Garlic Green Beans
These Garlic Green Beans are a quick and easy side dish with tender-crisp green beans sautéed in oil with golden, fragrant garlic. Finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon, they’re simple, bright, and packed with flavor in just 15 minutes. It’s a perfect veggie side dish to whip up with your favorite weeknight meals, and even serve with holiday meals!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
I love fresh green beans. In fact, I think they are one of my favorite vegetables, no matter the season. I know most people think of heavier dishes like green bean casserole when they think of green beans, but there are so many fast and simple ways to prepare them.
These garlic green beans follow in the footsteps of some of my other popular green bean recipes, like lemon green beans and mushrooms and air fryer green beans. They are similar to my sauteed green beans with bacon but use oil instead of butter and omit the bacon for a simpler garlic and lemon flavor combination.
I’ve already made these garlic green beans a handful of times this summer, and I expect to continue making them on repeat all year long. They’re just too easy and too tasty not to make them as often as possible!
Why These Garlic Green Beans Are So Good
- Short ingredient list. These garlic green beans are made with just a few pantry staples besides the obvious garlic and fresh green beans. As long as I have fresh green beans on hand, I can usually whip these up any time.
- Ready in 15 minutes. It takes almost no time at all to whip up these green beans. Since they’re quickly blanched in boiling water, they only need to saute for a couple of minutes. They can be on the table in well under 20 minutes!
- Simple & versatile. There’s beauty in simplicity when it comes to recipes like this one. Garlic pairs well with so many things, which means these green beans do too. They’re a great alternative to heavier dishes like green bean casserole for holiday dinners and easy enough to whip up for busy weeknights too.
Key Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this garlic green beans recipe, with some notes and tips. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Green beans – look for nice, bright beans, then give them a wash and snip off the ends.
- Avocado oil – Any neutral oil, including olive oil, will work. I prefer avocado oil as it has a higher smoke point.
- Garlic – Slice the garlic into thin pieces instead of mincing it to avoid burnt garlic.
- Salt & pepper – Salt in the blanching water helps infuse the beans with flavor, while more salt and pepper are added to season the beans at the end.
- Lemon juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if possible. It really brightens the flavor of the beans!
🍴 In the Cupcakes & Kale Chips Kitchen…
- Cast Iron Skillet – I like to use cast iron because you can get the pan really hot, and get that nice blistering on the beans.
How To Make Garlic Green Beans
This green bean recipe might be one of the quickest and easiest veggie side dishes ever. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Blanch the green beans. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 4 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain the beans and rinse with cold water. Blot with paper towels to remove more water.
- Saute the green beans. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, sliced garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss with tongs for about 2 minutes. The green beans should be blistered and the garlic fragrant and browned (but not burnt).
- Add the lemon. Remove the green beans from the heat. Squeeze the lemon juice on top and toss again. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Don’t mince the garlic. Minced garlic will burn in this recipe. If you don’t want to slice and want to use minced or pressed garlic instead, add the garlic after blistering the green beans, when you add the lemon juice.
- Don’t overcook the beans. When blanching the green beans, the goal is beans that are crisp-tender. They’ll finish cooking on the stovetop, so they don’t need to be quite as soft as you’d like them to be when they’re done, and you want to keep a bit of that crunch for the finished product.
- Dry the green beans. After draining and rinsing the green beans with cold water, I like to blot them with paper towels to remove some of the water. It helps the oil not splatter as much when they’re fried.
- Toss while sautéing. I like to use tongs to continually toss the green beans while they fry. This ensures no part of the beans burn but each part gets a little blistered and evenly cooked.
- Sprinkle with parmesan. For a salty finish, sprinkle the green beans with some freshly grated parmesan after adding the lemon juice.
- Try other seasonings. I like to keep things simple with salt and pepper, but you can season these green beans however you’d like. Lemon pepper would be great to enhance the lemon flavor.
How To Store Leftovers
- Fridge: Store leftover garlic green beans in an airtight container in the fridge. They’re best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Reheat: To maintain the crispy texture, reheat the green beans on the stovetop with a bit of oil. They can also be reheated in the microwave.
Make It A Meal
These garlic green beans are incredibly versatile and work as both a quick side for casual weeknight dinners and an elegant side dish for holidays. Here are some of our favorite ways to serve them.
- Holiday dinners: These green beans make a great addition to any holiday dinner, whether you’re serving up turkey breast or glazed ham. The freshness of the beans offers a nice contrast to richer sides like mashed potatoes and baked mac and cheese.
- Easy weeknight dinners: These garlic green beans go with pretty much anything, but a few top highlights are maple sesame salmon and slow cooker balsamic beef.
- Asian cuisine: These garlic green beans are not a traditional Asian recipe, but they do pair very well with Asian flavors! Try these as a side with your favorite takeout-copycats like slow cooker orange chicken, char siu pork, and teriyaki shrimp.
Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
- water for blanching
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 pound green beans , ends trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic , sliced thin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water for blanching with 1 Tablespoon salt to a boil. Add 1 pound green beans and boil for 4 minutes, or until tender crisp. Strain the water and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Blot with paper towels to remove some water. This will help the oil not splatter as much when you fry them.
- Add the 2 Tablespoons avocado oil to a heavy-bottomed or cast iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, 5 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon coarse black pepper, and toss with tongs for about 2 minutes or until the green beans are blistered and the garlic is fragrant and browned. Remove from the heat, squeeze the 2 teaspoons lemon juice over top, and toss again. Serve hot.
Notes
Did you make this?
Leave a star rating to help others know that they should make this recipe.
Share a photo and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram!