Steamed Green Beans Recipe
These Steamed Green Beans are bright, crisp-tender, and never mushy, finished with a melted butter glaze that elevates this simple side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds trimmed green beans or haricot verts
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a pot with enough water to just cover the bottom of the steamer basket.
- Remove the steamer basket, season the water with salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Place the steamer basket back in the pot and add the green beans. Add a lid and steam for 5 minutes until al dente. Feel free to cook them longer if you like them a bit more tender.
- While they are steaming, add the butter to a large frying pan over low heat and cook just until the butter is melted.
- Remove the beans from the basket and transfer them to the buttered pan.
- Season with salt and pepper, then toss the beans until coated in butter and seasoned.
- Serve hot.
Notes
There’s nothing worse than mushy, floppy, and sad green beans. To avoid overcooking them, I place them in the steamer basket after the water is already boiling. This gives the beans a perfectly crisp, tender texture after only 5 minutes of cooking.
Preparing green beans: Remember to trim the ends before cooking. My mom would always snap them off by hand, but I prefer to line up the beans and chop off the ends with a knife.
Tender green beans: I found that a 5-minute steam gave the beans the best tender-crisp texture. If you prefer your green beans more tender or softer, or if they are on the thicker side, cook them for 6 to 8 minutes instead.
Frozen green beans: I prefer fresh green beans, but you can steam them as well. They should only need to cook for 3 to 4 minutes since they’re pre-cooked.
Ice bath or no ice bath? I did not dunk my green beans in an ice bath after steaming (a common technique that preserves the bright green color) because I wanted to serve them warm with melted butter.
Seasoning ideas: When I want to kick things up a notch, I’ll season the melted butter with minced garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, lemon zest, or sesame seeds.
Garnish ideas: You can’t go wrong with topping steamed green beans with shredded parmesan cheese, toasted almonds, crumbled feta, or crispy bacon.
Make-Ahead: Serve immediately for best texture. If needed, keep the butter-glazed green beans in a covered skillet over low heat for up to 30 minutes, but note this may soften them.
How to Store: Refrigerate the leftover green beans in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cooked green beans don’t freeze well.
How to Reheat: Add the leftover green beans to a skillet with a splash of veggie or chicken stock or extra butter, saute over low-medium heat, and serve once they’re warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 10mgPotassium: 321mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1218IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg