Sautéed green beans are an easy, bright, and tasty side dish for most meals. They are tender-crisp, flavorful, and with a delicious garlic aroma.

You can make the basic recipe in 15 minutes with 3 ingredients, or spice things up, add more veggies, or give them an Asian or Middle-Eastern twist.

Sauteed green beans on white plate

Check out our best vegetable sides recipe collection!

You can serve sautéed green beans as a side dish on most occasions, from Thanksgiving and Christmas to summer night dinners.

But the best thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make that you can have them any time you want to for a healthy and delicious weeknight dinner.

All you need are fresh or frozen green beans, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a large skillet.

To make them to perfection, we recommend blanching them for 5 minutes first; however, we’ll also show you how to cook them directly in a skillet without blanching them.

You can serve sautéed green beans right out of the pan, as they are.

Or you can sauté them with other veggies – we love them with bell peppers – or season them with a delicious honey mustard dressing, an Asian-inspired soy and ginger dressing, and Dukkah, a crunchy Middle-Easter nut-spice mix – see variations chapter below.

Find the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of the page.

Green beans with honey mustard dressing
Sautéed green beans with honey mustard dressing.

Ingredients

sauteed green beans ingredients

Green beans

You can use fresh green beans or frozen green beans. They both turn out delicious!

We don’t recommend canned green beans as they don’t keep their crisp texture and turn out way too soft when you sauté them.

Olive oil

We recommend using extra virgin olive oil as it’s more stable at high temperatures than most oils thanks to its high polyphenols content.

Substitute regular olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil for extra virgin olive oil; however, remember that the flavor won’t be the same.

Garlic

We like to use plenty of fresh garlic in this recipe, ideally finely chopped with a knife.

If your knife skills are a little rusty, you can grate the garlic instead, although we find that in this recipe, grated garlic tends to clump up together and gets less spread out in the dish.

Salt and pepper

We use sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Lentil wellington with green beans
Lentil wellington with mushroom gravy and sautéed green beans is the perfect dinner for a special occasion.

Instructions

1. Trim and blanch

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, trim your green beans.

The quickest way to do so is to take a bunch of green beans, arrange them on a cutting board, align their tips, and cut them off.

Note: skip this step if you use frozen green beans or if your fresh ones are already trimmed.

trimming green beans on a cutting board with a chef's knife

Next, peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half lengthwise, and finely chop them with a knife.

Alternatively, you can grate the garlic or crush it with a garlic press; although crushed or grated garlic tends to clump up and won’t get distributed as evenly.

minced garlic on a cutting board

When the water boils, add 1 teaspoon salt and green beans, and blanch (boil) them for 5 minutes.

Drain them and rinse them under cold running water. There’s no need to plunge them into an ice bath. However, you are free to do so if you want to.

green beans boiling in a white pot

2. Sauté with garlic

Warm up the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet or enameled cast iron skillet.

Add the garlic and fry it gently for one minute, stirring it often.

fried garlic in a black pan

Add the blanched green beans, season with salt and black pepper, and cook them on medium to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until you reach your desired texture.

Move the bean around the pan often, turning them upside down. Then, if you are comfortable with it, you can sauté them, that is, jump them on the edge of the pan with a swift forward-backward movement.

green beans in a black pan

3. Serve

Taste and adjust for salt and serve them on a platter as a delicious side dish.

You can add a squeeze of lemon juice, some fresh mint leaves, or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Sauteed green beans with lemon and garlic

You can also drizzle them with a creamy honey mustard dressing for a more flavorful side dish.

Green beans with honey mustard dressing

Variations

No-Blanching Sautéed Green Beans

To sauté green beans without blanching them, add them to a large skillet with 1 cup of water. Cook uncovered on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the pan gets dry, and the beans turn to a bright green color.

Now add the olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper; turn the heat to medium-high and cook the beans for 3 to 5 more minutes, moving them around the pan until you reach your desired texture.

Middle-Eastern-Inspired Sautéed Green Beans

Have you ever heard of Dukkah? It’s a Middle-Eastern and North African condiment consisting of toasted nuts, dried herbs, and spices.

We think it’s terrific sprinkled on sautéed green beans, optionally with some grated lemon zest, because it adds an irresistible crunch and a pleasant aroma from the crushed spices (mostly cumin and coriander seeds)

Check out our dukkah recipe.

green beans with dukkah

Asian-Inspired Sautéed Green Beans

You’ll love this recipe if you are into Asian flavors. For this variation, we took inspiration from our travels in Southeast Asia, where garlic, ginger, and chilies are stir-fried with veggies and soy sauce.

To make it, warm up the olive oil in the skillet, then add 2 cloves of grated garlic, 1 inch or 2.5 cm of grated ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Fry them gently for one minute, then add the blanched green beans, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Cook them for 3 to 5 minutes or until you reach your desired texture.

Optionally, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Sauteed green beans with soy sauce

Sautéed Green Beans with Bell Pepper

Green beans and bell peppers are delicious together. Add the blanched green beans and sliced red bell peppers to a large skillet with the olive oil and minced garlic.

Cook them on medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, moving them around the pan often.

Sauteed green beans and red pepper

Serving Suggestions

Try sautéed green beans as a side dish with one of our delicious mains:

Lentil wellington with green beans
Lentil wellington with mushroom gravy and sautéed green beans is the perfect dinner for a special occasion.

Serve them with other vegetable side dishes for Thanksgiving, Sunday dinners, or special dinners:

Questions

Can I sauté green beans without blanching?

Yes, you can sauté green beans without blanching. To do so, add the beans to a large skillet with 1 cup of water. Cook uncovered on medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the pan gets dry, and the beans turn to a bright green color.

Now add the olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper; turn the heat to medium-high and cook the beans for 3 to 5 more minutes, moving them around the pan until you reach your desired texture.

What can I add to green beans for flavor?

Olive oil, garlic, mint, balsamic, vinegar, or a dressing such as honey mustard or chimichurri, are some things you can add to green beans for flavor. You can also add lemon juice and zest, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and more.

Check out our variations chapter above to get more inspiration.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make ahead: our advice is to trim and blanch the green beans up to 24 hours in advance, then cool them down under running water and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, all you are left to do is sauté them shortly before serving them.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Freezer: we don’t recommend freezing sautéed green beans because they’ll lose texture and become soft. However, you can blanch the green beans, cool them down, and freeze them for up to 6 months.

Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet with some olive oil.

More Green Bean Recipes

Get extra bright and green inspiration from these easy and wholesome green bean recipes:

More Sautéed Veggies

Try these easy and quick vegetable side dishes; they add extra color and flavor to your mains:

For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.

Sauteed green beans with lemon

Sautéed Green Beans

By: Nico Pallotta
5 from 2 votes
Sautéed green beans are an easy, bright, and tasty side dish for most meals. They are tender-crips, flavorful, and with a delicious garlic aroma.
You can make the basic recipe in 15 minutes with 4 ingredients, or spice things up, add more veggies, or give them an Asian or Middle-Eastern twist.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 – 6 people
Course: Side dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 pound green beans fresh or frozen
  • tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon for boiling water
  • teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic

Instructions 

1. TRIM AND BLANCH GREEN BEANS

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In the meantime, trim the green beans.
    To do so, align them on a cutting board and cut the tips off. Set aside.
    trimming green beans on a cutting board with a chef's knife
  • Peel and cut the garlic cloves in half lengthwise, then finely chop the cloves.
    minced garlic on a cutting board
  • When the water boils, add 1 teaspoon of salt, trimmed green beans, and boil them for 5 minutes.
    Drain them and rinse them under cold water to cool them down.
    green beans boiling in a white pot

2. SAUTÉ GREEN BEANS

  • Warm up the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet or enameled cast iron. Add the garlic and fry it gently for about 1 minute.
    fried garlic in a black pan
  • Add blanched green beans, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until you reach your desired texture. Turn them around the pan often.
    green beans in a black pan

3. SERVE

  • Taste and adjust for salt, and serve them on a platter as a side dish.
    Optionally, top with fresh mint, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or honey mustard dressing.
    Sauteed green beans with lemon and garlic
  • For more ideas, check out the "variations" chapter above.
    Sauteed green beans and red pepper

Video

Sautéed Green Beans is a delicious side dish

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of sautéed green beans out of 4 servings.
NO-BLANCHING SAUTÉED GREEN BEANS
– Add green beans to a large skillet with 1 cup of water.
– Cook uncovered on medium heat for 8 minutes or until the pan is dry.
– Add olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper.
– Turn heat up to medium-high heat and sauté for 5 more minutes, moving the beans around the pan often.
MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE
– Make ahead: our advice is to trim and blanch the green beans up to 24 hours in advance, then cool them down under running water and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, all you are left to do is sauté them shortly before serving them.
– Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
– Freezer: we don’t recommend freezing sautéed green beans because they’ll lose texture and become soft. However, you can blanch the green beans, cool them down, and freeze them for up to 6 months.
– Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on a skillet with some olive oil.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 84kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: -1g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Potassium: 246mg, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 783IU, Vitamin B6: 0.2mg, Vitamin C: 14mg, Vitamin E: 1mg, Vitamin K: 52µg, Calcium: 45mg, Folate: 37µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 0.3mg, Magnesium: 29mg, Zinc: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or mention @nicoandlouise on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

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Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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