Best Ways to Cook Green Beans

From boiling to baking to stir-fries, here are the 11 best ways to cook green beans.

Green Beans snap when you break them in two! Also called snap beans and string beans, green beans are a versatile legume enjoyed around the world.

Jump to:

• Why We Love Green Beans
• Ways To Cook Green Beans
• Shocking (Blanching) Green Beans + Sautéing
• Air Frying Green Beans
• Roasting Green Beans
• Boiling Green Beans on The Stove
• Pressure Cooking Green Beans (Instant Pot)
• Stir-Frying Green Beans
• Baking Green Beans in The Oven
• Pickling Green Beans
• How to Cook Fresh Green Beans
• FAQ
• 💬 Comments

Why We Love Green Beans

• Green beans are low in calories and rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, including vitamins C, K, folate, and potassium, making them a healthy choice.
• With their crisp texture and mild flavor, string beans are a popular choice for anyone looking to add more greens to their diet.
• The vibrant green color of green beans adds color to any dish.
• The crunchiness of green beans adds great texture to meals.
• Green beans can be incorporated into many recipes, from simple stir-fries to elaborate salads and pasta dishes.
• You can get creative with seasonings, sauces, and cooking methods to personalize green bean dishes according to your taste preferences.

These 11 recipes showcase the best ways to cook green beans, each offering a unique flavor and texture.

Ways To Cook Green Beans

Steaming and blanching are classic techniques that preserve the beans' vibrant color and crispness, perfect for salads or standalone sides.

Roasting adds depth, caramelizing the beans for a sweet crunch, while stir-frying with aromatic spices creates quick, flavorful dishes ideal for pairing with rice or noodles.

Whichever recipe you choose, your green bean dish will add a burst of color and freshness to any meal, whether served as a simple side dish or mixed into stir-fries, and green bean casseroles.

Shocking (Blanching) Green Beans + Sautéing

Shocking, also called blanching, is a cooking method where you briefly boil green beans, and then rapidly cool them in an ice bath to preserve their bright green color and texture.

By shocking the green beans, they are softened so you can continue cooking them with another method, such as stir-frying or sauteing.

Learn how to make Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with this recipe. The green beans are blanched (shocked) in icy water after steaming and then sautéed with garlic for flavor. This simple method helps to preserve the vibrant green color and crisp texture of the green beans.

In this classic dish, Green Beans Almondine, earthy green beans are paired with crunchy almonds. The green beans are shocked before being sautéed in butter, then topped with a crispy almond and lemon topping.

Air Frying Green Beans

Air fryer Green Beans are cooked in under 10 minutes. Simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, the healthy side dish has big flavors.

Air-Fryer Green Bean Fries are a quick and flavorful appetizer or side. Their earthy richness provides a depth of flavor that pairs nicely with anything you serve with them. They're an easy and crispy way to round out your meal.

Roasting Green Beans

Roasting green beans entails seasoning them with olive oil, salt and pepper. They are then roasted until tender and slightly caramelized.

Cooking string beans in the oven is easy. Try this Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes recipe featuring oven-cooked green beans paired with crispy red potatoes. Perfect as a side dish for any protein.

Boiling Green Beans on The Stove

Boiling green beans is a classic method of cooking that helps retain their natural flavor and nutrients.

This Italian Green Beans recipe combines boiled green beans with pesto, toasted almonds, and shaved parmesan for an easy side dish with tremendous flavor.

Pressure Cooking Green Beans (Instant Pot)

Pressure-cooking green beans in an Instant Pot is a quick and easy way to cook your string beans while keeping all the good stuff locked in.

By using the high-pressure setting, you can cook them in a fraction of the time it would take on the stove. You only need a tiny bit of water or broth, so the beans stay nice and colorful and keep that satisfying crunch.

This Cajun Sausage and Green Bean recipe is a one-pot meal pressure-cooked in an Instant Pot. This healthy recipe for fresh green beans is so good!

Stir-Frying Green Beans

This Chinese Soy Sauce Green Beans side dish is a stir-fry with garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.

Baking Green Beans in The Oven

Everyone loves green bean casseroles! Many casserole recipes can be assembled ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to bake. This makes them great for meal prep or busy days when you have 35 things to do.

This Bacon Green Bean Casserole is a low-carb recipe that bakes the green beans in a casserole with a decadent cheese sauce. The recipe cooks for 30 minutes and can be prepped the day before serving making it incredibly easy!

Here is a Vegan Green Bean Casserole with French's a French-fried onion topping for a crispy, salty finish. This dish combines green beans with creamy mushroom sauce, creating a delicious dairy-free dish that's perfect for gatherings or cozy nights.

Pickling Green Beans

Pickled green beans, also called Dilly Beans, aren't cooked, they're pickled. Pickling is a method of preserving food by soaking it in a brine or vinegar solution.

Dilly Beans are a popular type of pickled vegetable made by preserving fresh green beans in a brine solution consisting of vinegar, water, salt, and spices including garlic, dill, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, and chili peppers.

Pickled green beans have a distinctive taste and are most commonly used in salads and cocktails including Bloody Mary's.

How to Cook Fresh Green Beans

The best ways to cook green beans are:

• blanching
• sautéing
• air-frying
• roasting
• boiling
• pressure cooking
• stir-frying
• baking
• pickling

Green beans make a delicious side dish for any meal. They're quick and easy to prepare, and their bright, fresh flavor pairs well with so many main dishes.

Known for their crispy, sweet, and juicy texture, green beans offer endless possibilities for creativity in the kitchen.

Green beans cook quickly, so properly prepping green beans is essential for efficient meal prep if you choose to blanch, sauté, air fry, roast, boil, pressure cook, stir fry, or bake them.

Green beans are a staple for everything from holiday dinners to informal gatherings. They're versatile and delicious, and choosing the right cooking method can elevate your green bean side dish to the next level.

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