Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic are quick and easy to make and super delicious. The fresh green beans (string beans!) are pan-fried until blistered in a few spots then tossed with a little garlic. Yum!

Sauteed green beans with garlic in a skillet.

This green bean recipe is so easy to make that it almost doesn't deserve to taste so good. It's our go-to sauteed green beans recipe because it's super fast to make (10 minutes!) and they go with nearly every dinner I make. I know you'll love them, too!

Why these sauteed green beans are about to become your favorite

  • The super short (4-ingredient!!) list keeps the focus on the tender green beans.
  • Cooking the green beans over high heat on your stovetop gives them extra flavor. I'm looking at you, deliciously dark blistered spots.
  • It's also the fastest way to cook green beans. Only 5 minutes of prep and 5 minutes of cooking and your new favorite side dish will be ready to eat.
  • Sauteed green beans are the most versatile side dish. Pick a protein, make these beans, and you'll have dinner. I love them with my Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts or Juicy Baked Pork Chops.
  • Green beans are super healthy. They're high in fiber, low in calories, and are full of nutrition.
  • Sauteeing them with a little olive oil keeps this recipe dairy-free, low-carb, gluten-free, paleo, Whole30 and all those other healthy things.

A close up of sauteed string beans

How to prepare green beans

Fresh green beans (also called string beans) are easy to prepare. Most green beans are now stringless, which means that all you have to do to prepare them is cut off the tip.

But if you've bought heirloom green beans they likely will have strings. In this case, use a paring knife to snap the end off then pull it back to remove the string.

Or you can buy bags of prepared green beans at most grocery stores to save you a little time.

How to cook fresh green beans

Fresh green beans can be steamed, roasted, or sauteed. I like sauteeing (or pan frying) green beans as I find when steaming and roasting it's easy to overcook them.

When making sauteed green beans you want a super hot pan. This way they'll end up getting blistered in few spots. Dark blistered spots = lots of flavor!

Simply heat a pan over high heat then add the green beans and some oil at the same time. Cook them for about 5 minutes, tossing the pan a few times. That's it! In 5 minutes your sauteed string beans will be ready to eat!

A pan of this sauteed green bean recipe.

What can I season green beans with?

These garlic green beans are delicious just as the recipe is written. 99% of the time I don't change the recipe at all. But sometimes I switch things up. Once the green beans are cooked, you can toss them with:

  • A squeeze of lemon juice
  • Chili flakes or Sriracha for some heat
  • A sprinkle of parmesan cheese
  • Some crispy bacon
  • Toasted sliced almonds
  • A little blue cheese

What to serve with this sauteed green beans recipe

These green beans are so versatile that they go well with nearly everything. Some of my favorites are:

To complete your dinner, these Smoky Roast Potatoes or these Herb and Garlic Smashed Sweet Potatoes go really well with this green bean recipe!

A white serving plate piled with pan fried green beans with a wooden serving fork in it.

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Favorite Green Bean Recipes

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A white serving plate piled with pan fried green beans with a wooden serving fork in it.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic

  • Author: Kristen Stevens | The Endless Meal
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic are quick and easy to make and super delicious. The fresh green beans (string beans!) are pan-fried until blistered in a few spots then tossed with a little garlic. Yum!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
  • 3 garlic cloves, very finely minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pan over high heat. When it's hot, add the oil and green beans. Cook the green beans, tossing occasionally, until soft and starting to blister and turn black in a few spots, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook the beans for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat and toss with the sea salt.

Sauteed garlic green beans on a white serving dish with the recipe title at the top.