Butter Bean Hummus is a creamy, healthy, and delicious dip, perfect for veggies, crackers, and more. Mix it up from your usual chickpea hummus and try this amazing butter bean spread on your sandwiches, thin it to make a dressing, or just use it as a dip. What a delicious way to get more protein and fiber into your diet!

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Portrait photo of butter bean hummus on a green plate with a light blue cloth.

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So… yes… I made another hummus recipe. I told you in my spinach artichoke hummus recipe, we go through a batch of hummus every 3-4 days. Sometimes even quicker, depending on how much of it my husband feels like eating!

As you can imagine, with us going through a lot of hummus, I like to really mix up the flavors since I’m eating a lot of it. I have lots of other chickpea hummus recipes like roasted red pepper hummus, cheesy hummus, ranch hummus, beet hummus, dill pickle hummus, and more—all coming soon!

But sometimes, I actually like to change the base bean from chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans, which is what traditional hummus is made from) to another bean. This not only keeps it interesting but it gives you different nutrients while still being a good source of protein and fiber. Using different beans keeps it fun in my opinion! And the rest of the recipe uses simple ingredients so it should be easy for anyone to make this creamy butter bean hummus recipe.

My friend Krystal (@plantbasedspacecase on Instagram) has requested I make a red lentil hummus, so that may be the next recipe you see on here! I’m going to try to get some other non-hummus recipes up soon too, but you’ll probably see that red lentil hummus up here at some point in the near future.

The great thing about hummus is that it is so customizable. You can take any basic hummus recipes and make them into something special.

This simple butter bean hummus is actually so versatile. Just switch out my spices for any that you enjoy, as the butter beans make for a very neutral flavor, ready to accept any flavor profile you like. Comment below if you want me to make more butter bean recipes!

What Are Butter Beans?

Fresh butter beans and lima beans are the same legume. When they are greenish, they are younger and more starchy. Large lima beans are often featured in soups, succotash, and more. More mature lima beans are usually white and have a creamy, almost buttery texture when cooked (thus the name “butter beans”).

While you can work with fresh, frozen, or dried beans, they all must be properly cooked. I do often cook my own beans from scratch in my Instant Pot under high pressure, however I usually use canned butter beans because they’re easier for me to find. I even buy butter beans at my local supermarket and keep them in my house at all times as one of my pantry staples.

This creamy dip recipe calls for canned butter beans, though you are welcome to use whatever you can find. If you are not working with canned beans, please do your own research and cook your beans properly before making my butter bean hummus recipe.

Unblended hummus ingredients in the blender.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list (with amounts) and instructions.

Cooked Butter Beans: You will need one 15-ounce can of butter beans. If you are cooking beans from dried, frozen, or raw, please prepare them properly before beginning this recipe. You can use different beans if needed such as cannellini beans, navy beans, or any other white beans to make this white bean dip. I like butter beans the best because of their creamy texture. They can be hard to find in salt-free varieties though (sometimes I see them at Whole Foods). If you cannot have any salt, either find butter beans with no added salt, use a different bean, or make your own from dried butter beans. And save that cooking water!
Aquafaba or Bean Liquid: The liquid that comes in the can of butter beans (or the cooking liquid) is really key for creating a delicious creamy and thick hummus. If you don’t have it or it’s too salty, you can use ice water. Ice cold water is the next best thing. Chill the water with ice but don’t add the ice to the blender.
Sesame Seeds: You can use tahini or sesame seeds. Using sesame seeds instead helps cut the fat in the recipe (I eat low-fat whole food plant-based). While I haven’t needed to grind the sesame seeds before blending them in my Vitamix blender, you might want to if you do not have a high-powered or high speed blender (like Vitamix or Blendtec) to get really smooth hummus. Try grinding them in a spice grinder to get ground sesame seeds, or just use tahini. You can also use another healthy fat such as soaked raw cashews (same amount), soaked raw sunflower seeds, or hemp seeds. You can skip it if you are really limiting your fat intake, however, I think it is a much creamier dip with a small amount of nuts or seeds.
Fresh Lemon Juice: While fresh-squeezed tastes the best, I know not everyone has lemons in the house at all times (even I don’t!). The best bottled lemon juice in my opinion is Italian Volcano brand. It’s an organic lemon juice with only one ingredient and the flavor is very close to fresh. I buy mine in a 2-pack from Costco!
White or Yellow Miso Paste: This is to replace the salt in the recipe, but I also love the little hint of umami flavors. Per Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org, the soy in miso has a protective effect so the sodium in miso paste will not affect us negatively. Please feel free to omit or use a pinch of salt if that is what you prefer.
Granulated Onion or Onion Powder: Use whatever spices you like here!
Granulated Garlic or Garlic Powder: You can also use fresh garlic if you prefer! I would start with 1 or 2 whole garlic cloves (peeled). You could alternatively use roasted garlic!
No Salt Seasoning Blend: My favorite is Kirkland Organic No Salt Seasoning Blend which I get from Costco in a big container. Use whatever you enjoy! There are lots of great no-salt seasoning blends out there nowadays.
Nutritional Yeast: This recipe uses a tiny bit of nutritional yeast for the savory and nutty flavor. It does NOT make the hummus taste cheesy (though I will be posting a cheesy hummus recipe soon!). You can omit it if you prefer.
Other Ingredients: You can add black pepper, lemon zest, ground cumin, fresh herbs, lime juice, a little paprika, or anything else to make your own homemade hummus. If you are not oil-free, you could serve this butterbean hummus recipe with a drizzle of olive oil (extra virgin olive oil) to be extra fancy, however I really don’t think it needs it! I think the creamiest hummus uses the aquafaba and just needs to be blended for a while (90 seconds to 2 minutes)

How to Make Butter Bean Hummus

Watch me make this hummus or follow the step-by-step instructions below.

Add the butter beans, a half cup of the canned bean liquid (or a half cup of the cooking liquid, cooled to room temperature), sesame seeds (pre-grind in a spice grinder or use tahini if you do not have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec to ensure smooth texture), lemon juice, miso paste (if using), and spices including nutritional yeast to the blender.
Blend on high for about 90 seconds or as long as two minutes for next level creamy hummus. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon of the bean liquid at a time and blend until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
If you do not have a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix or Blendtec), you may need to either stop and scrape down the sides every so often with a spatula, or you may need a bit more liquid to blend. Try adding another tablespoon of aquafaba and using a spatula (stop the blender first!) to move the hummus to allow the liquid to get down to the blades.
Taste and adjust the flavors as needed, then re-blend until you have really delicious hummus.
Transfer the butter bean hummus to an airtight container. I like cold hummus, so I put mine in the refrigerator before serving. You’re of course welcome to serve it room temperature if that’s what you like!

Portrait photo of plain butter bean hummus on a green plate with a light blue cloth.

Expert Tips

Individual Portions: Taking your hummus to work or school? It makes a delicious snack with red peppers, cucumbers, etc. Place your individual portions of hummus in small containers and throw one in your lunch box each day! The next time you need a quick snack, simply grab some baby carrots and a little container of your healthy homemade hummus!
Change Up The Spices: Customize the flavor by using the spices you like! Play around with combinations and write down your experiments. Eventually you’ll find some you really enjoy and you can make them on a regular basis!
Cooking Dried Beans: If you are using dried beans instead of canned, you can make a big batch and freeze what you don’t use.
Lima Bean Hummus: If you can only find green lima beans, you can still make this delicious hummus. You might need to add a bit more sesame seeds or tahini to give it a luscious texture. Instead of being creamy beans, lima beans are a bit drier and sometimes described as mealy. I think if you cook them long enough it will be fine!
No Blender? If you don’t have a blender, you can make this butter bean hummus in the food processor or with an immersion blender. However, depending on the power of your machine, you may not end up with super smooth hummus. My suggestion is to add a bit more ground sesame seeds or tahini to try and improve the texture.

Serving Suggestions

The best part about hummus is that you can use it in so many different ways. Use this butter bean dip the same way you’d use traditional chickpea hummus. Of course my favorite way to serve butter bean hummus is with a sprinkle of paprika (toasted whole cumin seeds are also an excellent choice) and a huge plate of raw vegetables such as cucumber, bell pepper, celery, carrots, sugar snap peas, or raw fennel (my newest discovery).

A great appetizer for a party could include a large bowl of this hummus (maybe a double batch!) and pita chips or warmed pita bread (you can usually find both at any grocery store).

Use it as a spread on sprouted whole grain toast to make a sandwich. Or dilute it with a little water, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard for a delicious salad dressing.

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Butter Bean Hummus Recipe