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Butter beans are familiar in several savory recipes, like casseroles and salads, owing to their nutty taste and silky texture. Their adaptability and high nutritive significance makes them an outstanding option for a healthy diet.
Whenever you’re on the lookout for the best butter beans substitutes, I advise you to use navy beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, fava beans, borlotti beans, or red kidney beans as they will give you almost the same outcome as butter beans in terms of flavor and texture.
But that’s not all, there are also other suitable alternatives to butter beans that I’m going to discuss in this article as well as how you can use them to replace butter beans in your recipes.
Let’s get started!
What Are Butter Beans?
Peruvian natives call them Lima beans after Peru’s capital city. Burma bean, Madagascar bean, Rangoon bean, and Chad bean are also unique other terms they go by.
But the distinction between lima and butter is that Butter beans are a broader variation of lima beans that are straight, cream or whitish in color and creamy or buttery when simmered.
Even though Lima beans are a tinier, green species that are named baby limas with a composition identical to fresh peas when cooked.
You might be let down when you can’t get these beans to utilize in your recipe; but don’t be; there are different choices you can try.
That said, here are the acceptable substitutes for butter beans to utilize in your dishes!
Best Butter Beans Substitutes
1. Fava Beans
These legumes are the nearest alternatives for butter beans that you can obtain.
You won’t even be able to state the distinction between fava and butter beans if you swap them in dishes.
They are originally from Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, where they are also famous ingredients. Fava beans are as smooth as butter beans, so they can be utilized in recipes that demand them.
Fava beans have coats that must be discarded before they may be utilized as an alternative. They’re not just tasty, but they also have multiple health advantages, such as reducing blood pressure and boosting weight loss.
2. Cannellini Beans
These massive white beans are one of the most incredible butter bean alternatives you can think of. Though they’re a staple of Italian cuisine, they first emanated in Southern Argentina before becoming prominent cooking additions.
Haricot Blancs, Fagioli, and White Kidney Beans are exceptional names.
Cannellini beans has a nutty taste and a creamy composition that goes nicely with numerous meals, making them an adaptable ingredient.
With their little thicker skin than other white beans, they can adequately retain their form when cooked. Since both have an identical composition and taste to butter beans, they’re nice in stews, soups, and salad.
3. Pinto Beans
When you want one of the most familiar butter bean alternatives, your best choice is pinto beans.
For thousands of years, Mexican and Peruvian growers have cultivated pinto beans, which are today mainly eaten in the United States.
Refried beans, burritos, and chili are conventional recipes where you can put these beans.
Pinto beans, which are labeled after the Spanish term for “painted,” have a distinct brown sprinkled hue when dried.
As the beans are simmered, these contours vanish, changing to a vibrant brown color. Although they have a unique ground texture, you can utilize them in recipes that demand for butter beans.
4. Borlotti Beans
Other terms for these red and white dotted beans are cranberry beans, Romano beans, and Saluggia beans. These Colombian-born beans, associated with kidney and pinto beans, are now annually planted in Italy.
It’s a familiar element in Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and Greece dishes.
They have an acceptable nutty flavor but with more sweetness than you’ll discover in other white beans.
Borlotti beans are a nutrient self-starter, including high proportions of fiber, folate, and other B vitamins, comprising iron, zinc, and potassium.
Cancer-fighting plant solvents that decrease the likelihood of receiving cancer are also the basis of its ingredients.
5. Red Kidney Beans
Despite their unusual red appearance, these beans are outstanding substitutes for butter beans. These preferences were aboriginal to Peru before they became common.
With a cooking narrative that dates around over 800 decades, they have been utilized to formulate distinct cuisines.
Butter beans and kidney beans are identical in impression and texture, with the former having a relatively sweeter flavor.
In raw kidney beans, the lectin quantity is bigger, making them more dangerous than other bean types if purified incorrectly.
You should moisten dried kidney beans to an extent and steam them on increased heat for 10 minutes.
6. Navy Beans
Since the mid-1800s, these wonderful alternatives for butter beans have existed as a staple in American cooking. In the US Navy, they came to be a popular ingredient due to their cheap cost, long shelf life, and nutritive value.
As an outcome, they attained the nickname navy beans, but they are also recognized as Boston bean, Yankee bean, and pea beans.
The delicate flavor and creamy texture of navy beans make them favorable for cooking, but they break down fast.
Soups can profit from their thickening qualities, but they will forfeit their structure in salads if you utilize them. Apart from this, you get numerous beneficial nutrients, like folate, iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium.
7. Garbanzo Beans
You can formulate several recipes using these butter bean substitutes, including pancakes and fitters. In contrast to the other beans in this article, garbanzo beans arrived in Europe and India from the Middle East.
These beans, frequently recognized as chickpeas, are a significant component in several Middle Eastern and North African recipes.
There are numerous dishes in which garbanzo beans can alternate with butter beans if there are no other choices.
If the cooking needs to serve the beans whole, garbanzo beans are the most precise choice because of their substantial texture.
Also, garbanzo beans can be utilized in making bean dips rather than butter beans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are butter beans good for losing weight?
Yes, they are. Butter beans are meager in calories but extra stuffing for their size, rendering them a great food to aid weight loss.
Are butter beans good for me?
Yes, they are. Butter beans are filled with fiber and protein. They also include nutrients like iron, zinc, and magnesium.
Are butter beans good for fiber?
All kinds of beans are excellent in fiber. A 1/2-cup serving of butter beans delivers 53% of your endorsed daily requirement.
Do butter beans make you fart?
Yes, they do. Because of their volume of soluble fiber and raffinose, they can also compel you to fart.
Are butter beans high carb?
Yes. Butter Beans are both great in carbs and meager in fats.
Conclusion
When you follow the beans I have discussed, you no longer have to bother when you don’t have any butter beans for your dish. Selecting butter bean substitutes is somewhat simple as many share the silky composition as their companion.
Nevertheless, if you want something nearest to its flavor, you might need to attempt fava beans.
Another explanation is that these butter bean substitutes are exceptional because of their added nutritious value. Many of these are outstanding in fiber and include other components of the body requirements.
