These simple vegan green beans are made using an easy cooking technique that retains their color and texture. They are sautéed with onions, garlic, and a citrus glaze, then topped with slivered almonds.
Jump to:
My two boys love green beans. My husband is not a big fan. My kids often like plain veggies with a light sprinkle of salt, but that won’t do it for my husband. I’ve got to add some flavor to his veggies to interest him.
These are not the boring green beans of your past. They are blanched and chilled, then sautéd with onions and garlic, with a citrus glaze, and slivered almonds.
These vegan green beans are so far from the past’s flavorless, soft green beans that if you’ve ever been a green bean doubter, you will come over to the side. This recipe is not only vegan-friendly, but it’s also gluten-free!
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Delicious Flavor: The combination of sautéed green beans, onions, almonds, and citrus glaze creates a symphony of flavors that is both savory and tangy.
Nutty Crunch: The toasted almonds add a delightful crunch to every bite, providing a textural contrast to the tender green beans.
Vibrant Colors: The dish is visually appealing, with the vibrant green of the beans, the caramelized onions, and the golden brown almonds contrasting beautifully with the glossy citrus glaze.
Nutrient-Rich: Green beans are rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate, making this dish a healthy choice.
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Fresh Green Beans: Use fresh green beans trimmed.
Olive Oil: Use a tablespoon of olive oil or a ¼ cup of vegetable broth.
Yellow Onion and Garlic: Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves.
Lemon: You’ll need the juice and the zest of one lemon.
Orange Juice (optional): Adds a touch of sweetness to the citrus glaze.
Slivered Almonds: Add to top of the green beans for added crunch and texture.
👩🏻🍳 Variations for Vegan Green Beans
Orange Juice: I added a few tablespoons of orange juice to give the green beans a sweet citrus flavor. It was a big hit with my kids. You can leave the orange juice out and only use the lemon juice if you choose.
Different Nuts: If you don’t have slivered almonds, top with pine nuts, chopped walnuts, or pecans instead.
📋 How to Make Vegan Green Beans
- Wash and trim green beans. To trim green beans, cut the tips off either side.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove the green beans from the boiling water immediately, then submerge them in a bowl of ice water.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat until they soften. Add the garlic. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Drain the green beans from the ice water. Add them to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, orange juice (optional), ¼ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving dish immediately to stop the cooking process. Top with slivered almonds and lemon zest, and serve.
❓Recipe FAQS
Use the blanch and chill technique to cook your green beans so that they retain their bite and bright green color. Blanching is when you boil the green beans in water for a short amount of time. Chill is when you take your green beans and submerge them in an ice bath immediately after boiling to stop the cooking process. This leaves you with crunchy, bright green, flavorful green beans. I recommend blanching them in boiling water for 2 minutes and immediately submerging them in an ice bath for 3 minutes or more.
Adding citrus in the form of juice and zest adds tons of flavor to your green beans. Also, consider adding aromatic herbs and spices. Curry is an excellent addition, along with cumin and coriander. Smoked paprika gives green beans a nice flavor. Onions and garlic also bring a great deal of flavor to any dish. Add some mushrooms for an earthy flavor.
📝 Expert Tips
- Salt boiling water and add the green beans to it once it boils.
- Keep an eye on the green beans when blanching. They can turn quickly. I recommend blanching for 2 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the green beans from the boiling water after 2 minutes to an ice bath to stop cooking.
- I left the green beans in the ice water until I could transfer them to the skillet with the onions and garlic.
- After reheating the green beans in the skillet, remove them from the pan and transfer them to the serving dish to stop cooking.
- Remove pine nuts from the pan immediately to stop cooking and potentially burning the pine nuts.
🍽 How to Serve
These vegan green beans make for a wonderful side dish at your Thanksgiving or holiday meal in place of the traditional green bean casserole. Serve them alongside this Vegan Potato Casserole or Best Ever Meatless Meatloaf.
🫙 How to Store and Keep
After the green beans cool, transfer them to an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop until heated through.
🎥 Video
😋 More Vegan Side Dishes!
⚖️ Serving Size
This recipe makes six servings. You can double it for a larger party.
Recipe
Vegan Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and trim green beans. To trim green beans cut the tips off either side.
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the timmed green beans. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove immediately and submerge them in an ice bath.
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil in the skillet. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat until they soften. Add garlic. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the green beans from the ice water. Add them to the skillet with onions and garlic. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add lemon juice, and orange juice (optional), salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving dish.
- Top with slivered almonds and lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- Salt boiling water and add the green beans to the water once it’s reached a boil.
- Keep an eye on the green beans when blanching. They can turn quickly. I recommend blanching for 2 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the green beans from the boiling water after 2 minutes to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- I left the green beans in the ice water until I was ready to transfer them to the skillet with the onions and garlic.
- After reheating the green beans in the skillet remove them from the pan and transfer them to the serving dish to stop the cooking process.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave over the stovetop.
Krissy Allori
I enjoyed the flavor from the pine nuts and the zest of the lemon in this recipe.
Ilona
I make green beans all the time at my home, they are perfect as a side dish for any dinner!
Jamie
I just love the flavor of citrus and green beans! It really brightens the flavor and pairs perfectly with the green beans. Amazing and healthy recipe!
Sara
I’m loving this with the citrus glaze. So crisp and fresh.