Green Beans Almondine is a quick and easy French side dish. Fresh vibrant French green beans are cooked to perfection and dressed in a buttery toasted almond garlic sauce, brightened up with the addition of fresh lemon.
Take your green beans up a notch with this Green Beans Almondine recipe! No one will be able to resist eating these flavorful veggies! For more vegetable side dishes, try Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Roasted Baby Carrots.
Green Beans Almondine
You won’t want to eat green beans any other way after tying these! The delicious nutty flavor of the browned butter and toasted almonds combined with the sweet onion, fragrant garlic, and bright acidity of the lemon makes this a beautifully balanced dish. Green Beans Almondine is the perfect classy addition to your holiday menu or any meal that you want to elevate.
Ingredients for Green Beans Almondine:
- French Green Beans– Also known as Haricots Verts. These green beans are thinner and more tender and flavorful. They tend to be a little more expensive. If you can’t find them, regular green beans will do.
- Salt– It’s important to heavily salt the cooking water to give the beans flavor.
- Butter– Salted or unsalted works. This is needed to cook the almonds and onion as well as give flavor to the dish.
- Sliced Almonds– These add texture, beauty, and a delicious toasted nutty flavor to the dish.
- Onion– Sweet onion or shallots can be used. These should but minced as small as possible so they reach caramelization at the same time the almonds are toasted.
- Garlic– Fresh minced garlic tastes best! This should be added right at the end of cooking to avoid burning and becoming bitter.
- Lemon– The addition of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice brightens the dish.
How to make Green Bean Almondine:
Time needed: 13 minutes.
- Boil
Fill a large skillet with 1/2 to 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and salt and cover with a lid. Cook for 3 minutes or until beans are bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
- Toast/Caramelize
In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and shallots and cook for 4-5 minutes until almonds are toasted and shallots are tender and caramelized.
- Sauté
Add the garlic and green beans. Gently sauté for 30-60 seconds until combined and garlic is fragrant.
- Season
Remove from heat, add in the lemon juice and zest and toss. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
FAQs
No. I highly recommended them because they are more tender and have better flavor. Regular green beans can be used instead.
Almondine is a French culinary term that means prepared or served with almonds. Green Beans Almondine means “Green Beans with almonds”.
Yes! To make in advance, after boiling the beans, place in a bath of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Sauté the almonds and onion, adding the garlic at the end and cooking until fragrant. Remove and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
When ready to serve, melt about 1/2 tablespoon butter in a skillet. Add green beans and stir fry for about a minute, add the toasted almond mixture and continue to cook and toss until warm. Finish off with lemon juice and zest.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS SIDE DISH:
- Pot & Skillet Set– These are the skillets and pots I use. (The skillet photographed is MasterClass from TJMaxx.) They have a heavy bottom making them sturdy and cook the food evenly. I use these multiple times a day.
- Microplane/ Zester– I use this from zesting lemon and limes to finely grated Parmesan cheese or chocolate.
- Garlic Press– Fresh garlic tastes best and this is the garlic press I’ve been using for the last 8 years. I love it and it’s easy to clean.
LOOKING FOR MORE SIDES? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
- Southern Stove Top Candied Yams
- Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots
- Goes with Everything Side Salad
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 1 pound French Green Beans
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup sweet onion (or shallots), finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Fill a large skillet with 1/2-1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and salt and cover with a lid. Boil for 3 minutes or until beans are bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the almonds and shallots and cook for 4-5 minutes until almonds are toasted and shallots are tender and caramelized.
- Add the garlic and green beans (and additional optional 1-2 teaspoons butter). Gently sauté for 30-60 seconds until combined and garlic is fragrant.
- Remove from heat, add in the lemon juice and zest and toss. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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