What Are Fava beans and How Can I Use Them?

If fava beans have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 19 recipes to try them in.

What are fava beans?

Fresh Fava or Faba Beans

They resemble the Lima bean but are rounder and have a somewhat larger and thicker pod. They are also known as English broad beans. They are the world's third most important bean; Europe's most important bean.

In general, the buying, preparing, and cooking instructions for Lima beans will apply to the fava bean.

They require a slightly longer cooking time.

Choose pods filled with smaller beans as large bulging beans indicate over maturity.

Fava beans have a slightly bitter taste and are best cooked in bacon.

Storage

Shell when ready to cook. Store in the refrigerator unshelled, in a moisture proof container.

Refrigerator shelf, in pod, raw: 3 to 5 days

Refrigerator shelf, cooked and covered: 1 to 4 days

Refrigerator freezer, prepare for freezing: 1 month

Deep freezer, prepared for freezing: 10 months

Basic Preparation

Cut thin strips from the inner edge of the pods with scissors or snap the pods open with your fingers. Remove beans.