If you love low effort-high reward recipes, you need these green beans almondine in your rotation. They're super simple and absolutely delicious!
If you’re not one for green bean casserole, add this glossy green bean recipe to your Thanksgiving menu instead! It’s my twist on green beans almondine, or amandine in French. Though it sounds fancy, this classic French side dish is really just green beans topped with sliced almonds. It’s remarkably simple and absolutely delicious.
Green Beans Almondine Recipe Ingredients
To make this green beans almondine recipe, you only need a few basic ingredients:
- Fresh green beans, of course! French haricots verts are best here, as they’re more tender than other varieties of string beans.
- Sliced almonds – Their nutty crunch contrasts perfectly with the grassy, tender green beans.
- Shallot and garlic – For savory depth of flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For sautéing the shallot and green beans. It adds a nice richness that ties the whole dish together.
- Fresh lemon juice – Its bright flavor balances this simple recipe.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Green Beans Almondine
Like I said, green beans almondine couldn’t be simpler to make. Here’s what you need to do:
First, blanch the green beans. Cook the green beans in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes, until they’re crisp-tender and bright green. Transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Then, drain them, and spread them on a kitchen towel to dry.
Tip: If you’re making this recipe for a holiday meal and you want to get ahead, you can blanch the beans up to a day in advance!
Next, toast the almonds. I cook them in a dry skillet until they’re fragrant and beginning to brown. In a traditional recipe, they’d be sautéed in butter, but I love their crisp texture and nutty flavor when they’re toasted on their own.
Then, sauté the shallot and green beans. Remove the almonds from the pan, pour in the oil, and cook the shallot until it softens, about 2 minutes. Add the blanched green beans and cook for a few minutes more, until the beans are warm and tender.
Finally, season and serve. Stir in the garlic and lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then, transfer to a serving dish, and top with the toasted almonds. Enjoy!
Devour these green beans almondine with pasta, risotto, your favorite protein, or a holiday feast.
More Easy Veggie Side Dishes
If you love this green beans almondine recipe, try one of these easy veggie side dishes next:
- Green Bean Salad
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Kabocha Squash
- Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
- Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Maple Roasted Acorn Squash
- Creamed Spinach
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 12 ounces green beans, preferably haricot verts, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a large bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain, and immediately immerse in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain, and transfer to a towel to dry.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds to the dry skillet and toast until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the almonds from the pan and set aside.
- Add the oil to the pan (turn down the heat down if necessary), then add the shallot and the salt and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and sauté, 2 to 4 more minutes, until the green beans are warmed through and tender. Remove the pan from the heat, add the garlic and lemon juice and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish. Top with the almonds and serve.
Seasoning at the end with raw garlic? Did I read that right? No hate to garlic but that doesn’t sound right to me.
Hi Jodi, once it mixes with the hot green beans in the hot skillet it cooks. You can add it earlier if you prefer, we just don’t want to burn the grated garlic.
I need to cook these about 2 hours before serving.
What would be the best way to keep them warm without ruining them?
Hi Chris, I’d just let them cool and then reheat in the microwave before serving. Add the almonds after that.
These were the best Green Beans Almondine! This will be my go to recipe from now on. I love the flavor blend of lemon and garlic!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can this be made the same way using a nonstick skillet rather than a cast iron pan?
yep!
Can this dish be cooked and frozen for a later date?
Hi Rosella, I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. The beans can become mushy when they thaw.
Delicious! I did leave the shallot out and thought they were great, but I may try adding it next time. Great recipe!
This was absolutiely delicious and I will definitely be making this again. The only change I made was to add some sweet onion since I didn’t have any shallots. Yummm!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Best..fast and easy simply delicious
Hi Jeanne, so glad you love the recipe!
A couple questions – 1. Can frozen green beans be used in this recipe? 2. Can the recipe be made ahead and reheated?
Thank you!
Pardon me if I missed it, but what is the yield on this dish? Thanks!
We estimate that it serves 4 as a side.
very good…love the combo of the lemon and garlic
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just a minimal amount of work, but so much added flavor. Changes green beans from an everyday dish to something special. Will definitely make it again!
Hi Marsha, I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
I will never go back to making green beans as I always have. This is a little more work, but the flavor makes it so worth it. I ate them all by myself in one sitting! Another winning recipe.
Thanks Mary, I’m so glad you loved them!
I made this during a food “shortage” and had to use slivered almonds. It still came out perfectly. I used over 1 lb of green beans and less than 1 lemon, squeezed. The lemon juice adds flavor quickly. You don’t need much. Also I was bringing it to a family member’s house 1.5 hours before dinner. She reheated them in the microwave and they were perfect. I used squeeze garlic because I forgot to buy fresh. I probably added almost 2 tablespoons and it was gentle in garlic flavor. One of the kids came back for a 2nd helping of green beans only! I also didn’t have ice and just kept running cold water over them and then let them sit in cold water for about 3 or 4 minutes. I forgot to sit them on a paper towel so I just wiped them with a towel while they were just sitting in the frying pan. With all these changes, they were perfect. There’s a lot of flexibility and forgiveness with this recipe and at 75 years old, I needed that:)
great side dish, thank you, a classic, at least to me, that I haven’t had in a long time, like the green beans but also the almond crunch!