How to Store Lima Beans
Lima beans keep best when you decide up front whether you want them fresh and tender or dried for the pantry, since the two call for very different handling. Fresh shelled limas are perishable and want cold storage, while fully dried beans store for a long time at room temperature.
Best storage conditions
Store fresh limas cold and humid, right around 32 to 40 F with high humidity of roughly 90 to 95 percent, in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. It is best to leave them in the pod until you are ready to cook, since shelled beans dry out and lose quality faster. Dried limas store best in a cool, dry, dark cupboard.
How long it keeps
Fresh unshelled pods hold about five to seven days in the refrigerator, and shelled fresh beans only a few days. Blanched and frozen limas keep their quality for roughly ten to twelve months. Properly dried and sealed lima beans stay good for a year or more in the pantry.
Storage methods
Refrigerate fresh pods in a perforated or loosely closed bag. For dried storage, shell the beans, spread them out until fully hard and dry, then keep them in airtight jars or containers away from light and moisture. Label containers with the date so you use the oldest first.
Freezing & preserving
Freezing is the easiest way to keep a big harvest: shell the beans, blanch small ones about two minutes and large ones three to four minutes, cool quickly in ice water, drain, and pack into freezer bags or containers. Lima beans are a low-acid vegetable, so if you want to can them you must use a pressure canner and follow a current tested recipe from USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation; do not use a boiling-water bath. Drying is also traditional: let the beans mature and dry fully, then store in airtight jars.
Tips
Cool fresh pods quickly after picking and refrigerate promptly, because heat makes shelled limas go starchy and lose their sweetness fast. When freezing, spread blanched beans on a tray to freeze individually before bagging so they stay loose and easy to portion. Always let dried beans reach a hard, glassy dryness before sealing them, since any leftover moisture can lead to mold in the jar.
General home-storage guidance. For home canning and preserving safety, follow USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) guidelines. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.