Green Beans Amandine
This version of the classic green beans amandine is one of my all time favorite sides. Browned butter enhances the nutty toasted almonds, while lemon adds a pop of brightness to the tender-crisp blanched haricots verts. It's an easy side dish that will stand out on any occasion and only takes 20 minutes!
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Haricots Verts Amandine
A quintessential French side dish, haricots verts amandine (also called almondine) features thin French green beans, known as haricots verts, sauteed with butter toasted almonds.
The French word amandine references a style of cooking and technique rather than this specific dish, and it comes from a family of recipes that dates back to the 1800s, where a vegetable or protein would be finished with butter and almonds.
In America and other English-speaking countries, it's often referred to as "almondine" due to the similarities in name.
The green beans are first blanched, meaning they get briefly boiled in salted water and then shocked in an ice bath to stop the cooking. This ensures the perfect tender, yet snappy texture, and also helps to maintain their bright green color.
This is my take on the classic French recipe. I love to brown the butter along with the almonds to achieve a deep, nutty flavor. I also add a bit of lemon zest and juice to wake the flavors up right before serving.
Normally only lemon juice is added, but the zest gives more complexity to the dish.
A lot of recipes for green beans almondine include shallots, but I prefer mine without. A little bit of garlic adds extra flavor, but otherwise I let the toasty, nutty flavor of brown butter and almonds dominate. It's an amandine recipe after all!
This is an easy side you can make any time of year, but it really shines around the holidays. It's great for special meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas, since it pairs so nicely with roasted meats and fish, and is a bit more elevated than standard steamed green beans.
Want more delicious green bean recipes? Try these sauteed green beans with pancetta and shallots, this simple summer corn and green beans with herb butter or this classic Italian potato and green bean salad.
Why This Recipe Works
- An elegant, yet easy side that's ideal for both weeknights and special occasions.
- Browning both the almonds and the butter enhances the nutty flavor and takes it to the next level.
- Blanching the green beans in salted water ensures the perfect tender-crisp texture and bright green color.
- Only requires 5 ingredients and comes together in 20 minutes!
Ingredients for Green Beans Almondine
Green beans - Use haricot verts or thin French green beans if you can find them. They're sweeter and more tender than standard green beans and are classic in this recipe. If you can't find them, regular green beans will still work.
Butter - I prefer using salted butter for this recipe, but unsalted also works. Just adjust the salt as needed.
Almonds - You can use either slivered or sliced skinless (blanched) almonds.
Lemon - Both zest and juice are used to add acidity and balance the richness of the butter and the almonds.
Garlic - Use freshly chopped whole garlic cloves. Avoid pre-chopped garlic for best results.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
- Large pot
- Bowl of ice water
- Colander
- Paper towels
- Large skillet
- Spatula or tongs
How to Make Green Beans Amandine
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the haricots verts and cook until bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes.
- Drain, then immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and pat very dry.
Pro Tip: Drying your green beans after draining is important so the butter coats the beans rather than slipping out due to excess liquid.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the almonds. Toss around and let them toast for about a minute to warm through.
- Add the butter and continue cooking, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and starts to turn golden brown and the almonds are toasted and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully so neither burns.
- Lower the heat, move the almonds to the side, then add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, then add the beans and lemon zest.
Pro Tip: Do not brown the garlic, only sauté it to release flavor into the butter. Deeply browning the garlic can make the dish bitter.
- Toss until warmed through and evenly coated in the brown butter and almonds, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss to combine.
- Transfer to a serving platter and spoon the browned butter and almonds over the top. Serve immediately.
Coley's Tips for Success
- For the best presentation, only trim off the very small tip of the stem ends of your green beans.
- Salt the blanching water generously so the beans stay bright green and get seasoned from within.
- The green beans can be blanched up to one day ahead and refrigerated until ready to finish.
- When toasting the almonds, keep them moving so they toast evenly.
- Once you add the butter, watch closely. The milk solids will foam, then turn golden and smell nutty. Add the garlic as soon as this happens, or turn off the heat so it doesn't burn.
- The almonds and butter can go from golden to burnt in seconds. If they start browning too quickly, pull the pan off the heat or add a splash of water to slow things down.
Variations
- À l'amandine is a technique, so it can be applied to different kinds of vegetables like broccolini, spinach, carrots, asparagus, and more.
- Try using different citrus instead of lemon like limes, Meyer lemons, or oranges.
- For added salty richness, toast the almonds with diced pancetta, guanciale or bacon.
- Finish with finely chopped herbs like fresh parsley, tarragon or thyme for a fresh touch.
What to Serve with Green Beans Almondine
These make a great Thanksgiving side next to a classic herb roasted turkey with homemade turkey gravy.
For Christmas, Easter and other special occasions, serve these along with an oven roasted whole beef tenderloin, tender red wine braised short ribs, Dijon herb crusted rack of lamb or a pan seared filet mignon.
Haricots verts also pair well with seafood, like this simple pan seared tuna or perfectly seared scallops.
How to Store and Reheat Haricot Verts
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm them briefly in a skillet with an extra pat of butter and/or a splash of water over medium heat, just until heated through. Avoid cooking any longer to prevent them from turning mushy.
FAQs
The best green beans for this recipe are haricot verts or thin French green beans. They're sweeter and more tender than standard green beans and are classic in this recipe. If you can't find them, regular green beans will still work.
First cooking green beans in salted water and then cooling them in ice water does several things. It seasons them, helps maintain their bright green color, and gets them to the perfect tender, but still snappy texture. It's also a great step to do in advance, since it helps preserve the beans for a few extra days and then they can be quickly sautéed ala minute.
Yes, you can prepare many other veggies à l'amandine and they will be delicious. Use the same method, adjusting the blanching time according to what vegetable you use. I recommend trying cauliflower, broccoli or broccolini, spinach, French carrots and asparagus.
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Green Beans Almondine (Amandine)
Ingredients
- 1 pound haricots verts or thin green beans, stem ends trimmed
- kosher salt for blanching water and seasoning
- 4 tablespoons butter salted
- ½ cup almonds skinless (blanched) & sliced
- 1-2 cloves garlic very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the haricots verts and cook until bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes.
- Drain, then immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and pat very dry.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the almonds. Toss around and let them toast for about a minute to warm through.
- Add the butter and continue cooking, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and starts to turn golden brown and the almonds are toasted and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully so neither burns.
- Lower the heat, move the almonds to the side, then add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, then add the beans and lemon zest.
- Toss until warmed through and evenly coated in the brown butter and almonds, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, then toss to combine.
- Transfer to a serving platter and spoon the browned butter and almonds over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Drying your green beans after draining is important so the butter coats the beans rather than slipping out due to excess liquid.
- Do not brown the garlic, only sauté it to release flavor into the butter. Deeply browning the garlic can make the dish bitter.
- For the best presentation, only trim off the very small tip of the stem ends of your green beans.
- Salt the blanching water generously so the beans stay bright green and get seasoned from within.
- The green beans can be blanched up to one day ahead and refrigerated until ready to finish.
- When toasting the almonds, keep them moving so they toast evenly.
- Once you add the butter, watch closely. The milk solids will foam, then turn golden and smell nutty. Add the garlic as soon as this happens, or turn off the heat so it doesn't burn.
- The almonds and butter can go from golden to burnt in seconds. If they start browning too quickly, pull the pan off the heat or add a splash of water to slow things down.
