Master how to cook green beans and achieve the perfect texture and color every time. The simple blanch and shock method is the key to bright and crunchy beans.
Nobody likes to eat mushy and dull-colored vegetables, that’s why learning how to cook green beans like a pro will be a game-changer in the kitchen. There is an easy method to achieve beautiful bright and crisp beans called “blanch and shock.”
It’s a two-step process that takes less than 10 minutes to ensure perfect results. From there, you can refrigerate the beans for later use in recipes, or rewarm them immediately with seasonings for a tasty side dish. Once you’ve mastered this cooking technique, you will never have to worry about the dreaded green bean disaster being served to your guests every again!
What is Blanching?
Blanching is submerging vegetables in a large pot of boiling salted water for just a few minutes to soften the cell walls. For green beans, what you’ll observe is the dull green chlorophyll transform into a bright green color. The change is due to the air between the cells bubbling off in the hot environment and the tissue of the plant becoming more transparent.
Beware! Do not walk away from the pot. If you cook the vegetables too long or don’t stop the cooking process, the bright green can change to the dull olive green. This is because as the chlorophyll molecules get heated, the magnesium ion contained in the center releases, and causes the unpleasant color change. What should you do to prevent this?
Let the Beans Chill!
The quick blanching helps cook and tenderize the green beans, but shocking them right after in a large ice water bath stops the cooking and any further change in color. The result is crisp, tender, gorgeous green vegetables.
Just reheat the vegetables right before serving. You can also freeze or refrigerate the blanched beans until ready to cook. This method is also perfect for green vegetables like broccoli, snow and snap peas and asparagus.
More green bean recipes
- Green Beans with Orange Miso Sauce
- Haricot Verts with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions
- Citrus Green Beans with Almonds
How to Cook Green Beans
Ingredients
- 4 quarts water, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups ice cubes
- 1 pound green beans, or haricot verts
Instructions
- Add 3 quarts of water and salt to a large pot. Heat pot over high heat until a rolling boil is reached and large bubbles break the surface.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine 1-quart water and ice. Set the ice bath aside.
- Add beans to the boiling water and cook until the green beans are bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Immediately transfer beans to the ice bath for 5 minutes. Drain beans and use them as desired.
Denise says
If your green beans were frozen to begin with and then you blanched and shot them, then put them in the refrigerator for a couple days, can you refreeze them,?
Jessica Gavin says
I wouldn’t recommend refreezing the already frozen then blanched beans, otherwise, the texture may be mushy and soft.
Joel says
I like ur recipe
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks!
Denise Corklin says
So simple…so basic….and perfect! I couldn’t stop eating them out of the ice water. I need to stop and leave a few for dinner.
Jessica Gavin says
Hehe, so happy that you enjoyed the cooking method for green beans!
Amy Robbins says
Excellent video, Jessica! I just got a heap of green beans on sale at the grocery store, and am blanching+shocking them this morning so they’ll be ready to go come dinnertime, when I’ll likely be too tired to face this key step! (One question: I’m planning to sauté them in olive oil, so should the prepped beans be dried off and stored in the fridge wrapped in paper towels?) Thanks and cheers!
Helen Kelly says
Hi, what’s the best way to re-heat the beans or broccoli for use in a roast dinner for example?
Jessica Gavin says
I like to reheat beans on the stovetop with some oil and any aromatics or seasonings you want to use to flavor the vegetable. Broccoli can be reheated in the microwave, on the stovetop like the bean, or on a sheet pan in the oven with seasonings after you make the roast.
rhonda says
How would I use fresh green beans in a stew after blanching them?
Jessica Gavin says
I would add then towards the end of cooking to warm them up, unless you want them very soft like a braise.