The combination of hazelnuts, lemon and shallots in these French Green Beans elevates this side dish to a completely amazing level. It only takes about 15 minutes to put this recipe together so it works as a weeknight side dish, yet it's elegant enough to add to a spring holiday menu. You'll definitely want to put this one in your regular rotation!!
This post may contain sales affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for details.
Though veggies may not be one of my most favorite things, green beans are on the shortlist of veggies that I really like. When you add some simple, fresh seasonings to them, they become simply wonderful! To me, green beans and springtime go hand-in-hand, so I wanted to update one of my favorite green bean recipes.
These vibrant green beans are the star side dish your spring meal deserves. They pair especially well with this Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Merlot Sauce. For dessert, add this Creamy Lemon Tart and you've got the ultimate date night meal.
Contents:
Ingredient Notes
This recipe uses a few fresh ingredients, some of which you likely already have on hand.
- Green beans: You are looking for french green beans (also known as hericot vert) which are thinner and more tender than standard green beans. You can substitute regular green beans but they will need to steam for a minute or two longer and you'll get a slightly different taste.
- European Butter: It has a higher fat content than other types of butter, so it will emulsify differently with the lemon and shallots to create a creamier coating for the beans.
- Hazelnuts: They provide a buttery, earthy taste that perfectly complements the green beans. I generally buy whole hazelnuts and then chop or smash them into smaller pieces. You can usually find them in the bulk food section.
Recommended Tools
Microplane zester – This is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It’s especially handy for zesting citrus and grating hard cheese.
Making Green Beans
This recipe only takes a few steps and since the beans cook quickly you'll want to have everything prepped before you start cooking.
Step 1 | Trim the green beans. Start by rinsing the beans and then trimming the stems off. While you can remove the stems by hand, this takes forever! So a quicker and easier way to do this is to arrange small groups of the beans with the stems all pointing in the same direction and then cut the stem end off the entire pile at the same time. No worry if they aren't all even - no one will notice!
Step 2 | Make the butter. You'll find many green bean recipes that call for sautéing the beans in butter. Instead of cooking them in butter, I like to add a compound butter at the end to ensure all the beans are evenly coated and the flavors stay fresh and bright. Compound butter is simply about combining softened butter with other seasonings. If you want to know more, check out this post about how to make compound butter.
Step 3 | Steam the beans. You'll want to use a sauté pan with a lid for this recipe. Once you add the water, cover the beans and cook them until the water evaporates. Resist the urge to open the lid, but do keep an eye on them, as there should be a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan until right before you remove them from the heat.
Step 4 | Add the compound butter. This is the step that adds all of the flavor to the dish. Toss the beans with the butter using a pair of tongs. It's ok if you have a few larger clumps of butter as they will melt as the beans finish cooling off. You can leave the beans in the warm pan for a few minutes until you are ready to serve.
More side dish ideas
For more interesting side dish ideas, try these Individual Potato Gratins, this Spring Pea Salad or these Simple Roasted Carrots with Cumin, Honey & Ricotta.
Click here to subscribe to Urban Foodie Kitchen's Newsletter for free and fresh smaller scale recipes right to your inbox!
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment with a star rating below. You can also take a photo & tag @urbanfoodiekitchen on Instagram.
French Green Beans with Hazelnut Butter
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon chopped hazelnuts
- 1 pound French green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Make the compound butter. Mix the butter, shallots, lemon zest and hazelnuts in a small bowl until combined. Refrigerate while the beans are cooking.
- Steam the beans. Place the beans in a sauté pan and sprinkle with salt. Add the water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for about 2 minutes, until all of the water boils off. Immediately remove from heat.
- Finish the dish. Spoon butter mixture over the beans. Using a pair of tongs, toss the beans until all of the butter is melted and the beans are coated. Serve immediately.
This post was originally published in April 2019. It was updated in March 2026 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Such a simple and perfect side dish!
Marye
These green beans sound amazing, I love that they are quick easy and delicious!
FoodieGirlChicago
Thanks Marye. They are really good, and super easy to make!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
Those are some beautiful beans. They will be in season soon where I live and I can't wait.
Kait
Easy and delicious side! Amazing crunch with the beans and the hazelnuts! What a wonderful way to make a side dish stand out.
Levan
Simple, healthy, and absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing this amazing bean recipe!