This Green Beans Almondine recipe is the perfect side dish to go with any roast meat. Who knew that green beans and almonds could be so perfect together!
30 minutes
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: How to blanch green beans for great texture and color
Worth It: A side good enough to be a main
Bonus: The adjustment to make if making ahead to serve later
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy holiday side – Green beans almondine is my go to side for the holidays. It’s an easy side dish to make that doesn’t require the oven and is always a crowd pleaser
- Great for weeknight dinner – These crisp green beans requires little prep time and cook in a total time of twenty minutes, which makes it is perfect for weeknight eating.
- Light vegetable side dish – At Thanksgiving, so many of the sides are creamy, which is amazing, but I love to offer this green bean side for a less filling option that tastes delicious! It’s a great keto or low-carb option for anyone with dietary restrictions.
What are Green Beans Almondine?
Green beans almondine is made by combining blanched green beans with sliced almonds that have been toasted in butter. This side dish is simple, but incredibly flavorful and delicious.
The toasted almonds are seasoned with salt and just a tiny bit of nutmeg to give the dish a holiday aroma. The whole thing is finished of with just a bit of lemon juice to brighten it up!
You will see this same recipe written as Green Beans Almondine or Amandine. Both ways are technically correct. Amandine is simply the French name for the dish.
Serving suggestions
This easy green bean almondine recipe goes very well with holiday meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas for those folks who don’t particularly like the traditional green bean casserole.
I like to serve this green bean recipe with my slow cooker turkey breast and my whipped mashed potatoes for a quick thanksgiving dinner!! Add some canned cranberry or cranberry applesauce to the plate and its my perfect meal.
Green beans with almonds are also a great side dish with a hearty protein like a whole chicken, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, or baked fish. The dish is fresh and light with intense flavor, so it’s great year round!
How do you blanch green beans?
To blanch any vegetable, submerge them in boiling water for a short period of time followed and then immediately dunk them in an ice bath. This process quick-cooks the vegetable in the water and then the ice bath stops the cooking process.
The blanching process softens the green beans without overcooking them. It also helps preserve that beautiful green color of a fresh green bean!
Ingredients
- Fresh green beans – I recommend using French green beans, sometimes called haricot verts
- Butter – the butter cooks the almonds and garlic while add such great flavor
- Sliced almonds – you can get whole almonds and crush them yourself, or you could buy slivered almonds
- Garlic cloves – mince garlic cloves finely and saute them in butter with the almonds
- Lemon juice – the fresh lemon juice adds some citrus and brightness to the vegetables
- Ground nutmeg – a bit of nutmeg gives the green beans a classic fall flavor
- Salt – you just need a little salt to intensify your flavors, but if you use unsalted butter, add a little extra
Ingredient Substitutions
Instead of butter, you could use olive oil. In addition to garlic, you could add onion or shallot for more aromatics.
For spices, you could add any that you like! Black pepper would be a great addition. You could even add red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
I love to reserve a bit of lemon zest before juicing the lemon to garnish the dish.
How to make
Step 1: prepare Ingredients
To begin, mince the garlic cloves and trim the ends off the green beans. Then, bring a heavily salted large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.
Step 2: Blanch the Green Beans
Add the green beans to the boiling water and allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes. We want them crisp-tender so they are not mushy or too soft.
Remove the green beans from the boiling water with tongs or a slotted spoon and immediately transfer to an ice bath.
Step 3: Toast the almonds
Then, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Melt the butter, then pour the sliced almonds into the pan.
Stir to make sure they are evenly coated in the butter. Toast the almonds in the butter until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Toss the almonds frequently to avoid burning. Add the minced garlic to the pan and saute for another 3 minutes.
Season with nutmeg and salt and toss again.
Step 4: Mix the blanched green beans with the toasted almonds
Finally, drain the blanched beans and add them to the pan with the almonds. Toss to combine. Finally, pour in the lemon juice and toss again.
Garnish with flakey sea salt and some lemon zest. This dish is best enjoyed immediately.
Preparing this dish ahead of time
This dish is best served warm because it is made with melted butter that will harden when cold.
If you are preparing this dish ahead of time, do not use the lemon juice. Prepare the dish as listed and then gently reheat it on the stove top and toss in the lemon juice just before serving.
Storage and reheating
Allow the dish to cool completely. Then, store the leftover green beans almondine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat on the stove-top until warmed. The toasted almonds may lose their crunch over time.
Check out these other Great Vegetable sides
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans trimmed
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mince garlic cloves and trim ends off green beans. Bring a heavily salted pot of water to a boil.
- Place green beans in the boiling water to blanch for about 4-5 minutes. You want them to be cooked but not too soft. Remove green beans from the boiling water and immediately transfer to an ice bath.
- Heat butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the butter is almost completely melted, pour the sliced almonds into the pan. Toss to make sure the almonds are evenly coated in the butter.
- Toast the almonds in butter until golden brown about 5 minutes – tossing frequently. Place minced garlic in the pan and saute for another 3 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt and toss again.
- Drain blanched beans and add to the pan with the almonds along with the lemon juice. Toss to mix all ingredients and serve immediately
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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