Asian green beans are quick and easy and make a tasty addition to any meal!

It’s a great side dish to serve alongside our 4-Ingredient Easy Potstickers and Pineapple Rice. 

asian green bean recipe. this recipe
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Garlicky with a hint of sweetness, these spicy green beans are incredibly delicious and easy to make — just like our roasted garlic green beans!

What makes them unique is the way they’re prepared. The green beans are quickly blanched in salted water and then stir fried with garlic, soy sauce, chili flakes, and honey.

It’s a two-step process that takes less than 10 minutes to ensure perfectly crunchy and seasoned green beans every single time.

Ingredients for Asian Green Beans

You’ll need seven ingredients to make Asian green bean recipe: 

ingredients for spicy green beans.
  • Green Beans: Fresh green beans with ends trimmed work the best for this recipe.
  • Salt: I prefer kosher salt for my recipes. Taste, as you go, is my best advice when salting food.
  • Avocado Oil: I like avocado oil for its neutral taste. But olive oil works great too. 
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic minced or pressed can be used here.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: They’re going to add some heat to the green beans.
  • Soy Sauce: Be careful salting the green beans since soy sauce is very salty. For gluten gree option, use tamari.
  • Honey: Honey is going to add a touch of sweetness. Feel free to add more to taste.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Asian Style Green Beans

Bring 4-quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the green beans. Cook green beans for 2-3 minutes or until tender-crisp. Immediately remove to a bowl. 

blanched green beans in a pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, red chili flakes, soy sauce, and honey. Set aside.

garlic mixture for green beans.

In a large skillet heat avocado oil over medium heat. When hot, add the green beans and cook, stirring frequently, until charred and tender, about 4-5 minutes. 

spicy green beans recipe.

Add the garlic mixture and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, while tossing the green beans non-stop. Season with salt to taste before serving.

How Spicy are Asian Green Beans?

These Asian-style green beans have a slightly spicy bite to them with a hint of sweetness. I personally find them not overly spicy but at the same time, I would not feed them to my kids.

asian style green beans.

Leftovers

Store leftover green beans in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Upon refrigerating, the texture will change but they’ll still taste great.

Serving Suggestions

These green beans make the perfect side dish! Serve them with anything grilled in the warmer months. Here are a few of our favorites:

More Easy Side Dishes

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spicy asian green beans

Asian Green Bean Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 10 min
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
  • Category: Side
  • Method: Blanch
  • Cuisine: Asian
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Description

Sweet and spicy green beans make the best side dish. They are so flavorful and so easy to make!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. avocado oil
  • 4–5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. honey

Instructions

  1. In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add beans to the boiling water and cook until the green beans are bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately remove to a clean bowl with a pair of tongs while letting excess water drip back into the pot.
  2. Combine the garlic, red chili flakes, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a large non-stick skillet or sauté pan, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add green beans and cook until charred and tender, about 4-5 minutes, while tossing frequently.
  4. Add the garlic mixture to the green beans and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, while tossing the green beans non-stop. Make sure not to burn the garlic. Taste and season with salt as needed before serving.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 oz.
  • Calories: 120
  • Sugar: 8.2 g
  • Sodium: 1009.8 mg
  • Fat: 7.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13.7 g
  • Protein: 2.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg