Balsamic Green Beans
Balsamic Green Beans is an easy side dish with only a few ingredients. It features tender green beans smothered in a balsamic glaze.
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Balsamic green beans may be the best side dish ever. Of course, everyone loves the Vegan Green Bean Casserole, but if you’re looking for a much simpler way to serve green beans, this is it.
Imagine steamed green beans with balsamic vinegar glaze drizzled over the top. It’s my go-to favorite healthy side dish!
Ingredients & Substitutions
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
- Green beans — You can use fresh green beans or even frozen ones, which are the next best things to fresh.
- Vegan mayo — Any vegan mayo will do. I usually find this at health food stores or in the health food section of many grocery stores.
- Balsamic vinegar
- Agave nectar — You can substitute maple syrup.
- Salt — We’ll add just a pinch of salt to the finished dish.
What Green Beans are Best?
Choose fresh green beans with a bright green color (not yellow or brown). They should snap easily when bent. You can substitute frozen green beans which are usually picked and frozen at peak ripeness. Frozen vegetables can be better than fresh, especially when fresh green beans are out of season. Source
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Green beans are steamed until just tender, creating the best flavor and color
- A balsamic glaze is lightly sweetened, adding tang and creaminess to every bite
- Chopped walnuts add a bit of crunch and nutritional benefit, too.
Preparing Fresh Green Beans
To prepare green beans:
- Place them in a colander and run water over them to clean off any debris.
- Cut off the stem ends, by lining them up on a cutting board with stem ends together and chop off several ends at once.
- You may want to chop the green beans into smaller pieces, based on your recipe.
Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
Marly’s Tips
- You can also add mushrooms to the steamer basket.
- Cook the green beans in a skillet with some vegetable oil. Once they’re tender, remove them from the skillet and transfer them to a serving dish, and top with the vinaigrette to make sautéed green beans with balsamic vinegar.
Low-Carb Keto Green Beans
To make this into a low-carb keto green beans recipe, simply leave out the agave nectar, or use a teaspoon of stevia or non-calorie sweetener in its place.
I hope you love these balsamic green beans as much as we do!
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Tasty Vegan Side Dishes
I love a good side dish like these balsamic glazed green beans or even balsamic glazed carrots. So good! If you’re looking for some more tasty vegan side dishes for your next big meal, give these a try:
Green Beans with Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans , washed and the stem end removed
- 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Use the steamer basket insert and place it in a saucepan, filled with water just below the steamer basket. Bring water to a boil and then add prepared green beans. Place lid on steamer and steam until tender, around 6 to 8 minutes.
- In the meantime, get out a small bowl and combine the mayo, balsamic vinegar, agave nectar, and sea salt. Stir and set aside.
- Use tongs to remove green beans from the steamer basket to a lidded container. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and then use tongs to toss the sauce throughout. Add chopped walnuts over the top.
- Serve warm. Store in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
Recommended Equipment
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Nutrition
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2012 and was updated with new photos, text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
4 Responses to Balsamic Green Beans
Rate / Comment
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Simple and classic, Marly! Love it.
Thanks, Gena. So glad you liked it. Now I’m gonna go drool over the yummy recipes on your site. [sigh]
I love anything with balsamic. (Marly LOVE that last shot! Great capture!) xoxo
This looks so delicious Marly. I enjoyed a nice bowl of steamed green beans the other day as a salad with tomatoes and goat cheese, I ended up just splashing some balsamic and evoo on it, but this glaze looks so much better!