Butter beans—these delicious, bite-sized goodies go by many names because they are beloved by many! Whether you call them lima beans, sieva beans, wax beans, double beans, or Madagascar beans, they’re the same legumes. If you want to get technical, their binomial name is Phaseolus lunatus, but that’s hard to say five times fast.
At WayFare Health Foods, our best not-so-secret secret is that we use butter beans to give our dairy free products their signature creamy textures and fantastic nutrition. From our cream cheeses to our puddings (Yes—We added beans to pudding!), every bite has all of the goodness without their taste.
“But, why butter beans?” you might ask. “What’s so special about them? Are they good for you?” Simply put: they’re good for you and WayFare products. They provide amazing nutrition, texture, and other wow-worthy benefits that help you live the healthiest, plant-based lifestyle possible. Below, we’ll dive into the roots of butter beans and unearth their extraordinary qualities so you can see why we all sing the praises of the beans at WayFare (trust us—it’s a very catchy song).
What are Butter Beans?
Butter beans are large, velvety beans that originate in South America but became popular in Southern dishes. Depending on their age, they take on different looks (just like people!). Young butter beans are pale green and have thin skins, while mature butter beans have thicker, beige skins that turns tender when cooked. Predominantly, people use beans in soups, stews, dips, casseroles, and so on, but we use them as the primary ingredient in our plant-based foods (we’re creative like that).
Butter Beans Nutrition
The nutritional value of beans reigns supreme in our hearts. They may be small, but these little legumes are mighty in what they bring to the table regarding health benefits.
Butter Beans are Low in Fat
We almost fell out of our seats when we discovered butter beans only have one gram of fat per ½ cup—that’s amazing! These beans are an excellent, low-fat alternative to meats, which are high in saturated fats that can impact your cholesterol levels.
They’re Rich in Minerals
Butter beans are wealthy legumes, just swimming in wonderful vitamins and minerals. With manganese, iron, zinc, magnesium, and potassium, just to name a few, these beans are stuffed with nutrients the body needs to thrive. Also, they are a great source of B vitamins, like thiamine, riboflavin, and folate, which are necessary for turning carbs into energy. That’s a powerful bean!
Ok, But Why Add Butter Beans to WayFare Products?
We know—it sounds like a funny mistake in the kitchen saying we put beans into our dairy free butter, sour cream, cheddar, and so on. But, trust us, you wouldn’t know there were beans in WayFare foods unless you looked at the ingredients list. We chose to add these bite-sized bundles of nutrition to our products for many reasons, but here are a few of the most notable reasons why these delicious beans are at the top of our products’ ingredients list:
1. Their Texture is Outstanding
One of the biggest conundrums we had to solve at WayFare was how to achieve the creaminess of dairy in our products without using dairy. Enter butter beans. These beans have a creamy, smooth texture and a mild, lightly buttery flavor. They mimic the mouthfeel of dairy products when cooked and blended with our other plant-based ingredients.
2. They’re Vegan & Plant-Based Friendly Ingredients
The earth loves butter beans, and so do we! We ensure our products are entirely plant-based and friendly for vegan lifestyles. Beans help accomplish this mission by providing the creamy texture you love about dairy products while still being entirely plant-based. Legumes are one of the many food products that can be eaten on a plant-based diet, so rejoice and enjoy!
3. They’re Free of the Top 8 Allergens
That’s right—beans are free of the big 8 food allergens! We believe food should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone, especially for our friends with food allergies. So these beans are the perfect addition to our products with their clean ingredient profile and food allergen-friendly qualities.
4. Their Nutrient Profile is Unmatched
As we outlined above (go back and re-read if you forgot!), butter beans’ nutrition is so good we just had to add them to our products. With their low-fat content and great nutrients, they help make WayFare foods superfoods. So stand aside, Superman. You may be able to fly, but can you help lower people’s cholesterol? We didn’t think so!
Enjoy the Benefits of Butter Beans Today
Are you ready to experience the nutritional benefits of these special beans while enjoying the nostalgic flavors of products you know and love? Check out our range of dairy free products today! Whether you shop online or find us in a store near you, we’re never more than a click away, so you can always be within reach of healthful, tasty plant-based foods—that’s the WayFare way!