Orange Glazed Green Beans with Cranberries
These delicious, sweet-tangy glazed green beans with cranberries, orange marmalade, and a hint of zippy Dijon mustard are made for a holiday table! This is an easy vegetable side dish that’s ready in 20 minutes, perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family dinners.
Table of Contents
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Like my mashed potatoes and classic stuffing, these glazed green beans are a staple side dish at Thanksgiving dinner every year. Tossed in a delicious marmalade with Dijon mustard and dried cranberries, the flavors in this easy green beans recipe are so good! The best part is that you can make them with pantry ingredients in 20 minutes or less.
What Makes This Glazed Green Beans Recipe So Good
- Full of flavor. I love sweet-tangy balsamic in my balsamic green beans recipe, and the orange marmalade in this recipe is a fun twist. Combined with fresh sage and Dijon, it’s extra delicious.
- Perfect for holiday dinners. Fresh and citrusy glazed beans are the perfect balance to a savory roast turkey with gluten-free gravy.
- Simple to make. Steam the beans, then sauté with the glaze ingredients and toss. It’s that easy! Most of the ingredients are already in the fridge and pantry.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy glazed green beans side dish needs only a few simple ingredients (you’ll find precise measurements in the recipe card below):
- Green beans – I use fresh green beans and steam them in a pot. But you can also use one of those microwave steamer bags of fresh beans or even frozen ones.
- Olive oil – You can use any cooking oil you’d like. Butter would be a great way to add richness.
- Fresh sage – If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried sage will work in a pinch. You’ll need about one-third of the amount.
- Orange marmalade – Choose your favorite brand from the store.
- Dijon mustard – You could also use regular yellow mustard or spicy brown mustard here, though it’ll change the flavor profile slightly.
- Dried cranberries – Feel free to leave these out if you’d like. I just love the pop of festive color and flavor that cranberries add to the beans. More add-in options include chopped walnuts, pecans, or toasted almonds, like you’ll find in my air fryer green beans recipe.
How to Make Glazed Green Beans With Cranberries
Follow the steps below to make perfect, tender-crisp glazed green beans that are ready for the holiday table in 20 minutes. Let’s get started.
- Steam the green beans. Place green beans in a steamer basket over simmering water and steam to your desired doneness. Or cook according to package directions if using fresh green beans in a microwave bag or frozen beans.
- Sauté with herbs. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add green beans and sage, and saute for a couple of minutes to let them brown slightly.
- Glaze the beans. Stir in the marmalade, mustard, and cranberries, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or two until the glaze thickens and coats the green beans. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cook to perfection. My family likes soft green beans, but I know many people like them more crisp-tender. Therefore, cook them to your preference, and adjust the steaming time as needed. I like to use a collapsible steamer basket because it works in any size pot or pan.
- Use your desired method. I’ll often use fresh green beans and steam them in a pot, but you can use one of those steamer bags, or even frozen beans. You could also make Instant Pot green beans, then toss them in a pan with the glaze ingredients. In fact, I’d suspect you could just switch your Instant Pot to “Saute” mode and finish off making them right in there.
- Cook for a crowd. My family of four often polishes off this batch of beans, so if you’re making it for a big holiday meal, I’d highly suggest doubling or tripling it. You may just need to use a larger skillet.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate leftover green beans. Transfer your leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. You can even make these glazed green beans in advance, as they reheat well. In this case, I suggest slightly undercooking the beans. This way, they’ll be perfectly cooked once you reheat them.
- Reheat. They can be reheated in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove.
Make It a Meal
Glazed green beans come together so fast and easily on the stove that they’re perfect for weeknight meals, too. I’ll serve them with steak bites and brown rice, or with a slow cooker pot roast for Sunday dinner. Otherwise, these are more favorite ways to serve green beans:
- Family dinners. Prepare a side of glazed green beans and baked potatoes while you have a roast chicken in the oven.
- Thanksgiving dinner. These green beans are a wonderful side dish to Thanksgiving turkey and wild rice stuffing. Serve with more delicious sides, like corn pudding casserole and cranberry sauce.
- Christmas menu. Serve green beans alongside a Christmas prime rib with Parmesan mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and dinner rolls.
- Holiday ham. While your Easter baked ham is in the oven, whip up this easy glazed green bean recipe to have with cheesy scalloped potatoes.
Glazed Green Beans
This sweet and tangy glazed green beans recipe with orange marmalade, Dijon, and chewy dried cranberries is an easy side dish, ready in 20 minutes! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and family dinners.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 Tablespoons orange marmalade
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Wash 1 pound fresh green beans and snip off the ends. Place green beans in a steamer basket over simmering water and steam to desired doneness. Or cook according to package directions if using fresh green beans in a microwave bag or frozen beans.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage, and saute for a couple of minutes to let them brown slightly.
- Stir in 2 Tablespoons orange marmalade, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup dried cranberries, and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Cook for another minute or two until the glaze thickens and coats the green beans. Serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe is easily doubled or tripled to serve more people.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove until heated through.
Nutrition Facts
Glazed Green Beans
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 92
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Sodium 317mg13%
Potassium 239mg7%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 785IU16%
Vitamin C 14.4mg17%
Calcium 46mg5%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
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I’m book marking this. I can’t wait to try it
Oh great, let me know what you think!