Name: Asian Green Beans
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1½ pounds fresh green beans (trimmed); 3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium); 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1 teaspoon sugar; 6 cloves garlic (pressed or minced); ½ cup almonds (slivered or sliced)

Jump to Recipe

This Asian green beans recipe brings all the bold flavor of Chinese buffet green beans to your kitchen in just 10 minutes. Made with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a touch of crunch from almonds, these Chinese green beans are sautéed until tender and full of flavor. It’s a fast, fresh side dish that pairs with almost any dinner and gets your veggies on the table without fuss. Pin now so you’ll have this easy, simple veggie favorite ready for busy weeknights.

Asian green beans with almonds on a white plate

This recipe was featured in the Dinner Tonight: Green Bean Fest on MarthaStewart.com in 2010.

I looooove this green bean recipe. It's my absolute favorite way to eat green beans, and it's very easy to throw together at the last minute.

Why this is the best Asian green beans recipe

This stir-fry recipe is simple and easy. Steam the beans, whisk the sauce together, and stir fry everything for a couple of minutes. That's it.

Chinese buffet green beans are very quick to put together. This is a 10-minute recipe, easily. It will take you longer to assemble and measure your ingredients than it will to cook the green beans.

This recipe uses just a few common ingredients. It has 5 required ingredients, one of which is the beans, and one optional ingredient. You are welcome to add spices like salt, pepper, and crushed or whole red chili peppers as you see fit, but the basic recipe with its 5 ingredients is a home run just on its own. All of these ingredients are available in virtually every grocery store in America, and most around the world.

Chinese green beans on a plate with rice and pot stickers

Asian green beans are very healthy. This recipe is all veggies, and there is nearly no sugar. You can feel good about feeding these green beans to your kids because they are loaded with nutrients! Throw in a protein like balsamic marinated chicken breasts, and it's a full meal.

Chinese green beans have a great flavor! I am not a fan of soy sauce, but something magical happens when you mix it with sesame oil and sugar. It transforms into this flavor explosion that makes these green beans irresistible.

This recipe is allergy-friendly and appropriate for special diets. Green beans are low in carbs and great for bariatric, keto, and paleo diets. In addition, this recipe is dairy-free, egg-free, and gluten-free, assuming you have gluten-free soy sauce. You can make it nut-free by leaving out the almonds. It's mostly fresh, whole foods that are as close to the vine as you can get.

Chinese Buffet Green Beans on a white platter

What you'll need to make Chinese Buffet green beans

Equipment

Garlic press - There is no substitute for fresh garlic. Garlic powder and garlic from a jar just do not taste the same, and don't let anyone kid you into thinking they do. I have a garlic press from The Pampered Chef, and I use it pretty much daily. It comes with a little cleaning tool which makes clean up very simple. You just need to rinse it and use the tool right after you press the garlic, and it comes clean in under a minute. Don't let it dry dirty, and it will be simple and easy to clean. All that said, if you don't have a garlic crusher, you can try to smash the garlic with the flat side of your chef's knife, and then mince the crushed garlic the best you can with a sharp knife.
Wok - Or any large skillet or flat-bottom pan. You want to try to get the green beans as much in a single layer as possible, so they they brown a bit and come in contact with as much of that delicious soy sauce mixture as possible.

Ingredients

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

Fresh green beans - I wash and trim my green beans before cooking them. Most Chinese buffets don't trim theirs. It's perfectly fine to just leave the ends whole and cook them that way.
Low sodium soy sauce - I am not a huge soy sauce fan, and I prefer the taste of the low sodium variety, but you can use whatever soy sauce you want. If you are gluten-free, make sure you find a gluten-free soy sauce. They are available in almost all grocery stores, but you will have to read the labels to make sure the one you choose is safe.
Sesame oil - This may be labeled toasted sesame oil. A little goes a long way because it's very potent, but it has an amazing flavor that really makes Asian food taste incredible. Sesame oil spoils quickly, so get the smallest possible container and store it in a cool, dry place, preferably not next to your stove.
White sugar - This is plain old granulated sugar. You don't want to leave it out, but it is okay to use a sugar substitute including honey or a no calorie variety.
Fresh garlic - When you are making a side dish with 5 ingredients, all of the ingredients are very important. Don't leave the garlic out, or you will be sad. I think you will also be sad if you attempt to use garlic from a jar or garlic powder. This recipe really needs the pungent flavor of fresh garlic.
Sliced almonds, optional - These add something nice to the dish, but they are okay to leave out if you don't like them or don't have them.

How to make Chinese green beans

Trim the beans if, you want to. Most Chinese restaurants do not, but I usually do at home.
Pin
Steam beans until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
Pin
While beans are cooking, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Pin
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stirring constantly until soft and fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds.
Pin
Add green beans and almonds, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
Pin
Add soy sauce mixture.
Pin
Continue to cook and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pin
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve hot with rice.
Pin

Variations and substitututions

There aren't many substitutions you can make in this recipe because it is so simple and basic. You can use a sugar substitute in place of white sugar. If you're on a keto diet, for example, a sugar-free honey would be great in this recipe.

I guess you could try a different kind of nut in place of the almonds.

You can use any brand or style of soy sauce. I prefer low-sodium and gluten-free, but there are many different kinds available in most grocery stores.

Asian Green Beans in tongs with the sesame soy sauce dripping off

You can add some freshly grated ginger to the garlic. Start with a tablespoon and add more if you think it needs it.

You can add some crushed red pepper flakes, whole red chilies, or sriracha to this recipe and get pretty close to the spicy green beans they serve at PF Chang's.

two plates of Chinese food with rice, pot stickers, and Chinese green beans

Storing leftovers

These green beans store well. Simply transfer cooled leftovers to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze these green beans. Place cooled leftovers in a zippered plastic freezer bag or freezer container and store in the freezer for up to two months. To serve, move the beans to the fridge overnight and then heat up as desired.

My preferred method to reheat Asian green beans is to put them back into a large skillet and move them around once in a while until they're heated through, but you can also microwave them. They can sometimes get a little mushy in the microwave, which is why I prefer the stovetop method.