This is the side dish I make when I want dinner to feel like a dinner party without dinner actually being a dinner party.
Haricot verts – thin French green beans, slimmer and more delicate than what’s in the regular produce section – sautéed in butter with shallot, garlic, and lemon. They take 15 minutes. They look like you spent 45. That’s the whole point.
The three-step method – steam, ice bath, sauté – is the restaurant technique for getting vegetables that are bright green and tender, not drab and mushy. Once you learn it here, you’ll use it on asparagus, broccoli, and snap peas too.
Need another quick vegetable side dish? Try air fryer asparagus or air fryer zucchini chips next.
Green beans, of any kind, contain a lot of great nutrients and take less than 15 minutes to make. This is why they’re a great side dish for a weeknight dinner or a simple recipe for a dinner party.
This method of quickly steaming then and sauteeing them in butter, shallots, and garlic is the classic recipe most chefs learn when they’re in culinary school. It covers basic cooking techniques including steaming, blanching, and sauteeing, in a matter of 10 minutes.
It’s quick, but it’s such an easy way to yield flavorful, crisp, and perfectly cooked french beans for all your main course ideas.
Speaking of, make this easy recipe alongside blackened salmon, almond-crusted salmon, or blackened chicken tenders for a complete meal. It’s a perfect side dish to show off your cooking skills!
What Are Haricot Verts?
The name is French. It translates to “green beans.” In the US, you’ll see them labeled “French green beans” or “thin green beans” in the produce section – same thing.
The thinner diameter means a shorter cook time (4-5 minutes versus 7-10 for regular green beans) and a more delicate texture. They stay tender without going soft, which is why they’re the go-to for dinner parties and fancy side dishes.
Regular Green Beans vs. French Green Beans
Looks and appearance: Regular green beans, also known as string beans or snap beans, are your everyday green beans with a more common appearance. They’re a bit more robust and have that familiar, hearty green bean taste. French green beans, also called haricots verts, are long and slender green beans, with a more delicate texture.
Type of green bean: While it’s true that harvesting regular green beans when they are young and slender can give you a result similar to haricot verts, they are a distinct French variety of green beans bred to be slender and delicate.
How they’re cooked: Traditional green beans might be heartier and stand up well in casseroles or stir-fries, while French green beans are often preferred when you want a more refined, elegant presentation.
Shopping for Haricot Verts
You can find French green beans in your local grocery store in the produce section. Just look for the label “haricot verts” or “french green beans.” Ours came in a 1-pound package. You can purchase these fresh green beans or buy a package from the frozen section. When purchasing, look for:
- Minimal blemishes
- A firm, crisp texture
- Uniformity in shape and size (slender and long)
- A bright, green color
Where to Buy Haricot Verts
Trader Joe’s carries them reliably in the fresh produce section. Whole Foods usually has them too. Most grocery stores carry them – look for the “French green beans” label if you don’t see “haricot verts.”
Frozen haricot verts work in a pinch. Add them directly to boiling water without thawing – they’ll be done in 3-4 minutes. Drain, ice bath, sauté as normal.
The Three-Step Method (and Why It Works)
The steam, ice bath, sauté method is how restaurant kitchens cook vegetables so they’re ready to finish quickly during dinner service. Here’s what each step is doing:
Steam: Steaming keeps the beans above the water rather than submerged in it. They cook gently in 4-5 minutes and come out bright green. If you don’t have a steamer basket, 1-2 inches of simmering water in a covered pan works the same way.
Ice bath: This is the step most home cooks skip – and the one that makes the biggest visible difference. The ice water stops the cooking instantly. Without it, carryover heat keeps cooking the beans for several more minutes after they leave the steamer, turning them from bright green to drab olive and from tender to soft. The ice bath locks in the color and the texture.
Sauté: Because the beans are already cooked, this step is just about flavor – coating them in butter, adding the shallot and garlic, finishing with lemon. It takes two minutes. This is also why you can make the first two steps a day ahead and only do the sauté step right before serving.
Ingredients
Butter: European-style butter has a richer flavor here if you have it. Regular salted butter works just as well. Don’t substitute olive oil – the butter is what gives the sauce its coating quality.
Shallot: Don’t skip it. Shallot has a milder, sweeter flavor than onion and it’s what makes the sauce taste French instead of just garlicky. If you don’t have a shallot, use the white part of a green onion.
Lemon: Acid at the end is what brightens the whole dish. The lemon juice lifts the butter sauce and makes everything taste more alive. Don’t skip it.
How to Make this French Haricot Verts Recipe
Here are the basic steps, with images, for these french-style green beans. A quick steam, ice bath, and saute is my favorite way to make these! Skip down to the recipe card below for the full printable green beans recipe.
Steam the asparagus: Trim green beans and cook in a skillet of boiling water for 4-5 minutes. The beans are done when they’re bright green and just tender – pierce one with a fork or press it with your fingernail. You want a slight resistance, not mush. Immediately transfer them to a large bowl of ice water. The cold water stops the cooking process, so they’re crisp, yet tender (the best way to serve them!). Drain the beans thoroughly and pat them dry before they go in the sauté pan. Water in the pan means the beans will steam instead of sauté, and the butter won’t coat them properly.
Cook the shallots and garlic: Melt a little bit of butter over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes then cook the minced garlic until fragrant.
Saute the green beans: Turn the heat down and toss the green beans with the shallots and garlic. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Taste and add more seasoning as needed.
Serve: Serve them warm or at room temperature with fresh parmesan cheese, slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or
If you love these sautéed green beans, you have to try garlic roasted mini peppers and roasted broccoli and carrots.
Variations
The base recipe is butter, shallot, garlic, and lemon. These are the additions that make it feel more occasion-specific:
Haricot verts amandine (with almonds): Add ¼ cup of slivered almonds to the butter first. Let them toast until golden – about 2 minutes – then add the shallot and continue. The almonds go into the pan with the beans at the end. This is the classic French preparation.
Toasted walnuts: Same approach as almonds, earthier flavor. Great with roast chicken or pork.
Parmesan: A tablespoon or two of freshly grated parmesan stirred in at the end. Richer, more umami.
Bacon: Cook small pieces of bacon in the pan first, remove, sauté the beans in the bacon fat, and crumble the bacon back over at the end.
Red pepper flakes: Add a pinch with the garlic for heat.
Lemon zest: Add along with the lemon juice for a more pronounced citrus flavor.
Make-Ahead Instructions (for Dinner Parties)
This is why haricot verts are one of the best dinner party side dishes: the first two steps can happen the day before.
Up to 24 hours ahead: Steam the beans 4-5 minutes, shock them in an ice bath, drain thoroughly, pat dry, and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Right before serving: Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, cook 1 minute. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds. Add the cold beans, sauté for 2 minutes until heated through. Finish with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, top with parsley. Done.
The cold beans hit a hot pan and come up to temperature in about 2 minutes. They stay bright green and the texture holds. Nobody will know they were made yesterday.
What to Serve With Haricot Verts
Haricot verts go with almost anything that wants a bright, elegant vegetable side:
- Teriyaki glazed salmon – the garlic butter and lemon are a perfect contrast to the sticky teriyaki glaze
- Roast chicken – the classic pairing
- Seared steak – the butter sauce bridges the two
- Hawaiian teriyaki burgers – makes grill night feel more intentional
- Any protein that roasts in the oven – the 15-minute total time means you can start these after everything else goes in
Storage
Store leftover haricot verts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a small piece of butter and a splash of water — this works better than the microwave and keeps the texture closer to fresh.
Don’t freeze them. The texture after freezing and thawing is too soft.
Main Courses to Serve with Sautéed French Green Beans
If you love salmon, make this easy side dish with almond-crusted salmon, Olive Garden copycat herb grilled salmon, or air fryer salmon bites.
A few delicious chicken dishes include easy pesto chicken, air fryer bacon-wrapped chicken breasts, or French onion chicken bake.
FAQs
Haricot verts are thin French green beans. The name means “green beans” in French. They’re slimmer than regular green beans, more delicate in texture, and cook in 4-5 minutes instead of 7-10. You’ll find them in most grocery stores labeled “haricot verts,” “French green beans,” or “thin green beans.”
Yes. Regular green beans work in this recipe – just increase the steaming time to 6-8 minutes. The flavor and technique are the same. The texture will be slightly less delicate but still good.
It stops the cooking instantly. Without the ice bath, carryover heat keeps cooking the beans for several minutes after they leave the steamer, which turns them from bright green to drab olive and from tender to soft. The ice bath locks in the color and texture. Don’t skip this step.
Yes – and this is what makes them ideal for dinner parties. Steam and shock the beans up to 24 hours in advance, drain well, pat dry, and refrigerate. Sauté in butter with shallot and garlic for 2 minutes right before serving. They come up to temperature quickly from cold and stay bright green.
The classic French preparation – haricot verts with toasted slivered almonds. Toast ¼ cup of slivered almonds in the butter before the shallot goes in. They get golden and nutty, then go into the pan with the beans at the end. It’s one of the most elegant things you can make in under 20 minutes.
Most grocery stores carry them in the fresh produce section, sometimes labeled “French green beans” or “thin green beans.” Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods carry them reliably. Frozen haricot verts are available at many grocery stores and work well with this method.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Haricot Verts with Garlic Butter and Shallots
Save this Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 lb French green beans (Haricot Verts) washed and ends trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 1 Tablespoon)
- Kosher salt to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- Parmesan cheese, chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, lemon zest, and/or red pepper flakes to garnish
Instructions
- Add the water and green beans to a large skillet with a lid, over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stop to stir or shake the green beans 1-2 times as needed. The beans are done when they’re bright green and just tender – press one with your fingernail to check. Transfer the green beans to an ice bath to stop the cooking process and drain the water from the pan. Don’t skip this step. It stops the cooking and keeps the beans bright green. Transfer to a paper towel and pat gently to dry.
- Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium heat. Pat the beans dry after draining so the butter coats them properly. Add the shallot and cook for 1-2 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the green beans. Toss to coat in the shallots and garlic. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley and toss to coat. Remove from the heat and serve with grated parmesan cheese and finely chopped walnuts.
Notes
Equipment
- Large skillet
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I made this and really liked it! Next time I will cook the green beans a little less but otherwise it was great! I also topped it with crumbled bacon.
Love the cheese and nuts but I was hoping for a recipe that doesn’t boil the veggies and toss the vitamin rich water. Please advise why most recipes ignore the water soluble vitamins by boiling veggies in water and tossing it?
Hello! The traditional was it to blanch them for best cooking results. And blanching them can acutally help preserve the nutrients in the green beans themselves. Thanks!