Honey Garlic Green Beans

by Kayla Berman on January 18, 2023 4 comments

Honey Garlic Green Beans are an easy and delicious side dish recipe! Made with fresh green beans, salted butter, honey, and fresh garlic – this 4 ingredient dish is sweet, savory, saucy, and flavorful. Pair this 20 minute side with any main course for the perfect meal!

Looking for more of the honey garlic combo? Check out my Honey Garlic Salmon Bites.

Sweet, Savory, & Delicious Veggie Side Dish

I am a total green bean lover! I think they’re incredibly delicious on their own with no seasoning or sauce.

So when I do put seasonings, sauces, and flavor on the green veggie – I’m truly blown away!

Like with this 4 ingredient side dish masterpiece. This recipe is made up of only green beans, butter, honey, and fresh garlic. And boy is it delicious!

I’m pretty sure these simple ingredients were made to be thrown together into this scrumptious dish.

Honey and Garlic Green Beans take minimal effort, come together in 20 minutes, and will be a total family favorite. Even among the veggie haters.

They’re saucy, garlicky, sweet, savory, and just downright delicious. I promise this side dish will be your new go-to way to get some green in!

Looking for some similar easy recipes? Check out my Roasted Frozen Broccoli or Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts.

Ingredients

These sweet and savory green beans call for only 4 simple ingredients! What is easier than that?!

Ingredient Notes

Green Beans: This recipe calls for 12 oz fresh green beans!
Butter: I love the use of butter here. It adds an unbeatable salty, richness. 2 tbsp is perfect.
Fresh Garlic: Fresh garlic adds incredible flavor here. You will need 3 cloves garlic!
Honey: Honey adds the perfect sweetness to this savory side. I think it might just be the best part of this recipe! Add 1 tablespoon honey.
Salt & Pepper: Lastly, add salt and black pepper to taste.

Substitutions & Additions

This honey garlic green beans recipe does not call for many ingredients in the first place, so there aren’t too many changes you can make!

However, I do have a few ideas for substitutions or additions you could make to meet your personal preferences, tastes, or needs.

Butter: You could use oil in place of the butter here. Perhaps olive oil or sesame oil!

Honey: If you don’t haver honey on hand you could replace it with a different liquid sweetener. Like pure maple syrup or agave nectar.

Spices & Seasonings: The only seasoning I used in this vegetable side dish was salt and pepper, but feel free to add whatever you’d like. Maybe garlic powder for extra savory flavors, red pepper flakes for some heat, or a splash of soy sauce for a more Asian flare!

Kitchen Tools

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How To Make This Recipe

These green beans are quite the easy side dish! They take about 20 minutes from start to finish and will be your new go-to.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water on the stove to a boil. Add the green beans. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Remove the green beans from the pot and place immediately into a medium bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Step 3: Dry the green beans with paper towel.

Step 4: Add cooking spray to a large skillet or pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the blanched green beans.

Step 5: Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the green beans are slightly blistered and browned.

Step 6: Turn the heat to low heat. Add the butter, honey, and minced garlic cloves. Combine.

Step 7: Sauté for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 8: Serve and enjoy!

Expert Tips

If your green beans come in one of those microwaveable bags that are typically sold at the grocery store, you can skip the blanching. Just microwave according to the package directions! You will probably only need about half the time listed as you are going to be cooking the beans further on the stove.

Use fresh beans and fresh garlic if possible. These ingredients are just so much more flavorful than their frozen, canned, or dried counterparts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is blanching?

Blanching is the cooking process when a food is submerged in very hot, boiling water for a short time. Then once it is removed from the heat it is immediately submerged in a cold water ice bath.

It prevents the loss of color, flavor, and texture!

Can I skip the blanching?

If absolutely necessary, yes you can skip the blanching. You will just need to sauté the beans for a longer time.

However, I really do recommend blanching! The process does not take too long and results in bright green, tender, and delicious beans.

How to best serve this recipe?

This recipe is delicious served as a side to pretty much any main course!

Here are some fantastic options: Pesto Butter Salmon, Pan Seared Chicken Thighs, Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken, Parmesan Herb Crusted Salmon, or Maple Glazed Chicken.

How to best store this recipe?

Store these green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep best for 5 days!

Love this recipe? Check out more delicious side dish recipes…

Connect With Me!

If you make this green bean recipe or any of my other recipes, I would absolutely love to know! Tag me @wellnessbykay on Instagram so I can see and share your recreations.

Love this recipe? Leave a comment and a rating! I love to see and it helps me continue to develop delicious recipes for this blog.