Garlic Green Beans
Published Mar 20, 2025
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Try these Garlic Green Beans for a simple and delicious side filled with vibrant flavor in every bite! Fresh green beans are sautéed in olive oil and garlic until they reach crisp-tender perfection, then finished off with butter and a splash of red wine vinegar for richness and a touch of bright acidity.
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
This Garlic Green Beans recipe is the perfect easy side dish that effortlessly elevates any meal! These were a personal chef client favorite, with one client hardly able to wait until I was done making them before nibbling on a few.
The beans get quickly blanched in salted water, which sets the color. Then, fresh minced garlic infuses olive oil with a bold and vibrant flavor. A generous pat of butter melts over the crisp-tender beans, then a splash of red wine vinegar adds a touch of bright acidity that balances the flavors perfectly.
This recipe for garlicky green beans is easy and quick to prepare, making it an ideal addition to any meal.
This Garlic Green Beans recipe is:
- Quick and Easy! This recipe can be made in less than 15 minutes!
- Crisp and refreshing! By quickly blanching and then sautéing the green beans, they take on a fresh and “snappy” texture.
- Savory and delicious! Green beans and garlic are an unbeatable flavor combination!
- Customizable! If you prefer your green beans to be more cooked, adjust the cooking time to your liking.
How to Make Garlic Green Beans:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this Garlic Green Beans recipe. The exact quantities are on the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Green Beans: This recipe uses fresh green beans with the stem ends trimmed off. Haricot verts (baby green beans) are lovely in spring and will up the elegance factor. I have purchased already-trimmed, bagged beans but have often found that they must be looked over because a stem or vine still ends up in the bag. The sizes can also be inconsistent, but they’re okay to use if that doesn’t matter to you. Frozen green beans won’t have the same fresh and “snappy” texture as fresh, but if you want to use frozen green beans, the combination of garlic, red wine vinegar, and butter would still be delicious.
- Olive Oil: I like to use a good extra-virgin olive oil in this recipe for garlicky green beans because with so few ingredients, every ingredient counts.
- Butter: I always like to use unsalted butter in my recipes because I can easily adjust the salt level to personal preference.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic adds a vibrant and bold flavor. Use it fresh off the head if you can, as pre-minced and even pre-peeled garlic tends to have a weaker flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Red wine vinegar is made from fermented red wine and has a delicious tangy flavor that’s the perfect finish in this Garlic Green Beans recipe.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Bring a shallow saucepan or saute pan of generously salted water to a boil.
- Drop the green beans into the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until bright green.
- Drain and place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry off. (No need to shock in an ice bath.)
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in the same saucepan/saute pan you used to blanch the beans.
- Add the garlic, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 to 15 seconds or until fragrant. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE GARLIC.
- Toss in the green beans and saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the butter and let it melt over the green beans, tossing to coat.
- Add the red wine vinegar.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and done!
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- Garlic, especially minced, can quickly burn, so it’s important to only cook it until fragrant, for about 10 to 15 seconds. Burnt garlic takes on a very bitter flavor that can ruin your dish, so you’d need to start over.
- Trimming the stem ends off green beans can be tedious. Here are some ways to make it easier:
- Line several on a cutting board and cut the ends with a knife. It is time-consuming to line up the beans, then grab the knife and cut, but it works.
- Grab two or three at a time in one hand and break the stem end off with the other hand.
- Grab two or three where you see stems together in your pile of beans and snip them with kitchen shears.
- Or, do them one by one and enjoy the zen of it.
Recipe FAQs:
This recipe is best made and served immediately for the best taste and texture. If you want to do some of it beforehand, blanch and shock the beans in ice water, as shown in this Green Bean Salad recipe. Drain, pat dry, and refrigerate. Then, on the day you wish to serve, take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Proceed with the rest of the recipe, heating the olive oil, etc.
When storing green beans in garlic, ensure they have cooled completely before transferring them to an airtight container. This will help prevent condensation, keeping them fresher tasting and with a better texture. When reheating, place in a covered container and reheat at 50% power until heated through, stirring once or twice.
Serve with:
- Roast Split Chicken Breasts with Potatoes and Shallots
- Crab-Stuffed Flounder
- Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Chicken Pinot Noir with Wild Mushrooms and Fresh Basil
More great green bean recipes you’ll love!
- Greek Green Beans
- Thai Green Beans
- Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- Roasted Green Beans with Tomato Caper Relish
Get all my vegetable side dish recipes at Vegetable Side Dishes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
- Salt
- 12 ounces green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a shallow saucepan or saute pan full of generously salted water to a boil.
- Drop the green beans into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until bright green.
- Drain the beans and place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry off. (No need to shock in an ice bath.)
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the same saucepan/saute pan you used to blanch the beans.
- Add the garlic, reduce heat to low and cook 10-15 seconds or until fragrant. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE GARLIC.
- Toss in the green beans and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the butter and let melt over the green beans, tossing to coat.
- Add the red wine vinegar. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Garlic, especially minced, can quickly burn, so it’s important to only cook it until fragrant, for about 10-15 seconds. Burnt garlic has a bitter flavor, so you must start over.
- This recipe is best made and served immediately for the best taste and texture. If you want to do some of it beforehand, blanch and shock the beans in ice water. Drain, pat dry, and refrigerate. Then, on the day you wish to serve, take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Proceed with the rest of the recipe, heating the olive oil, etc.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi, Olga, Thanks so very much and appreciate the five-star rating! I’d love to know what you thought so if you’d consider coming back to leave a comment, I’d appreciate it. Thanks again!