This easy and quick butter bean curry makes for such a nutritious and delicious weeknight dinner recipe. Can be made in under 30 minutes and also great make-ahead meal and freezer-friendly. Serve with rice or naan bread for a satisfying and filling meal for your whole family. Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
It is almost fall and I know that autumn means sweet pumpkin and spiced baked goods for most people. Although I love enjoying a yummy vegan pumpkin brownie, for me, colder weather means all the delicious curry sauces for dinner!
I have a few curry recipes on my website because I can never get enough of them, such as this vegan lentil curry and this sweet potato red lentil dal that we make all the time. There is just something so comforting about curries enjoyed on chilly nights and I am always looking for more curry sauces to add to my repertoire.
Recently I tried making an Indian curry version using large white beans and it was so amazing I had to share it: so welcome to this new delicious butter bean curry!
I know you will love this recipe too: the sauce is so creamy, rich in flavors, a little tangy and spiced perfectly. Preparing curries with beans also makes them extra hearty and more filling, and large butter beans couldn’t be any better to give this recipe such a satisfying mouthfeel.
I love butter beans more and more with time: they are creamy, smooth, soft and carry such a nice mild buttery flavor. I make hummus with butter beans sometimes and also use them to make an easy butter bean tomato stew or pesto butter beans, but they go great in curries too.
The sauce is flavored with fresh garlic, ginger and tons of spices, such as curry powder, ground cumin and garam masala. Then, I included some onion and red pepper for extra veggies and color, although you can add other vegetables if you want. And the important part: there is a can of coconut milk included to make everything so heavenly creamy.
This recipe comes together super quickly, making it the perfect weeknight dinner for your whole family. If you have kids, then you can add less of the spices to make sure it is mild and that everyone loves it. This recipe has all the nutrition that you need, it can be made ahead and it is naturally vegan and dairy-free.
I hope you give it a try! Let me know how it turned out in the comments below! ❤️
Why you should try this recipe
- Easy and delicious comforting dish
- Quick dinner recipe for a busy weeknight that can be done in under 30 minutes!
- Very fragrant with tons of amazing spice flavors
- Ultra creamy and rich texture
- Versatile and the amount of spices can be adjusted to your taste
- Budget-friendly
- Great for meal-prep and batch-cooking
- Freezer-friendly
- 100% vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free, plus naturally gluten-free.
Ingredients you will need
- Butter beans: canned butter beans are easy to find in regular grocery stores. If you cannot find it, then you can swap it for cannellini beans or great Northern beans for a similar result.
- Onion: you will need a small yellow onion or white onion, it adds so much flavor to the cream sauce. A red onion is ok too if that's all you have.
- Fresh garlic: fresh garlic is so important to boost the flavor of the sauce. Use as many as you want, I used 4 large cloves of garlic. Don't swap for garlic powder as it won't have the same flavor.
- Fresh ginger: also essential to make the sauce super fragrant and more complex in flavor. Do not swap for ground ginger if possible.
- Spices: I used a mix of cumin, curry, garam masala, turmeric powder and ground coriander (not the whole pods). There is a lot of flexibility in the spices you can use and how much you add, so feel free to tweak them as you wish. Cumin seeds work too! Also, it is easy to make your own garam masala if you don't have a pre-mix.
- Bell pepper: adds extra sweetness naturally, more nutrients and a nice pop of color too. I prefer red pepper, but green pepper works too.
- Tomatoes: you will need tomatoes to flavor the sauce. I do not recommend skipping on them as they really are important to create the sauce and to balance the flavors from the spices. If you don't have fresh tomatoes, then you can swap for canned crushed or diced tomatoes. Diced cherry tomatoes work too!
- Coconut milk: I used full-fat coconut milk, but you can swap for light coconut milk if you prefer.
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice (not from concentrate!) enhances the flavors and makes the sauce fresh and a little tangy. Lime juice works too.
- Cilantro: if you don't like cilantro, then simply skip it!
How to make a vegan butter bean curry recipe
This is such an easy and quick recipe you can make during the week or even, it is possible to prepare it ahead.
If serving with rice and veggies, then I recommend starting by cooking those so everything is ready at the same time.
Cook the aromatics
In a large saucepan (non-stick or Dutch oven style), warm up a little oil and then, add the onion, red pepper, a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper. Stir and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Then, add the fresh garlic, fresh ginger and spices. Stir to coat the vegetables and then cook for about one more minute so the spices toast in the pan. It should become very fragrant!
Simmer
Add the chopped tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Then, adjust the heat level to allow the sauce to cook slowly for about 7-10 minutes on a low simmer. Keep it uncovered and stir often.
Finish up the sauce
Then, add the lemon juice, rinsed beans and cilantro, if using. Stir to combine and cook for another 4-5 minutes on low heat or until the sauce comes to a desired consistency. Then, serve over brown rice or basmati rice with more fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Helpful tips
- Watch carefully when adding the garlic, ginger and spices so they don't burn. Be ready to add moisture whenever they are done cooking.
- To help the cooking process go smoothly and avoid any burning in the pan, then I recommend to prep ahead the ingredients before getting started. This can include crushing the garlic, grating the ginger, chopping the onion and bell pepper and also, measuring and gathering the spices.
- For a recipe that's lower in fat, then you can also use light coconut milk. In any case, you are looking for the canned coconut milk and not the one sold in boxes with the other plant-based milks for best creamy result.
Serving suggestions
Indian-style curry recipes are great served over rice. The grain soaks up all that yummy sauce, which makes for an amazing texture. I like brown rice better than white rice as it is more nutrient-dense and has a more pleasant chewy texture, but any kind of rice will work.
You can also serve over a garlic turmeric fried rice or a coconut pineapple rice for a great match in flavors.
Serve with a side of veggies for more nutrients, such as green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower.
Curries also are great with a side of naan bread to scoop up the sauce. I have made a few times this vegan naan bread recipe from Nora Cooks, which would be perfect here. Or we also like to serve with red lentil tortilla wraps for even more fiber and protein!
You can also add a spoonful of cashew plain yogurt for added creaminess and to help cool off the spice flavor, if needed.
Variations to the recipe
Creamy butter bean curry sauces are very flexible and can be adjusted to your taste depending on what you like.
Here are a few ideas:
- Add more vegetables: this is a saucy dish where you can also include other veggies, such as eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, fresh or frozen leafy greens (spinach or kale), potatoes, sweet potatoes, green peas, mushrooms, etc.
- Spicy: you can add some more heat to your sauce by including a dash of cayenne pepper, some red pepper flakes or even finely sliced spicy red chili pepper.
- Spices: feel free to play around with the spices. You can add more or less depending on your taste but also, you can add some cinnamon, cloves, smoked paprika and even some chili powder for a different profile in flavor.
Storage tips
The sauce stores well and is a great recipe to make ahead if you love to meal-prep.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Stir well before serving the leftovers as there is sometimes some separation.
To reheat, use the microwave or the stove.
Also, I freeze curry sauces often. You can divide the leftovers into smaller storage containers for easy grab-and-go. Then, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
FAQ's
They are the same! Butter beans can be named differently depending on which stage of maturity they are in. Usually, canned beans are named butter beans and are essentially a completely mature version of lima beans. On the other hand, you can also find lima beans that are not completely mature in the freezer section of your grocery store. They are usually greener and simply called lima beans.
Coconut milk is responsible for the creamy and rich consistency of the sauce. If you want to avoid it, then you can swap for vegetable stock to simmer the sauce and then, add a few spoonfuls of vegan plain yogurt to add some creaminess just before serving.
You can try to dilute the spices flavor by adding more coconut milk or add a splash of sweetener such as maple syrup or brown sugar to balance the taste (I do this for my kids all the time). Also, you can add some plant-based yogurt when serving to help cool your dish off.
Yes you can, although this recipe will take longer to prepare since you will have to cook the dry butter beans first in water from scratch until soft, then make this recipe.
More vegan curry recipes you might like
- Curry tofu scramble
- Aubergine cauliflower curry
- Vegan jackfruit curry
- Tikka masala pasta
- One-pot curry ramen
- Curried red lentil and carrot soup
- Vegan tofu tikka masala
- Eggplant tikka masala
I hope you like this delicious vegan butter bean curry recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Butter Bean Curry
Ingredients
- 1 yellow or white onion - diced
- 1 red bell pepper - diced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 1 inch fresh ginger - grated
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 2 medium-large tomatoes - diced (can also swap for 15 oz canned finely diced tomatoes)
- 2 x 15 oz canned butter beans - rinsed and drained
- 15 oz canned unsweetened coconut milk - full-fat coconut milk will give the curry sauce a creamier consistency, but you can also use light coconut milk
- ½ lemon - juiced
- handful of cilantro - chopped, optional
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Warm up a large saucepan with a little oil (I like using oil spray) and then, add the onion, red pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned.
- Then, add the garlic, ginger and all the spices. Stir well to coat the veggies and keep cooking for about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and keep cooking on medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes uncovered stirring once in a while.
- Then, add the lemon juice, butter beans and cilantro. Stir to combine and cook for another 4-5 minutes or so or until desired consistency.
- Serve warm over rice with more cilantro and a side of veggie of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Storage: keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat using the stove or microwave. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months (let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating).
- I highly recommend getting everything ready before you start the cooking process: crush the garlic, grate the ginger, measure and gather the spices, chop the tomatoes, etc. Once you start cooking the veggies, then it goes fast and having the ingredients ready to go can prevent burning.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
I’ve made this twice, once with butter beans and once with chickpeas, and both were fantastic. I also used jarred roasted red peppers because that’s what I had it it worked great. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Kathy, thanks so much for your feedback, love the roasted pepper idea!