Asian Green Beans

These Asian green beans are slightly crisp and full of flavor. They are a perfect vegan side dish and are a breeze to make in minutes!

Regular steamed green beans are just okay to me, but these delicious Asian-style green beans are absolutely amazing and so easy to make. They pair well with any healthy stir fry recipes you might be making for dinner.

How to make Asian green beans

Caramelizing the onions adds a delicious savory flavor to this green bean recipe, and it’s so easy to do.

Begin by slicing the onion into thin crescent shapes or dice if you like your onions smaller. Go ahead and mince the garlic as well, or you can use the jar variety.

I am often asked what knives I use and recommend for cooking, and my favorite brand is Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery. Yes, that’s the same company that makes the Swiss Army Knife. These knives come with a lifetime guarantee and are very reasonably priced. I absolutely love mine.

In a large pan or wok, add the onions to the dry pan and begin to cook on medium heat. You will need to keep a close eye on this to keep it from burning. I have a video below showing how easy it is to do this.

Once the onions begin to brown a little, add about 3 tablespoons of veggie broth or water to the pan. As they continue to cook, add a little more veggie broth one tablespoon at a time. Scrape any of the caramelized brown parts, and mix into the broth as the pan begins to cook down.

Next, add the clean green beans and 3/4 cup veggie broth. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for approximately 12-15 minutes until the beans become slightly tender, but still somewhat firm.

While the beans are cooking, go ahead and make the sauce.

Making the Asian-inspired sauce

About 30 years ago, a Japanese friend taught me how to whip this sauce up for a lot of the dishes he prepared. He mostly used it as a dipping sauce, but I have found so many more uses for it over the years.

It takes less than 5-minutes to prepare this Asian-inspired sauce by simply whisking together soy sauce (or tamari if it needs to be GF), water, lemon juice, minced garlic, sweetener of choice, and arrowroot powder (or another thickener such as cornstarch). I prefer arrowroot powder because it doesn’t clump and is so easy to use in recipes.

Personally, I use honey to sweeten my sauce, and there is a great vegan-friendly honey option as well. Other sweetener options include maple syrup, agave, or sucanat.

After the ingredients are mixed well, add the sauce to the hot pan of green beans and turn the heat down to low. It will begin to thicken within seconds and will continue to thicken as it heats up.

Stir well to coat the beans and allow to cook uncovered in the broth for another 3-5 minutes. Then, remove from heat and serve warm.

*Originally published August 2014.

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Try these other great vegan bean recipes

• Green Bean Casserole
• Country Smoked Baked Beans
• Easy Bean Salad
• Simple Bean Salad

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Asian Green Beans

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

These Asian green beans are slightly crisp and full of flavor. They are a perfect vegan side dish and are a breeze to make in minutes!

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Ingredients

Asian Green Beans

• 1 lb. of fresh green beans, washed with ends clipped off
• 1/2 cup onion (or more)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup veggie broth for cooking
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt to taste (optional)
• Asian Sauce, recipe below

Asian Sauce

• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, or tamari if gluten-free
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ½ Tbsp sweetener of choice (maple syrup, agave, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder or corn starch to thicken

Instructions

1. Caramelizing the onions adds a delicious savory flavor to this green bean recipe, and it's so easy to do.
2. Begin by slicing the onion into thin crescent shapes or dice if you like your onions smaller. Go ahead and mince the garlic as well, or you can use the jar variety.
3. In a large pan or wok, add the onions to the dry pan and begin to cook on medium heat. You will need to keep a close eye on this to keep it from burning. I have a video below showing how easy it is to do this.
4. Once the onions begin to brown a little, add about 3 tablespoons of veggie broth or water to the pan. As they continue to cook, add a little more veggie broth one tablespoon at a time. Scrape any of the caramelized brown parts, and mix into the broth as the pan begins to cook down.
5. Next, add the clean green beans and 3/4 cup veggie broth. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for approximately 12-15 minutes until the beans become slightly tender, but still somewhat firm.
6. While the beans are cooking, go ahead and make the sauce.

Asian Sauce

1. It takes less than 5-minutes to prepare by simply whisking together soy sauce (or tamari if it needs to be GF), water, lemon juice, minced garlic, sweetener of choice, and arrowroot powder (or another thickener such as cornstarch). I prefer arrowroot powder because it doesn't clump and is so easy to use in recipes.
2. Personally, I use honey to sweeten my sauce, and there is a great vegan-friendly honey option as well. Other sweetener options include maple syrup, agave, or sucanat.
3. After the ingredients are mixed well, add the sauce to the hot pan of green beans and turn the heat down to low. It will begin to thicken within seconds and will continue to thicken as it heats up.
4. Stir well to coat the beans and allow to cook uncovered in the broth for another 3-5 minutes. Then, remove from heat and serve warm.

Notes

Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn a small percentage from your purchases at no cost to you. Thank you!

• 
  Organic Arrowroot Powder (Flour) - 1 Pound Resealable Bag (16oz) - 100% Raw From Vietnam - by Feel Good Organics
• 
  Kikkoman Light Soy Sauce, 10 Ounce (Pack of 2)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 73Total Fat: .2gSaturated Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 13.2gFiber: 4.4gProtein: 4.3g

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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