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These zesty steamed green beans are a deliciously easy side dish! This simple method for cooking green beans preserves their vibrant color and crisp texture. Here are our tips and tricks for perfectly steamed green beans, every time.
Why we love this recipe
Looking for a healthy and easy side dish that pairs with literally anything? These lemony steamed green beans go with almost any meal, from meatloaf to salmon to pasta. Even better: they take only 10 minutes to whip up!
Alex and I are always on the lookout for easy side dishes. While “steamed green beans” might not be the most Instagram drool-worthy idea, it’s 100% worth adding to your weeknight cooking skills! The zesty lemon flavor and bite of the black pepper in these beans have made them a favorite in our house.
Got an Instant Pot? Try our Instant Pot Green Beans.
Required gear
You’ll need a steamer basket or steamer pan to make this recipe. Here’s a steamer basket you can buy online.
How to make steamed green beans
The trick to steamed green beans is to catch them right when they’re bright green and crisp tender! Keep cooking and they’ll turn a muddy green color and become mushy. The perfect timing for how to steam this vegetable is 4 to 5 minutes. You’ll need to play it by ear each time you cook the beans, because the timing can depend on the thickness and freshness of the green beans. Here are our tips on how to steam beans.
Step 1: Trim the green beans. Here’s our fast method for how to trim green beans that will shave off valuable minutes.
Step 2: Boil the water in a saucepan or pot. Once the water is boiling, add the beans (in the steamer basket, if it has a handle) and cover the pot with a lid. Steam for 4 to 5 minutes, until bright green and crisp tender. Test the bean with a fork and taste it: if you’d like it a little more tender, cook another minute.
Step 3: Remove from the heat and drain the beans. Then season with lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Cooking tip
Be careful not to steam the green beans too long, or the color will fade and the texture will become mushy! The cook time will vary slightly each time based on the thickness and freshness of the beans.
Ways to season steamed green beans
This steamed green beans recipe features our favorite seasoning: lemon juice and zest for brightness, and black pepper for a little flair. There are lots of other ways to season steamed beans, of course! Here are a few other ideas to get your wheels turning:
- Minced garlic and butter
- Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- Rice vinegar and sesame seeds
- Slivered toasted almonds
- Thinly sliced green onion
- Feta crumbles
How to serve these green beans
Any meal that needs an easy side dish, this recipe has got your back. It fits many diets: vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free, among others. Here are a few main dishes to serve with this green beans recipe:
- Salmon: They’re the perfect side to go with salmon, like baked salmon, grilled salmon, or broiled salmon.
- Shrimp: Try them with sauteed shrimp, shrimp kabobs, or grilled shrimp.
- Chicken: Add to grilled chicken, pan seared chicken, chicken piccata, Tuscan chicken, or lemon garlic chicken.
- Meatless mains: Try our vegetarian meatloaf, stuffed peppers, or eggplant Parmesan.
- Pasta: Try our broccoli mac and cheese, stuffed shells, manicotti, lasagna roll ups, or cheese tortellini.
Dietary notes
This steamed green beans recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.
Frequently asked questions
Steaming green beans is the best way to preserve their vibrant green color, crisp-tender texture, and nutritional value. Unlike boiling, which can leach out nutrients, steaming cooks the beans gently, retaining their vitamins and minerals. While roasted green beans are delicious, it requires more oil, takes longer, and the color of the beans becomes darker in the oven.
While a steamer basket is the most convenient way to steam green beans, you can also use a colander placed over a pot of boiling water. Just make sure the colander doesn’t touch the water, and cover the pot with a lid to trap the steam.
You can season your steamed green beans in countless ways! Here are a few ideas:
Classic: Simply toss with melted butter, salt, and pepper.
Asian-inspired: Drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Garlic and herb: Toss with minced garlic, chopped fresh herbs (like dill, parsley, or thyme), and olive oil.
Lemon and parmesan: Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, then top with grated parmesan cheese.
Steamed Green Beans
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These zesty steamed green beans are a deliciously easy side dish! This simple method for cooking green beans preserves their vibrant color and crisp texture. Here are our tips and tricks for perfectly steamed green beans, every time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans*
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus zest from 1 lemon (1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim the green beans. Zest the lemon, then juice it.
- Place 1 ½ cups water into a saucepan or pot. If using a steamer basket without a handle, add it to the pot now: the water surface should be right under the basket. Bring the water to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the green beans (in the steamer basket, if it has a handle). Steam with the lid on 4 to 5 minutes until just tender, testing with a fork to assess whether it’s done.
- Carefully remove the beans to a bowl. Toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, kosher salt, and plenty of fresh ground black pepper.
Notes
*This recipe is easily doubled to feed a crowd.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Wondering if these lemony green beans can be made in an instant pot?
We have a recipe here! https://www.acouplecooks.com/instant-pot-green-beans-with-lemon/
Simple and so good…. Nothing can go wrong with this……Thank you!!
Hi! Can I use frozen green beans instead?
Yes!
Vegetarian Meal. Also, if I use minced garlic & butter for my lemony green beans, do I cook the butter and garlic down first?. Thank you
I’m making your lemon green beans for a wedding this weekend. Can I steam the beans early and refrigerate and then reheat the day of the wedding? Would you add the lemon as if serving immediately or add it before reheating?
Great question! I would actually blanch them in advance to make sure they stay green in the refrigerator: here’s how to do it! https://www.acouplecooks.com/how-to-blanch-green-beans/ Then I’d gently reheat them before serving and stir in the lemon and other seasonings as instructed in the last step of the steaming recipe.
Had green beans, found your recipe and it was awesome! Thank you!
I steamed my beans in my Instant Pot for zero minutes and subbed 1 tablespoon of butter for the olive oil and omitted the lemon juice. My preschoolers loved them and I will be adding them to their lunch box in the morning.
Amazing and super easy. I’ll be making this again.
Super easy. A new family hit. ‘Good-bye’ boring beans.