What Are Honey Beans? The Sweet Nigerian Brown Beans Explained
Honey beans are naturally sweet brown Nigerian beans, known as ewa oloyin. Here is what they are, how they are cooked and where to buy them.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Honey beans are a variety of brown cowpea grown in Nigeria and West Africa, prized for their naturally sweet, mellow taste, which is why the Yoruba name is ewa oloyin, meaning beans that have honey. They cook down softer and sweeter than the plain white or black-eyed beans most people know, and they are the favourite bean for dishes like beans porridge, ewa agoyin, moin moin and akara. The dried beans are small, brown and slightly wrinkled, and they need a good soak and a long simmer to turn soft and creamy. In the UK honey beans are sold by African and Caribbean food shops, which you can find near you on African Stores.
What to remember
- Honey beans are a brown Nigerian cowpea, naturally sweeter than ordinary beans.
- The Yoruba name ewa oloyin means beans that have honey, after the sweet taste.
- They cook down soft and creamy, ideal for beans porridge and mashed beans dishes.
- They are used for ewa agoyin, moin moin, akara and everyday beans and stew.
- Dried honey beans need soaking and a long simmer to soften fully.
A pot of honey beans bubbling with palm oil and pepper is one of the most homely smells in a Nigerian kitchen. For many people ewa oloyin is the taste of a school-morning breakfast, of beans porridge with soft plantain, of ewa agoyin bought from a favourite street seller and eaten with agege bread. Reaching for a bag of honey beans far from home is reaching for those ordinary, comforting meals that say you are fed and cared for.
There is real heart in these beans, in the way a cook knows to hold out for the true sweet oloyin, in recipes passed from mother to child, in the patience of a long simmer. To cook honey beans in Britain is to keep that everyday heritage going, to make a friend their first bowl of proper beans porridge, or to give your children the flavour you were raised on. That sweet, gentle taste of home is the quiet gift of the honey bean.
What Honey Beans Actually Are
Honey beans are a type of cowpea, the same broad family as the black-eyed bean, but a distinct brown variety loved across Nigeria for its flavour. The dried beans are small and brown, sometimes speckled, and they carry a gentle natural sweetness that sets them apart from the plainer white and black-eyed beans. That sweetness is exactly what gives them their common Yoruba name, ewa oloyin, which translates as beans that have honey, and they are also sold simply as sweet brown beans or oloyin beans.
Beyond the taste, honey beans are treasured because of how they cook. They break down more readily than firmer beans, turning soft, creamy and almost buttery, which makes them perfect for the mashed and porridge-style dishes that Nigerian cooking does so well. They are a staple of the bean-rich West African kitchen, sitting alongside the many other beans and pulses that feature in Nigerian food, and for many households they are simply the bean you reach for first.
How Honey Beans Are Cooked
The starting point for honey beans is almost always a soak, ideally a few hours or overnight, followed by a long, patient simmer until the beans give up their shape and turn tender. From there they lead in several directions. The most everyday is beans porridge, ewa, where the softened beans are cooked down with palm oil, onion, pepper and sometimes crayfish into a thick, savoury, slightly sweet dish eaten on its own or with fried plantain, bread or rice. Cooked a little firmer, they are served as plain beans to go with stew.
Honey beans are also the classic choice for ewa agoyin, the famous mashed beans smothered in a dark, spicy pepper and palm oil sauce, where their soft texture is the whole point. Ground raw after soaking and skinning, they become the batter for moin moin, the steamed savoury bean pudding, and for akara, the fluffy fried bean cakes eaten at breakfast. In every case the beans' natural sweetness rounds out the dish, balancing the heat of the pepper and the richness of the palm oil.
Why Honey Beans Are a Nigerian Favourite
In Nigeria, beans are everyday food, affordable, filling and full of protein, and among the many types the honey bean holds a special place for its taste. Market traders and cooks distinguish it clearly from the white and black-eyed beans, and many people will pay a little more for the genuine sweet oloyin because the flavour of the finished dish is noticeably better. It is the bean that turns a simple pot of porridge into something people ask for by name.
The word oloyin itself is a small piece of poetry, the idea that these beans carry their own honey, and it captures the affection people feel for them. Whether it is a street vendor dishing out ewa agoyin from a huge pot, a mother making moin moin for a celebration, or a quick weekday bowl of beans porridge, honey beans are woven into the ordinary and the festive alike. They are proof that a humble bean, chosen well, can be one of the best-loved foods on the table.
Where to Buy Honey Beans in the UK
In Britain honey beans are widely sold by African and Caribbean food shops, usually dried and bagged, labelled as honey beans, ewa oloyin or oloyin beans. Because they are dried they keep for a long time in the cupboard, so it is worth buying a decent bag if you cook beans often. When choosing, look for beans that are evenly brown and not too old, as very old beans can take much longer to soften however long you cook them.
If you want the real sweet oloyin rather than a plainer brown bean, an African food shop that serves Nigerian customers is the surest place, and the shopkeeper can tell you which bag is the genuine honey bean. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you to see what is nearby. Simmered into a soft porridge, mashed for ewa agoyin or ground for moin moin, honey beans bring a sweet, comforting taste of Nigeria to your kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
What are honey beans?
Honey beans are a brown variety of cowpea grown in Nigeria and West Africa, known for a naturally sweet, mellow taste. The Yoruba name ewa oloyin means beans that have honey. They cook down softer and sweeter than white or black-eyed beans, which makes them the favourite bean for porridge and mashed bean dishes.
Why are they called honey beans?
They are called honey beans because of their natural sweetness, which is gentler and rounder than that of ordinary beans. The Yoruba name ewa oloyin translates directly as beans that have honey. The name marks them out from plainer white and black-eyed beans, and many cooks prefer them for the better flavour they give a dish.
What are honey beans used for?
Honey beans are used for beans porridge, ewa, and for ewa agoyin, the mashed beans served with a dark spicy pepper sauce. Ground after soaking and skinning, they make the batter for moin moin, the steamed bean pudding, and for akara, fried bean cakes. Cooked a little firmer, they are also served as plain beans with stew.
How do you cook honey beans?
Honey beans are best soaked for a few hours or overnight, then simmered slowly until soft and creamy. For porridge they are cooked down with palm oil, onion, pepper and sometimes crayfish. Older beans take longer to soften, so choose beans that are evenly brown and not too old for the best result.
Where can I buy honey beans in the UK?
Honey beans are sold dried by African and Caribbean food shops, labelled as honey beans, ewa oloyin or oloyin beans, and they keep well in the cupboard. For the genuine sweet oloyin, a shop that serves Nigerian customers is the surest place. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks them.
