Sautéed Green Beans

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

23 Comments

5 from 9 votes
4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
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Sautéed Green Beans is the PERFECT savory side dish that goes with almost any meal and is ready in 15 minutes! Add it to your menu tonight!

My dinner table wouldn’t be the same without all of the work I put into perfecting my Side Dish recipes. I am loving Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Baked Mac and Cheese, and Green Bean Casserole.

Sabrina’s Sauteed Green Beans Recipe

Green beans are very versatile, so you can add a lot of different flavors to them! I have several different Green Bean recipes on the site that come in as a close second to this classic one that’s guaranteed to pair well with any dinner you cook up!

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Sautéed Green Beans Recipe

Sautéed Green Beans is the PERFECT savory side dish that goes with almost any meal and is ready in 15 minutes! Add it to your menu tonight!
Yield 4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Aerial view in a pan
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound green beans
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  • In a large skillet add ¼ cup water and the green beans on high heat and bring to a boil, cooking for 3 minutes.
  • Remove green beans and water, wiping dry with paper towels.
  • Add the butter and garlic into the skillet, stirring and cooking until fragrant.
  • Add in the green beans, salt, and pepper and toss to combine. Sauté the beans over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes at a maximum so they don't overcook.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1045IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

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About this Recipe

Sautéed Green Beans are hot and buttery, with a savory garlic flavor and a fresh, crisp-tender texture. I usually make a double batch of these beans because they always manage to disappear before dinner is over. You can use butter or olive oil to sauté them; both add a nice flavor to the garlic.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

  • Trim the ends of your green beans to avoid a fibrous, woody texture.
  • A restaurant trick is to mix butter and extra virgin olive oil together to combine the oil’s flavor with the butter’s cooking temperature. This makes it easier to sauté garlic before adding the beans without burning.

What to Pair With

These beans are the perfect side dish to pair with Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken or Turkey Meatloaf as the main dish. Other sides that will pair well with these beans are Easy Mashed Potatoes and Fried Green Tomatoes.

Frequent Questions

Can you trim Green Beans in advance?

You can trim green beans in advance if you will use them within 1-2 days. Keep the green beans refrigerated and tightly sealed. Pull them out when you’re ready to make any green bean recipe.

Can I sauté Green Beans without blanching?

Technically, you can avoid blanching the green beans before throwing them in the sauté pan. I always like to blanch them first because it helps preserve the fresh green beans’ texture and bright green color, making for a better overall side dish.

Can I blanch Green Beans ahead of time?

You can blanch green beans ahead of time. Dip them in ice water right after blanching (to stop the cooking), then dry them as well as you can with paper towels. Store them refrigerated in an airtight container until you’re ready to sauté. They’ll last in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before they start to get too soft to be sautéed.

Can this recipe be made with oil instead of butter?

You can use any oil you have in your kitchen for garlic green beans, including vegetable oil, coconut oil, or olive oil. Personally, I like to go with butter because my family likes the flavor, and it has the highest cooking temperature of all the oils.

Is this recipe gluten-free?

Yes, if you’re cooking for someone with allergies, this dish is naturally gluten-free!

Variations

  • Spices: For more flavor, add other spices, such as oregano, cayenne, or thyme, to the beans with the garlic.
  • Add-ins: Add sautéed onions, mushrooms, sliced toasted almonds, white wine, lemon juice, or a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
  • Garlic: If you don’t have fresh garlic, sub in 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
  • Frozen Green Beans: If you use frozen green beans for this dish, you can skip the blanching step and go straight to the sauté pan.

More Green Bean Recipes

Green Beans Pin image

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. One of my favorite side dishes of all time was sauteed green beans from a local Chinese buffet. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t duplicate their recipe… until now! This is so quick and easy and the beans come out PERFECT! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    Reply

  5. Is the cooking time about the same with frozen green beans as fresh and also if I were to add in onions could I add the onions and green beans in at the same time?

    Reply

  9. Green beans have never been my favorite, but cooking them this way, makes them so much better!! They have become a favorite!

    Reply

    2. Yes! Agreed! This is about the only way I like green beans, other than in a casserole. The all that butter and fresh garlic makes them taste amazing! ?

      Reply