Butter Bean Salad with Green Herb Dressing

Butter Bean Salad with Green Herb Dressing is one of the best vegan bean recipes for your spring, summer, and fall table. This vegan bean salad recipe is made with tender butter beans tossed with fresh herbs, white wine vinegar, and delicious lemon vinaigrette. A great example of how healthy eating can be effortless and delicious.

An easy-to-make but hard-to-resist salad recipe, this butter bean salad is packed with fresh herbs. Mint, cilantro, and fresh lemon juice lead the way in this beautiful salad’s flavors, followed by an extra virgin olive oil dressing and a dash of white vinegar to get its star rating.

My favorite thing is the fresh herbs that give it a nice aromatic flavor, and lemon adds a tangy kick, while fresh mint provides this butter bean salad with a cool and refreshing twist.

Try this easy quick-whip butterbean salad recipe, perfect for a busy weeknight and a flavorful side dish. This easy butter bean salad is so good on its own, but even better in sandwiches. I also think it would be great on a bed of greens for a side salad, healthy lunch, or light dinner.

What are Butter Beans?

Butter Beans are white beans that taste similar to lima beans; in fact, they belong to the same family. These beans are small in size and have a green color. The term “butter bean” implies that the beans have a melt-in-your-mouth buttery texture, which is due to the large amount of starch in the beans. Making butter beans one of the softer beans and great for adding to recipes for simple salads, side dishes, and healthy dinners.

Butter beans can be used in place of lima beans, kidney beans, or even black-eyed peas. These vegan buttery beans taste delicious in soups, stews, and salads. They are a must-have ingredient in traditional Southern dishes such as Hoppin’ John and Succotash.

Canned butterbeans don’t require any special preparation skills: no steaming, no boiling, no soaking, no fussing. Just open the can or bag and add butter beans to a salad, sandwich, or anything else.

What you need to make Butter Bean Salad

Butter beans – Large butter beans are the star ingredient of this recipe. While you can always use fresh butter beans for this recipe, a better way to save time is to use a can of butter beans. Drain canned beans, rinse them and toss them with other ingredients for a minute to whip a delicious salad.

Olive Oil – Premium quality extra virgin olive oil has a richer texture that enhances the flavor of the recipe and blends beautifully with other ingredients.

Fresh Mint – It adds a fresher green look and a cool punch to this butter bean salad recipe that makes it a salad for a hot summer day.

Fresh Cilantro – Fresh cilantro is an excellent herb used to garnish many types of salads. It has a very subtle flavor that is best described as a mix between lemon and mint. Fresh cilantro enhances the appearance of this bean salad with its vibrant green color.

Garlic – Garlic cloves infuse this salad with a herby flavor and add a bit of heat.

Lemon Zest – It will take your bean salad to a tangy side by adding a hint of acidity and brightness.

White Wine Vinegar – The sweetness of this vinegar balances out the tang of this salad.

How to make Butter Bean Salad with Green Herb Dressing?

This is a very easy butter bean salad recipe with a tangy herb dressing. When kept cold, it’s a quick meal and an excellent picnic side dish. So, without any further delay, let’s start whipping!

Ingredients

  • 2 15oz cans of butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • Juice & zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

  1. Add the butter beans to a large bowl.
  2. Add olive oil, mint, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice and zest, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy.
  3. Pour the creamy dressing over the butterbeans in the bowl and carefully mix until all the beans are well coated.
  4. Serve with greens of choice.

Pro Tips:

  • Add only the freshest veggies, herbs, and seasonings to bring out the brightest flavors of this vegan bean salad.
  • Chilling this salad for at least an hour before serving is highly recommended. This will allow the ingredients to blend in, infusing the flavors and making the salad much tastier.

What to serve Butter Bean salad with?

Cornbread – The best side dish to serve with Butter bean salad is cornbread, which has a similar flavor profile. The cornbread also adds a layer of crunch, which is perfect for a lunch side dish salad.

Light Sandwich – If you’re looking for ideas for a lunchtime sandwich, then some Butter beans and greens on some fresh bread would be perfect!

Broccoli – You can also serve it with a simple side of broccoli. Properly steamed or sauteed broccoli has a similar flavor profile to Butterbean and will bring out the flavor of this veggie.

Grilled Lettuce – Butterbeans are generally served for healthy breakfasts, but I also like to serve them for lunch or for main dishes for easy dinners. Lettuce is commonly served with dinner, but grilling it adds an extra layer of flavor. Usually, I would accompany it with grilled lettuce, which is a new spin on lettuce.

How long will this Butter Bean salad last?

This butter bean salad is one of my favorite healthy recipes and top thing to eat at the moment. Butter beans have a pretty long shelf life. So, this salad can last up to 5 days in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

Can I substitute green beans with other bean varieties?

Cannellini beans are a family favorite, but if you can only find something different or you don’t like them, then there are substitutions you could try. You could replace the cannellini beans with other canned beans, such as navy beans or great northern beans. If those don’t appeal to you, then try using baby lima beans.

Butter Bean Salad Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 15oz cans of Butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  •  1/2 cup fresh mint
  •  1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Juice & zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Add the butter beans to a medium mixing bowl.
  2. Add olive oil, mint, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice and zest, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy.
  3. Pour the creamy dressing over the butterbeans in the mixing bowl and carefully mix until all the beans are well coated.
  4. Serve with greens of choice.
Butter bean Salad with Green Herb Dressing

Butter Bean Salad with Green Herb Dressing

Dominique Ebra
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Salad
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 15oz cans of Butter beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Juice & zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper  to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the butter beans to a medium mixing bowl.
  • Add olive oil, mint, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice and zest, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy.
  • Pour the creamy dressing over the butter beans in the mixing bowl and carefully mix until all the beans are well coated.
  • Serve with greens of choice.
Keyword Butter bean, butter bean salad, butterbean, butterbean salad