Butter Beans with Lemon and Garlic (Lemony Garlicky Beans)

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These butter beans with lemon and garlic (or lemony, garlicky beans, as we call them around here) are a quick, nutritious, and versatile dish featuring creamy butter beans cooked with fresh garlic, lemon, and spinach. They also happen to be vegan, and gluten and dairy free!

This recipe works with either cooked dried beans or canned beans, and it’s a great dish to make if you’ve just started to cook dried beans in your steam oven. The result is a comforting and protein-rich meal or side dish that pairs perfectly with crusty, buttered toast and extra greens.

A hand stirs butter beans, sauce and spinach in a white pot.

Why Make Butter Beans with Lemon and Garlic?

Fast and easy: Ready in under 30 minutes, with minimal prep.
Flexible: Use butter beans, cannellini, or haricot beans; works with cooked dried or canned beans.
Nutritious: Packed with plant-based protein, fibre, and leafy greens.
Great for meal prep: Stores well and reheats easily.

Cooking Beans in a Steam Oven

For the creamiest texture and best flavour, cook your dried beans in your steam oven before using them in this recipe. The gentle, even heat of the steam oven ensures the beans cook through without losing their lovely texture and shape. To prepare butter beans from scratch:

Soak the beans: Place 1 cup dried butter beans in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water, and add a small pinch of baking soda. Soak for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Rinse and drain: After soaking, drain and rinse the beans thoroughly.
Steam: Place the beans in an oven-safe dish and cover with fresh water (about three times the volume of beans). Steam until the beans are tender and creamy. Reserve the cooking liquid to use in the recipe, as it’s what makes the butter beans extra creamy.

For more detailed instructions, see my post on How to Cook Dried Beans in a Steam Oven.

Tips for the Best Creamy Beans

Retain the bean liquid: Whether using home-cooked or canned beans, keep the cooking liquid. This liquid is essential for achieving a creamy, saucy texture. Stock or water can be substituted, but the result will not be as silky.
Adjust seasoning: Salt levels will vary depending on your beans. Always taste and adjust before serving.
Customize: Add red pepper flakes for heat, or try a spoonful of white miso for extra depth. For a non-vegan option, anchovies can be melted in with the shallot and garlic for a savoury boost.

A pot on a stovetop with a wooden spoon stirring butter beans to warm through.

Ingredient Substitutions and Additions

Beans: Butter beans are ideal, but cannellini or haricot beans are excellent alternatives.
Greens: Spinach is recommended, but kale, chard, or other leafy greens can be used.
Serving suggestions: Serve as a main with toast, top with a poached or fried egg for extra protein, or use as a side with grilled fish or meat.

A big white pot of lemony, garlicky butter beans with wilted spinach and red pepper flakes, viewed from above.

Storage and Reheating

Butter beans with lemon and garlic can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of water or bean liquid if necessary.

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Butter Beans with Lemon and Garlic

An incredibly comforting dish of creamy soft butter beans cooked with plenty of garlic and lemon, this can be made with cooked dried beans or canned beans. Serve with crusty, buttered toast and extra greens.

Print Recipe

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: beans, steamed beans

Servings:

Calories: 227kcal

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Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil plus extra to serve
1 shallot peeled and finely diced
3 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
3 cups cooked butter beans plus cooking liquid, see notes
1 lemon large, zested and juiced
3 cups spinach 90g
1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt or to taste, it will vary a lot depending on how well your beans were salted after cooking

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a wide-bottomed pan or skillet. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over medium low heat until both are soft and just beginning to turn golden at the edges.
3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 shallot, 3 cloves garlic
Add the beans and about a cup of cooking liquid to the pan, and cook for a few minutes to heat the beans through. Squash some of the beans to thicken everything up and make the dish really creamy. If it looks a bit too thick, you can add more of the cooking liquid to get a texture you're happy with – we're aiming for creamy and saucy but not soupy.
3 cups cooked butter beans
Add the lemon zest and juice, spinach, red pepper flakes, pepper and salt to the pan and cook until the spinach has wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then remove the beans from the heat.
1 lemon, 3 cups spinach, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt
Serve the beans hot, with extra olive oil drizzled over the top. Buttered toast and extra wilted spinach are optional but very welcome!

Video

Notes

Beans: if you can’t find or don’t like butter beans, cannellini or haricot beans are a great substitute in this dish. If you’re cooking your beans especially for this dish, you should cook 1 cup (170g) dried beans. If you want to use canned beans, you’ll need 2 x 15oz cans plus about a can’s worth of the bean liquid.
Cooking liquid: it’s critical to keep the cooking liquid from your beans (or the can liquid, if you’re using canned). Adding some of the liquid to the dish is what will make it creamy and silky. You could use stock or water, or even cream, but it won’t have the same texture as the bean liquid.
Variations and additions: you can really take this dish in all kinds of directions! Add a small spoonful of white miso paste to the pan for extra depth. Or, if you don’t need it to be vegan, melt a couple of minced anchovies in with the shallot and garlic at the start of cooking. The dish won’t be fishy, just deeply savory. Want it to be more protein packed? Fry or poach an egg and add it on top of your beans! Or, make the beans a side dish superstar rather than the main event: they’re brilliant with grilled fish or meat of just about any type.