These marry me butter beans simmer in a creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and coconut milk, with spinach folded in at the end. The beans stay soft and buttery, the tomatoes bring a tangy bite, and there is plenty of sauce to scoop up with bread.

Everything cooks in one skillet, using cooked beans and a handful of pantry ingredients. Allow about 40 minutes from chopping the onion to serving, then spoon the beans into bowls and finish with chili oil if you like a little heat.

Updated September 2026: Added clearer photo steps, ingredient guidance, and answers to reader questions about the tomatoes, cream substitutes, and sauce consistency.

Why These Marry Me Butter Beans Work

  • The tomatoes do the heavy lifting. Sun dried tomatoes bring concentrated flavor to the sauce, while a little tomato paste adds depth without turning this into a tomato stew.
  • Creamy beans, creamy sauce. Butter beans have a soft center that works well with the rich coconut milk. A gentle simmer warms them through while keeping most of the beans whole.
  • One skillet does it all. The onion, sauce, beans, and greens cook in the same pan. There is no blender to wash and no separate sauce to make.
  • The heat is up to you. Chili oil goes on at the table, so everyone can decide how much to add. The beans are just as good without it.

What You Need (and What to Swap)

  • Butter beans. Use 17.6 oz (500 g) of cooked beans, weighed after draining. Can sizes and drained weights vary, so check the label rather than assuming one can is enough. Dried beans need to be fully cooked before you start.
  • Sun dried tomatoes. Use the kind packed in oil, drain them, then weigh out 7 oz (200 g) and chop. That weight is for the tomatoes alone. This is a generous amount and gives the sauce its strong tomato flavor.
  • Coconut milk. Use 1 cup (240 ml) of unsweetened, full fat canned coconut milk. Stir the contents of the can before measuring so the thick cream and thinner liquid are mixed together. A coconut drink from a carton will make a much thinner sauce.
  • Spinach and seasoning. A handful of baby spinach wilts into the finished beans. Italian seasoning, garlic, and tomato paste flavor the sauce; taste before adding much salt because the beans and tomatoes may already contain it.

How To Make Marry Me Butter Beans

Here is the quick flow. Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.

Diced onion and minced garlic in a skillet for marry me butter beans
Soften the aromatics: Cook the diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil until softened, stirring so the garlic does not catch.
Tomato paste and Italian seasoning added to onion and garlic
Build the flavor: Stir the tomato paste and Italian seasoning into the softened onion and garlic until evenly coated.
Coconut milk being poured into the skillet to make the creamy sauce
Pour in the coconut milk: Stir in the coconut milk, scraping the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
Chopped sun dried tomatoes added to the coconut milk sauce
Add the tomatoes: Fold in the chopped sun dried tomatoes and let them flavor the creamy base.
Cooked butter beans added to creamy sun dried tomato sauce
Simmer the beans: Gently stir in the drained butter beans and simmer until the sauce coats them, adding a splash of water if needed.
Baby spinach added to marry me butter beans in the skillet
Finish with spinach: Fold in the spinach until wilted, then taste and serve with bread and an optional drizzle of chili oil.

Tips for Creamy Butter Beans

  • Keep the garlic from burning. Stir the onion and garlic often, and lower the heat if the garlic starts browning before the onion has softened. Burned garlic can make the whole sauce bitter.
  • Drain before weighing. Extra packing oil from the tomatoes can leave the sauce greasy, while liquid from the beans can thin it. Drain both before they go into the skillet.
  • Look at the sauce, not just the clock. It should coat the beans while still being easy to spoon. The width of your pan and the thickness of your coconut milk affect how quickly it reduces.
  • Stir gently. Cooked butter beans are delicate. Fold them through the sauce instead of stirring vigorously so you keep their creamy centers intact.
  • Taste before serving. The saltiness of canned beans and sun dried tomatoes varies. Taste the finished sauce before adding more salt, then add black pepper to suit you.

Swaps and Variations

  • Different beans. Cooked cannellini, great northern, or navy beans can replace the butter beans. Use the same drained weight. They are smaller, but they work well in the sauce.
  • No coconut flavor. Try plain, unsweetened cashew cream or a neutral vegan cooking cream. Choose a pourable consistency and thin with water as needed. The flavor and thickness will depend on the cream you use.
  • More greens. Kale or Swiss chard can replace the spinach. Remove tough stems, chop the leaves, and add them earlier so they have time to soften. Several readers have enjoyed the recipe with extra chard.
  • A milder tomato flavor. Use fewer sun dried tomatoes if you find the full amount too intense. A reader reported enjoying it with half the amount; this makes a less tangy version.
  • Keep it mild or gluten free. Leave off the chili oil for less heat. For a gluten free meal, serve with rice or suitable bread and check the labels on your seasoning and toppings.

How To Serve It

Serve these creamy butter beans in shallow bowls with toasted sourdough for scooping up the sauce. A simple green salad or roasted vegetables makes a good side, and rice works well if you want something more substantial underneath. For a spicy finish, add a little garlic chili oil with peanuts at the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

They are butter beans cooked in a creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. The name follows the popular marry me style of dishes, with a rich sauce meant to be especially good. This version uses coconut milk to keep it vegan.

Use tomatoes packed in oil, drained before weighing and then chopped. Fully dried tomatoes need soaking and can absorb much more liquid, so they are not a direct replacement by weight. Fresh tomatoes also change the flavor and consistency.

Yes, try the same volume of plain, unsweetened, pourable cashew cream. Avoid a thick cashew paste. Simmer gently and add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick. This changes the flavor and nutrition compared with coconut milk.

Butter beans are a type of lima bean. For this recipe, look for the large, pale, creamy beans sold canned or jarred as butter beans or large lima beans. Smaller green lima beans have a different texture.

Yes, but cook them fully according to the package instructions before starting this recipe. Measure the cooked beans after draining. The skillet cooking time is for warming cooked beans in the sauce, not for cooking dried beans.

If it is too thick, stir in a splash of water and repeat until it is spoonable. If it is thin, simmer uncovered until it coats the beans. Thin coconut drinks, undrained beans, and differences between brands can all affect the consistency.

Yes. Remove tough stems and chop the leaves. Add them while the beans are simmering so they can soften; spinach only needs to go in at the end. If using frozen spinach, thaw it and squeeze out excess water first.

Yes. Refrigerate the beans in a covered container and use within 3 days. The sauce thickens as it sits, so add a little water when reheating and stir gently until hot throughout. Add chili oil and bread when serving.

Storing Marry Me Butter Beans

Refrigerate leftovers in a shallow, airtight container within 2 hours and use within 3 days. Reheat only the portion you need in a saucepan over gentle heat, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Stir carefully until hot throughout. Keep bread and toppings separate until serving.

More Easy Vegan Dinners

Tuscan Bean

Marry Me Butter Beans (Creamy Vegan Recipe)

4.91 from 21 reviews
Butter beans simmered in a creamy coconut milk sauce with sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. This vegan dinner cooks in one skillet and is ready in about 40 minutes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 5 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Calories: 323
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
 
 

For the beans and sauce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk unsweetened and canned; stir well before measuring
  • 7 oz sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained before weighing, then chopped
  • 17.6 oz cooked butter beans drained and rinsed; weight after draining
  • 1 handful baby spinach
  • salt and black pepper to taste
To serve
  • chili oil optional
  • sourdough bread

Equipment

  • Large pan or skillet
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Stirring spoon

Method
 

  1. Soften the aromatics: Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened. Lower the heat if the garlic starts browning too quickly.
  2. Build the flavor: Stir in the tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the onion and garlic.
  3. Make the sauce: Pour in the coconut milk and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Simmer the beans: Add the cooked, drained butter beans and fold gently into the sauce. Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are hot and the sauce coats them. Add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick.
  5. Add the spinach: Fold in the baby spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
  6. Serve: Spoon into bowls and add chili oil if using. Serve with sourdough bread for scooping up the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 9gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 464mgPotassium: 1057mgFiber: 8gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1113IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 5mg

Notes

Beans and tomatoes: Both weights are after draining. Use fully cooked butter beans and sun dried tomatoes packed in oil. Dried beans must be cooked separately first.
Cream substitute: Use unsweetened, full fat canned coconut milk. For a different flavor, try the same volume of plain, pourable cashew cream or vegan cooking cream, thinning with water as needed.
Leftovers: Refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3 days. Reheat gently until hot throughout, adding water to loosen the sauce. Nutrition varies with brands and excludes optional toppings and bread.

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