This Green Beans Almondine recipe is from Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook. It’s such a simple recipe, done in 15 minutes, but the flavors are memorable, and if you don’t already love green beans, you will. This is the green beans recipe that my kids love most and ask for refills!
The traditional French dish of sautéed green beans with almonds sounds fancy, but it’s so easy and tastes amazing as a side dish on any weeknight, but also impresses on a holiday menu.

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We love green beans around here, from Green Bean Casserole (from Scratch!) to Cranberry Green Beans, and they are perfect in Vegetable Soup. It’s such a versatile veggie. This Green Beans Almondine recipe will have you loving green beans (at least that was the case for my kids).
Green Beans Almondine Video
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make green beans with almonds. Natasha whips up this delicious side dish in no time!
Green Beans Almondine Recipe
This Green Bean Almondine is very popular among our “crew” and there are rarely leftovers. My sisters, Alla & Anna, make these frequently for parties and double it, but you can easily scale it down (or up) for your needs.
Here are some of the reasons Green Beans Almondine (Amandine in French) will become your “go-to” veggie dish, too:
- Quick & Easy to make in only 15 minutes, with 5 ingredients
- Versatile – scales up or down for your party
- Fits many diets – gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian, and keto-friendly.
- Crowd-pleaser—everyone likes this dish!
- Make ahead option makes it even faster to serve!
Ingredients
Green Beans Almondine is traditionally made with 5 everyday ingredients, making it an easy dish with amazing flavor.
- Green beans – Rinse the fresh beans and snip off the ends (or use pre-cut beans). Any type of green bean works great, but the dish is traditionally made with haricots verts, a French type of bean. We use regular green beans in our video tutorial.
- Butter – divided into 3 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp, unsalted butter is preferred so you can season the dish to your liking, but it can also be substituted with dairy-free butter
- Slivered or sliced almonds – the slivered almonds seem slightly less likely to burn than the thinner sliced almonds, but either works great here
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic adds incredible flavor
- Lemon zest – from one lemon adds vibrant flavor to the buttery sauce without overpowering the dish
- Salt and Pepper – salt to season the water and sauce and pepper added to taste

Pro Zesting Tip:
To get the lemon zest, grate one lemon using a lemon zester, a microplane grater, or the fine holes of a box grater, but be sure to get the yellow rind, not the white pith underneath that is bitter.
How to Make Green Beans Almondine
Here’s how easy it is to bring the side dish to the table—in just 15 minutes!
- Blanching the beans: Fill a large saucepan 2/3 with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add 1 Tbsp of salt. Add the beans, return to a boil, and cook uncovered for 3 to 7 minutes (less for thin beans, more for regular beans), until crisp-tender. Using a colander, drain the beans and then rinse them with cold water (this is called “shocking”) to stop the cooking process. Drain well and then set aside.
- Melt 3 Tbs of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When you notice the butter foaming, add the almonds and 1/4 tsp salt and stir until golden. Watch closely because the almonds can burn quickly!
- Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds, and then remove from heat and melt in the rest of the butter. Season with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle with lemon zest, toss, and then transfer to the serving dish with the sauce. Garnish with more zest, if desired, and then serve immediately.
IMPORTANT: Almonds cook really fast, so don’t walk away from them, and don’t crank the heat too high. They burn easily.

Pro Tip:
Salting the water is so important, so don’t skip this step! As a good guideline, the water should taste like salt water, so if you’re using a larger or smaller pot, be sure to scale the salt up or down accordingly.

Common Questions
Serve Green Beans Almondine with
Try it as this year’s Thanksgiving green bean recipe or alongside any entree all year long, because it’s that versatile and delicious! Here are a few great dishes to serve with these brown butter sautéed green beans:
- Honey Glazed Salmon
- Baked Chicken Breast
- Prime Rib
- Juicy Roast Turkey
- Chicken Schnitzel
- Pan-Seared Steak
Make-Ahead
Par-boil the green beans up to 3 days ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge, but make the butter and almond sauce before serving.
- To Refrigerate: keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Freezing: we don’t advise freezing this recipe
- To Reheat: reheat on low heat in a skillet or in the microwave

This Green Bean Almondine recipe comes together quickly with only 5 delicious ingredients, so don’t wait to try this recipe! Your family will love the buttery almond sauce over these crisp-tender beans, and besides that, it’s such a beautiful dish!
There are tons of new and holiday-worthy recipes including the Green Beans Almondine in our Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook.
More Vegetable Side Dishes
If you love this Green Bean Almondine recipe, then you won’t want to miss these other delicious vegetable side dish recipes.
- Oven-Roasted Broccoli
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Asparagus
- Potato Latkes
- Roasted Potatoes
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
Green Beans Almondine Recipe

Ingredients
- 1 lbs green beans, or haricots verts, rinsed and trimmed
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, or sliced almonds
- 1/8 tsp black pepper, or added to taste
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste, plus 1 Tbsp to salt the water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan 2/3 with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt and green beans. Return to a boil and boil for 3-7 minutes or until crisp-tender (timing depends on the size of the green beans).
- Drain beans immediately in a colander and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter. When butter is foaming, add the almonds and 1/4 tsp salt and pepper and and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes or until nuts are golden and toasted (don't walk away as they burn quickly).
- Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant but do not brown. Turn off the heat and add the remaining Tablespoon of butter then add green beans. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Grate fresh lemon zest and toss to combine. Transfer beans to a serving platter and pour over the skillet sauce and almonds. Garnish with more lemon zest and serve right away.
This green bean recipe is fantastic. I have never used the blanching process to cook the fresh green beans, but it was just what I needed. I had tried to fry them and even though I did not cook them long, they were always overcooked, (limp). This was absolutely perfect. I did exactly what the recipe said, but I only had half of the almonds, so I substituted the rest with English walnuts, and it worked fine. My husband loved them, also. I love your recipes, because they are simple and ingredients that you usually have on hand. I hate recipes that have so many items or things that you are wondering what they are. I have ordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it and start cooking. You are at the top of my list, right there with Ree Drummond, (Pioneer Women), and Paula Deen. I am a country cook, so that’s why I enjoy your recipes. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes.
Happy Thanksgiving Natasha to you and your family. I love your recipes and I bought you book, I think I even pre-order it. I’ve been following you for long time .
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and for buying my cookbook. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family also!
Can you use canned greenbeans? I don’t have fresh ones.
We prefer using fresh but I think that should be fine too.
Hun, if i had the money to buy a cookbooks yours dear would be the one I’d buy. Love your recipes. And watching you prepare your meals. To me there the best. God bless !!
Thank you so much, Donna. I appreciate the love and support.