Fava beans are my absolute favorite gift of spring and early summer, and topped on a homemade crazy feta, they just become the BEST appetizer or quick cheese bowl lunch! If you haven’t had fava beans before, they eat very similarly to edamame. They aren’t your normal creamy, starchy bean texture, but instead they have a really nice bite to them. In this recipe the favas are paired with creamy, salty, golden pieces of confit garlic, then tossed with herbs and lemon and scatter all on top of a creamy crazy feta. The feta is meant to be dippable, so this makes a fantastic appetizer or platter.
Table of contents
When are fava beans in season?
Fava beans typically start arriving in markets in April and stay until about July or August if you’re in the Northeast. They are considered a spring vegetable, but spring can often lull into April and May, so that’s usually when I see them available. And wow it is a such an exciting time when the first batch of fava beans comes in.
Your best place to find these will be the farmer’s market, but they are also available at specialty grocers or Whole Foods! I find my local corner grocer occasionally stocks them, so it never hurts to ask if they have any suppliers who might be bringing in fava beans soon!
How to cook fava beans
Fava beans have two shells – the tough outer pod (which is fluffy on the inside and absolute delight), and then a thin, translucent shell just on the outside of the bean, which needs to be gently pulled off.
The best way to remove the second shell is to quickly boil the favas in salted water for no more than a minute, then immediately transfer them to an ice bath.
After they are in the icebath, you’ll see the skins start to pull away from the fava beans. From here you can gently ease them off of the bean, and then voila! You have a perfectly prepared fava.
What other ingredients do you need for these fava beans with crazy feta?
The recipe for this appetizer is super simple, you just need the following ingredients:
- 1 pound fava beans in their pods
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 20 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves torn
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves torn
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup skyr or greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
What is the process for making the fava bean salad?
After the fava beans are cooked (see above for instructions!), you’ll toss them in a bowl to start creating the salad. I add lemon juice, mint, basil, and confit garlic to the fava beans, seasoning with a hint of red chili for a bit of interest. If you confit your garlic right before making this, add a spoon of garlic oil over this. It’s extra delicious.
What is crazy feta?
Ok, I took some liberties with calling this crazy feta – but what it is is a smooth, garlicky, creamy feta sauce that is the perfect base for this fava bean appetizer. All you have to do is whisk together three remaining garlic cloves, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic oil and feta. It will be chunky-creamy in the best possible way. And you’ll want to have plenty of bread and fava bean topping available to swipe through it.
Serving suggestions for this recipe
While this recipe looks like a personal bowl in these photos, it is designed to be a fava bean appetizer. I like serving it on a big platter with lots of pita on this side, or if you want to go the personal route, serve it in a dinner bowl with a slice of crusty bread. It’s versatile, and I promise it will be a crowd-pleaser either way!
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few plant-forward options I have been loving lately!
And that’s it for this fava beans and crazy feta recipe!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Fava Beans & Crazy Feta
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 heat-proof bowl
- 1 small pot or butter warmer
Ingredients
- 1 pound fava beans in their pods
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 20 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves torn
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves torn
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup skyr or greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Remove the beans from all the fava bean pods.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath to the side. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Add the beans to the boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beans to the ice bath. Use your fingers to gently pull off the second jacket around the bean (they should be clear and pliable at this point) and transfer the beans to a medium-sized bowl.
- Place a small pot of butter warmer over medium-low heat. Add the garlic cloves and cover with the olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt. Let the oil come to just below a simmer and cook undisturbed for 20-25 minutes, or until the garlic is soft throughout.
- Add the basil and mint to the bowl with the fava beans. Squeeze over 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and season with red pepper flakes, freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of salt.
- When the garlic is ready, add all but 3 of the garlic cloves into the favas. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil as well.
- In a separate bowl, add the remaining 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of garlic oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, yogurt and feta. Stir and mash to combine in to a crazy feta sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To plate, spread the crazy feta on a large dish. Pile the favas and garlic on top. Serve with the crustiest of bread.
hii! the only somewhat green bean i have available right now is edamame, but i would love to make this asap! would that work as an okay sub?
It’s a perfect sub! Go for it 🙂
i’m sorry i missed the edamame notes all throughout the recipe. but i tried this and it is sublime!!! so so tasty. i’m having it again tonight and probably tomorrow too! i’m so addicted to bowls that have yogurt on the bottom i love it. thank you for this recipe 🙂
missed a rating!