When can babies eat lima beans?

From around 6 months, once your baby is ready for solids, served in a safe shape and texture for their age.

Lima beans

Big, buttery beans that mash into a smooth, mild spread.

Checked against official guidance on October 18, 2026 · How we review

Quick answer

Babies can eat lima beans from around 6 months, once they show signs of being ready for solids. Prepare it as shown below.

From 6 monthsMedium choking risk as servedNot a common allergenIron-rich

How to serve lima beans by age

6 months+

Smooth mash or bean fingers

Mash well-cooked or canned lima beans with a fork, adding a little water, breast milk or formula until smooth. The skins can be a bit tough, so mash thoroughly, blend, or slip the skins off first. Offer on a pre-loaded spoon, or mix with mashed potato and shape into finger-length patties.

Size: Mashed smooth on a pre-loaded spoon, or soft bean patties shaped like a finger, about 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in).
Check before serving: Press the mash or a piece of patty between your thumb and finger. It should squash easily, with no whole beans, large pieces of skin or firm crust.

US and UK advice differ here. The AAP suggests mashed food or soft pieces no larger than ½ inch; the NHS suggests soft finger-sized pieces your baby can hold in their fist. Both agree the food must squash easily.

Always have your child sit upright in a high chair or at the table, and stay with them the whole time they eat. Keep to the size and texture for their stage. Every baby develops on their own timeline.

How to prepare lima beans

1
Canned lima beans (often sold as butter beans in the UK) are the easiest choice: pick no-salt-added, then drain and rinse them under running water.
2
Frozen lima beans: boil them until very soft. Never serve them raw or crunchy.
3
Dried lima beans: soak them for at least 5 hours, pour away the water, then boil them in fresh water for at least 30 minutes and until very soft. Don't add salt. The FDA gives these soak and boil times for kidney beans and says the natural toxin is found in many kinds of beans, so our suggestion is to use them for dried lima beans too.
4
Mash, or flatten and cut each bean, depending on your baby's age, and let them cool before serving.
5
First time? Pick a day your baby is well, at home, when you can watch them for a couple of hours afterward.

How much to offer

Start with a teaspoon or two of mash, or one bean finger. Your baby decides how much to eat: stop when they turn away or close their mouth. Lots of squashing and smearing is normal at first.

Common mistakes

Serving raw or undercooked lima beans

Raw lima beans contain natural compounds that can release cyanide when they're chewed or digested, according to the UK Health Security Agency, and some varieties have high levels (EFSA). Dried beans also contain a natural toxin (phytohaemagglutinin) found in many kinds of beans. Always cook lima beans until very soft, or use canned.

Serving whole beans

Lima beans are large and firm, and the CDC lists whole beans as a choking hazard. Mash them, or flatten and cut each one.

Cooking dried beans in a slow cooker

A slow cooker may not get hot enough to destroy the natural bean toxin. The FDA says not to use one for kidney beans, and the same care makes sense for other dried beans. Soak, then boil in fresh water, or use canned beans, which are already cooked.

Serving beans on their own every time

Pair them with a food rich in vitamin C, like tomato, red pepper or broccoli, which helps your baby absorb the iron in plant foods.

Questions parents ask

Can lima beans be a choking hazard for babies?

Whole beans are on the CDC's list of choking hazards for young children, and lima beans are among the larger ones. Cook them until very soft, then mash them, or squash each one flat and cut it into pieces. Stay with your child during meals.

Can babies be allergic to lima beans?

Lima beans are not one of the top 9 US allergens, but the NHS lists beans, lentils and peas among foods that can trigger an allergic reaction. Offer a small amount on its own first, and watch for signs of a reaction. Talk to your pediatrician, GP or health visitor first if your baby already has a food allergy or eczema, or if there is a family history of food allergy, eczema, asthma or hay fever. Once lima beans are eaten without a reaction, keep offering them as part of usual meals.

Are lima beans healthy for babies?

Cooked lima beans provide protein, fiber, potassium and iron (about 2.4 mg of iron per 100 g, according to USDA FoodData Central). This is nonheme iron, which the body absorbs better when vitamin C is eaten at the same meal.

Are raw lima beans dangerous?

Raw lima beans can release cyanide when they're chewed or digested, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Soaking alone only lowers it a little (EFSA), so cook dried lima beans until very soft, or use canned beans, and never give your child raw lima beans.

Are lima beans and butter beans the same?

Yes. Large lima beans are often sold as butter beans in the UK, and the NHS lists them as "butter (lima)" beans. Prepare them the same way: cooked very soft, then mashed or flattened.

Can babies eat canned lima beans?

Yes. Canned beans are already cooked and are the simplest option. Choose no-salt-added, drain and rinse them, and mash or flatten them for your baby.

If your baby refuses lima beans

Many babies need 10 or more tries before they accept a new food. Keep offering it alongside foods they already like.
Try another form: mash on a spoon, bean patties, or mashed into soup or potato.
Eat some yourself at the same meal. Babies copy what they see.
Funny faces don't mean they dislike it. They're getting used to a new taste and texture.

Never force or pressure your baby to eat. Some days they'll eat more, some days less, and that's normal.

Buying and storing lima beans

Keep dried lima beans in a sealed container in a cool, dry cupboard, and frozen lima beans in the freezer.
Cooked lima beans keep for 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge. Move leftover canned beans out of the can into a covered container.
Cooked beans and bean patties can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Reheat only once, to 165°F (74°C), until steaming hot, then let them cool before serving.
Throw away any food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F / 32°C).

When to talk to your doctor

Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if:

After eating raw or undercooked lima beans, your child has trouble breathing, seems confused, very drowsy or floppy, faints or has a seizure. Call your emergency number and say they ate raw or undercooked lima beans: these can be signs of cyanide poisoning. If they vomit again and again, get urgent medical advice the same day.
Your baby already has a food allergy or eczema, or there is a family history of food allergy, eczema, asthma or hay fever. Ask before introducing beans and other legumes.
You notice mild signs of an allergic reaction after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.
You're worried about how much your baby eats, their growth, or they refuse most solid food for weeks.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Offered lima beans?

Add it to your first 100 foods.

Helpful guides

Sources

More first foods

Adzuki beans

Almond butter

Anchovies

Arctic char

Free printable: The First 100 Foods checklist

Tick off foods as your baby tries them. Print it or save it as a PDF, no sign-up needed.

Get the checklist More printables