There are so many different varieties of fava beans available today, and preparation techniques vary widely. It can be confusing! Fava beans can be purchased fresh in the pod, large and dried, small and dried, canned, frozen, or as a fresh sealed cold pack. My hope is that this post will answer all of your questions on how to prepare fava beans, so you can stop wondering and start eating.
Fava beans are one of the oldest domesticated food legumes. References to favas occur in both the Talmud and the Mishna, indicating they have been part of the Middle Eastern diet since at least since the 4th century.
Tova Dickstein from Neot Kedumim Biblical Land Preserve in Israel once told me that fava beans were likely a main protein sources for the ancient Israelites. In fact, the ancient method for cooking fava beans is discussed in the Talmud. The dried beans were immersed in a pot of water, sealed, then buried beneath hot coals so they could slowly cook.
Beans are a great source of fiber, protein, fiber, iron, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and many other beneficial nutrients. If you have never tried fresh fava beans, they’re really special– they have a mild, creamy flavor that compliments many spring dishes. Fresh from the pod they are bright green and very pretty. They have a short season, though. If you’re looking at making a fresh fava bean recipe outside of spring, your best bet is to use frozen fava beans or use fresh/frozen lima beans as a substitute. Lima beans are not the same as fava beans, but they are similar to fresh peeled and cooked fava beans.
Dried fava beans, when cooked and peeled, have a texture similar to cooked chickpeas but slightly softer. Unlike fresh fava beans, dried can be enjoyed year-round. They are more economical than canned beans, and when you soak and cook them they do not contain unnecessary additives like sodium (plus you don’t have to worry about potentially toxic BPA can linings).
Most forms of fava beans need to be peeled before eating, unless they have already been prepped (which is sometimes the case with canned and cold packed beans). It’s a time-consuming process, but not difficult at all. I have outlined the peeling process below. Some people recommend leaving the shells on small dried fava beans after a long slow cook, but I find them to generally be quite tough and not great for eating. Depending on your usage, peeling is usually the way to go.
A quick but important note — fava beans are a trigger food for G6PD, a hereditary enzymatic deficiency. Those who have this deficiency can develop anemia (potentially severe) from eating fava beans. Populations with the highest percentage of people affected by the deficiency include Sephardic Jews and those of Mediterranean and African heritage. People who are diagnosed with G6PD should not consume fava beans, and if you ever experience symptoms or discomfort after eating them you should be tested for this genetic deficiency.
I hope this tutorial is helpful as you explore the wondrous world of fava beans! By the end you’ll be a fava bean master.
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Fava Beans - How to Cook, Soak, Peel and Freeze
Ingredients
Ingredients to Prepare Fresh Fava Beans
- 2 pounds fresh fava beans in pods (please refer to instructions below if you plan to cook more or less)
Ingredients to Prepare Dried Fava Beans
- 1 pound large or small dried fava beans (please refer to instructions below if you plan to cook more or less)
- salt (optional)
NOTES
Instructions
TO PREPARE FRESH FAVA BEANS FROM THE POD:
- Fresh fava beans are large and come in a pod. The pod must be removed and the beans must be peeled to enjoy them in recipes.
- When you look at the fava bean pod, you will notice that the edges have a seam. To open the pod, snap off the tip and pull down; the seam will open like a zipper. If you have trouble "unzipping" the pod cleanly, don't worry. Once the pod is open at least somewhat you can easily tear it open the rest of the way with your hands.
- Remove the beans from the pod. Each pod should have 4 or 5 beans. You may want to collect them all in a bowl.
- When you are done, fill a mixing bowl with cold ice water (enough to cover the beans) and set aside. Then, fill a pot with water (enough to cover the beans) and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, blanch the fresh fava beans for 30 seconds.
- With a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the blanched fava beans to the bowl of ice water. This will stop them from cooking any longer.
- Your beans are now ready to peel. This is a bit time consuming, but the skins should slip off fairly easily by pinching between your thumb and forefinger.
- 2 pounds of fava bean pods will yield about 1 cup of blanched, shelled beans. Once the shells have been removed they will be quite tender. You can steam them longer to heat through, add them to salads, or use them in any recipe you like.
TO PREPARE LARGE DRIED FAVA BEANS:
- The method below uses a ratio of 10 cups of water per 1 pound of dried fava beans. If you plan to use a different amount, please adjust accordingly using this ratio. There are two ways to soak dried fava beans - either with an overnight soak, or with a shorter "quick soak."
- OVERNIGHT SOAK - in a large pot or bowl, combine the fava beans with water at a ratio of 10 cups of water per pound of dried beans. Soak overnight.
- Once the beans have soaked, you will notice that they have increased in size, indicating that they have absorbed moisture.
- QUICK SOAK - you will need 1 hour. Place the fava beans into the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. The beans will expand, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for this. Bring beans to a boil. Let them boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Allow the beans to soak in the hot water for 1 hour. After soaking using either method, drain and rinse the beans. Discard the soaking water.
- Peel the beans by squeezing each one between your thumb and forefinger. The skin should slip off easily. This step is time consuming, but a must for proper texture with the larger beans in particular (which have a very tough skin no matter how long you cook them).
- After peeling, you will need to continue cooking the peeled fava beans until tender. Place the beans in a large pot and cover again with the same ratio of fresh water (10 cups per pound of beans). It is important to use a fresh batch of water for cooking; the soaking water contains oligosaccharides, released from the beans during soaking, that can lead to digestive discomfort. Add salt to the fresh cooking water if desired to give the beans more flavor (I use about 1 tablespoon salt for every 10 cups of water). Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the beans until tender. This can take up to 45 minutes depending on the size of your beans. Test them every 10 minutes or so for doneness; when finished cooking they should be tender but not mushy.
- Drain the cooked peeled beans in a colander. Now your beans are ready to use.
TO PREPARE SMALL DRIED FAVA BEANS:
- The method below uses a ratio of 10 cups of water per 1 pound of dried fava beans. If you plan to use a different amount, please adjust accordingly using this ratio. There are two ways to soak dried fava beans - either with an overnight soak, or with a shorter "quick soak."
- OVERNIGHT SOAK - in a large pot or bowl, combine the fava beans with water at a ratio of 10 cups of water per pound of dried beans. Soak overnight.
- QUICK SOAK - you will need 1 hour. Place the fava beans into the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. The beans will expand, so make sure you cover by several inches of water to allow for this. Bring beans to a boil. Let them boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Allow the beans to soak in the hot water for 1 hour.
- Once the beans have soaked, you will notice that they have increased in size, indicating that they have absorbed moisture. After soaking using either method, drain and rinse the beans.
- Place the beans in a large pot and cover again with the same ratio of fresh water (10 cups per pound of beans). It is important to use a fresh batch of water for cooking; the soaking water contains oligosaccharides, released from the beans during soaking, that can lead to digestive discomfort. Add salt to the fresh cooking water if desired to give the beans more flavor (I use about 1 tablespoon salt for every 10 cups of water). Place on the stovetop and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook the peeled fava beans until tender. This can take anywhere from 10-45 minutes depending on the size of your beans. Test them every 10 minutes or so for doneness by taking out a bean and slipping it out of its skin; the inner bean should be tender but not mushy. The smaller the beans, the faster they will cook.
- Generally these small beans will have a much improved textured after peeling, but very small dried fava beans may be eaten with skins on after a prolonged cooking process. I always cook then peel, but some recipes may specify cooking with skin on. If that's the case, prepare to cook for a long time-- it can take 2 hours or longer to soften those tough outer skins. If you're peeling them, they won't need nearly as long to cook because you'll be testing the inner bean for doneness, and not the tough skin.
- When the beans are tender, drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. If peeling the beans after cooking (my preference), you may remove the skins by squeezing the beans one-by-one between your thumb and forefinger. The skin should slip off easily. Discard the skins. Now your beans are ready to use.
TO FREEZE COOKED FAVA BEANS
- If you would like to freeze your fava beans for future use, first allow the beans to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer safe container. I recommend resealable freezer bags, which you can place in the freezer until needed. I like to measure out 1 ¾ cups of beans in each bag, which is equivalent to the amount in a standard sized can. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- When ready to use your frozen beans, remove them from the freezer and thaw. They can be reheated on the stovetop, added to soups and stews, or used however you would use canned beans.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Note: Nutrition information above refers to 1/4 lb. fresh shelled fava beans.
Fava Bean Recipe Ideas:
I would like to say a big THANK YOU to your site. I recently became interested in the health advantages of fava beans and have been trying to prepare them correctly. It is next to impossible to find proper directions – not even on the bag itself! My beans were always difficult to peel, and thereafter quite mushy while at the same time being hard… weird to explain but definitely it was wrong.
Followed your recipe for large dried beans fast method and I am in fava bean heaven.
Thank you again, I will definitely be looking for more recipes from your site.
So glad to hear that! I posted this tutorial for precisely this reason – there was no good, comprehensive fava guidance out there. Very happy it’s proved useful!
Where I live I get Fava beans frozen. They’ve already been boiled before being frozen. And they’re bright green like the fresh fava beans in your pictures.
The problem is after I heat them up, and even cook them for a while, in a skillet.. they’re still green.
Is that a problem? I can still make ful medames and other things with green fava beans or do I need to do something to make them brown like the other fava beans in your pictures?
Hi Jason, the brown beans are mature dried beans that have been cooked/rehydrated. No amount of cooking the fresh beans (or in your case fresh-frozen) will lead to the same color/texture/consistency of dried beans. To make ful mudammas like the one on my site, you need to track down dried fava beans, which are usually found with the other dried legumes. Canned beans will work, too – canned fava beans are almost always the rehydrated brown beans. Often you’ll have luck finding either the dried or canned fav beans at Middle Eastern markets. Good luck!
Hi, Tori!
I LOVE your site, as it’s my all-time favorite cooking/recipe site.
I just wanted to say thank you to you for adding that info. about G6PD. I’ve never heard of it, and am 1/2 Sephardi. I’m looking into the disease, just in case…don’t remember ever having fava beans before, but have wanted to try them for a long time.
You cover all the bases, missy!
Blessings to You and Yours,
~Bethy
So glad it’s helpful information Bethy! I really try to include everything I can think of. So glad you’re enjoying the site!
Thank you for those tips. I love fava beans. Growing up in the Netherlands, fresh fava beans or as we call them “garden beans” were and still are a popular summer meal. We would help my mom shelling a large amount before boiling them with an herb called “summer savory”. My mom would serve them very simple with bacon and pickles and piccalilly on the side. We never peeled them a second time and they are very tasty even without that step.
Thank you for this comprehensive overview addressing the different forms of fava beans and how to prepare. Very helpful.
I was wondering about the skin on the large beans. This provided clarity. Thank you. Very informative!
I’m having trouble finding fava beans. Our local Frys carries them but they are always out of stock.
Hey! According to the Contacts info I am more likely to get your attention to my inquiry if I place it here rather than just e-mail. If you want to take it off the comments after you’re read it, please be my guest.
Can you tell me how to make roasted fava beans?. The ones I used to purchase were large beans, prepared however they were prepared _without_ removing the hull/skin/whaddya call it, which I figured out how to remove because they seriously decreased the eating quality of the beans. I have found several “recipes” butthey don’t agree, and they don’t seem to me to be accurate — call it a cook’s intuition. (FYI, dealing with the hulls was manageable, but when the last two shipments came with some kind of dark mold growing in the crevices on the beans I called a halt. Turns out this is not an unusual even in the storage history of fava beans, but the vendor didn’t own up to the problem. Oh, they gave me replacement and then complete refund but the problem continued. That meant HALT.).
Hi Rede, I actually have roasted fava beans in mind for a future post. Will post it here when it’s live.
I have tried lots of different ways to get the small dried favas skins to soften and they always end up chewy. You mentioned cooking them for at least two hours to soften the skins. I haven’t tried this before. Don’t the insides of the bean pretty much mush out or dissolve entirely cooking them for such a long time?
They do get mushy inside, yes. That is why my preference is to peel even the small ones.
Have you tried adding baking soda? This morning, I put a pinch of soda into a trial pot of beans I had soaked overnight. Unfortunately, I got side-tracked with a work telecon and could not check them every ten minutes. By the time I got back, maybe 45 mins later, some had dissolved to mush but most held their shape.