Lima Beans: Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Lima beans are the flat, creamy seeds of Phaseolus lunatus (family Fabaceae, the legume family), a different species from the common bean. The part eaten is the seed, cooked. People eat them for fiber, plant protein and potassium. This page covers the cooked food, the safety point that matters most for this bean (cook it fully), and what research says without hype.

Read this first

• Cook lima beans fully. Lima beans contain linamarin, a natural compound that can release cyanide when the bean is damaged. Oregon State University Extension says US commercial lima beans must have under 200 mg of cyanide per kg (usually 100 to 170 mg/kg) and that long boiling lowers it. [16] Raw or undercooked beans also contain lectin. [3]
• High in fiber and potassium: 1 cup cooked (188 g) has about 13.2 g of fiber (47% of the Daily Value), 955 mg of potassium (20%) and about 216 kcal. [1]
• Evidence in one line: pooled trials of pulses as a group show a small fall in LDL cholesterol. [6] We found no trial of lima beans alone.
• Allergy is rare but cross-reactions with other legumes are described. For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat call 911 (or your local emergency number). [11] [14]
• Kidney disease: potassium is relatively high in lima beans; most people not on dialysis do not need to limit beans, but dialysis patients should ask a kidney dietitian. [10]

What is in it (USDA values)

The table is for cooked large lima beans, boiled without salt (USDA FoodData Central item 174253, SR Legacy). [1] The serving column is the USDA household portion of 1 cup, 188 g. [1] Dry, uncooked beans (item 174252) have much more of everything per 100 g because they contain about 10% water instead of about 70%, so do not compare the raw and cooked columns directly. [2]

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, growing place and how long the beans are cooked. The cup figures are the 100 g values multiplied by the USDA gram weight. [1] USDA lists no value for some nutrients in this item; where a row is missing, USDA has no value. USDA's raw (dry) large lima bean item lists 19 g of fiber per 100 g; that is a dry-weight figure and cannot be compared with the cooked column. [2] We did not have USDA values for canned or frozen lima beans.

Plant compounds: the one compound the sources describe in lima beans is linamarin, a cyanogenic glycoside (a natural plant chemical that can release cyanide); this is a safety matter, not a benefit. [16] The USDA item lists no values for other plant compounds, so we name none. [1]

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as extract or supplement. The trials above fed whole pulses (cooked or dried beans, peas, lentils). Extracts, protein isolates and flours are different products; we did not read trials of them for lima beans. Authors of the pulse analyses are often affiliated with groups that receive pulse-industry or government support; the abstracts we read do not show funders, so we cannot say.

How much is a normal serving

The USDA household portion is 1 cup of cooked beans (188 g), which has about 216 kcal. [1] The NHS counts 80 g of beans and pulses as one portion of 5 A Day, and says they count only once a day however much you eat, because they have fewer nutrients than other fruit and vegetables. [13] In the 2026 pooled analysis of LDL, the trials used a median of 130 g of pulses a day. [6] These are descriptions of what USDA, the NHS and the trials used, not a prescription or a target for you. Canned beans are already cooked; dried beans take longer and must be cooked through (see safety below).

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Natural cyanide compound (linamarin): cyanide is released when the plant is damaged, for example by chewing or early processing. Oregon State University Extension says commercially grown US lima beans must contain less than 200 mg of cyanide per kg, and usually contain about 100 to 170 mg/kg; wild lima beans can be much higher. It reports that boiling for more than 30 minutes in a large excess of water removes about 80% of the cyanide, that soaking 24 to 48 hours then boiling briefly is another approach, and that steaming is less effective. Its evidence is mostly from cassava research, and it has no direct data on fresh lima beans. [16]
• Raw or undercooked beans can make you ill. The FDA says the lectin phytohaemagglutinin in raw or undercooked beans can cause nausea, severe vomiting and diarrhea at high levels. Its advice for kidney beans is to soak at least 5 hours and boil in fresh water for at least 30 minutes; canned and properly cooked beans have only low levels. [3] The FDA page names kidney beans; lima beans are a different species (Phaseolus lunatus) from kidney beans, but the Harvard page says raw legumes in general contain some of the highest amounts of lectins, so we treat raw lima beans the same way. [4] Harvard also says raw beans simmered at low heat (for example in a slow cooker) or undercooked beans will not remove all lectins. [4]
• Gas and digestion: beans can cause extra gas. [5] Harvard notes that people with digestive sensitivities such as irritable bowel syndrome may react more strongly to lectin-rich foods. [4] We did not read a tested low-FODMAP serving size for this bean from a primary source, so we give none (see the site page on beans, gas and FODMAPs below).
• Kidney disease: the National Kidney Foundation says the phosphorus and potassium in beans are absorbed less well than from animal foods or additives, and that most people with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis, or after a transplant, do not have to limit beans for those minerals. People on dialysis should plan bean intake with a kidney dietitian. It also advises people with a history of calcium oxalate stones to ask about oxalates, since many beans are high in them. [10]
• Allergy: bean allergy is rare, and reported cases are mostly mouth itching, skin reactions and work-related asthma; allergy to one legume can cross-react with others such as soy and peanut. The review behind this is narrative and based largely on case reports. [11] Peanut is a legume (see peanuts). Peanut and soy are among the main US food allergens. [14] For trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, or fainting after eating, call 911 (or your local emergency number). [14]
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: beans are a natural source of folate. [12] MedlinePlus lists 600 mcg of folate a day for pregnancy, and advises women of childbearing age to take a folic acid supplement in addition to fortified foods, to help prevent neural tube defects. [12] We did not find a warning against fully cooked beans in the sources we read. See what official bodies advise in pregnancy.
• Medicines: we did not find a source we could read describing a direct interaction between cooked lima beans and a specific medicine. See foods and medicine interactions.
• Canned beans and sodium: a University of Tennessee study reported in Today's Dietitian found draining canned beans cut sodium by 36% and draining plus rinsing by 41%. [15] The article does not say who funded it. Our USDA table is for beans cooked without salt, so canned beans will have more sodium.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Dried beans must be fully cooked before eating (see the FDA cooking steps above). [3]
• Canned beans are already cooked; choosing no-added-salt cans, or draining and rinsing, lowers sodium. [15]
• We did not read an official source with shelf-life advice for dried beans. For leftovers, see food storage, leftovers and food safety basics.

Related pages

• Lectins in beans: cooking dried beans safely
• Beans, gas, FODMAP and digestion
• Dried vs canned beans: soaking and sodium
• Navy beans
• Fava beans
• Foods and medicine interactions
• Foods for kidney disease: potassium and oxalates
• Food allergy basics and emergency signs