These Simple Southern Lima Beans couldn’t be easier to prepare, and they pair perfectly with hearty Southern meals. Bacon makes any vegetable better, and it only takes one slice to get that salty, smoky flavor. Try serving these with Baked Shrimp and Grits or Stovetop Barbecue Chicken.

Prep Time | 5 minutes |
Cook Time | 45 minutes |
Servings |
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- 2 slices uncooked bacon diced into 1/4" pieces
- 16 ounces frozen lima beans
- kosher salt to taste
- hot sauce optional
Ingredients
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- Spray a medium sauce pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook, stirring frequently, until browned.
- Pour in 1 c. water and frozen lima beans. Add more water until beans are just covered. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, until beans are very tender.
- A few minutes before serving, add salt to taste. (I like my beans pretty salty, so I add at least 1/2 tsp. salt.)
- Serve with hot sauce to add to taste if desired.
I’m a transplanted Southerner and butter beans sounds good to me!! Can I use packaged dried beans for this recipe?
They are the same. Call butter bean in England then of course the south.
About to make these babies in a minute I’ll be using dried lima beans and fresh bacon from the meat market!!!! I really should not be this excited about food LOL!!!!
What was the end result of using dried beans. Do you have cook the beans longer, etc.?
I made these lima beans for dinner – really good. I added a bit more salt and some ground pepper (only because I like it). I will definitely make these again.
Sorry, no. This needs ham base to make it a truly Southern dish.
Well, I’m a southern and this is how I make my beans :)
it’s interesting.. found a real hybrid stew recipe.. that felt. cajun, creole and … ??.. a mirepoix ..substituting green bell pepper for carrots..lots of garlic [like 8 cloves].. andouille sausage.. shrimp.. chicken and clam broth.. cayenne pepper.. and limas. it was very tasty.. though I’ll be damned to its derivation.
I spent some time in Tennessee and saw “Butter Beans”. What’s the difference??
Mmmmm butter beans. They are similar, but they are a different kind of bean. I used to love speckled butter beans, which are tan with dark brown spots. You can cook them the same way as lima beans if you can get your hands on them :)
I wonder if i can use can lima bean instead of using frozen one. thanks!
Hi, Cloey. Yes, you can definitely use canned beans. I would use two drained cans of lima beans, and you can reduce the cooking time to about 10 minutes. I think canned beans are usually salted, so taste them before adding more salt. Thanks for stopping by!