Name: Butter Beans with Ham
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 1 pound large dried lima beans; 2 large smoked ham hocks; 1 medium onion, diced; 9 cups water for stovetop cooking, or 6 cups for slow cooking, plus more as needed; 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided, using less if needed; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder

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Creamy butter beans with shredded smoked ham in a white serving bowl.

Butter beans with ham are large dried lima beans cooked until creamy in a smoky ham-hock broth. This pot serves 6-8, with onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper keeping the seasoning simple. Choose a no-soak stovetop method or plan ahead for the Beautiful multi-cooker's refrigerated soak and pre-boil.

The beans should be soft all the way through, and the ham should pull easily from the bones. A little mashed bean thickens the broth without adding cream. Put Southern Buttermilk Cornbread alongside, and you have something worth slowing down for.

Large lima beans and ham in a rich broth, served with cornbread alongside.

Before You Pick a Cooking Method

The stovetop method takes 15 minutes of prep and 2-2½ hours of cooking, with no separate soak. For slow cooking, allow a 12-hour refrigerated soak, at least 10 minutes of boiling, and then 6-8 hours on Low or 4-5 hours on High. Use 9 cups of water on the stove or 6 cups in the multi-cooker; the different amounts are intentional.

Large dried lima beans, smoked ham hocks, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Ingredients You'll Need

Large dried lima beans: the creamy, pale beans often sold as butter beans.
Smoked ham hocks: leave them whole while the broth develops.
Onion: diced.
Water: use the amount for your chosen cooking method.
Kosher salt: add gradually after tasting the ham-flavored broth.
Black pepper.
Garlic powder.
Onion powder.

A Few Ingredient Notes

Use large dried lima beans for the recipe as written. Great Northern or navy beans can replace them, but the cooking time may differ. A meaty smoked ham bone or smoked turkey leg can replace the hocks. If you choose broth instead of water, use unsalted broth and season after cooking.

These butter beans have a simpler seasoning base than Ham and Bean Soup, which uses navy beans, vegetables, and thyme. Keep the large limas and smoked hocks as the focus here.

Tools That Make It Easier

Baking sheet for sorting beans
Colander for rinsing and draining
Chef knife
Cutting board
Measuring cups and spoons
Large Dutch oven with lid (stovetop method)
Heatproof nonmetal spoon for stirring and mashing
Large bowl for refrigerated soaking (slow cooker method)
Saucepan for pre-boiling beans (slow cooker method)
6-quart white Beautiful 10-in-1 Electric Multi-Cooker (slow cooker method)
Plate for cooling and picking ham hocks
Ladle for serving
Shallow airtight refrigerator/freezer containers for leftovers

How to Make Butter Beans with Ham

Prepare the beans, choose one cooking method, then use the same finishing steps for either pot.

1. Sort, rinse, and prep

Spread the beans on a baking sheet, pick out stones or damaged beans, and rinse thoroughly. Dice the onion before you start cooking.

Sorting dried large lima beans on a baking sheet before rinsing.

2. For the stovetop, boil and simmer

Put the beans, ham hocks, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper in a large Dutch oven with 9 cups water. Bring to a full boil, then maintain a steady, gentle boil for 20 minutes.

Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook another 1½-2 hours, until the beans are creamy throughout and the ham pulls easily from the bones. Check occasionally, add hot water to keep the beans covered, and stir gently along the bottom to prevent sticking.

Taste once the broth has developed its ham flavor, then add the kosher salt gradually. The hocks may provide enough salt without the full measured amount.

Large lima beans and two smoked ham hocks boiling in a red Dutch oven.

3. For slow cooking, soak and pre-boil

Cover the rinsed beans with water by at least 3 inches and refrigerate for 12 hours, then drain and rinse. Cover with fresh water by 2 inches in a saucepan, bring to a full boil, boil for at least 10 minutes, and drain before transferring to the multi-cooker.

Soaked lima beans boiling in fresh water before slow cooking.

4. Load the Beautiful multi-cooker

Add the ham hocks, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper to the drained beans, then pour in 6 cups hot water, adding a little more only if needed to cover them. Keep below the maximum fill line, cover, select Slow Cook, and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4-5 hours.

Start checking at the earlier time; older beans may need longer. Near the end, taste the broth and add kosher salt gradually as needed, cooking until the beans are completely tender and the ham releases from the bones.

Beans, ham hocks, onion, seasonings, and water in the Beautiful multi-cooker.

5. Pick the ham and finish the broth

Move the tender ham hocks to a plate; when cool enough to handle, remove the bones, skin, and excess fat, shred the meat, and return it to the beans. For thicker broth, mash about ½ cup of cooked beans against the pot's side and gently stir them in; thin with hot water a little at a time if needed.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve warm with cooking broth spooned over each portion.

Finishing tender beans and shredded ham in the Dutch oven.

Let Tenderness Set the Finish Line

The beans are done when there is no firm or chalky center. Taste a bean before calling the pot finished; the clock gives you a checking window, and the texture tells you when to stop.

If the beans soften before the ham does, remove the ham and simmer it separately in some of the broth until tender. This keeps the beans from falling apart while you wait on the meat. For help controlling a gentle simmer, see Mastering Heat Management.

A white bowl of Southern butter beans with ham hocks.

Keeping Leftovers Fresh

Refrigerate the beans, ham, and broth in shallow, covered containers within 2 hours of cooking and use within 3-4 days. Reheat gently, adding water as needed to loosen the broth.

To freeze: pack the cooled beans, ham, and broth together in airtight containers, leaving room for expansion, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

What to Serve with Butter Beans with Ham

Cornbread catches the broth, greens round out the plate, and tomatoes bring a fresh contrast. Serve Southern Buttermilk Cornbread, Southern-Style Collard Greens, or Fresh Tomato Salad; a crisp green salad also works well.

Offer chopped onion, hot sauce, or pepper vinegar at the table so everyone can finish their own bowl.

Southern Buttermilk Cornbread

Southern-Style Collard Greens

Easy Fresh Tomato Salad with Aged Balsamic Dressing

Do these butter beans contain butter?

No. This recipe uses large dried lima beans, smoked ham hocks, onion, water, and seasonings. The name describes the beans; butter is not an ingredient.

Can I use canned beans with these cooking times?

The supplied method and water amounts are for large dried lima beans. Canned beans are already cooked, so this recipe does not provide tested timing or liquid amounts for that substitution.

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Tender butter beans and shredded ham with thickened cooking broth.

Recipe

Butter Beans with Ham

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Large lima beans and smoked ham hocks cook into creamy beans with rich, savory broth. Choose the stovetop or Beautiful multi-cooker method and serve with cornbread.

Author: Jennifer Locklin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 pound large dried lima beans
2 large smoked ham hocks
1 medium onion, diced
9 cups water for stovetop cooking, or 6 cups for slow cooking, plus more as needed
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided, using less if needed
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

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Instructions

Prep: Spread the beans on a baking sheet and remove any small stones or damaged beans. Rinse thoroughly. Dice the onion. Choose either cooking method below.
Stovetop method: Place the beans, ham hocks, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper in a large Dutch oven. Add 9 cups water. Bring to a full boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a steady, gentle boil for 20 minutes. Cover and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for another 1½-2 hours, until the beans are creamy throughout and the ham pulls easily from the bones. Check the liquid occasionally and add hot water as needed to keep the beans covered. Stir gently along the bottom to prevent sticking without breaking up the beans. Once the broth has developed its ham flavor, taste before adding the kosher salt. Add it gradually; depending on the ham hocks, you may not need the full amount.
Beautiful multi-cooker, soak and pre-boil: Place the rinsed beans in a large bowl and cover with water by at least 3 inches. Refrigerate for 12 hours, then drain and rinse. Transfer the beans to a saucepan and cover with fresh water by 2 inches. Bring to a full boil and boil for at least 10 minutes. Drain before transferring to the multi-cooker.
Beautiful multi-cooker, slow cook: Add the ham hocks, onion, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper to the beans in the multi-cooker. Pour in 6 cups hot water, adding a little more only if needed to cover the beans. Keep the contents below the appliance's maximum fill line. Cover and select Slow Cook. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4-5 hours, until the beans are completely tender and the ham releases easily from the bones. Start checking at the earlier time; older beans may take longer. Near the end of cooking, taste the broth and add the kosher salt gradually as needed.
Finish and serve, either method: Transfer the ham hocks to a plate. When cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones, skin, and excess fat. Shred the meat and return it to the beans. For a thicker broth, mash about ½ cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot and gently stir them back in. For a thinner consistency, add hot water a little at a time. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve warm with some of the cooking broth spooned over each portion.

Notes

Timing: Prep 15 minutes; stovetop cook time 2-2½ hours. Slow cooker: 12-hour refrigerated soak, then at least 10 minutes boiling, plus 6-8 hours on Low or 4-5 hours on High. The total time shown is for the stovetop method, allowing the full 2½ hours of cooking. Use tenderness as the final guide.
Substitutions: Great Northern beans or navy beans can replace the large lima beans, though cooking times may differ. A meaty smoked ham bone or smoked turkey leg can replace the ham hocks. If using broth instead of water, choose unsalted broth and season after cooking.
Serving: Serve with cornbread, cooked greens, sliced tomatoes, or a crisp green salad. Offer chopped onion, hot sauce, or pepper vinegar at the table.
Doneness: The beans should have no firm or chalky center. If the beans finish before the ham softens, remove the ham and simmer it separately in some of the broth until tender.
Storage: Refrigerate in shallow, covered containers within 2 hours of cooking. Use within 3-4 days. Reheat gently, adding water as needed to loosen the broth.
Freezing: Freeze the cooled beans, ham, and broth together in airtight containers for up to 3 months, leaving room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Southern Butter Beans

Before You Pick a Cooking Method

Ingredients You'll Need

A Few Ingredient Notes

Tools That Make It Easier