Green Beans with Almonds and Butter
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I was asked to make these green beans for our church potluck. My sisters, Alla & Anna make these frequently for parties and they gave me directions over the phone. Anna likes to sprinkle her green beans with grated Parmesan cheese.
This dish is very popular among our “crew” and rarely are there left-overs. This recipe fills a big 13×9 Pyrex dish (party size!) You can easily scale it down for your needs.
Ingredients for Green Beans and Shaved Almonds:
3 lbs raw green beans (the frozen ones at Costco work great too!)
1 1/2 sticks salted butter (or use unsalted butter and add 3/4 tsp salt when you begin to melt the butter in the skillet)
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
Grated Parmesan to taste – optional
How to Make Green Beans and Shaved Almonds:
1. Rinse green beans. Snip the bases off on all the green beans (this is the only tedious part of the dish) Or you can just buy pre-cut beans which are double the price.
2. Fill a large soup pot 2/3 with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add 2 Tbsp salt. Add beans and boil 6 to 7 minutes, until crisp-tender.
3. Drain beans immediately and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process, then place them in your serving dish.
4. In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 1 stick of butter. Add shaved almonds to the skillet and stir them until they are golden. Watch them closely once they start to golden because they can burn quickly beyond this point.
5. Melt in the rest of the butter (1/2 stick), stir and pour the buttery almonds evenly over the green beans.
6. Use tongs to lightly toss the beans with the buttery almonds, but not too much because the almonds tend to escape to the bottom of the dish.
TADA!!
Green Beans with Almonds and Butter

Ingredients
- 3 lbs raw green beans, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter
- or use unsalted butter and add 3/4 tsp salt when you begin to melt the butter in the skillet
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- Grated Parmesan to taste - optional
Instructions
-
Rinse green beans. Snip the bases off on all the green beans.
-
Fill a large soup pot 2/3 with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add 2 Tbsp salt. Add beans and boil 6 to 7 minutes, until crisp-tender.
-
Drain beans immediately and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process, then place them in your serving dish.
-
In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 1 stick of butter. Add shaved almonds to the skillet and stir them until they are golden. Watch them closely once they start to golden because they can burn quickly beyond this point.
-
Melt in the rest of the butter (1/2 stick), stir and pour the buttery almonds evenly over the green beans.
-
Use tongs to lightly toss the beans with the buttery almonds, but not too much because the almonds tend to escape to the bottom of the dish.
Hi Natasha,
If you bring this dish to a potluck how can you reheat it? Would it taste as good making it in advance and reheating it briefly in the oven?
To be honest, these green beans are best fresh but you could do that or heating them up on a skillet would be even better.
Yummmy, definitely making them for weekend! Can I make them a day ahead?
Green beans are best the day that they are made or they tend to get a little dark and lifeless, although they will still taste good when you reheat them the next day. I’d recommend prepping all of your ingredients and putting them together before serving. It doesn’t take long to cook this at all. I hope you love it! 🙂
Question: is this dish served cold then, since the beans are rinsed in cold water or does the melted butter warm them up?
It is served warm. You just want to rinse them with cold water. They should still be warm after your rinse them. You just want to stop the cooking process and not cool them down completely. I hope that makes sense 🙂 And the butter also warms them up. We love those green beans! They are frequently made for parties in our family. And they are easy!
Hi Natasha, I love your blog and come back to it every week for one thing or another. I have a soft spot for green beans, lol I could eat them every day. Well I make mine a little different. I add garlic and use Coconut oil instead of butter, and they come out amazing. ( I got my coconut oil in GNC) and use it on everything, it’s so much healthier, and tasted amazing,
Nadia, thanks for the tip. We have a GNC nearby (I think!) I’ll have to try that coconut oil out. Do you add almonds too or just garlic? Garlic sounds great!
I haven’t tried the almonds, but will next time I make them
Hey natasha i tried these with sugar snap peas today and they turned out soo good!:)
mmmm… that does sound good! Thanks for the idea!
My mother-in-law has taught me a very similar dish, but she adds real bacon bits. I have toasted the almonds and bacon on the side and the combination is delicious! 🙂
Hi Inga – bacon sounds really good! Thanks for the tip 🙂
So good! thanx
I love green beans! This is one of my favorite way’s to prepare them. Thanks for posting this, now everyone else can enjoy them too!
MMM, Natasha, these look awesome! Lately, I am on a green bean kick too. I love to steam them first and then saute in Walnut oil with some sesame seeds and black pepper. Vkusno! 😉
You left out the extra stick of butter and extra 1 1/2 cups of almonds you will need for step 7a – Toss out burned almonds and butter, clean pan, melt a stick of butter, add almonds…
Did that happen to you?? oh yikes! I admit, I’ve done it too. That’s why I included the warning. It can really sneak up on you!
Not with this one (yet). But I know how these things go. You turn your head for about 3 seconds, and you have gone from slightly golden to coal black (OK, dark mahogany).
Do they sell green beans at winko? Thanx 4 the recipe:)
Yes, I buy my beans at winco. They have them by the pound or pre-cut, but the pre-cut ones are twice as much.
Mmm, these are my favorite green beans. The toasted almonds and slightly browned butter gives them so much flavor.
The instructions in the original recipe I found for these a few years back said to rinse the beans in cold water to stop the cooking process, then to add them back in to the pan with the butter and almonds to heat through–I’ve tried it both ways (rinsing and not rinsing), and I’ve found I like them rinsed even though it’s an extra step, because it gives the beans a vibrant green color, and a crisper (but still cooked through) texture rather a more wilted texture.
Oooh, thats a great tip; I’ll include that. Thanks Natalia!