This Creamy Vegan Butter Beans recipe is the perfect easy comfort food. With just a few simple ingredients and less than 30 minutes, you can have this luscious, Tuscan-inspired dish on the table.
Ready to get cozy with a warming bowl of these Creamy Vegan Butter Beans? For the last few months, I have been obsessed with this dish. Not only is it delicious, but it's kid-friendly and so comforting!
I love serving this with garlic bread and green beans, but it would also be great with pasta, polenta, and more.
One thing I love about this vegan butter beans recipe is how easy it is. There's minimal prep work and you can get it on the table in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights or any time you're in the mood for an easy recipe.
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Ingredient notes
Here's all you need to make this easy vegan butter beans recipe!
- white or yellow onion -- I prefer Vidalia onion for this dish because they are mild and sweet, but any white onion could be used. Shallots would also make an acceptable substitute.
- olive oil or water-- Just to help with cooking the onions.
- garlic cloves -- I love how much flavor fresh garlic adds to this dish, but store-bought minced garlic would be an acceptable substitute. Granulated garlic would be my last resort, but it would still get the job done.
- grape or cherry tomatoes -- Either is fine. In a pinch, you could even chop up a larger tomato. Ideally, go for whatever is ripest. (If you're stuck in winter and all the tomatoes look drab, a can of tomato chunks with the liquid drained off would also work.)
- salt -- This will help enhance the flavors of the dish. I prefer sea salt, but use whatever you have on hand.
- canned butter beans-- These are the bigger white beans (aka Lima beans but for some reason, the name butter beans sounds more appealing...). I have also made this dish with cannellini beans, and it was delicious! Any kind of white beans (Great Northern, Navy, etc.) would be fine.
- vegetable broth--This helps add liquid and flavor to this dish.
- tomato paste -- This just adds a little extra rich, concentrated flavor.
- vegan cream cheese -- This is where the creaminess comes from. Choose a plain flavor with a mild taste like Kite Hill (which is also oil-free if you're WFPB).
- balsamic glaze -- Whenever you use fresh tomatoes in a dish, you need to balance out their acidity with something sweet. You could use sugar or maple syrup, but for this dish, I prefer the rich and lightly sweet flavor of balsamic glaze.
- fresh basil -- I love to add fresh basil to this dish. It really ties everything together. In a pinch, frozen basil will work. You could use dried basil, but it's not ideal.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here are step-by-step instructions with photos.
- Step 1: Prep all of the ingredients: finely dice the onion, mince or microplane the garlic, and quarter the tomatoes. Drain and rinse the beans.(Hold off prepping the basil until the end).
- Step 2: Sauté the onions and a tablespoon of olive oil or water over medium heat until the onions are translucent (3 to 5 minutes).
- Step 3: Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Step 4: Add the tomatoes and salt. Sauté for another 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft.
- Step 5: Add the broth, tomato paste, and beans. Mix to combine. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Step 6: Add the vegan cream cheese and the balsamic glaze. Mix until cream cheese is incorporated into the sauce. Let simmer for another minute or two.
- Step 7: Roughly chop or tear the basil. Add the basil to the beans and mix to incorporate.
- Step 8: Serve and enjoy right away!
Hint: Take the time to add ingredients one at a time and cook for a few minutes before adding the next ingredient. This will really help build the flavors!
Variations
Here are a few ways to switch things up!
- Small beans - Just swap out the butter beans for cannellini, Great Northern beans, or Navy beans.
- Greens - add a handful of fresh or frozen spinach or kale.
- Spicy - garnish with a dash of red pepper flakes.
Equipment
For this recipe, you just a need a knife, cutting board, and skillet.
All of my favorite products and kitchen tools can be found in my Amazon shop
Serving
I love serving these vegan butter beans with garlic bread and a side of green beans or broccoli. It would also taste great over polenta or penne pasta.
With sides this recipe makes enough to serve 4 people; without sides, it's better for 2 to 3 servings.
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Time-Saving Tip
This won't save much on overall cooking time, but if you want less prep use frozen onions and pre-minced garlic. You could even get away with not chopping the tomatoes: just let them burst in the skillet and then break them up with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
FAQ
Butter beans are large white beans. They're actually just canned Lima Beans, but I won't tell if you don't!
To make this dish whole foods, plant-based you'll need to skip the oil and use an oil-free vegan cream cheese like Kite Hill. Other options include homemade vegan cream cheese, cashew cream, or low-fat coconut cream.
More vegan bean recipes!
Looking for other vegan recipes with beans? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these creamy Vegan Butter Beans:
📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Butter Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ white onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or water
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 15 oz can of butter beans
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup vegan cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
- 1 handful fresh Basil
Instructions
- Prep all of the ingredients: finely dice the onion, mince or microplane the garlic, and quarter the tomatoes. Drain and rinse the beans. (Hold off on prepping the basil until the end).
- Sauté the onions and a tablespoon of olive oil or water over medium heat until the onions are translucent (3 to 5 minutes)
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add the tomatoes and salt. Sauté for another 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft.
- Add the broth, tomato paste, and beans. Mix to combine. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegan cream cheese and the balsamic glaze. Mix until cream cheese is incorporated into the sauce. Let simmer for another minute or two.
- Roughly chop or tear the basil. Add the basil to the beans and mix to incorporate. Serve and enjoy right away.
Notes
- With sides this recipe makes enough to serve 4 people; without sides, it's better for 2 to 3 servings. For bigger eaters, you could easily double the recipe with the toggle buttons above.
- Nutritional information is calculated for 4 servings.
Vickie says
I'm making this dish for dinner tonight but I have an issue with the directions. In the printed recipe directions, it doesn't say when to add the beans but looking at the picture instructions it looks like you add them in step 5 with the broth and tomato paste. Is this correct? Also, when prepping the ingredients, do you drain the beans? Thank you for your time.
Julianne Lynch says
Hi Vickie, So sorry about that! I've the instructions so everything is correct now.
Pam says
I found your website while looking for a recipe that uses fresh basil. Your Creamy Basil Butter Beans was a big hit with both vegans & meat eaters! It was really easy to prepare too. I will definitely be making this again & again! Thanks for a great recipe that everyone can enjoy. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Julianne Lynch says
Awesome! Thanks so much and I'm glad the recipe was a hit!
Sara says
This recipe doesn’t have any reviews so I thought I would have to make one to start it off! I followed recipe to the T and it was so good and my 18m old toddler also approved! This one will now be a staple in our dinner line up! I definitely reccomend and excited to try some of your other recipes
Thank you!!!
Julianne Lynch says
Excellent! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.