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Home » Recipe » Comfort Foods » Creamy Old Fashioned Southern Butter Beans

Creamy Old Fashioned Southern Butter Beans

Published August 13, 2019 Last modified July 30, 2020 By Beth Mueller

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Tender and creamy old fashioned butter beans are a classic Southern comfort dish served as the main attraction or side dish.  Making beans from scratch starting with large lima beans is easier than you think!

Classic butter beans with cracked black pepper in a white bowl

What Kind of Beans

Butter beans are lima beans by another name.

There really isn’t a difference. In my mind, lima beans are the small lima beans and butter beans are the big lima beans.  In fact, you should probably just look for large dried lima beans at your local grocer.

Dried Large Lima beans on a white cloth

HOW TO MAKE

They’re about as easy to cook as any other bean. Sort, rinse, soak (or not), and cook.

Butter beans in the south are made so many ways and every family has its own version. I’ve seen them made without meat, with bacon, salt pork, ham hocks, or leftover ham.

I prefer mine plain or with leftover ham.

Soaking Beans

There is no need to soak your beans prior to starting this recipe, instead, it uses a quick 30-minute soak.

If you want to soak your beans you can, just skip the first 5 steps.

ADDING MEAT

Bacon

If you want to use bacon simply cook 4 or 5 thick slices of bacon and set aside. Replace some of the butter in the recipe with the bacon grease. Add the cooked bacon to the cooked beans about 15 minutes before serving.

Ham and ham hocks

Add ham hocks to the pot when the beans start to simmer. Remove the ham hocks about 30 minutes before serving to allow the ham hocks to cool. Pick the meat from the ham hocks and add it back to the simmering beans before serving.

Add leftover ham about 60 minutes after the beans start simmering.

Adding Butter

Butter is not necessary to make this recipe, but it sure does add some serious flavor.

I will tell you though if you don’t add it you are going to need to add some oil to make your beans creamier.

A guy from New Orleans once gave me his secret to creamy beans. Add fat during cooking.

He was right!  I even add oil to my ham and beans now!

You won’t need to add any cream to any recipe them creamy with this one tip.

You don’t need more than a tablespoon or two per pound of beans being cooked.  Add it about midway through the cooking time.

Side Dishes

  • Cornbread
  • White Rice
  • Bread and butter
  • Texas Toast

large lima beans with ham in a white bowl

Storing Leftovers

Cooked beans should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  They will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

It’s OK to freeze these, but you need to thaw them before reheating.  They are easy to break when trying to remove them from the ice chunk.

Reheating

Thawed beans can be heated in the microwave or on the stovetop.  It may seem thick when first coming out of the refrigerator.  Don’t add water just yet.  Heat it up a bit before deciding if it needs more water.

Start with a low to medium heat if using the stovetop.  Once the liquid starts to get thinner and the butter beans start to separate the heat can be increased.

MORE SOUTHERN RECIPES YOU NEED TO TRY!

Chicken and Dumplings

Pecan Chewies

Southern Pecan Pie

Kool Aid Pickles

overhead view butter bean with leftover ham

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Classic butter beans with cracked black pepper in a white bowl

Classic Butter Beans

Tender and creamy old fashioned butter beans are a classic Southern comfort dish served as the main attraction or side dish.  Beans from scratch starting with large lima beans.

5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Resting Time after first boil: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Beth Mueller

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried large lima beans
  • 1/2 large onion diced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup diced ham optional

Instructions

  • Sort and rinse the beans. Beans do not need to be soaked.
  • Place the beans into a large saucepan with enough water to cover the beans by an inch or two.
  • Place the pan of beans over high heat and cook just until boiling.
  • Remove the beans from the heat and cover with a lid and allow the beans to sit for at least one hour.
  • Drain the beans and rinse again.
  • Place the beans back into the pan and cover with water to cover.
  • Place the beans back on the stove and bring to a boil. When the beans begin to boil reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Add the remaining ingredients, except ham if using, and stir well to combine.
  • Allow the beans to simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary.
  • If using ham, allow the beans to cook at least an hour before adding the ham.
  • When beans are tender, remove from heat and serve with cornbread or over rice for a complete meal.

Notes

Beans can be soaked, skip the first 5 steps.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.7g | Protein: 13.9g | Fat: 10.7g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 584mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 1.4g
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Filed Under: Beginner Recipes, Comfort Foods, Main Dish, Recipe, Side Dishes, Southern Recipes, Top Recipes

About Beth Mueller

Hi! Thanks for visiting Pear Tree Kitchen! I've been cooking and creating recipes for over 40 years. I'm an RN so I tend to go overboard with food safety tips! My favorite things are chicken soup, desserts, and sharing recipes.

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Thanks for stopping by!

Headshot Beth MuellerHi! I’m Beth and this is where my food-loving family and I share 4 generations of easy homestyle recipes. Grab some coffee or tea and stay awhile. We love visitors!  More about us >

 

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