These tender and blistered Chinese-style garlic green beans are paleo, Whole30, gluten free, and low carb! Simply stir fry green beans in a hot pan and toss with a garlicky sauce for a quick and easy side dish!
The perfect side dish!
Are you a green bean fiend like me? Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables to cook with because they’re versatile, nutritious, and easy to prepare. But sometimes, I get bored of the same old steamed or roasted green beans. That’s why I love this Chinese green beans recipe, which is inspired by the garlicky green beans dish at Din Tai Fung. It’s a simple and flavorful way to transform green beans into a fabulous side dish that goes well with any protein!
You just need a few ingredients and a hot skillet to make these green beans that are blistered, tender, and coated with a savory garlic sauce. The sauce is made with a ton of minced garlic, a splash of broth, coconut aminos, and one of my spice blends that adds a kick of umami. Plus, it takes less than 20 minutes to make this easy garlic green beans recipe!
Tips for the best Chinese green beans
- Blot the green beans well with a clean kitchen towel after you wash and drain them. This step will reduce any splatter when you stir fry the pods.
- For quick prep, just trim the stem ends from the green beans with a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
- No need to boil or blanch the green beans first! Just stir fry the raw green beans in the hot oil, tossing frequently, until they’re blistered and tender.
- Make sure the minced garlic doesn’t burn! Turn down the heat as soon as you add the minced garlic to the pan and add some broth as soon as the garlic is fragrant.
- You can turn this side dish into a main dish by adding protein (e.g. ground pork, ground chicken, ground turkey, etc.) to the garlic!
Ingredients
- Avocado oil: This is my favorite high smoke point vegetable oil for all of my Asian-inspired dishes. Use just enough neutral oil to coat the bottom of the skillet!
- Fresh green beans: You can use regular green beans or French green beans (haricots verts)—just make sure they’re all about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Garlic: Grab 6 to 7 large garlic cloves and mince them well. You should end up with ¼ cup minced garlic.
- Chicken broth: Adding a splash of broth to the sautéed minced garlic keeps it from burning and helps create the base for a flavorful sauce. You can use vegetable broth if you want to keep this dish vegan, but I prefer chicken bone broth for flavor.
- Coconut aminos: It adds a kick of sweetness and umami to the sauce without adding any dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce) to the dish. You can leave out the coconut aminos if you don’t have it!
- Umami Stir-Fry Powder, Spicy Sichuan Powder, or Diamond Crystal kosher salt: Both of my Asian-inspired spice blends are perfect for adding salt and extra oomph (e.g., dried ginger, white pepper, red pepper flakes, or Sichuan peppercorns) to the green beans! If you like your dishes a little spicy and tingly choose, Spicy Sichuan Powder! Yes, you can use just salt, but it won’t taste as good!
How to make Chinese garlic green beans
Heat a large skillet or wok on medium high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. When the pan is hot, swirl in the avocado oil…
…and add the green beans.
Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the green beans are blistered and tender.
Transfer the green beans to a platter, leaving the oil in the skillet.
Turn down the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the empty pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant but doesn’t burn. Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits.
Add the blistered green beans back in the pan…
…and toss well to coat the beans with the garlic sauce. Plate and serve!
How do you save leftovers?
Leftover garlic green beans can be stored in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Asian vegetable side dishes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
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Heat a large skillet or wok on medium high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. When the pan is hot, swirl in the avocado oil and add the green beans.
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Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the green beans are blistered and tender. Transfer the cooked green beans to a platter, leaving the oil in the skillet.
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Turn down the heat to medium and add the minced garlic to the empty pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant. Don’t burn the garlic! Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits. Bring the sauce to a simmer.
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Add the blistered green beans back in the pan and toss well to coat the beans with the garlic sauce. Plate and serve!
- Wondering where to buy my spice blends? They’re available at The Spice Lab (a.k.a. Spices.com) and you can buy the whole Nom Nom Paleo spice blend collection! You can also buy them on Amazon and iHerb! International folks can stock up via iHerb!
- Leftover garlic green beans can be stored in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
