Easy Green Beans Almondine – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

In this flavorful recipe for easy green beans almondine, green beans are quickly steamed and then tossed with garlic, shallots and buttery toasted almonds.

Green beans have never, ever been this delicious! This simple dish takes just a few minutes to prepare, and the green beans can be kept warm if you need to make them ahead of time.

Making Green Beans Almondine in One Pan

Many recipes for traditional green beans almondine call for blanching the green beans. While that is certainly acceptable, my recipe simplifies the process so everything cooks in one skillet.

1. Steam the trimmed green beans in broth or water until they are crisp-tender, and then remove them to a plate and discard the cooking liquid.
2. Return the same skillet to medium heat and saute the shallots and garlic in butter for a few minutes.
3. Add the toasted almonds (and brown sugar, if using – don’t @ me…I know brown sugar isn’t a traditional ingredient, but it adds a tasty caramelization to the almonds) – cook until the almonds are golden.
4. Toss the green beans with the almond mixture and hit it up with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

What kind of green beans to use?  Green beans almondine is traditionally made with French green beans (haricot verts), which are thinner and longer than regular green beans. However, I make this recipe with regular green beans or French green beans, and it is delicious either way. To trim the green beans, you can cut a small piece off both ends; however, I usually just trim the stem-end of the green beans. 

How to Make These Green Beans Ahead of Time

These green beans are tasty, tasty served right away.

However, I made them for Thanksgiving last year and kept them warm for several hours in a slow cooker and they were just fine! In fact, they were more than fine: they were absolutely devoured.

The almonds tend to soften a bit and lose some of their crunch the longer they are made ahead of time and kept warm, but judging by the way I hide and hoard the leftovers whenever I make these, that clearly doesn’t dampen the appeal of these green beans.

Ideally, they are best served immediately or within 2 to 3 hours (keeping them warm in the oven, covered, until serving).

I’m certain classic French cuisine experts are slightly aghast at some of my modifications to make green beans almondine a bit more approachable as a one-skillet dish.

However, I feel very confident that my take on this traditional side dish is perfect for all of us plebeians who want to eat tremendously tasty green beans (yes, from the pan is acceptable) without any fuss.

While this easy green beans almondine recipe has become my go-to green bean dish for Thanksgiving, I make it all throughout the year, as well.

The tasty crunch of the toasted, buttery almonds with the sautéed garlic and shallots is incredibly delicious with the tender green beans. So, so, so yummy! I hope you love this one!

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