Have you ever seen these small, flat, golden-yellow beans being sold in bags and wondered what they are called?
They are most likely lupini beans, also known as lupin beans. They are a traditional legume enjoyed in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and other cuisines, often served as a snack after being soaked and prepared in salted water.
Lupini beans are especially recognizable by their firm texture, slightly nutty flavor, and bright yellow color.
If you’ve never prepared them at home, the process takes some patience—but it’s quite simple.
What Are Lupini Beans?
Lupini beans are the seeds of plants belonging to the lupin family. They are naturally quite bitter because they contain quinolizidine alkaloids, which is why traditional preparation involves soaking and repeated water changes.
This is an important difference between lupini beans and many other legumes.
You should not simply cook and eat traditionally bitter lupini beans without properly soaking and debittering them.
Commercially prepared lupini beans have generally already undergone this process.
How to Prepare Dried Lupini Beans at Home
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