Brown Butter Green Beans

4.75 from 8 votes
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Green beans are sweet and tender. This green bean recipe is sauteed with brown butter with almond in the skillet, so easy and takes less than 10 minutes for this perfect side dish.

Green beans with green bean almonds, ready to serve.
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What Is A Green Bean

Green beans are a type of bean vegetable most commonly sold in American grocery stores. They are long, thin with edible pods containing small seeds. Their average length is 5 inches.

They are very popular and are known by several names: string bean, snap bean and snaps, not to be confused with sugar snap peas.

The term string bean refers to older green bean that develops a tough string along the joined edge as it gets older.


Green Beans Vs. Haricots Vert

Picture of green beans and haricots verts side-by-side comparison.

French green beans are called haricots vert or simply French beans. They are most tender, sweeter, and appear thinner and shorter. They are usually about 4-inches long.

There is another similar type of beans called Long Beans, Chinese long beans, Yard Long Beans or Snake Beans. They are a different variety, with an average length of 1 – 1.5 feet.

Long Beans or yard long beans, Chinese long beans or snake beans.

Green Bean Recipe

Sauteed green beans in a skillet.

Brown butter takes this recipe up a notch. This simple recipe is genius. The brown butter and the almond add a wonderful and nutty flavor to the dish.

This is a quick and easy recipe that I promise you will love and make again and again!

The end result is absolutely delicious and a great way to add greens to your diet, without breaking your bank.

Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.


How To Cook Green Beans

This sauteed recipe has 5 ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish.

First, toast the slivered almonds on the skillet lightly. Make the brown butter by adding butter to a cast iron skillet on medium/high heat.

The butter will foam up and then subside. Light brown specs will begin to form at the bottom of the pan.

Add the beans and stir to coat with the browned butter.

Sautéing is the ideal cooking method. The beans keep crisp texture and bright green color. For the seasoning, you just need to use salt and pepper to taste.


What To Eat With Green Beans

This recipe would be wonderful with pasta, chicken, steak, pork or fish.

This recipe could also be a substitute for Thanksgiving or Christmas, if you don’t like them in a casserole. They don’t take up oven space and can be done right before the meal is served.


Cooking Tips

  • DO NOT blanch the green beans before sauteing on the skillet.
  • You can use Marcona almonds in place of slivered almonds.
  • Top with Maldon sea salt right before serving.
  • Toss with fresh squeezed lemon juice or lemon zest right before serving for extra flavors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is string bean the same as green bean?

Yes, they are both the same and cultivated from the same bean. They are called differently because string beans are basically older with a tough string attached.

Can I use long beans to make this recipe?

Yes, of course. Long beans are longer and have tougher exterior, so you want to cut them up into shorter lengths and cook slightly longer.

What kind of butter should I use?

Use a good quality unsalted butter, I like Challenge brand butter.

How many calories per serving?

This recipe is only 162 calories per serving.

Green bean recipe sauteed on a skillet with brown butter.

What To Serve With Brown Butter Green Beans

For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.75 from 8 votes

Brown Butter Green Beans

Green beans are sweet and tender. This green bean recipe is sauteed with brown butter with almond in the skillet, so easy and takes less than 10 minutes for this perfect side dish.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1/3 cup slivered almond
  • 1 lb (450g) French green beans, bottom string removed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 dashes ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature, for topping
  • 1 pinch Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, optional

Instructions 

  • Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Toast the slivered almonds for about 1 minute, stirring continuously, until lightly browned. Set aside.
  • Add butter to the skillet and heat until it bubbles, becomes foamy, and turns light brown. Add the green beans, stirring continuously for about 1-2 minutes, until just cooked. Stir in the toasted almonds, salt, and black pepper to combine well.
  • Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter on top of the green beans. Garnish with Maldon sea salt flakes and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 4people, Calories: 162kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 153mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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12 Comments

  1. Velma D Luegering says:

    What is Maldon sea salt flakes? Where would I find it?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      They are larger flakes or salt. You can find it online or at grocery stores.

  2. Pam says:

    5 stars
    This green bean recipe tasted sooooo good.
    Do have a question: can I use plant based butter (I use either olive oil or avocado plant based) instead of regular butter.
    Thank you

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      ‘Hi Pam, yes you can substitute with plant-based butter, but it won’t be as fragrant and will alter the outcome quite a bit.

  3. Yeh Ximin says:

    5 stars

  4. Isaac says:

    5 stars
    Perfect side dish. Quick, Easy, Delicious. My son loved green beans to begin with, this was simply to frosting on the cake.

  5. Anthony says:

    5 stars
    Love these! Perfect with grilled salmon; u can even use the same fresh lemon on both. Very diet friendly, non-starchy vegetable side dish. thanks!

  6. Erik Geerars says:

    5 stars
    Another delicious recipe, simple but so nice and easy!

  7. Ashok says:

    Attach videos of the recipe

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I don’t have video for this recipe. It’s very easy to make just read the method.

      1. Suzanne Hwang says:

        5 stars
        I ran out of ideas on what to cook? Ijust tried yr Drunken Noodles, taste was good, will continue to try yr recipes. Thank you so much.

        1. Rasa Malaysia says:

          Hi Suzanne thanks so much for trying my recipe. Yes, all my recipes are very good, please try more: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/