Green Beans Almondine – A Couple Cooks

Green beans almondine is a simple and stunning side dish, pairing tender beans with butter, garlic, and toasted almonds.

Here’s a simple way to dress up fresh green beans as a gourmet side: Green Beans Almondine! If you’re like me, you might first think of a somewhat soggy, bland version of this dish served at wedding buffets. But make it at home, and this dish is brilliant! The beans are bright green and perfectly tender, sautéed in butter with garlic and toasted almonds and finished with a little lemon zest. After one bite, we were singing its praises: then finished off the entire platter. It quickly jumped to the top of my favorite green bean dishes (like this salad and this simple side).

Ingredients in green beans almondine

Amandine is a French term for a dish that is prepared with toasted almonds, called “almondine” in English. Green beans almondine features green beans sautéed in butter and served with toasted, sliced almonds. The other ingredients depend on the chef, but often include garlic and lemon. While green beans are the most popular with the almondine preparation, it works with other vegetables like asparagus or broccoli or even fish. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

• French green beans aka haricot verts
• Salted butter
• Sliced almonds
• Kosher salt
• Garlic cloves
• Lemon

Why to use French green beans, aka haricot verts

Green beans almondine is best with French green beans, aka haricot verts. Haricot verts, which means green beans in French, are thinner and shorter than the standard green beans. The variety of beans you’ll most likely find in the grocery are called Blue Lake beans. French green beans cook faster than French green beans and they’re more tender in texture. Don’t confuse these with French cut green beans or Frenched green beans, which are beans that are thinly sliced.

We always opt for French green beans if given the choice: they’re just that good! You can also use standard green beans in this recipe: you may find you need to blanch them for 1 minute more than French green beans.

How to make green beans almondine: basic method

There are two basic steps to green beans almondine. You might think you could throw them right into a skillet and get to cooking, but you’ll need to blanch the beans first. Here’s what to know:

• Blanch the beans by cooking in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, then plunging in ice water. Blanching is a cooking method that involves boiling vegetables until they’re crisp tender, then plunging them into ice water to stop the cooking process. This makes the beans perfectly tender before sautéing them with the butter and almonds. If they’re cooked in the skillet only, the beans can come out rather crunchy.
• Cook the almonds and beans in butter. Toast the almonds in butter for 30 seconds, then add the beans and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more. Adding the garlic at the end ensures that it won’t get too browned. Finish with the lemon zest and serve immediately.

Ways to serve this dish

Green beans almondine is endlessly versatile. It’s perfect in summer when you can find beautifully fresh green beans, but it works for anytime. Here are some great ways to pair this dish:

More green bean recipes

Got beans? Here are our top green bean recipes, especially for summer side dishes:

This green beans almondine recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, use olive oil or plant-based butter.

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Description

Green beans almondine is a simple and stunning side dish, pairing tender beans with butter, garlic, and toasted almonds.

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• 1 pound French green beans (Haricot verts)*
• 2 tablespoon salted butter (or olive oil or plant-based butter, for vegan)
• ¼ cup sliced almonds
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Zest of 1 lemon

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1. Trim the green beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
2. Blanch the beans: Add the beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes*, until tender but still crisp. Right when the beans are tender, remove them from the boiling water with tongs and transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Once cool, drain and pat them dry on a clean dish cloth. (You can blanch the beans up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate until completing Step 3.)
3. Cook the beans: In a medium skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced almonds and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant but not yet browned. Add the dried green beans and salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until warmed through and almonds are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest.

Notes

*French green beans are thinner and more tender than standard green beans, but standard beans also work. Blanch them 4 to 5 minutes until just tender.

• Category: Side dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vegetables
• Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Green Beans Almondine, green bean almondine