Active Time

　　30 minutes

　　Total Time

　　35 minutes

　　Often anglicized as “green beans almondine,” this classic French side dish is a perennial crowd-pleaser. It’s made with haricots verts, a variety of French green beans with a longer, thinner shape than typical American string beans. Some cooks add minced garlic and shallots to the sauce, or season the finished dish with black pepper or a splash of olive oil, but the traditional green beans amandine recipe has just five ingredients.

　　To start, blanch fresh green beans in boiling water and then move them to an ice bath. This fussy-seeming extra step keeps them bright green and perfectly crisp-tender. Almonds give this dish its name and infuse the sauce with nutty richness; we like sliced almonds here since their skins enhance the flavors, but you can use skinless slivered almonds if you prefer. You’ll cook them with the butter until the butter begins to brown and the nuts have a fantastic, toasty aroma. To reheat the blanched green beans, sauté them in the buttery, golden brown sauce. Use tongs to transfer them to a plate or platter and spoon the toasted almond–butter sauce over everything.

　　

Ingredients

8–10 servings

　　2½ lb. green beans, preferably haricot verts, trimmed

　　1 tsp Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton’s kosher salt, plus more for pot

　　½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

　　1 cup (3.5 oz.) sliced almonds, preferably skin-on

　　2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

　　Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

　　

Step 1

Cook 2½ lb. green beans, preferably haricot verts, trimmed on the stovetop in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 5–7 minutes. Drain, then immediately transfer to a large bowl filled with ice water. Drain again and pat dry.

　　

Step 2

Melt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup (3.5 oz.) sliced almonds, preferably skin-on and 1 tsp Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton’s kosher salt and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add green beans and 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and stir to coat; cook just until warmed through.

　　

Step 3

Transfer green beans to a platter. Pour butter sauce and almonds over and garnish with lemon zest (if using).

　　Do ahead: Green beans can be blanched 1 day ahead. Let dry, then transfer to an airtight container and chill.

　　Editor’s note: This recipe was first published in December 2017. Head this way for more of our best green bean recipes →