These green bean recipes are perfect for every occasion! Whether you’re looking for the best green bean casserole recipe or a fresh air fryer green beans recipe you can have ready in 10 minutes, this list has everything you will need.
Green Beans
We love growing green beans in our garden because they’re the perfect, nutritious vegetable! You may call them French beans, string beans, or snap beans; whatever their name, they shine on the dinner plate! Surprisingly enough, they don’t always have to be green, either… They come in both yellow and purple varieties, too!
Green beans pair well with any protein, work in tons of different cuisines, and can add great nutrition and texture to any dish. You can steam, boil, roast, air fry, grill, deep fry, bake, or saute them. There are fresh, canned, or frozen options in the store, so you have tons of options. This delicious, versatile veggie can easily win over the hearts of everyone in the family; you just have to find what works for you!
Are green beans healthy?
Yes, green beans have loads of health benefits. You can find decent amounts of Vitamins A, C, and K, Beta-carotine, Folate, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and more. These things help fight inflammation, regulate blood pressure, lower cholesterol, reducing the chance for several types of cancer, promotes bone health, and can help reduce symptoms of depression and anemia.
It’s a low FODMAP food, so green beans are generally considered good for those with digestive disorders and great for promoting gut health. They are low in calories and high in fiber, so you’re more likely to feel full for longer without having to overindulge. Of course, overcooking leaches a lot of nutrients from vegetables, so there’s another reason to remember less is more when cooking green beans!
Tips to keep green beans healthy:
- Don’t overcook. Not only does overcooking lead to mushy, less appetizing green beans, but it also leaches out important nutrients. You’ll get more value from steamed or lightly cooked green beans.
- Maybe don’t eat them raw. Most of the time it’s perfectly fine to eat green beans raw or barely cooked. You get more nutrients that way! However, they do contain lectins which can cause gastrointestinal upset in some people. The best way to avoid this is to cook your green beans which deactivates the lectins.
- Watch the sodium. If you prefer using canned green beans, try to look for a low-sodium option. There is a higher level of sodium in the canned version, so be sure to watch it if you’re sensitive.
- Be choosy about your added ingredients. It’s no secret that I love adding butter, cheese, and bacon to anything and everything. However, those things aren’t exactly healthy all the time for every person. Try adding lemon juice, healthy fats like olive oil, and maybe nuts for a crunch instead.
Are they low-carb? Keto? Paleo?
Yes, green beans work well with tons of diets! A cup of raw green beans has 6 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber. At just 4 net carbs per cup, this easily works well in the keto or low-carb diet. Green beans are a healthy whole food that also work in paleo, Whole30, vegetarian, vegan, and low-fat diets. It’s fine to work into a mediterranean diet and is a “free” food in Weight Watchers. It’s the perfect veggie you can always rely on!
Are fresh, frozen, or canned green beans best?
Different recipes may call for different packages of green beans. Nutritionally they are all nearly identical, though canned green beans often have more sodium because they are already blanched before canning. Here are some differences so you’ll know which variety suits your needs best:
- Fresh green beans will have the crunchiest texture and can withstand super hot cooking methods like frying without dissolving to mush. Of course, fresh green beans means you will need to trim, wash, and possibly blanch them before using, so these may not be as convenient.
- Frozen green beans are washed, trimmed, and flash frozen but not cooked beforehand, so they will keep that bright color that you get from fresh beans. However, the freezing and thawing process the cells undergo will cause you to lose some crunchy, crisp texture. These can be found yearround and often can be cooked straight from frozen.
- Canned green beans have already been washed, trimmed, and cooked (usually blanched for 90-120 seconds). Because of this, they have a softer texture, and you only really need to warm and season them before serving. If you grew up thinking green beans are mushy, you might have just had overcooked canned green beans! You can buy cans of green beans cut in several different ways, and these are usually good for 2-5 years.
