Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (2024)

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These delicious fava beans caramelize with flavor as they roast. Their sweet slightly crisp salty flavor makes them a winner with grownups and kids! They make an incredible side dish with most meals. Cook them in either the oven or the air fryer!

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (1)

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Fava beans have taken over the farmer’s market lately, and I am excited to see these broad beans. Fava beans (aka broad beans) have two uses. They can be cooked into a side dish, dip, or snack, and they help farmers out as a cover crop. Cover crops are essential as they help rest the soil while adding important nutrients.

You usually buy fava beans in the green pods, and you get to shuck them when you are ready to use the fresh beans in a recipe. If you see them at your farmer’s markets, grab them because they grow over a short season.

I am sharing two ways to roast fava beans so you can make them easily with very little prep. First, you can make them traditional, roasting the fresh fava beans in the oven with a bit of olive oil.

You can also make them much quicker by roasting them in your air fryer. Both ways slowly caramelize the beans, adding a delicious sweet flavor.

Why This Roasted Fava Beans Recipe Is Great:

  • Make this delicious recipe in only 15 minutes if you use the air fryer.
  • Kids make great helpers because peeling the fava beans can be fun!
  • You can vary the flavor by using different herbs. I used garlic, salt, and pepper, but you can use all kinds of seasoning flavors! Lemon pepper is another popular flavor.
  • Broad beans are high in protein and a good source of fiber, making them a nutritious, healthy snack or side dish.

Ingredient Notes:

This vegan fava beans recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients. Fava beans, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, sea salt, and pepper.

You can add all sorts of seasonings to flavor your fava beans.

Flavor Options:

You can add all sorts of seasonings to flavor your fava beans. Here are some of my favorites

  1. Sprinkle them with olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
  2. Sprinkle them with lemon pepper seasoning.
  3. Get spicy with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, and lime juice!
  4. Cook them with sesame oil and sprinkle some gluten free soy sauce over the before serving.
  5. Sprinkle nutritional yeast over them for a cheesy vegan flavor.

Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375º F. (Note: air fryer instructions will be below.)

For this roasted beans recipe, you can leave the outer skin on. It is very thick, so if you plan to make hummus or dip, you would want to remove the skin and use the inner bean.

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (2)

Step 1: First, wash and shell your broad beans. The pods are easy to separate, and the beans come out easily. I try to enlist my kids to help with this tedious task.

The pods are easy to peel, and you can put the beans into a mixing bowl as you go. Rinse the beans with cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.

HINT: Don’t toss the pods. They are really great to add to your compost pile!

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (3)

Step 2: Add the shelled fava bean seeds to a bowl to prepare the fava beans.Combine the minced garlic and olive oil. Add this mixture to the beans along with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Toss to coat all of the beans.

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (4)

Step 3:

Line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the fava beans across the baking sheet in a single layer

Be sure they are all flat and none are stacked on top of each other. This is important so they all roast evenly.

Step 4: Place the pan with the beans into the hot oven. Roast the beans for 10 minutes, then stir them around so the other side cooks. Roast for an additional 10 minutes or longer. The beans will vary in size; if you have a lot of larger beans, they will need more cooking time to roast.

Serve with those brown bits you scrape off the baking sheet. Note that the skin on the beans will partially split open as they roast. This is completely fine!

Air Fryer Instructions:

Air frying fava beans will give you the same roasted sweet flavor! To make these in your air fryer, here are the simple steps:

  1. Prepare the fava beans the same way as above.
  2. Preheat your air fryer to 375º F.
  3. Place the seasoned fava beans in the air fryer basket. Be sure they are spread out and don’t overlap too much. The air needs to circulate around the beans, so they cook evenly.
  4. Air fry the beans for 7 minutes, then stir the beans to cook the other side.
  5. Air fry for an additional 5-7 minutes.
  6. Serve them hot.
Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (5)

What to Serve With Fava Beans:

  • Gluten Free Oven Fried Chicken
  • Honey Dijon Pork Tenderloin
  • Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Tilapia

Tips and Recipe FAQ:

What do fava beans taste like?

Fava beans have a similar flavor to lima beans but are larger. They have a slightly creamy, rich flavor, especially when roasted.

Can you eat fava beans raw?

No, I do not recommend eating fava beans raw. You technically could eat them raw if they are very young.

What is a good fava beans substitute?

If you can’t find fava beans, you may want to substitute them with lima beans.

How do you store fava beans?

Store the cooked beans in an air-tight container. They will stay fresh for up to 4 days.

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (6)

More Delicious Gluten Free Sides:

  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
  • Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
  • Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes
  • Kid-Friendly Ginger Peas

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (7)

Roasted Fava Beans Recipe

Sandi Gaertner

This simple delicious roasted fava beans recipe is easy to make in the air fryer or oven.

Love this recipe?Give it a star rating!

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (8)

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (9)

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (10)

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (11)

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (12)

Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (13)

Print Pin it Save me

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Gluten Free Side Dish Recipes

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servingd

Calories 109 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shelled fava beans
  • ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt kosher salt is also fine
  • teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375º F

  • Wash and shell your broad beans. The pods are easy to peel and you can put the beans into a mixing bowl as you go. Rinse the beans with cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.

  • To prepare the fava beans, add the shelled fava bean seeds to a bowl.Combine the minced garlic and olive oil. Add this mixture to the beans along with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Toss to coat all of the beans.

  • Line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the fava beans across the baking sheet in a single layer.

  • Place the pan with the beans into the hot oven. Roast the beans for 10 minutes then stir them around so the other side cooks. Roast for an additional 10 minutes or longer. The beans will vary in size and if you have a lot of larger beans, they will need more cooking time to roast.

Notes

Air Fryer Instructions:

Air frying fava beans will give you the same roasted sweet flavor! To make these in your air fryer, here are the simple steps:

  1. Prepare the fava beans the same way as above.
  2. Preheat your air fryer to 375º F.
  3. Place the seasoned fava beans in the air fryer basket. Be sure they are spread out and don’t overlap too much. The air needs to circulate around the beans so they cook evenly.
  4. Air fry the beans for 7 minutes, then stir the beans to cook the other side.
  5. Air fry an additional 5-7 minutes.
  6. Serve the cooked beans hot.

Flavor Options:

You can add all sorts of seasonings to flavor your fava beans. Here are some of my favorites

  1. Sprinkle them with olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
  2. Sprinkle them with lemon pepper seasoning.
  3. Get spicy with some chili powder, cayenne pepper, and lime juice!
  4. Cook them with sesame oil and sprinkle some gluten free soy sauce over them before serving.
  5. Sprinkle nutritional yeast over them for a cheesy vegan flavor.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 109kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 6gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 150mgPotassium: 229mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 13IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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Easy Roasted Fava Beans Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the best way to prepare fava beans? ›

The easiest way to do this is to boil the shucked fava beans and cool them in running water or an ice bath, then pop them out of their skins like it's some fiddly, stress-relieving game. Eat one! If it's not completely tender yet, boil the beans a little longer until they are.

Do fava beans need to be soaked before cooking? ›

To prepare your fresh fava beans, you have to soak them to loosen the protective outer layer: pour 10 cups of water into a pot for every pound of beans, and let them soak overnight to loosen their outer layers. As an alternative, you can boil the beans for three minutes and then let them soak in hot water for one hour.

Are roasted fava beans good? ›

The Bottom Line. Fava beans are loaded with nutrients and may offer impressive health benefits. Eating these beans regularly may have benefits for symptoms of Parkinson's disease, help prevent birth defects, boost immunity, aid weight loss and lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

How do you know when fava beans are done? ›

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.

How long do you cook fava beans for? ›

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Add the fava beans and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until tender.
  • Drain the fava beans and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool.
  • Once the fava beans are cool, use your fingers to remove the outer skin from each bean.
Apr 22, 2022

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.

Are fava beans good for you? ›

Fava beans are small, but mighty. They're an excellent source of protein and soluble fibre, including smaller amounts of almost all other B vitamins, selenium and calcium. B vitamins are especially important and can help to prevent birth defects, lift your mood and strengthen your immune system.

What happens if you don't pre soak beans? ›

Modern cooking websites often say it doesn't matter. In a way, they're both right. Soaking beans can help improve the texture of the final product once the beans are cooked and reduce the gas produced when the food is being digested. But it isn't necessary to soak them.

What do roasted fava beans taste like? ›

Roasted in a hot oven or on the grill, fava beans taste like – tiny little baked potatoes! Kid you not, the creamy texture and taste of a roasted fava bean will fool you every time. I've grown up eating fava beans in soups and spreads but never had them roasted until I tried them in Greece one summer.

Are fava beans anti inflammatory? ›

Rich in flavonoids, fava beans offer more than a tasty bite; they provide potent antioxidants that combat oxidative stress and inflammation. These anti-inflammatory properties are crucial, especially for those managing conditions like arthritis, offering a natural avenue to mitigate discomfort and promote well-being.

Who eats the most fava beans? ›

While they are consumed all over the world, fava beans are particularly popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.

What are the side effects of fava beans? ›

Symptoms. In humans, favism produces acute hemolytic anemia. After susceptible subjects eat the beans, symptoms can occur in 5–24 h. The symptoms include headache, vomiting, nausea, yawning, stomach pains, and a raised temperature.

Why are my fava beans bitter? ›

The outer skins of medium- and large-sized fava beans have a high tannin content that makes them increasingly bitter tasting as they mature. The best way to determine how bitter or sweet a fava bean is to open the pod, peel away the skin, and taste the bean.

Can you eat raw fava beans? ›

Dried favas are also common in many cultures and can be tan colored, dark brown, white or purple. When fresh favas are very young, they can be eaten whole, pod and all. Small fava beans also do not need their outer coat peeled and can even be eaten raw.

How do you clean and cook fava beans? ›

In a pot, bring water to a boil, then add the rinsed fava beans and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the fava beans for 5-7 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the fava beans and let them cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, you can remove the outer skin of the fava beans by squeezing them gently.

How do you eat fresh fava beans? ›

These favas can be thrown on the grill and eaten whole; get chopped up, pods and all, and added raw to salads; or just eaten out of hand. Favas at this point taste fresh and green, similar to a sugar snap pea with a bit more nuttiness.

Why must fava beans be soaked and cooked longer than other beans? ›

First, you cook the fava beans — a multi-hour affair, since those tough skins need softening — over low heat so the insides don't turn to mush while the skins tenderize. Helou's workaround: Soak the favas with a little baking soda to help soften the skins, then drain and rinse them before cooking in fresh water.

How are fava beans cooked? ›

Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling add the beans to the water. Cook for 1 minute for a quick blanch to add to other dishes. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on size, for a fully cooked and creamy textured bean.

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