Green beans almondine is a quick, easy, and flavorful French-inspired side dish. Lemon zest, fresh garlic, and slivered almonds are tossed with tender-crisp green beans in this classic 25-minute recipe that's perfect for the holidays or weeknight dinners.
Green beans almondine has quickly become one of my go-to vegetable sides for holidays like Easter to casual weeknight dinners. It’s easy to make, takes less than half an hour, and is so crunchy and flavorful with just-cooked string beans. Lemon zest and grated garlic make the green beans taste light and fresh, while slivered almonds add crunch. What more could you want in a side?
So needless to say, I keep green beans around most of the time, and this almondine is one of my favorite ways to use them up. And did I mention that it’s vegan? You're going to love it. Serve green beans almondine next to vegan shepherd's pie or stuffed eggplant, or as a holiday side dish with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce.
What Is Green Beans Almondine?
This is a classic French side dish similar to sautéed green beans. Almondine green beans are traditionally prepared by tossing blanched green beans with butter, toasted almonds, a squeeze of lemon juice, and minced garlic (or shallots).
- Easy ingredients. There are only 6 of them. If you can find ripe green beans all year round, they last for a while in the fridge.
- Any season. Green beans are bright and fresh enough to be eaten in the spring or summer, but hearty enough to serve as a fall or winter vegetable.
- 25 minutes or less. Making green bean almondine is very quick. Toast the almonds while you blanch the beans, then combine everything in one skillet with the butter, lemon, and garlic. Easy!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are all the ingredients that you need to make this classic green bean side dish. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article for the exact amounts of each ingredient.
- Green beans – Your green beans will need to be trimmed.
- Slivered almonds – If you're opposed to almonds, you can use another nut, like chopped pecans or walnuts. It won't technically be almondine, but it'll still have a delicious crunch.
- Vegan butter – I use vegan butter for this recipe, but you can easily make these beans the traditional way with regular butter, or use olive oil if you're avoiding dairy.
- Garlic cloves – The garlic needs to be grated on a microplane so it's very fine. You could use the small holes of a box grater or finely mince it with a knife in a pinch.
- Salt – I use kosher salt, but you can boost the flavors with seasoned salt or another seasoning.
- Lemon zest – Instead of lemon juice, I like to zest because it has a fragrant, less-sharp flavor that's still very lemony. Feel free to use lemon juice instead, or both!
How to Trim Green Beans
Many people don’t like to cook green beans because they think it’s a hassle to trim them all. However, there’s a quick way to do it. Grab a handful of beans, and line them all up together, then chop off all of their ends in one cut. Rotate the beans 180 degrees, and do the same thing on the other side. Press them flush against the blade of the knife to help align the ends.
How to Make Green Beans Almondine
Here’s how to make this easy, 6-ingredient green beans almondine in less than 30 minutes.
- Prep. Add water and a large pinch of salt to a pot, and bring to a boil. While the water heats, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
- Blanch the green beans. Add the beans to the boiling water, and cook until they turn bright green and are crisp, but a little tender. This should take about 1-2 minutes. When the beans are done cooking, drain them and immediately place them in the ice water.
- Toast the nuts. Heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the almonds. Cook, while stirring constantly, until they become fragrant and start to turn golden. This should take about 4 minutes. Season the almonds with salt, and transfer them to a bowl.
- Cook the green beans. Add the vegan butter to the skillet. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, while stirring. Then add the green beans and salt, and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the beans are tender. This should take about 1 minute.
- Serve. Stir in the lemon zest, then transfer the green beans to a serving tray, and top with the slivered almonds.
Quick Recipe Tips
- Be liberal when seasoning the water. Make sure you add a healthy amount of salt to the boiling water when blanching the green beans. This will not only help season them (green beans can take a lot of salt!) but also help them cook better.
- Don't overcook the green beans. Blanching for a minute or two is just enough to tenderize the beans and bring out their flavor. Boiling too long makes them limp and overcooked, especially if they're going to cook for another couple of minutes in the skillet afterward. Place the blanched beans directly into an ice bath to stop them from cooking.
- Be careful with the almonds. Toasted nuts are absolutely fantastic, but burnt nuts are awful. Make sure that you stir the almonds constantly, and don’t let the pan get too hot, or you’ll end up with a very bitter topping for your green beans.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. You can store this veggie side dish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Reheat over medium heat for 2 minutes, in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, or in the microwave on a high setting, in 30-second intervals.
- Freeze. Place the green beans in an airtight container in the freezer, and it will last for 3 months. Reheat in a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes, or thaw before reheating in a pan or the microwave.
More Veggie Side Dishes
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans , trimmed
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter , or olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves , grated on a microplane
- ½ tsp. kosher salt , plus more for salting the water
- ¼ tsp. lemon zest
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. When the water in the pot is boiling, add the green beans all at once and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Immediately drain the beans and submerge in the ice bath.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and starting to turn golden, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and transfer to a bowl.
- Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, then add the green beans and ½ tsp. salt, and cook while stirring. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the green beans are tender, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest.
- Transfer to a platter and top with the almonds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
