A fancy holiday side dish turned weeknight staple: whipped lima beans are healthier and BETTER than boring ol' mashed potatoes.
This recipe is inspired by a whipped lima bean recipe I had at a family Christmas years ago that I instantly fell in love with. My version is a little lighter than the original I had ( and VEGAN, y'all ), because not every day is Christmas and I love whipped lima beans so much that I wanted to be able to have them any day of the week without the guilt of butter.
And you know what? I don't even miss the butter. Instead, I use the starchy water from the beans to whip them into a mashed-potato style texture that is creamy and decadent with zero guilt.
Don't have lima beans where you are? You can definitely use butter beans to make this a mashed butter bean dish instead! Just as delicious. Creamy butter beans are the perfect sub here.
You should know this is my MOST requested recipe from friends. You should also know it's one of my personal favorite recipes.
I cook a lot. A LOT. But this whipped lima bean recipe soldiers on as one of my absolute favorites of all time.
If you're wondering what to serve with whipped lima beans, the answer is easy: anything that would go with mashed potatoes... sooooo, pretty much anything.
I've served them with filet mignon on Valentine's Day, along side a rotisserie chicken grabbed from the store on the way home, and they are an amazing accompaniment to my Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms.
Oh, and whipped lima beans reheat beautifully, so feel free to double the recipe and eat them all week.
📖 Recipe
Whipped Lima Beans
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 32 oz frozen baby lima beans
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 2 two tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves
Instructions
- Bring water, garlic, and rosemary to a boil in a large pot.
- Add lima beans and cook for 18 minutes, or until very soft.
- Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
- Using an immersion blender, process very well, making sure the garlic is completely blended and absorbed into the mixture.
- Add the reserved cooking liquid a small amount at a time, until the consistency reaches that of a whipped potato. You may not need to use all of the liquid. I like to start with ½ a cup of the liquid, and add it in ¼ cup increments, usually totaling no more than 1 cup.
Max says
Great recipe. Added a couple of tablespoons of ricotta and it made for a silky smooth result. Perfect alt for potatoes.
Marianne says
Love this suggestion! thank you!
LeMarsha Carter says
Simple and delicious! There's so much flavor and the texture is great. Thanks for this gem.
Carol says
Can I use dried large-ishlimas that are cooked (leftovers) to whip up? This sounds very interesting.