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This lupini beans recipe is the ultimate answer to satisfying salty snack cravings in a healthy way! I’m going to teach you how to cook lupini beans for a snack, full of zesty flavors from chili and lime, plus several other variations if that combo isn’t your thing.
This recipe can be made 2 ways – in the oven (like my roasted chickpeas) or in the air fryer. If you have an air fryer, it’s also great for many other things, from tender air fried chicken legs to crisp air fryer bacon… browse out all my low carb air fryer recipes here.
What Are Lupini Beans?
Lupini beans (sometimes called lupins, lupine beans, or lupin beans) are legumes that have been popular in the Mediterranean region, Latin America, and North Africa since ancient times. They have a sweet, nutty flavor similar to chickpeas or fava beans — except unlike those, lupins have a silkier, firmer texture, much lower carbs, and high protein content (nearly double!).
Some people also compare them to soy beans because they have a similar amino acid profile and are a complete protein source. But I much prefer them over soy beans (learn more about why I don’t recommend soy here).
You can find lupin beans raw, dried, jarred, canned, or vacuum sealed. The last 3 forms are the easiest to use for snacking or recipes like this one.
Dry lupini beans contain bitter alkaloids, which obviously have a bitter taste and can also be dangerous. This is another reason to buy jarred or canned beans, which don’t have this high alkaloid content.
These low carb beans are also sometimes sold in their ground form as lupin flour, which you can use to make low carb lasagna or croissants.
Why You’ll Love This Lupini Beans Recipe
- Spicy and citrusy
- Crispy and lightly salty
- Easy, tasty method
- Quick prep time – just 20 minutes
- Satisfying high protein, low carb, and plantbased snack
Ingredients For Spicy Lupin Beans
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this lupini beans snack recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Lupini Beans – Wondering where to buy lupini beans? Not every grocery store carries them. The easiest way is to order them here, though you may be able to find them in a health food store as well. Jarred or canned varities will make this recipe the fastest and easiest. Alternatively, you could get dried lupins and soak them yourself for several days.
- Lime Juice – Squeeze it fresh for the very best flavor, or use bottled. You’ll need 2 tablespoons of lime juice, which is approximately the juice from one medium lime. Feel free to swap in lemon juice instead, too.
- Olive Oil – I prefer extra virgin olive oil here, but use your favorite kind on-hand.
- Chili Powder – Or see below for other spice ideas!
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Cook Lupini Beans
This section shows how to make lupin beans with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Season. Rinse the beans under cold water, then drain and pat dry. (Rinsing ensures you won’t end up with overly salty beans, since jarred or canned ones are typically brined in salt.) Add to a large bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Cook. You can cook lupini beans in the oven at 400 degrees F or in the air fryer at 380 degrees F, but either way you’ll want to toss them halfway through. The air fryer will be faster, while the oven is probably the simplest method (cook times are on the recipe card below!).
More About Lupini Beans
Are lupini beans good for you? What are lupini beans nutrition facts? You’ll be happy to hear that these little legumes are a powerful food!
Lupini beans nutrition overview
A 1/4 cup serving of lupinis, without the seasonings from this recipe added, has [*]:
- Calories: 48
- Carbs: 3.8g
- Fat: 1.2g
- Protein: 6.5g
Nutrition info for this particular lupin bean recipe is on the recipe card below.
Lupini beans benefits
- Anti-inflammatory. Some research shows that lupini beans may prevent or treat chronic inflammation [*].
- Supports healthy blood pressure. Eating these beans may reduce high blood pressure [*].
- High in protein. For a quarter-cup serving, these little yellow beans deliver over 6 grams of protein.
- Improve gut health. Lupins are linked with increasing the amount of good bacteria in the gut [*].
Are lupini beans keto?
Yes, while most beans are not keto, lupins are keto friendly if you control the portion size. Since they have just 3.8 grams of total carbs and 1.1 grams of fiber, the net carbs in lupini beans are low — just 2.7 grams net carbs per 1/4 cup serving.
Lupini Bean Snack Variations
With a neutral flavor, it’s easy to change up the taste in this recipe to your personal preference!
- Salt & vinegar – Omit pepper and chili powder, and swap the lime juice with your favorite vinegar before cooking. (For stronger flavor, you can soak the beans in vinegar too, or if you like sweetness, try balsamic vinegar.)
- Garlic parmesan – Replace chili and lime with a teaspoon of garlic powder. After cooking, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
- Coconut curry – Replace olive oil with coconut oil, add 1 tablespoon of curry powder, omit lime and pepper, and reduce chili powder to 1/4 teaspoon.
Storage Instructions
Store the prepared beans in a paper bag lined with a paper towel, in an airtight container, or a large jar at room temperature for up to 7 days. To crisp them up more before serving, add back to a preheated air fryer or oven for a few minutes.
More Healthy Snack Recipes
For fast, healthy, and satisfying snacks, it’s easy to make them in the air fryer (and beyond)! Try these simple ideas:
Tools To Cook Lupini Beans
- Air Fryer – If you opt for the air fryer method, this one has a large basket and cooks beans evenly.
- Jelly Roll Pan – My go to pan for cooking lupins in the oven, if that’s your preferred method.
- Snack Sized Paper Bags – A cute and practical way to portion leftovers!
Spicy Lupin Beans Recipe
Spicy Lupini Beans Recipe
This crunchy lupini beans snack recipe is easy, delicious, and low carb! Learn how to cook lupini beans 2 different ways, with several seasoning variations.
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Drain the lupini beans. Rinse in a colander, then pat dry.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Add the lupini beans and toss to coat.
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To cook lupini beans in the air fryer: Arrange at the bottom of the air fryer basket. Air fry at 380 degrees F (193 degrees C) for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
To cook lupini beans in the oven: Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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54 Comments
Julia Panetta Kelley
0Can you freeze cooking pickled Lupini? Bought a larger, 56 oz. Jar.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Julia, I have never tried to freeze pickled Lupini.
ELLEN
0Do you leave the skin on? Do you eat the skins?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Ellen, Yes, you leave the skins on.
Suzy g
0You cook them unpeeled but they must be peeled to eat. This is from cento website:
They are ready to eat right out of the jar, just rinse and pinch the outer skin off, and enjoy. They are a great source of fiber & antioxidants.
Margareta
0Hi Maja, I assume that the lupine beans are peeled? The ones that are available here (BC Canada) all have the peel on. I am familiar with them as my husband is from Italy and they use them a lot.
I would buy them dry, soak and cook them. Then cure them as they are extremely bitter otherwise. Any other ideas would be appreciated.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Margareta, I used beans from a jar so they are ready to eat so I would assume they are peeled.
Damon Duncan
0Is it possible to locate a source for dried lupini beans with this carb profile? Not all sources are this keto friendly and I need the dried beans. Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Damon, I only used jarred beans for this recipe.
Amy
0Hey, thanks so much for your recipes! Just wondering why the jars of Lupin beans I’m finding at my local grocery store (Kroger) say there are 28 carbs and only 3 grams of fiber in a 130 grams or 1 cup serving? Maybe there are different types of Lupini/Lupin beans?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Amy, That may be true, I used Cento brand of beans maybe you can find those.
R. Naughton
0I have 2 lbs. of dried lupine beans and don’t know what t do with them – help?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi R. Naughton, You can used tried beans for this recipe but you will have to soak them for a few days before using them.
Crystal
0Is there instructions somewhere how to soak and prepare dried beans to get rid of the alkaloids you speak of? I may investigate canning them on my own also. Thanks!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Crystal, Sorry, I have not done this. I used lupini beans from a jar that were already past this step.
Linda Bouteller
0I have read multiple times that the beans are toxic before soaking overnight. Then.. you keep them in the fridge and change the water daily. I had read this from someone raised in Italy who’s family had made Lupini for generations. It was a lengthy process and the finished beans were very plump. Geez! Now I’m confused when many are boiling and eating them. Do you still stand by your quick recipe? I’m at a loss! Thx!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Linda, This recipe is made with ready to eat jarred beans. I do suggest in the article that if you want to use dried beans that you need to soak for several days.
colleen b
0Mushy versus crispy. After 1st baking and waiting a bit.
Amy Bloodworth
0These were so easy to make and I loved having such a delicious guilt-free snack. Thanks for sharing!
Nicole
0What a great snack idea! I’ll have to try this one
silvia
0I had no idea what lupini beans were. But with your awesome explanation and ways to cook them and eat them, now I want to look for them and try them with lime and chili. Yum.
Katie Crenshaw
0I learned so much about these lupini beans I did not know! I love that they are so healthy. They turned out so tasty. I am so glad I can make something I can feel good about eating.
Liz
0I have never made lupini beans, but seems pretty simple!
Nart at Cooking with Nart
0I’d never had anything like these lupini beans before and they were so delicious! Such a great recipe – definitely a keeper!
Traci Lynne Woith
0Has anyone tried to use them as refried beans? Refried beans are one of my absolute favorites and I hate it that I can’t have them! Also, what about using them to make hummus?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Traci, I have not experimented with using lupini beans for those recipes. They may be too dry for those applications.
Kim
0Loved the crunchy spicey lupini’s. I make hummus with lupini beans quite frequently. It is awesome! Takes some patience as you need to work to get it thin enough to process. I use olive oil, lime juice and water and a really good blender.
Linda
0If you try them please let us know how it went and if you used already prepared or dried lupin beans. I miss tostadas and burritos too !
Thinking of making them into keto baked bean replacement for Easter
Nancy taylor
0My grandmother always had these on Christmas Eve as an appetizer. I know she soaked them and as I recall us kids would squeeze them out of their covering and just eat them plain and room temp. Her soaking may have been in salt water? This was 65 or 70 years ago. My nana was from Italy. I’m going to try them with the olive oil and lime and chili spices
Linda
0I am unable to find these in any of my grocery stores here. I just ordered some bags of dried lupini beans on amazon and can’t wait to try this!
Adina
0Do you know if rinsing gets rid of most of the salt? I read the jarred are brined with extremely high salt levels (200-900 mg of sodium). I am not sure if I should rinse the jarred ones really well, which is much easier, or if I need to buy dried and cook/soak over several days to avoid the high salt levels. Look forward to trying these either way. Thank you for introducing them to me. I LOVE beans and really miss them.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Adina, The salt brine will permeate the beans. If you are concerned about sodium levels, then it may be a better option for you to order the dried beans.
Adina
0Thank you. I will order the dried. I appreciate the feedback.
Sara LaFountain
0These lupini beans were delicious! Even my pickiest kid loved them. The flavor was fantastic and really made the meal so much better.
Uma Srinivas
0Thanks for the detailed recipe post.
Kayla
0Love how easy and delicious these lupini beans are!
Cathleen
0This definitely looks like something I would be all over!! I Love beans, so I know I am going to love making (and eating!) these. Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Heather
0I’d never head of lupini beans before but I am now obsessed! Love that you can air fry them, too.
Natalie
0What an interesting recipe. Yummy!
Amy L Huntley
0THis is the first time that I have ever made these. They did not disappoint either!
Linda
0I’ve been enjoying the store-bought version and never thought of making these beans at home. Now I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Kristyn
0Love finding healthy & tasty snacks! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Natalie
0I’ve never cooked lupini beans, but I am so excited to! They sound delicious & l love the benefits you shared!
Carri
0Can I make Chili with these beans? Or Mexican beans? Or are they too sweet for it? How about Ham hocks and beans?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Carri, I have not tested using lupini beans in these recipes, but they may work in any of these recipes. Please let us know how it turns out if you decide to give it a try!
Marta
0My family has never tried these before, so, I’m putting them on the next grocery list so we can share them together. They look so yummy. Thank you for sharing!
Bernice
0Wow, these beans have huge snack potential. I’ve only ever seen lupini beans served in a sauce but they look amazing all crisped up like this.
Angie
0I have never heard of Lupin Beans before, but I am anxious to find some and give this recipe, and all of the variations you’ve mentioned, a try. I am trying to eat healthier and reduce my carbs, so the timing of finding this recipe is perfect. I am really excited to try garlic parmesan and coconut curry.
Glenda
0What a great healthy snacking option! I had never heard of lupini beans. Thanks so much for the info and recipe!
Jennifer
0These are totally my new favorite snack! I love that they are healthy and that texture of crispy on the outside and almost creamy on the inside makes them amazing. I added them to my salad at lunch and fell in love all over again!
Toni
0This is seriously addictive! Everyone loved it!
Ann
0Thank you for the easy recipe. Yummy.
Scarlet
0This was my first time trying lupini beans. I really enjoyed this high protein snack. What a great way to freshen things up.
Shannon R
0So packed with flavor! I am definitely making these again.