This delicious, creamy vegan butter bean curry recipe is perfect for a quick, easy weeknight meal. It's a one-pot vegan meal that takes minutes to prepare. So, enjoy this fabulous vegetable curry.
I love butter beans! And this creamy butter bean curry recipe is divine! With a few staple ingredients, this delicious vegan curry bowl takes minutes to make in one pan, and the flavors are to die for!
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Lately, I've tried to incorporate more beans into our recipe rotation. Beans contain fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so they boost any recipe full of delicious veggies. Add a delectable sauce, and it's a recipe for success.
The Benefits of Eating Butter Beans
Butter beans, also known as lima beans, are a type of legume known for their mild flavor, creamy texture, and unique color, which ranges from beige to green. They may also be known as butter, double, or wax beans.
Nutrients in Butter Beans
One cup (170 grams) of cooked lima beans contains :
- Calories: 209
- Protein: 12 grams
- Fat: 0.5 grams
- Carbs: 40 grams
- Fiber: 9 grams
- Manganese: 92% of the daily value (DV)
- Copper: 58% of the DV
- Magnesium: 30% of the DV
- Iron: 23% of the DV
- Potassium: 21% of the DV
- Thiamin: 20% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 19% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 19% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 18% of the DV
Butter Bean Curry Ingredients
- Butter Beans: Butter Beans are a very healthy ingredient -- high in protein and fibre, and they're an excellent source of carbohydrates. Low in fat and calories, high in folate and iron
- Thai Red Curry Paste: I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste, which is vegan and gluten-free. Not all red curry paste is vegan, so check the label. Some contain fish sauce.
- Coconut Milk: I used unsweetened coconut milk; for a lower fat option, choose lite coconut milk or any plant milk with 2 teaspoons of coconut extract.
- Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms, but any mushrooms works well.
- Spinach: A lot of spinach reduces once cooked with the other ingredients.
- Shallots: Shallots have a flavor that some people describe as onion with a hint of garlic on the finish. They are peppery like a red onion when raw but get sweet when cooked. Their flavor is a bit more delicate than that of onions.aw red onion
Butter Bean Curry Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose any beans you enjoy. White beans or chickpeas work well.
- You can blend your curry powder with cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili, black pepper, and cinnamon. For more heat, you can add red pepper flakes or chili.
- Use lite coconut milk or any unsweetened plant milk mixed with 2 teaspoons of coconut extract.
- Not a mushroom fan? Choose your favorite veggies.
- Kale is an excellent substitute for spinach.
- Red onion and garlic replace shallots in recipes. I also like leeks in this butter bean curry recipe.
How to Make Butter Bean Curry
This butter bean curry recipe is easy; it is cooked in one pan with a few ingredients. So, what's not to love?
- Begin with a large skillet with deep sides.
- Add the chopped shallots and mushrooms, and cook them over medium heat until the mushrooms are brown and the shallots are translucent.
- Next, add the curry paste and coconut milk.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the curry paste melts into the coconut milk, turning the mixture pink.
- Now add the butter beans.
- Last, add the spinach and stir it into the hot mixture until it wilts.
Serving Suggestions
- We love this recipe in a bowl with whole grain, crusty bread. We love dragging sourdough bread through the mixture and absorbing all the delicious broth.
- Or, add brown rice to a bowl and pour this delicious butter bean curry over the top.
- Whole grain noodles are another serving option.
- Try putting it in a bowl and adding grilled tofu on top.
- Eat butter bean curry as a soup.
Recipe FAQs
The best vegan-friendly store-bought curry paste I've tried is from Maesri. It is much more flavorful (and spicier) than grocery store brands (e.g., Thai Kitchen). Aroy-D also makes a good vegan curry paste, but they also sell versions with shrimp paste, so read the labels.
There is no difference between Lima beans and butter beans -- they're the same thing. Their geography typically determines what they're called, as people in the American South and the UK tend to call them ``butter beans,'' while to the rest of the United States -- they're Lima Beans.
Cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans, are an excellent substitute for butter beans due to their similar creamy texture and mild taste. They hold their shape well when cooked and can be used in soups, stews, salads, and dips.
Tips
- For a reduced-fat option, choose low-fat, unsweetened coconut milk, or use any unsweetened plant milk mixed with 2 teaspoons of coconut extract.
- Curry typically lasts up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator when stored properly in an airtight container.
- Always store your butter bean curry in an airtight container to prevent contamination and maintain freshness.
- To freeze the curry recipe, allow it to cool, then store it in an airtight container.
- You can reheat butter bean curry directly from frozen or after thawing it. For best results, thaw it overnight in the fridge. You can also reheat it at room temperature or use the microwave.
- Butter beans absorb flavors well, making them a good choice for curry. Some recommend serving butter bean curry with rice, bread, naan, steamed broccoli, or wilted spinach.
Enjoy a quick, easy weeknight meal in one pan and try this butter bean curry recipe.
More Delicious East Vegan Recipes
If you love this butter bean curry recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Butter Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce can butter beans (lima beans) drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can unsweetened low-fat coconut milk or substitute 15 ounces of unsweetened plant milk with 2 teaspoons of coconut extract
- 1 shallot diced
- 16 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms or any type of mushrooms
- ½ pound baby spinach
- 2-3 Tablespoons red curry paste I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
Instructions
- Begin with a large skillet with deep sides.
- Add the chopped shallots and mushrooms, and cook them over medium heat until the mushrooms are brown and the shallots are translucent.
- Next, add the curry paste and coconut milk.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the curry paste melts into the coconut milk, turning the mixture pink.
- Now add the butter beans.
- Last, add the spinach and stir it into the hot mixture until it wilts.
Serving Suggestions
- We love this recipe in a bowl with whole grain, crusty bread. We love dragging sourdough bread through the mixture and absorbing all the delicious broth.
- Or, add brown rice to a bowl and pour this delicious butter bean curry over the top.
- Whole grain noodles are another serving option.
- Try putting it in a bowl and adding grilled tofu on top.
- Eat butter bean curry as a soup.
Video
Notes
- For a reduced-fat option, choose low-fat, unsweetened coconut milk, or use any unsweetened plant milk mixed with 2 teaspoons of coconut extract.
- Curry typically lasts up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator when stored properly in an airtight container.
- Always store your butter bean curry in an airtight container to prevent contamination and maintain freshness.
- To freeze the curry recipe, allow it to cool, then store it in an airtight container.
- You can reheat butter bean curry directly from frozen or after thawing it. For best results, thaw it overnight in the fridge. You can also reheat it at room temperature or use the microwave.
- Butter beans absorb flavors well, making them a good choice for curry. Some recommend serving butter bean curry with rice, bread, naan, steamed broccoli, or wilted spinach.
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Carla Christian
Could you change the recipe and add the amount of curry paste please?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Carla, I already did. 2-3 Tablespoons.
Diane Lewandowski
Where's the recipe?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diane, the recipe is being posted tomorrow morning.
Nancy
I'll make this but to put a whole can of full fat coconut milk in there is not healthy. What I usually do is I take the full fat can and then freeze it in silicone ice cubes so I can use just one or two ice cubes in a recipe. I still get the creaminess of coconut milk but not a heart attack
Kathy Carmichael
Nancy, there is a substitution for the full-fat coconut milk. Add 2 teaspoons of coconut extract to the same amount of unsweetened plant milk. It's a great way of getting your coconut taste without any fat.