How to Cook Green Beans 9 Different Ways

Is there a more popular vegetable than green beans? This humble vegetable is loved by kids and adults alike and is easy to prepare. They can be roasted, steamed, or sautéed and served as a delightful side dish with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon. Or, they can be transformed by techniques such as stir-frying or tempura-battering. 

We’ve compiled this comprehensive guide to the best ways to cook green beans, and each technique is broken down into easy-to-follow steps.

How to Prepare Green Beans

The first step for any technique of cooking green beans is a little prep work. Start by rinsing the beans under cool, running water to remove any dirt or grit. Once rinsed, you should trim the ends. You can trim both ends, but only one end really needs to go. Rather than trimming the beans individually, do it in batches. Gather a handful on your cutting board (making sure the stem ends are lined up) and use a sharp chef’s knife to slice off about 1/4 inch off the stems. 

Pat the green beans dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel if water would inhibit your cooking method (like roasting or stir-frying).

Blanch

Blanching is one of the simplest and most elegant ways to prepare vegetables. This technique really allows the flavor of the green beans to shine without being overpowered, since they are cooked for only a few minutes and are shocked in ice water to preserve their freshness and bright green color. All you need to finish blanched green beans is a squeeze of lemon juice on top.

How to Blanch Green Beans

1. Bring water to a boil: Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rapid boil. Make sure the pan is big enough to allow enough room for all of the beans to float freely. 
2. Season water: Just like with pasta water, you want the blanching water to taste similar to the ocean. A small handful of salt usually does the trick. 
3. Cook: Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook, stirring once or twice, until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. 
4. Drain and shock: Using a spider strainer, lift the green beans from the water and immediately transfer to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once the beans have cooled (this only takes a few minutes), drain them and serve.

Steam

Steaming is a quick, gentle, hands-off method for cooking green beans. The steam circulating within the pot takes on the flavors of whatever else is added, so you can allow the green beans to be simply seasoned with the salt in the water or opt for flavors like garlic and fresh herbs that will subtly infuse the vegetable. Steamed green beans make a great addition to bright green salads or pasta salads when cut into smaller pieces.

How to Steam Green Beans

1. Bring the water to a simmer: Fit a wide, shallow pot with a steamer basket and add about 1 inch of water to the bottom. Bring to a gentle simmer. 
2. Season the water: Always add a generous pinch of salt to the water before cooking. 
3. Cook: Lay the green beans down into the steamer basket in an even layer. Cover and steam until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Sauté

Sautéeing is probably the quickest way to cook green beans (or any vegetable for that matter). All you need is a splash of olive oil, a couple of pinches of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and a few minutes of hands-on time.

How to Sauté Green Beans

1. Heat the oil: Drizzle some olive oil or neutral vegetable oil into a skillet and place the pan over medium-high heat. For one pound of beans, use a large skillet and about 2 tablespoons of oil. 
2. Add green beans: Once the oil is shimmering, add the green beans to the skillet, tossing to coat in the oil. Season with salt, pepper, and any other spices or dried herbs you like. 
3. Cook: Cook the green beans, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until they are browned in places and tender, about 8 minutes.

Roast

Roasting is a cooking technique we often use, especially when stovetop space is limited. It helps the vegetables develop color (a.k.a. flavor), and you can pretty much pop the pan into the oven and forget about it while you get the rest of the dinner ready. Even better, if you already have something else in the oven, green beans are flexible. They can roast at higher temperatures (about 425 degrees Fahrenheit) or more moderate ones (around 375 degrees). Try tossing them with a simple mixture of onion and garlic powder or even something store-bought like ranch seasoning to brighten them up.

How to Roast Green Beans

1. Preheat the oven: Between 375-400°F is an ideal temperature. 
2. Season the green beans: On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the green beans with a generous drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them into an even layer on the baking sheet. 
3. Cook: Roast, tossing the beans once halfway through, until browned in places and crisp-tender, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how hot the oven is.

Broil

If a smoky char is what you’re after, broiling is a great way to achieve it—and it only takes a few minutes. Broiling comes in handy for last-minute situations when you realize you need a vegetable and only have a few minutes to put something together.

How to Broil Green Beans

1. Preheat the broiler: Turn the broiler on to high and place one of the oven racks about 6 inches below the heating element. 
2. Add seasonings: Toss the green beans with oil—use an oil with a high smoke point, such as avocado or sunflower oil) and add your seasonings of choice. Spread them into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. 
3. Cook: Place under the broiler and cook, tossing once, until charred and crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Microwave

The humble microwave is useful for much more than reheating last night’s leftovers. Most vegetables do well in the microwave because it mimics the process of steaming.

How to Microwave Green Beans

1. Place the green beans in a shallow microwave-safe bowl: Arrange the beans in a single layer in a bowl or shallow plate. It’s best if they still have a bit of water clinging to them, since this will help create some steam. 
2. Season and cover: Add a good pinch of salt, then cover the bowl with a large microwave-safe plate. 
3. Cook: Microwave on high heat until crisp-tender, 3 to 6 minutes. Drain off any accumulated water before serving.

Air Fry

The air fryer is a great way to prepare green beans. It gives you a similar crispiness that you get from roasting, and all you need to do is give the beans a toss halfway through cooking.

How to Air Fry Green Beans

1. Preheat the air fryer: Heat the air fryer to 390 degrees and let it warm up while you prep the green beans. 
2. Season the green beans: Since air frying is a healthier alternative to deep-frying, a light drizzle of oil is all you need to coat the green beans. Season with salt and pepper, too. 
3. Cook: Arrange the green beans in the air fryer basket and cook, shaking the basket once halfway through, until tender and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Stir-Fry

Quick cooking and endlessly customizable—that’s why stir-fries are one of our go-to dinners. If you know how to sauté, you can easily perfect the stir-fry technique. It’s basically the same, only it happens at a hotter temperature, so everything cooks more quickly. If you plan to add seasonings like minced garlic or ginger, have them prepped and ready before you start cooking.

How to Stir-Fry Green Beans

1. Heat the pan or wok: Start by placing a pan or wok over high heat. You want to see smoke rising quickly from the surface. 
2. Add the oil and green beans: Carefully swirl in a splash of an oil with a high smoke point, then toss in the green beans. 
3. Cook: Cook, stirring often, until well browned in several places and crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Tempura Batter

Frying green beans with a tempura batter is the most time-consuming of the cooking methods on our list, but it’s worth it. Since green beans are a sturdy vegetable, they hold up very well to frying and contrast perfectly with the light-as-air tempura batter. Serve them with soy sauce for dipping or make a quick mayo-based sauce with some lime juice and chili crisp.

How to Tempura Batter Green Beans

1. Heat the oil: Pour about 2 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and place the pot over medium heat, heating until it registers 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. 
2. Make the batter: Combine 1 egg yolk with 3/4 cup of cold sparkling water, then whisk in about 1 cup of all-purpose flour until the mixture resembles pancake batter. (Avoid over-mixing—some lumps are fine. )
3. Coat the green beans: Working with a few green beans at a time, dip them into the batter to lightly coat. (Pat the green bean dry before dipping, as excess water will prevent the batter from sticking.)
4. Fry: Immediately drop the battered beans into the hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally, until the batter puffs and turns a pale golden brown, about 3 minutes. Lift the green beans from the oil and drain. Season lightly with salt while they’re still hot.