First foods database
🫘 Butter beans for babies: when and how to serve it
Can babies eat butter beans? Yes, from about 6 months. Large, creamy butter beans mash into a smooth, buttery spread and offer plant protein, fibre and iron for growing babies.
Good source of: Protein, Fibre, Iron, Folate
How to serve butter beans by age
6 to 9 months
Mash cooked butter beans with a little olive oil or breast milk into a smooth purée, or spread onto toast fingers. Whole beans should be flattened between finger and thumb before offering. Butter bean mash is a mild, creamy way to introduce pulses.
9 to 12 months
Offer squashed beans for pincer practice, or mix whole beans into soft stews.
12 months and up
Serve whole cooked butter beans in stews, salads and bakes, or blended into dips.
Choking safety
Whole butter beans are large and can be slippery, so flatten them before offering to young babies. Remove any loose tough skins if your baby struggles with them.
Gagging is common and noisy while babies learn to eat. Choking is usually silent. Always stay with your baby while they eat, sitting upright. How to help a choking baby (NHS).
Good to know
- Choose tinned butter beans in water with no added salt, and rinse them well.
- Dried butter beans must be soaked and boiled thoroughly before eating.
Easy ideas
- Butter bean and garlic dip with toast fingers
- Butter bean and tomato stew
- Smashed butter beans on toast
Goes well with
Recipes with butter beans
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Questions parents ask
Can babies eat butter beans?
Can babies eat butter beans? Yes, from about 6 months. Large, creamy butter beans mash into a smooth, buttery spread and offer plant protein, fibre and iron for growing babies.
Can babies eat tinned butter beans?
Yes. Pick ones in water without added salt or sugar and rinse well. Low-salt tins are easy to find in most supermarkets.
Are butter beans the same as lima beans?
Yes, they are the same bean, with different names in the UK and US.
Sources
OBubba gives general information based on UK guidance. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Every baby is different. If your baby has a known allergy, severe eczema or a medical condition, speak to your doctor or health visitor before starting solids. Learn baby first aid, and in an emergency call your local emergency number (999 in the UK).