The Health Benefits of Butter Beans
Updated on July 31, 2025
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Butter beans, also known as lima beans, are a great source of protein, fiber, iron, and B vitamins — health benefits that made them a mainstay of the Native American diet.
Low-Calorie, Low-Fat Food
As a low-fat, low-calorie food, a ½-cup serving of butter beans contains about 90 calories. Butter beans are considered a low-energy-dense food, which means they have a low calorie content for their serving size. Including more low-energy-dense foods in your diet helps control hunger when limiting your calorie intake, which may help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. As a very low fat source, with less than ½ gram (g) per ½ cup, butter beans make a healthy alternative to fatty meats that are high in cholesterol-raising saturated fat.
Healthy Carbs in Butter Beans
Carbohydrates found in butter beans should be an essential component of your diet to provide your body with energy. While a variety of different foods contain carbs, it’s important that most of your carbs come from healthy sources. Beans, like butter beans, are considered to be among your healthiest choices. A ½-cup serving of butter beans contains 17 g of carbs.
Protein Content of Butter Beans
Butter beans contain protein, essential for the regeneration of cells, tissues, and muscle. A ½-cup serving of butter beans contains 5.5 g of protein toward your daily goal. (That goal is at least 0.36 g of protein per pound of body weight, or 63 g for a 175-pound person.) Butter beans don’t contain all essential amino acids in the proportions found in animal products. However, as long as you’re eating a variety of plant foods throughout the day, your body can obtain all the essential amino acids it needs.
Vitamins and Mineral Content
Butter beans provide iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, and valuable antioxidants. You need adequate intakes of iron to help transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Zinc is necessary for cellular metabolism and supports the immune system, wound healing, and cell division. Magnesium helps make protein and is needed for producing energy.
Butter beans are also a source of B vitamins, specifically thiamine, riboflavin, and folate, which are necessary for turning the carbs you eat into energy.
Beans Excel in Fiber
The greatest health benefit of butter beans is the fiber they provide. Researchers say on average, Americans get less than two-thirds of the recommended amount, which is 25 to 38 g a day. A ½-cup serving of butter beans provides about 5 g. Important in normal digestion and in the protection of the colon, fiber-rich beans act as a laxative. Fiber in beans also helps to reduce blood cholesterol by decreasing reabsorption in the colon and may help lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
Cooking Butter Beans
You can make use of the nutritional value of butter beans in countless delicious recipes. Fresh butter beans take about 30 minutes to cook. Dried beans should be soaked for six hours or overnight, and may take an hour or more to soften on the stove. You can speed up the process if you have a slow cooker. Canned or frozen butter beans make for a quick and convenient meal, but be aware of the salt content.
To cook butter beans, shell and wash the beans thoroughly and put them in a saucepan with water and salt. When they’re tender, drain and season however you’d like. A little butter and black pepper are a tried and true option, or you can spice it up with red pepper flakes. Make the Southern staple succotash by adding corn and other veggies like onions and tomatoes. Leftover beans are terrific sprinkled on salads, used in soup, and added to pasta to add protein.
The Takeaway
- Butter beans are another name for lima beans.
- They’re low in fat and calories, but packed with nutrients.
- Butter beans give you lots of protein and fiber plus many important vitamins and minerals.
- To cook butter beans, simmer them gently until they’re tender and season to taste or add to other recipes.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
- Marsh E. Lima Beans. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Lima beans, from frozen, no added fat. U.S. Department of Agriculture. October 31, 2024.
- Weight loss: Feel full on fewer calories. Mayo Clinic. January 12, 2024.
- Carbohydrates: Quality Matters. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
- What Are Complete Proteins? Cleveland Clinic. December 6, 2022.
- Weyh C et al. The Role of Minerals in the Optimal Functioning of the Immune System. Nutrients. February 2, 2022.
- B Vitamins. MedlinePlus. September 23, 2021.
- Most Americans are not getting enough fiber in our diets. American Society for Nutrition. June 9, 2021.
- Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic. December 11, 2024.
- Smith J. Lima Beans or Butter Beans? University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Illinois Extension. November 10, 2017.
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