Italian Lupini Beans are truly a unique, healthy and delicious snack that can be eaten throughout the year. Lupini are also great for your appetizer or cheese boards. Whether you refer to them as lupini or lupins, come and see for yourself how easily they can be prepared at home.
Italian Lupini Beans
Traditions are wonderful, aren’t they?
Growing up Italian in Montreal meant that I was privileged to experience and participate in some wonderful Christmas traditions. Naturally, there was all the baking and the cooking, but there were also so many other foods that were prepared.
Tradition would dictate that these lupini beans were brined and enjoyed throughout the year -but especially at Christmas.
If you are of Mediterranean origin, chances are you are familiar with lupini beans.
If you are not familiar with this food, I will try to define them and then share how lupini are prepared, brined and eaten in an attempt to demystify this highly addictive food for you.
What are Lupini Beans?
Lupini (loo-pee-nee) beans are classified as legumes.
According to Wikipedia, Lupini (or lupin) beans are the yellow seeds of the lupinus plant.
Lupini are grown in Australia and southwestern Europe, and are extremely popular as a street food throughout the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, as well as in Latin America. In Portugal, this popular bar food is referred to as tremoços and in Arabic they are referred to as termos.
Up close and personal with Lupini (Lupin) Beans:
As you can see, in their dry form (left), the seeds are very pale in color, are circular, and are quite flat. Once the lupini have been reconstituted (right), they become plump with a yellowish hue. Notice the transparent outer skin which becomes visible once the lupini have been soaked.
Please note that consumption of these Italian Lupini Beans is not recommended for individuals who have nut allergies.
Nutrition Facts for Lupini or Lupin Beans:
Lupin beans are a fantastic source of protein. In fact, as far as legumes go, only soy beans have more protein than they do. They are also high in fiber and a rich source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, potassium and manganese (among others).
As an example, just 1 cup of these lupini beans will provide you with 26 grams of protein and 4.6 grams of fiber. Lupini beans are truly nutritional powerhouses.
It’s important to know that these innocent-looking seeds contain high levels of alkaloids, which are actually very toxic. In fact, it is these alkaloids which produce the extremely bitter taste.
The good news is that the simple daily repetitive action of soaking and rinsing (for a few weeks) will cause these molecules to leach into the water, transforming the lupini beans into a fabulous healthy appetizer or snack.
So to be extra clear: that means lupini beans are poisonous prior to soaking!! So don’t eat them before the soaking process is complete. 🙂
How to Prepare Lupini Beans:
As with most traditional Italian recipes, the process is super easy, but lengthy. It is possible for you to purchase ready-to-eat lupini beans in a brine solution. But I wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own lupini beans from scratch – gives you a greater feeling of accomplishment, and helps you avoid preservatives, to boot.
Dry lupini beans are easily accessible in local ethnic bulk or grocery stores. I will usually purchase a 14 ounce (400 grams) bag from an Italian grocery store.
The links on this blog are affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a commission if you use those links (there’s no extra charge to you).
Since we are brining our very own lupini, you need to be available every day, for just a couple of minutes, for a couple of weeks before you can enjoy the mild and nutty flavor of this legume.
Be warned: it does get a bit repetitive, but the rewards are well worth it.
So, let me show you how easy this is:
How to make Lupini Beans edible:
Day 1: Soaking the lupini
- Sort and rinse your lupini beans. You need to get rid of any blemished or discolored beans.
- Soak the lupini beans for 24 hours in cold water, so that they may become reconstituted. Place them in a glass bowl, ensuring that they are submerged by a few inches of water. Lupini can be kept on the kitchen counter at room temperature. I will usually place my bowl in my cantina.
Day 2: Boiling the lupini
- Drain and rinse the lupini beans. Notice how the lupini beans have become plump after the 24-hour soak. They have also picked up a little bit of color.
- Place the lupini in a large heavy bottomed pot with cold water.
- Cover your pot and bring to a vigorous simmer for about 20 minutes. If necessary, keep adding water to keep the beans completely submerged.
- Skim the foam off the top as the lupini beans simmer.
- Drain and rinse the beans with cold water.
- Place the cooked (cooled) lupini beans in a large glass bowl and fill with fresh tap water.
- Refrigerate.
Days 3-17: Rinsing and soaking the lupini
- Drain, rinse and refill with fresh tap water a couple of times a day. If possible aim for at least twice a day. The lupini beans are ready when they no longer have that bitter aftertaste; you can start to taste them after 5-7 days of changing the water. Sometimes, this can take up to 2 weeks. What we are looking for is a sweet and tender lupini.
- During the rinsing and soaking stage, the lupini can be kept refrigerated.
Storing the Italian Lupini Beans: Once all trace of bitterness has been removed, place the lupini beans in large glass bowl and fill with cold tap water, add salt and refrigerate, until ready to be eaten. I will usually add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt to 4 cups of water. The 2 1/2 cups (14 ounces) of dry lupini beans made about 6 1/2 cups of lupini beans. I added 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt.
Once brined, these Italian Lupini Beans can be kept in an airtight container (mason jars) in the fridge for about 2 weeks. It is no longer necessary to rinse the lupini beans.
How to eat Lupini Beans:
You will notice that lupini have an outer skin, much like chickpeas, but slightly thicker. Personally, I like to remove this outer shell, despite the fact that it is totally edible.
Pick up an individual lupini and take a tiny bite at one end of the bean (in essence you are making a tiny incision) while squeezing the other end.
The lupini will then “pop” out of its’ shell and into your mouth. Years of practice 😉
The true lupini experts can flip the beans in their mouth with just a flip created with their thumb and index finger.
Once again, consumption of lupini beans is not recommended for those individuals which have nut allergies.
Recipes with Lupini:
As was mentioned, lupini make a great addition to any appetizer or cheese board. In fact they are great with marinated olives.
Lupini are also a great healthy addition to any salad. This Lupini Beans and Baby Kale Salad truly makes the perfect summer salad.
Origins of the recipe for Italian Lupini Beans:
These Italian Lupini Beans would be prepared from October to April in my Italian-Canadian upbringing. This would usually coincide with big family reunions. I fondly remember my grandmother curing her very own lupini – rinsing the beans several times a day for weeks on end in order to eliminate the bitterness. There was always a batch of lupini in the preparation phase and a batch ready to be enjoyed.
I can remember not heeding to my grandmother’s warnings to wait for the curing process to be complete. I can attest to the fact that lupini are indeed very bitter. But in my defense, they were so easily accessible; it was hard not to be tempted to try them! After all, that’s what kids do best – the opposite of what they are told!
The lupini beans were kept in the cantina, where all the other goodies could be found – you know, the hundreds of jars of homemade tomato sauce, the pickled eggplants, the peppers, the prune marmalade… and of course, no cantina would be complete without the strung sausages and hung prosciutto in the process of being cured. My dad was a butcher by trade and he just loved his homemade salumi.
All of these homemade foods, including these Italian Lupini Beans, would inevitably become part of the lineup of appetizers served at large family gatherings. They were served simply on their own.
So the next time you are getting together with friends and family, make sure to include these Italian Lupini Beans… a great vegetarian appetizer (or snack) and a guaranteed conversation starter.
Thanks for dropping by,
Ciao for now,
Maria 🙂
Italian Lupini Beans
Ingredients
- 14 ounces 400 grams of dry Lupini Beans
- lots of water
- 2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- parsley optional for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the dry Lupini Beans for 24 hours in water; ensure beans are completely submerged.
- Rinse and place in a large pot with cold tap water.
- Bring to a vigorous simmer and boil for 20 minutes. If necessary, keep adding water to keep the beans completely submerged.
- Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Place par-boiled beans in a bowl or a large mason jar and fill with fresh water; ensure beans are completely submerged.
- For the next couple of days, drain, rinse and refill with fresh tap water a couple of times a day. If possible aim for at least twice a day. The lupini beans are ready when they no longer have that bitter aftertaste; you can start to taste them after 5-7 days of changing the water. Sometimes, this can take up to 2 weeks. What we are looking for is a sweet and tender lupini.
- During the rinsing and soaking stage, the lupini can be kept refrigerated.
- Once the lupini are sweet and tender, place in a large airtight container (mason jar) with salt-water brine (see note).
- To serve: Simply remove the amount of lupini beans required, drain brine water and place lupini in a bowl. Serve them plain. Garnish with parsley sprigs.
- To store: Brined lupini can be kept refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
You need to be available every day, for just a couple of minutes, for a couple of weeks before you can enjoy the mild and nutty flavor of this legume.
For the brine solution: add 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt to 8 cups of water. One serving is calculated as 1/2 cup of lupini beans. Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.
Nutrition
Chris says
Thanks for sharing. Eating lupini beans as a child with my Italian grandparents brings back great memories.
Maria says
My pleasure Chris. Those are the best kind of memories. Thanks so much for stopping by, appreciate it.
vivi c. says
I love your website, will definitely use it as a reference.
Maria says
Thanks so much Vivi, I truly appreciate it ♥
Christina says
I just discovered this bean and am so grateful to have found your article. Being a longtime vegetarian and two-year vegan, I’m ordering this legume pronto & will be following your process to the letter! I’m excited about adding lumini to my repertoire of plant-based foods!! Many thanks!
Suzanne says
I use to make Lupini Beans in the Late 70′ and 80’s. I LOVE THEM very addicting. My question is, do you cover the bowl while soaking and I thought I use to add salt each time I rinsed and changed the water at least 3 times a day. They were ready by the 5th day YUMMY. Thank you for your advise and Help. Sincerely Suzanne
Maria says
Lupini beans really are such a great food! I do not cover them, nor do I add any salt throughout the rinsing process. I only add salt at the end when they are stored in the fridge ready to be eaten. Thanks so much for stopping by Suzanne 🙂
Joe Ferrari says
Hi Maria,
I too am from an Italian family; my father was born in Italy as were my mother’s parents. We always had lupini during the Christmas holiday. My dad would soak vast quantities in a large tub in the basement. It seemed to take weeks. Whenever friends dropped in, he would bring out a big bowl and everyone would enjoy them with a glass of is homemade wine. I enjoyed your reference to your cantina. Everyone we knew had one, and yes, we had a procuitto hanging there, and during the winter, homemade sausages. Thank you for your recipe and also for your interesting comments
Maria says
Thanks so much Joe, appreciate your words. We were so privileged to be surrounded by family, food, an appreciation of simple things and love. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Domenic Reda says
HI Maria, I am on my second batch of lupini. My first batch I did with my olives and produced 13 jars of lupini (500 ml Jar). My second batch is almost ready. The only difference I do is that I add 1 teaspoon of salt in the jar instead of doing the brine. I then add lupini beans to almost the top of the jar and add fresh cold water to the top of jar. Seal the jar and do a water bath to seal the jars. After the bath I turn the jars upside down and let them cool. They are great when we watch a hockey game every Saturday night.
Maria says
They really are the best Domenic! Lupini and hockey… that really brings back so many memories! I have never processed them in a water bath as I make small batches, but thanks for the suggestion and the confirmation that it can be done. Appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Tracy A says
I’m so happy to be able to make these at home! Usually we only have them once a year at the local Italian Fest!
Question… I’m on day 8 of the process. The bitterness is just about gone, but the beans are not a tender consistency. Will they continue to soften if I just continue to soak them? I did boil them for just over 20 minutes on day 2. Thank you in advance!
Maria says
Unfortunately, we can’t control the “freshness” of the dried lupini beans. That being said, they should continue to soften a little. I would continue soaking and rinsing for at least a few more days… even up to a week and see if you get a better texture. Great question. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Lucia Ponticiello says
Hi,
I’m so excited to come across this recipe. I’ve been watching my mom make lupini beans for years. I decided I was going to start making them at home and the past two times at the end of the process the skins begin to peel off? We prepare lupinis exactly how you do and this never happens to my mom. But, for me, its already happened twice. The lupinis are edible and delcious but just look unsightly with the skins peeling off. Any suggestions or reasons this might happen?
Maria says
Hi Lucia! Welcome to She loves biscotti ♥
The only thing that comes to mind is the freshness of the lupini. Are the lupini you are making all from the same batch? Could it be that you purchased an old batch of beans? If you are following the process and the respect the times, I honestly do not know what else it could be. Perhaps this has happened to another reader and hopefully they will share how they resolved this issue. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Tony says
I’ve been running into the same issue with my last two batches. Did you ever find a solution? Did I get an old batch of beans as well?
Ann says
Try rehydrating them longer then the 24 hours.
Don’t keep them in water so long or add a small amount of salt to the water while getting rid of tiredness. I add salt to my last water for the day. Skin is shining and firm.
Mardi says
Do you have a method, process or recipe for storing and preserving these for later use, rather than eating from fridge within 2 weeks. I am particularly interested in whether, as they are beans, whether rh would need to be pressure canned as opposed to jar boiled. It would be great to know process for preserving them for storage out of the fridge, after the soaking has been done. Also how long they will keep and at what preferred temperature. Thanks for any advice on this. I’m finding it very difficult to locate some clear up to date information and method.
Maria says
Hi Mardi, sorry for the delayed response… just found your comment in my spam folder. Great question! I have friends that will make a big batch and proceed to a jar boiling. They will keep for about 6 months in a typical cantina…usually November-March… so temperatures will fluctuate between 1-10 degrees. I also did not find any documented references. If I do, will forward to you. Appreciate your comment 🙂
Phyllis says
Thank you for explaining the process. I remember having these during my childhood but wasn’t sure about how to prepare them. I am going to try them again. I know they are a very healthy snack.
I’ve noticed crates of green olives in the supermarket. I remember my dad using salt and water to cure the olives but unfortunately I don’t have the recipe. Would you show us how to cure olives?
Thanks Maria for giving me (us) all my childhood favourites and keeping the recipes authentic.
Warm regards,
Maria says
Hi Phyllis, thank you for your kind words. Curing olives is actually on my to-do list 🙂 I can’t help but think of all the family reunions whenever I have these lupini …so many wonderful memories. Isn’t it amazing how certain foods can bring us right back to our childhood? Truly appreciate your comment ♥
deb@glutenfreefarina says
Now this brings back memories. These were at every food table for big family gatherings and, as kids, we would shoot the lupini beans at each other across the kids’ table. At some point, I stopped that and just started enjoying them. Thanks for the instructions for making your own. I’ve never done that.
Maria says
That’s hilarious Deb …they are actually perfect for that. We used to use them as tokens when we would play tombola. Good times! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Nettie Moore says
I have to look for these, I love beans so much!
Maria says
Hi Nettie, Hope you get a chance to try them. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Eileen says
Ok, I’m now obsessed with the idea of trying Lupini beans. I saw that I can buy them on-line. Thanks for introducing this recipe.
Maria says
They are extremely addictive …truly a great snack. I wanted to document the recipe the way my family used to make it -in a simple brine. However, the possibilities are truly endless (using different herbs and spices). Hope you like them 🙂
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says
I have never heard of lupini beans but they sound wonderful. The outer skin reminds me of fava beans., another one of my favorites.
Maria says
Yes, they are very similar, but the outer skin of the lupini bean is slightly thicker. Although edible, I personally prefer my lupini without it. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
The Ninja Baker says
Love that your lupini beans recipe is from your grandmother! Thank you too for the origins of the protein-packed wonder (and the pronunciation.) Again, mille grazie for a delightful post =)
Maria says
Prego, Ninja Baker 🙂 This is yet another example of cucina povera from Italy. As a bonus, healthy and clean eating! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba) says
My stepdad eats these constantly!
Maria says
They really are so addictive …thank goodness they are healthy. Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Cindy Kerschner says
Sounds like lupini beans must be absolutely delicious way to enjoy beans!
Maria says
I just love to snack on them. Thanks for dropping by Cindy 🙂
David @ CookingChat says
I love beans, but have never heard of lupini beans. Interesting! Thanks for sharing.
Maria says
Hope you get a chance to try them. Appreciate your comment 🙂