Green beans get dressed up with a simple lemon butter sauce and toasted almonds. This simple recipe for Green Beans Almondine comes together with minimal effort to make a healthy and flavorful side dish. Even picky eaters love this veggie side dish!
Green Beans Almondine is a classic French dish that simply means “green beans with almonds.” Unlike most French recipes, this classic dish is uncomplicated and easy to make. It only requires 5 simple, easy to find ingredients and is ready in less than 20 minutes, making this recipe perfect for busy weeknights. But don’t just limit Green Beans Almondine to easy family dinners, the flavor is so impressive it also deserves a spot at Holiday meals.
I am always on the lookout for vegetable side dishes that are easy to make and that are kid-friendly.
These Green Beans Almondine fit the bill!
They are so easy to make and my picky-eaters beg for seconds. Between the buttery, bright sauce and the crunch of the almonds, these green beans are truly irresistible.
This recipe is a perfect way to serve up garden fresh green beans or string beans, whether you grew the beans fresh in your garden, or you picked them up from your local farmer’s market or grocery store.
Key Ingredients
You only need 5 ingredients, not including salt and water to make this recipe.
- Green Beans: String beans or green beans both work for this recipe. The beans should be cleaned and trimmed. While fresh beans are best, I do have directions for how to dress up frozen steamed beans with this sauce as well.
- Butter: Butter gives the sauce so much richness and is a must in French cuisine. If you are Vegan or Dairy-Free, I suggest using your favorite vegan butter alternative.
- Shallots: Shallots add a mild flavor that is a cross between both onions and garlic, giving this dish the best of both flavors. If you do not have shallots, use garlic in their place.
- Lemons: Fresh lemon juice will make the flavors pop and finishes this dish with a bright acidity that wakes up your taste buds, letting them really enjoy the flavor of the dish. Be sure to only use FRESH lemon juice. Jarred is not equivalent.
- Almonds: Slivered almonds give the dish crunch and nuttiness. It is best to toast the almonds yourself for the best flavor. Pro-Tip: I often find slivered almonds or almond slices in the baking aisle next to chocolate chips at the grocery store.
How To Make Green Bean Almondine
Step One: Blanch Green Beans
While you may be tempted to skip this step, blanching green beans is essential to this dish! It helps to keep the green beans fresh and vibrant, while also letting the beans get tender. Blanching is not a hard process at all, it simply means to boil something lightly and then to shock in cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.
- Season heavily with salt–about 1 tablespoon.
- Drop green beans into boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until just crisp tender.
- Remove green beans from pot with a slotted spoon or spider strainer and place immediately into an ice bath.
Step Two: Toast Almonds
You can purchase toasted sliced almonds, but it is easy to toast almonds at home and will result in the freshest flavor.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add in slivered almonds.
- Shake the pan every 30 seconds and only toast for 1-2 minutes, or until your nose begins to smell the almonds and the almonds begin to turn light brown.
- Remove from skillet.
Step Three: Saute Green Beans
- Remove green beans from the ice bath and gently pat dry.
- In the same skillet, you toasted almonds in, melt butter over medium heat.
- Saute shallot until just softened.
- Add in green beans and toss to coat.
- Give the beans a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt to taste.
- Saute until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes.
Step Four: Serve
- Remove green beans from skillet and place onto a serving platter.
- Top with toasted green beans.
Green Beans Almondine with Frozen Green Beans
To prepare this dish with frozen green beans, skip the step for blanching green beans. Simply steam your green beans according to package directions and pat dry and proceed with the recipe as stated.
More Recipes with Green Beans
- Instant Pot Green Beans
- Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
- Skillet Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Serve up these easy Green Beans Almondine as a side dish to your next family meal and watch them disappear! They are a great way to enjoy a healthy green veggie at dinner. Be sure to let me know in the comments how much you enjoyed this recipe–I love to hear from you!
Green Beans Almondine
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans ends trimmed off
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons shallots minced
- 1 lemon
- 1 /2 teaspoon salt plus additional salt for cooking beans
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Season heavily with salt–about 1 tablespoon.
- Drop green beans into boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until just crisp-tender.
- Remove green beans from pot with a slotted spoon or spider strainer and place immediately into an ice bath.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in slivered almonds. Shake the pan every 30 seconds. As soon as your nose begins to smell the almonds, or the almonds begin to turn light brown, remove the almonds from the skillet.
- Remove green beans from ice bath and gently pat dry.
- In the same skillet you toasted almonds in, melt butter over medium heat. Add in shallot, and saute until just softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add green beans and toss to coat.
- Give the beans a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt to taste. Saute until warmed through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove beans from skillet and place in serving dish. Top with toasted almonds.
Notes
- Feel free to leave out shallots, for a more kid friendly recipe.
- Do not substitute jarred lemon juice for fresh lemon juice.
- To prepare this dish with frozen green beans, skip the step for blanching green beans. Simply steam your green beans according to package directions and pat dry and proceed with the recipe as stated.
- String beans, haricot verts, or green beans all work in this recipe. You will need to cook string beans and haricot verts for a 1 minutes less time in the boiling water than thicker green beans.
Nutrition
Simple easy way to make a beautiful side dish The recipe was straightforward I didn’t use the shallots but the blanching and then putting the green beans into ice for the key to toasted slivered almonds in the butter it was a hit thank you
So glad you enjoyed this simple side dish Michael and thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Hi there! I’ve made this and It is a fabulous recipe! But it has been a while since I made it though. Question, I need stay away from onions, shallots and garlic (I know, how boring… I love all of these!) how will this turn out without?
The lemon, butter, and almonds will add flavor. I understand having to avoid certain foods. I hope you still enjoy
What a great easy side dish! I love the freshness of the green beans and the crunch from the almonds.
I am so glad you enjoyed this Christina!