Spanish Fava Beans Recipe - The Fiery Vegetarian (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Deirdre Gilna. This post may contain affiliate links.

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This easy vegan fava beans recipe is the perfect easy tapa. Take some frozen tender baby fava beans (also known as baby broad beans) and cook them up with olive oil, garlic, onions, smoked paprika, and white wine to bring you the tastiest vegetarian version of habas con jamón.

Spanish Fava Beans Recipe - The Fiery Vegetarian (1)

No peeling, no muss, no fuss, and ready in under half an hour, serve this gorgeous easy tapa with some good crusty bread for mopping up the juices, and as part of a mezze meal or along with some other delicious Spanish tapas.

I highly recommend slicing up the bread and popping this baby on the table along with some Mediterranean white bean salad (takes just five minutes to make), olives, peperoncino or guindillas (pickled basque peppers), roasted red peppers, and my easy creamy vegan goat cheese for a Spanish style tapas meal that is sure to impress.

Spanish fava beans are traditionally served at room temperature in bars here in Spain and usually have ham added for extra flavor, but you won’t find this ham-free vegetarian version lacking in flavor.

Spanish Fava Beans Recipe - The Fiery Vegetarian (2)

How to make this fava beans recipe

As with most good Spanish dishes, there are just a handful of ingredients but they do need to be high quality.

You MUST use young fava/baby broad beans for this dish, the larger old ones won’t do as they will need to be peeled to remove the tough exterior.

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I use frozen ones for convenience but you can also use fresh ones as they should cook through with the same amount of cooking time.

First, grab a large onion, peel, and chop finely. Cook in four tablespoons of olive oil over high heat for five minutes, stirring often. You really do need to use quite a bit of olive oil as it’s crucial to the flavor, but if you really must, you can reduce it to three tablespoons.

We’re frying the onions over a high heat to get them nice and brown and you will need to stir them often to stop them burning.

If you have a particularly hot efficient stovetop and you notice the onions starting to blacken, do turn the heat down to medium-high or move to the next step.

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Add in the chopped garlic (3 cloves), smoked paprika (preferably hot smoked paprika, not the sweet one which has a bit of a claggy taste), and freshly ground black pepper (around 1/4 tsp).

Reduce the heat to medium-high and fry a further five minutes, again, stirring often.

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Now add in the frozen or fresh young fava beans (baby broad beans) and stir to coat well with the onion and olive oil mixture.

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Add the white wine and deglaze the pan using a wooden or plastic spoon to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the pan. After one minute, add half a cup of good quality vegetable stock and half a teaspoon of salt.

Turn the heat up to high and cover with a lid, and cook for ten minutes, stirring now and then, more often as the level of liquid reduces.

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Remove the lid, reduce the heat to medium and cook a further five minutes or more if needed, stirring to prevent sticking until the sauce is thick and nearly evaporated. There should be a little sauce, but not much.

Sprinkle over some chopped fresh parsley (optional). It’s not a traditional addition but a little will pep up the dish.

If you have some typical Spanish-style glazed terracotta dishes, spoon the baby broad beans into them to cool, while you get together any other tapas you wish to serve, and slice up some crusty bread for mopping up leftover sauce.

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You can serve this on one dish as a big tapa (called a ración) that everyone helps themselves to, or in smaller plates for individual servings. This will make about 4 tapa-size servings or 2 raciones.

This dish will keep about 4 days tightly covered in the fridge but it’s best to allow it to come to room temperature for serving.

Buen provecho!

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating in the recipe box, review, or comment below.

Or take a picture and tag me on Instagram (@the_fiery_vegetarian), I love seeing all your creations!

Yield: 4 tapas

Spanish Fava Beans Recipe (Broad Beans)

Spanish Fava Beans Recipe - The Fiery Vegetarian (9)

This easy vegan tapa consists of baby broad beans (young fava beans) cooked up with olive oil, onion, garlic paprika and black pepper to create the perfect accompaniment to any Spanish-style meal, with some fresh crusty bread to soak up the moreish sauce.

Prep Time3 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time28 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil,
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped,
  • 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped,
  • 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper,
  • 17.5 oz fresh or frozen young fava beans (baby broad beans, 500g),
  • 2/3 cup dry white wine,
  • 1/2 cup vegetable stock,
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped finely (optional, to serve)

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan on a high heat and add the chopped onions. Cook for five minutes, stirring often.
  2. Add the garlic, paprika, and black pepper and reduce to medium-high, cook five minutes more stirring often.
  3. Add the beans and toss to coat, followed by the white wine to deglaze the pan.
  4. One minute later, add the vegetable stock and salt. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on high heat for ten minutes, stirring every now and then.
  5. Remove the lid and reduce the heat, cooking for a further five minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced considerably to your liking, stirring to prevent sticking.
  6. Plate and leave to cool while you put together the rest of your tapas.
  7. Serve close to or at room temperature with the optional fresh chopped parsley sprinkled over and gently mixed through and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per ServingCalories 308Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 0mgSodium 677mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 7gSugar 4gProtein 10g

Did you make this recipe?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply

  1. June Mackenzie

    I am wondering when to add the parsley.
    Thanks,
    June

    Reply

    • Deirdre Gilna

      Hi June, the finely chopped fresh parsley is optional and is to serve, so if using it just sprinkle it over and gently mix through just before serving.

      Reply

  2. Lorena

    Can I use soaked Fava beans? I figure it would taste a bit different with the dried soaked…but thought I’d ask.

    Reply

    • Deirdre Gilna

      Hi Lorena, good question! You can definitely use soaked Fava beans, although as they’re not baby fava beans they’ll need to be peeled before adding them in. You may also need to add some extra water to help them cook as they’ll need at least ten minutes instead of the five in the recipe, and they may not hold together as well as baby fava beans, but it should still be very tasty!

      Reply

  3. Susanne

    So delicious! Muchos gracias from West Clare! Broad beans are ready for picking here now, so delighted to find your superb recipe. Susanne

    Reply

    • The Fiery Vegetarian

      Thanks Susanne! Man, I really miss home-grown broad beans from back home!

      Reply

Spanish Fava Beans Recipe - The Fiery Vegetarian (2024)

FAQs

What does fava beans do to your body? ›

In particular, fava beans are rich in vitamins A, C and K. A and C are powerful antioxidants that aid to prevent strokes, heart disease and cancer, whilst vitamin K helps to prevent excessive blood clotting.

Do you need to soak fava beans before cooking? ›

1. Soak the beans to loosen the outer layer. Fill a pot with 10 cups of water for every pound of beans, and leave them to soak overnight to loosen their protective outer layers. You can also do a quick soak, in which you boil the beans for three minutes, and allow them to sit in the hot water for one hour.

Why remove the skin of fava beans? ›

Another important consideration is the removal of the skins on the individual beans after shelling them. The skin is tougher than the bean itself, and somewhat bitter. I think, although some connoisseurs disagree, that removing the skin greatly improves the taste and texture of favas.

Are lima beans and fava beans the same thing? ›

Although favas are often compared to both lima beans and peas, there are noticeable differences. "Their taste and textures differ significantly," says Welsh. "Cooked fresh peas taste vegetal—almost leafy—and lima beans taste earthy and starchy. Favas, however, are grassy, yet creamy."

When should you not eat fava beans? ›

When a person with G6PD deficiency eats fava beans, a condition known as "favism" can be triggered due to the presence of naturally occurring compounds vicine and convicine in the beans. These compounds are relatively heat stable and are not removed by cooking.

What are the side effects of eating fava beans? ›

Abstract. The term 'favism' is used to indicate a severe reaction occurring on ingestion of foodstuffs consisting of or containing the beans of the leguminous plant Vicia faba (fava bean, broad bean). Within 6–24 h of the fava bean meal, the reaction manifests itself with prostration, pallor, jaundice, and dark urine.

What is the best way to eat fava beans? ›

“My favorite way to prepare fava beans is grilled whole in the skin and then eaten like edamame. I like to toss them in sour dill salt or a spicy zhug seasoning when they come off of the charcoal grill. This is how you get the best fava flavor from the bean.”

Do you refrigerate fava beans? ›

Tender spring fava beans are prized in Italy, where they are often eaten raw with young pecorino cheese. Look for soft, pale green pods packed with pale green beans. Store the beans, still in their pods, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to several days.

Are broad beans the same as fava beans? ›

Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are a springtime crop that is grown and eaten around the world. One of the oldest known cultivated plants, fava beans date back to about 6000 BCE and were eaten by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and settlers of the eastern Mediterranean.

Why can't some people eat fava beans? ›

Raw fava beans can produce an allergic reaction in some people, including discomfort, and occasionally, coma. Cooking may prevent allergic reactions. Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) use. Another consideration is the use of fava for people who take MAOIs.

What is the issue with fava beans? ›

Favism is a hemolytic disease due to the ingestion of fava beans in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.

What is the disease in fava beans? ›

Favism is a well-known cause of acute hemolytic anemia. Rarely, methemoglobinemia can also happen because of fava bean ingestion in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Few cases with this co-occurrence have been reported in the literature.

What do Americans call fava beans? ›

Dried fava beans are also known as field beans, horse beans or even tic beans (a name for the very smallest varieties). In US English however the name fava refers to fresh broad beans, infamously washed down with Italian wine.

What nationality eats fava beans? ›

While they are consumed all over the world, fava beans are particularly popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. For example, one of Egypt's traditional dishes, ful mudammas, refers to stewed fava beans served with herbs and spices in a metal jug.

What bean is closest to fava beans? ›

Need a substitute for fava beans in a recipe, here are all the best tasting & easy ingredients you can use instead. Any of these alternate types of beans - fresh, dried, canned, or frozen are great substitutes for fava beans (faba, horse beans, broad beans, long beans) when you are in a pinch.

Are too many fava beans bad for you? ›

But for some reason, eating beans can result in more than just bloating and flatulence. Fava beans, also known as broad beans, can cause some people to experience a sudden rapid breakdown of their red blood cells, a condition known as hemolytic anemia.

What is the toxin in fava beans? ›

Fava beans contain the compounds vicine and convicine. These chemicals are metabolized to divicine and isouramil, which are potent oxidizing agents. In persons with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, these compounds cause hemolysis by disrupting the red cell wall.

Are fava beans hard to digest? ›

Fava beans contain a compound called vicine, which some people may find difficult to digest. Additionally, they contain lectins, which can be problematic for some individuals.

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