Green Beans Amandine Recipe

A platter of green beans amandine with a gold serving fork on it, an orange towel is on the bottom right, two glasses of water are in the upper left.

Green Beans Amandine Recipe

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: almond green beans, green beans amandine

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 179kcal

Green beans amandine (also called almondine) is an easy French recipe that you can make ahead, it's simply green beans with almonds in a light and delicious lemon butter sauce, using fresh haricots verts that stay crisp-tender for great texture.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

large stock pot
mixing bowls
spider (hand held strainer) or tongs, or slotted spoon
wide, deep skillet

Ingredients

1 pound thin green beans (haricots verts)
3 tablespoon butter
½ cup sliced almonds skin-on preferred
2 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for blanching the green beans
zest of one lemon
flaky sea salt (Optional, for serving)

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Instructions

Bring salted water to a boil in a large, deep pot. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Once the water is boiling, add the green beans and cook for about 2 minutes, until they are bright green but still have a crisp texture. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer them directly into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
When the beans have cooled down a bit, place them between two kitchen towels and dry them gently.
Add the butter and almonds to a wide deep skillet over medium-low heat. Stir frequently, until the nuts are toasted and fragrant and the butter is beginning to brown, 2-5 minutes.
Once the butter is browned, stir in the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon of salt, then add the green beans and mix with the almonds and sauce. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the beans are warmed through and coated evenly with the sauce. Transfer to a serving platter and top with lemon zest, add some flaky sea salt if desired.

Notes

Blanch, don't boil: Blanching means cooking something in boiling water for just a couple minutes, so it still retains its texture and color. That's all we need here, the thin haricots verts will soften slightly and brighten quickly
You must use ice water, not just cold water: The green beans are coming out of boiling water, so you really need the ice. Cold water won't cool them down fast enough and you'll end up with overcooked beans.
Don't heat the butter to hot/fast: Brown the butter over gentle heat so the almonds have time to toast, the low heat will also keep the butter from burning and turning acrid.
Ingredient variations: If you like, you can add finely minced shallots and/or grated garlic to the butter along with the almonds.

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