Blanching green beans is one of the simplest and most useful cooking techniques every home cook should know. In just a few minutes, this method locks in their bright green color, keeps them a crisp-tender texture, and enhances their fresh flavor. Whether you're preparing them for a salad, a quick sauté, or freezing for later, blanching ensures perfectly cooked green beans every time. Let me show you how.
Blanching is typically defined as briefly boiling a vegetable (usually 1-2 minutes) followed by shocking it in ice water to stop cooking. The timing can vary based on how the green beans will be used, whether they will be frozen for future use, or refrigerated for serving later in another recipe. You can also blanch longer (5 minutes) and serve right away while hot.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- A simple method everyone should learn.
- Useful with many vegetables beside green beans.
- Blanching green beans means a quick side dish for weeknight dinners.
For a classic green bean recipe, try green beans almondine, delicious with almonds.
Recipe Ingredients
- Green beans: Use fresh green beans, aka string beans. My favorite are the French variety labeled haricot vert or baby green beans because the are flavorful and tender, but get what looks best at your market. Bright green, crisp, no spots.
- Salt: Blanching means salted water, and I use kosher salt for this and other culinary needs.
Here are my Thanksgiving green beans, blanched, chilled, refrigerated a day ahead, then dressed to serve.
Chef’s Tip on type of beans: Green beans, string beans, and snap beans (they snap when you break them) are the same thing. Wax beans are closely related (the yellow variety). Pole beans grow on vines and need support, while bush beans grow in compact plants. Though their textures and flavors are similar, pole beans often have a deeper flavor.
What is Blanching?
The blanching process is briefly cooking green beans (and other vegetables) in boiling water to enhance their color, texture, and flavor. Blanching preserves the bright color, enhances texture, and stops enzyme actions that cause spoilage. It's especially useful before freezing vegetables.
Blanching water is generously seasoned with salt, which helps bring out the green beans natural flavors—but don’t worry, they don’t absorb all of it.
- Traditional Blanching (1-2 minutes): Keeps beans crisp-tender, perfect for recipes where they’ll be cooked further (sautéing, stir-frying, casseroles).
- Extended Blanching (3-5 minutes): Softens the beans to fully tender, making them ideal for serving immediately as a side dish.
At 5 minutes, you’re still technically blanching—just blanching to doneness. Some sources might call this parboiling, since it softens the beans more, but as long as they’re not fully boiled until mushy, it still qualifies as blanching.
Chef's tip: What else is blanching good for? Instead of serving raw carrots on your next vegetable party platter, blanch the carrots for 1-2 minutes. They are so much better! The same for broccoli florets and snap peas (1 minute blanch then shock in ice water)
Recipe Instructions
- Fill a large pot of water ¾ full. You need a big pot and lots of water for successfully blanching green beans (and other vegetables). Use a 5-7 quart pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per quart of water. Just eye it when you add the water. It seems like a lot, but it's how the green beans are seasoned. It makes a big difference in taste, and you don't consume all of that salt. It seasons the beans then the water is tossed, so most is discarded.
- Add green beans and blanch 1-5 minutes, depending on what you are going to do with them.
- When done, use a slotted spoon or a spider to scoop the green beans into the ice-cold water to chill and stop the cooking process, about 1 minute, then drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
Blanched beans can be served immediately while hot, skipping the ice bath. If blanching for a salad or another recipe, chill in an ice bath, then dry thoroughly and store in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days for the best texture and freshness.
Freezing Blanched Green Beans
- Pat dry before freezing. Excess moisture can cause ice crystals and freezer burn.
- Freeze in a single layer first. Spread them on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag to prevent clumping.
- Use airtight storage. Vacuum-seal or use a freezer-safe container with air removed for better preservation.
For best quality, use frozen green beans within 3 months to retain the best texture, color, and flavor. They are safe to eat up to 6 months or even longer, but they may start to lose texture and taste over time.
Serving Suggestions
After blanching green beans for serving, serve hot, room temperature, or cold try these options:
- Make simple sautéed green beans with a little butter or olive oil, adding garlic for garlicky green beans.
- Simply dress with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, plus a little fresh chopped parsley or other herb.
- Add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, pistachios or pine nuts for crunch and texture.
- Sprinkle with citrus zest for color and flavor.
- Use a extra virgin finishing oil, such as walnut, hazelnut, white truffle, lemon, rosemary or basil.
- Drizzle with store-bought or homemade Balsamic syrup
- Toss with sautéed mushrooms and a little toasted sesame oil and ginger for Asian flavor.
- Toasted pine nuts and dried cranberries.
- Add buttery homemade breadcrumbs with parmesan.
- Dress with a simple vinaigrette, add herbs and capers.
In this sweet corn succotash recipe, swap blanched, chopped green beans for the soy beans or lima beans for a terrific summer vegetable salad.
Recipe FAQs
The blanching time for green beans typically ranges from 2 to 3 minutes, depending on their size. This duration ensures they become tender-crisp while retaining their bright green color. For serving right away to eat, blanch 5 minutes.
Yes, trim the stems before blanching.
To stop the cooking process, shock the green beans in ice water for 30-60 seconds, the drain and dry.
Yes, that way one step is already done, saving you time. After blanching and shocking in ice water, drain beans thoroughly and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. They stay fresh for 3-4 days before texture and quality start to decline.
Absolutely, although blanching times vary depending on the vegetable and size and what their purpose will be.
More Recipes With Green Beans
Blanched green beans are terrific in this green bean salad, a summer staple recipe.
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📖 Recipe
Blanching Green Beans
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans regular or French haricot vert
- kosher salt for blanching water
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Use 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per quart of water. While water is coming to a boil, set up your ice bath with a large bowl filled half with ice and half with cold water.
- When water is boiling, drop green beans into boiling water for 2-5 minutes. If they will be cooked in another dish, start at 2 minutes. If you plan to eat them right away, blanch for 5 minutes.
- When done, scoop the green beans into the ice water and chill to stop the cooking process, about 1 minutes, then drain and dry on a clean kitchen towel. Keep warm to serve or cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Nutrition
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Porsche Guy says
This is so simple and useful! Blanched green beans at 5 minutes (or until I bite one and it's tender) has become a go-to veggie for during the week,