August 16, 2026
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I love green beans in all the ways green beans can be prepared, from simple garlic green beans to this more sophisticated green beans almondine. Which is technically green beans “amandine”. Which, if we’re being honest, isn’t even really a dish name at all. But we’ve all accepted it, so here we are.
It is delicious alongside fish, sole, sea bream, trout, skate wing, salmon, or anything delicate, since the brown butter and almonds do the same job there as they do with the beans!
Table of Contents
Where green beans almondine comes from
Amandine isn’t really the name of a dish. It’s a French culinary technique term that describes a way of finishing rather than a specific recipe. Anything à l’amandine is cooked with butter and seasoning and then finished with almonds, usually toasted and flaked. It belongs to a family of nineteenth-century recipes built on exactly that idea, and you’ll find it applied to all sorts of things.
In English-speaking countries it usually gets spelled almondine, an anglicised version of the French, and it turns up as a side particularly around the holidays, when it does the useful job of being both elegant and really easy to make.
The thing worth knowing is that the flavour doesn’t come from the almonds alone. It comes from browning the butter. Take it past melted to beurre noisette, nutty and golden, and the dish shifts from pleasant to memorable. That’s the real secret of a good amandine, and it’s why it tastes of so much more than its four ingredients suggest!
Ingredients
- Green beans — haricots verts, the thin French beans, are traditional and cook quickly and evenly. Regular green beans work too, they just need a minute or two longer. Look for firm ones that snap.
- Butter — the heart of the dish, browned into beurre noisette. Use good unsalted butter, since it’s carrying most of the flavour.
- Flaked almonds — toasted until golden, for the crunch and the nutty note. Flaked rather than whole, so they toast evenly and catch on the beans.
- Lemon — a squeeze at the end, which cuts the richness of the butter and lifts the dish.
- Salt and pepper — to season, with the salt going in the blanching water as well.
How to make green beans almondine
1. Blanch the beans and stop them cold
Drop the trimmed beans into well-salted boiling water for three to four minutes, until tender-crisp and vividly green. Then straight into iced water. This stops the cooking dead, sets the colour, and keeps them pleasantly crisp rather than soft. Drain well and pat dry, wet beans will dilute the butter rather than letting it cling to them.
2. Toast the almonds in butter
Melt the butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat, then add the sliced almonds. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the almonds are golden and fragrant and the butter has taken on their toasted, nutty flavour. This only takes a few minutes, so keep a close eye on them. As soon as the almonds are beautifully golden, tip them onto a plate. They’ll continue cooking from their residual heat.
3. Toss the beans through the nutty butter
Return the pan to the heat and add the blanched, dried beans to the almond-infused butter. Toss for a minute or two, just until the beans are hot and glossy and thoroughly coated.
4. Finish with lemon
Take the pan off the heat and add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. The lemon should brighten the buttery richness, not dominate it.
5. Return the almonds and serve
Scatter the toasted almonds back over the beans and give everything one final toss. Serve immediately, while the beans are warm, the butter is silky and the almonds are still wonderfully crisp.
Tools for this recipe
Check out my favorite kitchen essentials and cookware!
- Use a wide frying pan with a pale base if you have one, so you can actually see the butter turning golden rather than guessing, since the window between nutty and burnt is only seconds.
- Use a saucepan big enough to blanch the beans in plenty of water, which keeps the water hot and the beans bright.
- Use a colander to drain the beans quickly into the iced water, since the faster they cool the better the colour holds.
Tips for success
- Salt the blanching water generously: it seasons the beans from the inside, which you can’t fully replicate by seasoning at the end.
- Don’t skip the ice bath: it’s what keeps the beans that vivid green and stops them going olive and floppy in the residual heat.
- Dry the beans before they meet the butter: water and browned butter don’t mix, and wet beans steam in the pan rather than glazing in the butter.
- Watch the butter: beurre noisette goes from perfect to acrid in about ten seconds. A pale pan and your nose are your best guides.
- Add the lemon at the very end, off the heat: cooked lemon juice loses its brightness, and brightness so add it at the end on your finished green beans almondine.
How to store it
- In the fridge: Keeps 2 to 3 days covered, though the almonds soften and the beans lose their squeak. Reheat gently in a pan rather than a microwave, which steams them limp.
- Blanched beans ahead: This is the useful one. Blanch, cool, dry and refrigerate the beans up to a day ahead in a container, then do the butter and almonds fresh at the last minute. Almost all the work, none of the last-minute rush.
- In the freezer: Blanched plain green beans freeze well for up to 3 months, which is worth doing in bean season. Don’t freeze the finished dish, since the butter and almonds don’t survive it.
More side dishes recipes to try
Variations
- With garlic and shallot: a softened shallot and a clove of garlic in the butter, which makes it more savoury and substantial.
- Almondine with parmesan: a little grated parmesan over the top at the end for a more savoury green beans almondine.
- Different nuts: toasted hazelnuts, pine nuts or pistachios all work on the same principle and each shifts the character slightly.
- Other vegetables, same technique: asparagus, cauliflower or broccoli à l’amandine, all finished the same way.
- With a splash of sherry vinegar: in place of the lemon, for a sharper, more savoury finish that suits a richer main.
FAQ
What does amandine mean?
It’s a French culinary technique, not a specific dish. Anything à l’amandine is cooked with butter and finished with toasted almonds. Green beans, trout, asparagus and cauliflower are all commonly served this way.
What’s the difference between amandine and almondine?
None. Amandine is the French spelling and almondine is the anglicised version used in American and British cookbooks. Same dish, same technique.
Can I use regular green beans instead of haricots verts?
Yes. Thin haricots verts are traditional and cook faster, but regular green beans work well with a minute or two more blanching time.
Why brown the butter for green beans almondine?
Browning the butter into beurre noisette gives it a nutty, toasted flavour that’s the real character of the dish. Plain melted butter is fine, but browned is what makes it memorable.
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes 
Total Time 20 minutes 
Servings 4Description
Ingredients
- 500 gr haricots verts green beans
- 50 gr unsalted butter
- 50 gr sliced almonds
- ½ lemon zested and juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 pinch black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
1. Blanch the beans
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the trimmed green beans and cook for 3–4 minutes, until tender-crisp and bright green. Drain and plunge straight into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. Drain again and pat dry.
2. Toast the almonds in butter
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the flaked almonds and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, until the almonds are golden and fragrant and the butter has taken on their nutty flavour. Keep a close eye on them, they can go from golden to burnt very quickly. Tip the almonds onto a plate and set aside.
3. Toss the beans through the butter
- Return the pan to the heat and add the drained beans to the almond-infused butter. Toss well to coat and warm through for a minute or two, until the beans are hot and glossy.
4. Add the lemon
- Take the pan off the heat and add the lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then toss to combine. The lemon should add brightness without overpowering the buttery flavour.
5. Return the almonds and serve
- Add the toasted almonds back to the pan and give everything one final toss. Serve immediately, while the beans are warm and the almonds are still crisp.
Notes
- Haricots verts are traditional, but regular green beans work with a slightly longer blanching time.
- The ice bath keeps the beans bright green and tender-crisp. Don’t skip it.
- Browning the butter is what gives the dish its nutty depth. Watch it closely, as it burns quickly.
- Blanch the beans a day ahead to make this a five-minute finish.
Share your feedback and spread the love!
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Leave a ★★★★★ rating and your thoughts in the comments, it helps fellow French foodies discover this recipe too. Snap a photo and tag @obviously.french on Instagram. Come talk about it in our Facebook group. And don’t forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you’ll always have it handy for your next French-inspired meal!
