If you are searching for the best way to cook green beans, you have arrived! For more than five years, this popular green bean recipe has been our most loved recipe! You’ll see why too: They’re fast, simple and require only a few pantry staples!

an orange plate with bright green string beans and a serving spoon

Excellent! Fantastic green bean recipe. I usually overcook them and these turned out perfectly. Thank you!

~Amy

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Best Green Beans Recipe

For 20 years, it has been my #1 goal to help busy people just like you to get more fresh veggies on the table, and this recipe is the perfect way to do just that! They’re ready in 15 minutes and my family’s favorite green beans recipe!

Below, I’ll share my family’s secret method for cooking green beans I’ve been using since I first learned to cook. It yields vibrant green, perfectly tender (not mushy) string beans with delicious garlic flavor! One taste and you’ll see why I count on this foolproof technique to make everyone happy on any occasion, from weeknight dinners to a holiday meal.

I have made it several times and my family absolutely enjoys eating it every time. This is a go to recipe for green beans.

~Jessica
a table with votive candles, flowers and an orange platter piled with cooked green beans

How Do You Cook Green Beans?

Sautéed green beans in a skillet is fast and simple, but there are other ways to cook green beans that we’ve covered over the years. For more ideas, make sure to check out 8 Ways to cook green beans.

  • Steaming: A healthy, fast and simple way to cook green beans. You can amp up the flavors in a variety of ways. Go classic with Green Beans with Walnuts and Balsamic or try our Asian Green Beans.
  • Roasted: You’ll love the sweet caramelized taste and tender texture. Try our Roasted Green Beans with Almonds and Thyme recipe.
  • Boiling or Blanching: Boil the green beans in lightly salted water until crisp tender, or blanch to par-cook them and then shock them in an ice water bath. This is great for make-ahead like Orange Ginger Green beans.
  • Green Bean Casserole: Using fresh green beans instead of canned (or frozen) in green bean casserole is key! Try our recipe and it will quickly become your family’s holiday tradition.
  • Southern Style: One year the green beans in my veggie patch got very large and too tough. I ended up braising them with bacon and onions using a Southern-style method of cooking them. Here’s an example how to do this which takes an hour or two. Alternatively Steakhouse Style Green Beans are cooked in oil or butter and then braised for less time- only about 30 minutes. Both are very soft- quite different from these bright and fresh tasting ones.

How Long To Cook Green Beans:

There are several ways to cook green beans and cooking times will vary depending on the method. As a general rule, you can cook them from raw to crisp-tender in about 4 minutes when using steaming or boiling methods. In today’s recipe, we cook them in two parts, first they are sauteed then steamed to crisp-tender perfection. The total cook time is about 8 minutes when cooked this way.

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What you’ll need for the Best Green Bean Recipe

  • Extra virgin olive oil: I chose extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe but another cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil works too.
  • Red pepper flake: Added for a little heat (do so to taste.) Note, if you are sensitive to spicy food, it is okay to omit this and instead season them with ground black pepper. 
  • Fresh Green beans: You’ll need one and a half pounds of fresh green beans or string beans.
  • Minced Garlic: Fresh chopped garlic is the star of the simple seasonings in this easy green bean recipe. You’ll need three cloves.
  • Coarse kosher salt: We chose coarse kosher salt instead of table salt because it is easier to sprinkle. You can use regular table salt if you prefer, but note that it is higher in sodium so you will need less. Read more about substituting kosher salt here.
  • Water: To keep this fresh green bean recipe as simple as possible we save a step and dishes by adding water to the skillet to steam them. They’ll be perfectly tender and keep great texture. 

Tip For Buying Green Beans: In the grocery store, choose fresh green beans that are free from wrinkles or any spots that are becoming mushy. Pick through the pile and avoid wrinkled, broken or rotting string beans. You can use yellow wax beans or Haricots verts which are French green beans. Note that they cook more quickly but will work too, just adjust your cooking time. If buying pre-trimmed in a sealed plastic bag, check the expiration date and avoid wet or slimy-looking ones that are past their prime!

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How to cook Green Beans

Not only is this simple garlic green bean recipe so much better than canned or frozen green beans, but it is arguably the easiest way to make cooked string beans!

Cut stem ends off green beans
Line a handful of string beans up. Cut the stem ends off with a sharp knife.
chop garlic
Finely chop the garlic

1. Cut the stem ends off. An easy way to do that is to line a handful of stem sides together and cut them off with a sharp knife. I think this method is faster than breaking them off by hand.

2. Next, choose a large skillet with a well fitting lid. You can use a cast-iron skillet or stainless, but do not use a non-stick as the temp will get too high. (Note: if you don’t have a large lid, a sheet of aluminum foil will work too.)

add hot chili flake to the hot oil in the pan
Bloom the red pepper flake in the hot oil for a few seconds
stir green beans until they are blistered and browned in spots
Add them to the skillet to let them blister in the hot oil. Stir often to make sure they don’t burn.

3. Add your oil to the skillet and let it get hot. Bloom the crushed red pepper flake in the oil for a few seconds then add the beans to let them blister and brown. Turn them with tongs.

add salt and garlic
Add in the garlic and salt and stir well for about 30 seconds to toast the garlic
cover with lid to trap the steam
Finish by steaming them with a little water, covered, until they are crisp tender

4. After that step, you can add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant, but doesn’t burn.

5. Then add the water. Adding water at this point in the cooking process will prevent the sauteed garlic from burning and it creates steam, so you can trap it with the lid, cooking the beans through.

How to Know They’re Done: The cooked string beans will become bright green in a minute or two. And that’s it! See our serving suggestions below for what to serve with this easy side dish.

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Variations To Try

These sautéed string beans are perfect in their simplicity, but they’re also somewhat of a blank canvas for adding creative flavors!

  • Fresh Herbs: Add 1 tsp chopped woody herbs like thyme, rosemary or oregano with the garlic. Add tender herbs, like basil or tarragon, when they come off the heat.
  • Lemon or Balsamic: Add fresh lemon juice, a little lemon zest or balsamic vinegar before serving.
  • Nuts and/or Bacon: After the beans are cooked add almonds, pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts. Another yummy choice is a couple strips of crispy bacon, crumbled.
  • Sesame or ginger: To pair with Asian food, add a little minced ginger with the red pepper flakes and drizzle on toasted sesame oil to finish the dish. Finish with sesame seeds.
  • Cheese: Add a little shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, Crumbled chevre or goat cheese on top.

What to Serve with Green Beans

Storing Leftovers and Reheating

Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container up to three days. Keep refrigerated.

Reheating: We like to reheat cooked green beans in the microwave for about 90 seconds per serving. Alternatively, you can reheat them in a non-stick skillet with a little splash of water or chicken broth, over medium heat, covered until steaming hot. Stir occasionally to heat evenly and do not overcook.

Meal Prep and Make-Ahead Tips

You can prep this recipe in a similar fashion to this Orange Ginger Green Beans recipe.

  • Blanch the beans in boiling water then shock them in ice water. Drain well then keep them in a re-sealable bag or tupperware container.
  • A few minutes before you are ready to serve, heat the oil and red pepper flakes in the skillet.
  • Then add your cold blanched beans and the garlic. Sear the beans, stirring often, until they are heated through and the garlic is lightly browned and then serve! No need to add the water and steam in step 4 though if your garlic starts to darken too much before the beans are tender you can carefully add a tablespoon or so of water to the skillet.
close-up of the green beans showing garlic and spice

Green Bean FAQs

Are String Beans and Green Beans the same thing?

Yes, string beans and green beans are the same thing. Green beans are a type of snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) which can actually be yellow or purple too. You can read more about varieties and buy green bean seeds here. Haricot Vert, snap beans, wax beans and filet beans, are the same thing as fresh green bean. Haricot Vert are more slender and tender and meant to be picked when they are smaller. In the market, wax beans are usually yellow.

Are pole beans and bush beans the same thing?

Green beans can be bush beans or pole beans, they just have different growing habits. Green beans are tender annuals in the Leguminosae family, which also includes garbanzos, peas, lentils, and peanuts. They’re eaten fresh (as opposed to dry beans which are grown for their mature bean seeds.) You can read more about growing green beans here.

Why are green beans tough?

If you grow your own beans, and occasionally are not picked early enough they can be quite tough and stringy. This happened to me and they got very large and too tough. In this case I recommend a southern style of cooking them. To paraphrase how to do this, you remove the strings, cut them into shorter lengths and then braise them slowly in liquid (often with smoked pork) until they are very tender. Another reason for tough beans is using shelling beans which are different than bush beans. Shelling beans have a woody pod and they are definitely tough. Lastly, it is important to note fresh green beans do not have the same texture as canned green beans. They have less mushy texture.

More Favorite Green Bean Recipes

Try more fresh green bean recipes from our collection. Make sure to leave a star rating and review if you try any of these recipes!

Green beans with balsamic and walnuts in a white serving bowl next to a small bowl of walnuts and a head of garlic

Balsamic Green Beans
Dirty Green Beans with Fermented Black Beans via healthyseasonalrecipes.com

Green Beans with Fermented Black Beans
the green beans with the basil dressing drizzled over it up close with a few edible flowers on top

Green Beans with Basil Vinaigrette
tomatoes, green beans and goat cheese on a large oval platter

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Chilled Corn and Green Bean Salad
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Roasted Green Beans With Almonds
Even More Recipes

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Simple Sauteed Green Beans

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4.9 from 145 reviews

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Description

This delicious green bean recipe is a perfect healthy side dish. They are cooked in one pot with garlic, olive oil and a little spice. It is one of the best green bean recipes because it is both quick and delicious!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake, or to taste
  • 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red pepper flake and stir to coat the pepper in the oil.
  2. Add green beans and cook, stirring often until the beans are blistering and browning in areas, 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and salt and cook, stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant and browning, about 30 seconds.
  4. Add water and immediately cover with a well-fitting lid or sheet of aluminum foil. Steam the green beans, covered, until they are bright green and crisp tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions

1. Blanch green beans for 1 minute in boiling salted water.
2. Shock in an ice bath to immediately stop them from cooking. Drain well in a colander.
3. Keep refrigerated in a large storage container or ziplock bag for 1 day.
4. Before using in the recipe, make sure they are completely dry (use a clean dish towel or paper towels.)
5. Follow the instructions in this recipe but do not add the water and steam covered. They will be tender enough after searing them. Note that the beans will not brown as well as they sear, but they will still be quite tasty.

To Trim Haricot Verts or Green Beans: The stem end of the bean is tough and fibrous. This must be removed. To do so easily, line up a handful of the beans with the stems facing the same direction. Cut them off all at once. No need to cut off the pointy tip.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: side dish
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 70
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 230 mg
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 6 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 1 g

Did you make this recipe?

Make sure you come back to the recipe post to leave a star rating and review.

I originally shared this technique for cooking green beans and simple recipe on July 10th, 2015. I have updated the text today.

Simple Veggie Side Dishes To Try

Here are a few easy recipes for vegetable side dishes you may want to try!

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