The Best Garlic Green Beans Recipe

These super easy-to-cook savory garlic green beans are simple to make and so delicious.

Sometimes I even CRAVE them. How can a vegetable be craveable, you ask!?

Try this recipe, and you’ll find out. 😉

I don’t know about you, but I am a HUGE fan of garlic. So when I get to pair garlic with a healthy and nutrition-packed vegetable, I’m all in!

Garlic green beans make an excellent side to any main dish –⁠ lunch or dinner. And both garlic and green beans are healthy additions to any diet.

Green beans are low in calories yet full of fiber and antioxidants such as vitamin C. They also are a great source of folate.

And even though it plays a supporting role, garlic has loads of health benefits too!

The Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic belongs in the allium family, which is a class of plants that also contains onions, scallions, leeks, and shallots. The anti-inflammatory phytochemicals contained in these plants are responsible for supporting heart health and your immune system.

Garlic offers a variety of surprisingly great benefits to your health. Adding garlic to your diet:

• Lowers Blood Pressure. Eating garlic can help relax your blood vessels to support blow flow throughout your body lowering your blood pressure.
• Reduces Inflammation. Organosulfur, a compound derived from garlic, helps lower the production of substances in your blood that increase inflammation.
• Provides Immune Support. Garlic plays a role in supporting your body to fight illness and even disease.
• Improves Skin. The antioxidants contained in garlic can help fight free radicals, which can prevent more damage and even clear up your skin.
• Promotes a Healthy Diet. Garlic brings out the flavors in foods, so you’ll enjoy more healthy foods like vegetables and incorporate them regularly into your diet. Adding garlic may also be used in place of salt.

Complement Garlic Green Beans With Lean Proteins

Garlic green beans are such a versatile side dish you can pair them with almost anything. For a satisfying and healthy meal, stick with lean proteins such as chicken or turkey. A few of my foods to eat garlic green beans with are:

• Grilled chicken
• Salmon
• Grass-fed beef burgers
• Baked sweet potatoes (my go-to!)

Change Up Your Recipe with These Flavors

In addition to garlic, you can add more spices to garlic green beans to change up the flavor profiles. Some of my favorite additions include:

• Lemon – squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice
• Garlic powder – you can never have too much!
• Parmesan – cheese makes everything better, am I right!?
• Red pepper flakes – for a kick of heat
• Roasted sesame seeds and even soy sauce – for an Asian-inspired dish

Ingredients for Garlic Green Beans

It doesn’t take much to make this garlic green beans recipe; that’s why it’s so easy! You’ll only need four ingredients.

• Fresh green beans. Buy organic. I think fresh is the only way to ensure they are crisp when you take a bite!
• Garlic cloves. Use fresh cloves to get the most health benefits. Even better, mince the cloves before cooking them with your green beans so you can optimize their nutritional value.
• Butter. I used clarified butter, known as ghee, because it’s lactose-free, which is an ideal alternative if you have allergies or sensitivities to dairy products. Ghee also has a higher smoke point, so it’s perfect for sautéing green beans.
• Salt. Depending on your dietary needs, this can be optional, and the dish will still taste great!

How to Make Garlic Green Beans

Step 1

Pick up about a pound of fresh green beans from your local grocer, preferably organic. When you’re ready to cook them, wash your green beans. I use a strainer for my sink to clean them and remove excess water.

Step 2

Take the green beans out of the strainer and cut off the ends of each one. You can snap them in half if you like them in bites, but I like to eat the whole green bean. As you cut your green beans, throw them into a pot that you can cover.

Step 3

With the green beans already in your pot, fill the pot with water just enough to cover all of them. (By the way, green beans float, so if you can push them down and water covers most, you’re good!) Cover the pot and bring the green beans to a boil.

Step 4

While the green beans are heating up, grab a cutting board and mince three to five cloves of garlic (I love garlic, so I go heavy with five, use three if you’re not so amped).

Step 5

When the green beans start boiling, reduce your heat to medium-low (do not remove the lid!) and let the green beans simmer for about five minutes or until they soften.

Step 6

Okay, now you can remove the lid :). Drain the water from the pot (I use my strainer again) and leave the green beans in the strainer.

Step 7

Add about 2-3 tablespoons of butter or ghee and your minced garlic to the warm pot sans green beans. Place the pot back on the burner and cook on medium until the butter is melted. Then add back the green beans.

Step 8

Cook and stir the garlic and green beans for about five minutes or until the garlic is tender and fragrant.

Step 9

Season the green beans with a pinch of salt, stir, and serve!

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to know what you thought about this recipe and what you paired with your garlic green beans. Comment below!