This vegan butter bean stew is vibrant, hearty, and healthy. With a fragrant citrus zing, it's a delicious dinner option that's low-fat and gluten-free.
The lemon zest does an incredible job of lifting the flavour of the tomatoes and veg, which themselves combine to deliver an explosion of colour. All in all, it's a winning butter bean recipe that I continue to make regularly at home.
If you're wanting even more legumes in your life, check out my recipes for easy chana masala, 15-minute chickpea stew, and black bean curry.
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Jump to:
- Why I love it 💚
- Test notes 📝
- Lemon 🍋
- Nutrition 🌱
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Variations 🔀
- More ideas 💡
- Recipe 👨🍳
Why you'll love this vegan butter bean recipe
- You can have it ready in around 40 minutes
- It's a feast for the eyes with all that colourful mixed veg
- It's low in fat and high in nutrients such as fibre, iron, and vitamin C
- You can easily make this stew stretch further with an extra tin of tomatoes and/or beans
Recipe testing notes
- Make it a one-pot meal: Thicken the stew with quinoa (GF) or bulgur wheat (not GF) to make it a true one-pot meal. Add this when adding the chopped tomatoes, then cook the stew for longer and add extra liquid as necessary until the grains are tender.
- Other beans: Butter beans work very well here, but you could make this dish with virtually any legumes you like – beans, lentils, or chickpeas. You'll just want to make sure these are canned or pre-cooked before adding here.
Can you add lemon to stew?
If you've never tried adding lemon zest to a tomato-based stew before, you're in for a treat. It's absolutely delicious together with the subtle smokiness from the smoked paprika in this recipe.
Note: I would only use the yellow zest of the lemon – not the white pith or the juice. The zest is the part that holds the lemon's essential oil, adding a fragrant citrus zing to the stew.
Lemon juice has a tart, acidic flavour, and while it can help to lift other flavours, I'd suggest starting small if you want to include it here. Alternatively, save it for other recipes such Moroccan zaalouk or vegan cheesy pasta.
Is butter bean stew healthy?
Butter beans – or lima beans – offer a very low-fat source of plant-based protein. They're also full of fibre, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamin B6.
In one serving of this recipe (without sides), you'll find:
- Calories: 189 kcal
- Fibre: 9 grams (38% of RDA)
- Iron: 5 mg (28% of RDA)
- Vitamin C: 113 mg (137% of RDA)
Butter beans are renowned for their soft, creamy texture, and are delicious in soups, salads, dips, and stews just like this one.
Want to learn more about the wonderful world of beans, lentils, and chickpeas? Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Pulses.
What you'll need
This butter bean stew combines various colours and textures for a healthy recipe that's full of flavour. To make it, you'll need:
- Butter beans as the star of the show
- Lemon zest for those citrus notes
- Mixed peppers and spinach to pack in the nutrients
- Seasoning in the form of thyme and smoked paprika
How to make lemony butter bean stew
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the sliced onions. Fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, before adding the sliced peppers.
Turn up the heat slightly to get these going, and reduce to medium again after a few minutes.
Once the onions and peppers have started to soften, add the chopped garlic and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, using a spoon to break these down.
Next, add in the vegan stock, smoked paprika, and bay leaves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 5-10 minutes, stir in the drained butter beans, thyme, and grated lemon zest. Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes.
With 5 minutes to go, add the spinach leaves and mix these through the stew.
It'll look like a lot at first, but these will soon wilt.
Once the spinach leaves have wilted down, adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.
Serving suggestions
I like this stew spooned over basmati rice or brown rice, with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley to finish it off.
Other ideas for sides include quinoa, couscous, Cajun-spiced potato wedges, cumin roasted cauliflower, or vegan roast potatoes (you can also check out my full list of vegan side dishes).
Recipe FAQ
To make this dish (and others) even cheaper, you can use dried beans. These will need to be soaked and cooked in advance, with times varying depending on the type.
If you need to ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a vegan stock that is certified or labelled as such.
Store this vegan butter bean stew in the fridge for up to four days. Simply reheat in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water to loosen it up.
You can freeze the stew in sealed containers or resealable bags for up to six months. Defrost before reheating in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water.
Variations and tips for vegan butter bean stew
- Add more veg: Add carrots, mushrooms, courgette, kale, aubergine, sweet potato, or anything else you fancy (or want to use up). You can also include chopped fresh chillies for a bit of extra heat.
- Lemon juice: After using the lemon zest in this recipe, try using the juice in other things such as salad dressings, hot drinks, cakes, and vegan cheesy pasta.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.
Full recipe
Lemony Butter Bean Stew (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 3x 14 oz (400 g) tins tomatoes
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegan stock
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 4 bay leaves
- 2x 14 oz (400 g) tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 5 oz (150 g) fresh spinach (approx. 4-5 cups)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan and add the sliced onions. Fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, before adding the sliced peppers. Turn up the heat slightly to get these going, and reduce to medium again after a few minutes.
- Once the onions and peppers have started to soften, add the chopped garlic and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, using a spoon to break these down. Next, add in the vegan stock, smoked paprika, and bay leaves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 5-10 minutes, stir in the drained butter beans, thyme, and grated lemon zest. Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes.
- With 5 minutes to go, add the spinach leaves and mix these through the stew. It'll look like a lot at first, but these will soon wilt.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste, before serving with rice and chopped fresh parsley (see serving suggestions for more ideas).📸 See recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
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Carol
I made this for the first time today. I'm not vegan so I hope my post is not irrelevant. I have to say I really enjoyed this dish, full of simple but very tasty flavours, where you can really appreciate the taste of the veg. I highly recommend this.
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks very much, glad to hear you enjoyed it! I welcome respectful comments from anyone, and the vast majority of people following along with what I do here wouldn't describe themselves as vegan. In fact, my about me page (originally written in 2019) includes something of a mission statement along these lines:
Whatever it was that brought you here – whether you’ve been vegan for years, want a little help in starting to make positive changes, are learning about all this for the very first time, or passionately disagree with everything veganism stands for – you’re very welcome here (and always will be).
I've managed to publish quite a few recipes in the five years since then, so feel free to take a look around and let me know how you get on if you try any others!
Karen
Yum! This is very tasty and delicious, yet rather easy to make. Thank you!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks!
Jan
This is a lovely dish, thanks for sharing Alastair!
Lots of vibrant colours from all the veggies and the butter beans make it filling and comforting. That lemon zest gives it a zing and lifts it up a level I think.
I only used 2 tins of tomatoes and felt that was enough and there was still plenty of leftovers to pop into the freezer for another day.
This time, I served it with potato and celeriac mash.
Will definitely be making this one again. Another winner from The Pesky Vegan!!
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers Jan, potato and celeriac mash sounds dreamy!
Jane Turner
Simple but with a delicious punch from the lemon. The veg chopping is the only faff
The Pesky Vegan
Cheers, glad you enjoyed!
Sue H
Hi Alistair! Summer is on the horizon here in Adelaide and it's the time when capsicums AKA peppers are in season and cheaper, so this recipe looks perfect! I haven't made it yet and I'm wondering if I could use my homemade preserved lemons instead of the lemon zest. If so, I may omit the bay leaves and add cumin or ras el hanout for that North African flavour. And served up with couscous, of course!
The Pesky Vegan
Hi there! I haven't tried this with preserved lemons so couldn't say for sure, but definitely keen to hear how you get on if you give it a go!
Wendy
Easy and cheap to make, freezes well too. Very tasty, comforting and warming, the lemon and parsley give a gorgeous summery lift to the dish. Will definitely make again. Thank you
The Pesky Vegan
Wonderful, glad you enjoyed!
Emma
Even my butter-bean hating, committed carnivore husband loved this! Brilliant recipe, thanks.
The Pesky Vegan
High praise indeed, cheers!
Diane
Wonderful! Just made this fantastic recipe and we all very much enjoyed it Definitely on the favourites list. Thank you.
The Pesky Vegan
It's still a regular in my own kitchen – thanks very much for the review!
Janet Adey
I have made this twice and it's lovely. We aren't vegetarian, but enjoy veggie meals and it saves on the cost of meat.
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear you've been enjoying it, thanks very much for the review!