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.
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.
Hi there! I was wondering if I could use dried rosemary? Rosemary is not really in season right now. Also, I cannot wait to try to this recipe! I have never cooked with Lima beans before and I cannot say I have every ate them either.
What if u have lima beans from a can?
I don't think it would be a great choice to use lima beans in a can, as the flavor in this recipe comes from cooking the rosemary and garlic with the lima beans. Canned lima beans are already cooked ( I think - I haven't had them before but I'd imagine they are ), so I don't know how you'd infuse that flavor into them.
You can use can beans, you just sautee them in the garlic and rosemary. Save the water in the can to add while whipping. I have made them while camping. Takes about 10 mins.
I made this recipe tonight and we absolutely loved it! Simple yet phenomenal!
I'm so happy to hear that! It's one of my favorites
I can vouch for this recipe. I have been making mashed limas for years. I do add a tablespoon of olive oil though. I use basil in the summer.
Oh, I'll have to try the basil ( naturally, haha! )! Thank you for the tip