large dry lima beans in a colander.

Add beans to the Instant Pot with 6 cups of water. Cook the beans at high pressure for 40 minutes, and allow for natural release. This process takes about an hour. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can cook these beans on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Check out this article on how to cook dried beans with different cooking methods.

Next, you'll want to make a bean slurry. This is what gives it that wonderful creamy, saucy consistency. Take 1 cup of cooked butter beans plus 1 cup of plain unsweetened coconut milk (NOT the full fat can, but the one you buy in the tetra pack carton), and blend it in a mini blender until smooth and creamy. Set the creamy bean slurry aside. [Note: If you don't have unsweetened coconut milk, then substitute with either unsweetened plain soymilk or water.]

Prepare the veggies and assemble

Preheat a large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and dry saute for 2 to 3 minutes. The water from the veggies should release, keeping them from sticking to the pan.

Add spices, stir to combine, and continue to cook for another minute.

Pour the coconut aminos and bean slurry mixture into the pan with cooked veggies.

Then add cooked and partially drained butter beans—no need to rinse the cooked butter beans when cooking from scratch since it's naturally salt-free. Plus, adding a little bit of the cooking liquid adds to the creaminess of this dish.

Stir in the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest (optional). Top with fresh chopped cilantro, salt to taste, and enjoy!

Ways to enjoy these tasty Indian butter beans

These curried butter beans are wonderful on their own. For a complete meal, pair this with sauteed kale and mushrooms and your favorite whole grain of choice. It's delicious with brown and red rice, or on top of whole-grain pasta.

We hope you love this curried butter beans recipe as much as we do. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielsplaterecipes so we can see your creation!

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