These are the best green beans I’ve ever had! Just like the ones served in Chinese restaurants! These dry-fried green beans are tender, juicy and packed with umami, savory flavors. They are so addictive!
My mind goes straight to dry-fried green beans when I think about Szechuan food. Why? Because the Chinese restaurant I order from makes the best ones ever!
However, the downside to liking them so much is having to fork out $12 for a small delivery container every time I want them. Ordering good Chinese food in NYC is not cheap. At all. Therefore I tested, failed… then finally succeeded at making my own dry-fried green beans at home.
Now my wallet is much happier. $12 gets me enough fresh green beans to dry-fry this recipe three or four times a week!
There’s more than one way to dry fry green beans
When I first made this recipe, I thought it could only be properly prepared by deep frying the green beans. Not only is it the traditional Chinese way – deep frying gives the beans a beautifully tender texture that cannot be beaten.
But there’s just one problem with that:
Burning hot oil makes me nervous enough to walk around the kitchen armed with a large glass lid that I use as a shield.
So you can understand the joy I felt when I realized that there were other options to making this dry-fried green beans recipe. Two more options to be precise.
And today I’m excited to share with you three methods for making dry fried green beans – two of which don’t require a pot of boiling oil!
Ingredients for dry fried green beans
Green Beans: You’ll want about 1/2 pound of fresh green beans with the ends trimmed.
Soy Sauce: This is the main source of savory umami in this simple recipe.
Broth: 1/4 cup of chicken broth will do the trick. Use vegetable broth instead if you’re making vegan dry fried green beans.
Sesame Oil: This nutty, toast-y flavored oil adds an unreal depth of flavor to the completed dish.
Garlic: Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic. This contributes a sharp, vegetal flavor to the sauce.
Corn Starch: This will thicken the sauce to glossy perfection.
Vegetable Oil: Any neutral flavored cooking oil will work for this recipe. The amount you need will depend on which method you use for cooking the green beans.
How to dry-fry green beans
Option #1: broil them.
Easy, efficient and delicious.
Throw your green beans on a cooking tray covered in aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Toss the beans in a little oil and place them in the oven on the highest rack, a few inches away from the flame. Broil for 3-6 minutes, until the green beans are slightly charred and looking wrinkled. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly.
I’m so in love with this new kitchen toy because it makes cooking vegetables so clean, quick and easy. It’s also virtually mess-free since it comes with only a fry basket and basket holder.
Set the air fryer at 360º and let it preheat for 3 minutes before using.
Toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and add them to the air fryer.
Close and air fry for 15 minutes. Take the basket out a couple of times and shake the green beans so they cook as evenly as possible. The green beans should be slightly charred, wrinkled and tender. If they are still quite crunchy, put them back in the basket and air fry for an additional 5 minutes.
Option #3: deep fry them.
Now this is the original way – and with good reason. The texture of the cooked beans can’t be beat!
Heat about 1/2 cup of oil to 350 degrees ºF.
Slowly add beans, and watch out of oil splatters! Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the beans are wrinkled.
Remove from oil, turn off the heat and drain the beans on paper towels.
How to Make Dry Fried green beans
Once your green beans are cooked, you’re almost there!
Make the sauce. Whisk your soy sauce, broth, sesame oil and minced garlic together – and set aside.
Cook the green beans. Use whichever of the above dry-frying methods you prefer.
Make it! Get a pan going over medium-high heat. Add the cooked green beans and sauce and bring to a boil. Then sprinkle in your cornstarch while stirring continuously. Turn the heat off as soon as the sauce thickens.
Serve. Season with a pinch of salt if needed. Serve these delicious, savory green beans as a snack, a side or a main.
Did you like this Dry-Fried Green Beans Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comment section below!
Does your rice always sticks to the bottom of a pot or ends up being mushy? Watch this quick tutorial on how to make rice on a stove top and in a rice cooker, and never serve bad rice again!
This is an easy and classic preparation for Chinese dry-fried green beans sauteed in soy, garlic and sesame oil. Tasty, salt and tender dry-fried green beans – the best!
In a bowl, whisk soy sauce, chicken broth, cornstarch, sesame oil and garlic together and set aside.
Wash your beans and dry them with paper towel. You can deep fry, air-fry or broil the green beans (see below for instructions).
In a pan over medium high heat, add broth mixture and cooked green beans and bring to a boil. Stir quickly and turn off the heat as soon as the sauce thickens.
Season with salt and serve immediately.
Deep Frying:
Heat about 1/2 cup of oil to 350ºF and slowly add beans. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the beans are wrinkled. Remove from oil, turn off the heat and drain the beans on paper towels.
Broiling:
Lay a piece of aluminum foil on a large cooking tray. Add green beans and 1 tbsp vegetable oil and toss to coat evenly. Lay the green beans flat on the tray (they should not be piled up) and season with salt. Broil in the oven for 3-6 minutes, until the beans are lightly charred. Transfer beans to a paper towel.
Air Fryer:
Set the air fryer to 360º F and let it preheat for 3-5 minutes before using.
Toss the green beans with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and add them to the air fryer.
Close and air fry for 15 minutes. Take the basket out a couple of times and shake the green beans so they cook as evenly as possible. The green beans should be slightly charred, wrinkled and tender. If they are still quite crunchy, put them back in the basket and air fry for an additional 5 minutes.
Notes
Keep leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Nutrition
Serving Size:
Calories:175
Sugar:0.1 g
Sodium:562.8 mg
Fat:15.3 g
Saturated Fat:2.2 g
Carbohydrates:9.4 g
Fiber:0.1 g
Protein:1 g
Cholesterol:0 mg
Keywords: easy recipe, appetizer, Asian, vegetables, side dish
I used the air fryer method and it was great! On a whim, I chopped some fresh ginger and added that in too. While the sauce was cooking, I added a bit more cornstarch because it didn’t seem to thicken enough yet. Green beens can get kind of boring but this recipe is the cure for that. It definitely livens things up.
These green beans are just perfection. They’re exactly like the ones I used to get from a Chinese restaurant years ago. The restaurant is now long closed and I’ve missed them greatly. Thank you so much for giving them back to me, they’re absofreakinglutely delicious.
ps – I made them exactly as directed. I didn’t change a thing!
Delicious! I didn’t have any chicken broth so I just used water instead and it came out really tasty. However, I had to use 3x as much liquid as the recipe called for to cook the green beans to my liking. If you like your green beans just barely cooked but still on the crunchy side, then do the recipe as is. If you like your green beans well done, add 1/4-1/2 a cup of water to the sauce mixture.
This plus your spaghetti squash yakisoba were HUGE hits with my three girls and hubby. Got a “this is better than good!” And couldn’t even broil them because they were picking them out of the bowl and eating them. Will definitely make both again!
Just tried this recipe. I oven roasted the green beans (400 degrees for 25 minutes) & they were perfect: texture a little chewier & I like it! Next time, I think I’ll sauté the garlic first to mellow it out a bit before adding the liquid. Also, mixing the cornstarch with the liquid seemed easier: just toss in the beans to reheat at the end.
Made these yesterday hoping they would be similar to a favorite dish I order out. They were very, very good and similar! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. It is a family favorite. I just wanted to share that I didn’t have any chicken broth when it came time to make it. I was momentarily stumped. I found a package of chicken gravy that worked perfectly, being that it has chicken flavors and cornstarch including. I just omitted the called for cornstarch and added water. Try it. Thanks again!
Hi Ruby, I’ve never used an air-fryer so I don’t know how the beans would come out. You could finish them in the oven on broil for a couple of minutes if you don’t get the wrinkled look on the beans.
Hi Amanda, I no longer post nutritional servings after noticing that the programs available online were unreliable. I’m hoping a good one will come up soon!
Just wanted to let you know I’ve made this twice now and it’s delicious! This was always my go-to order from my Chinese place, but it’s so much better at home with less grease. Thank u!
Caroline Caron-Phelps is a Japanese/French Canadian recipe creator, food blogger, and photographer. She showcases delicious, authentic Asian recipes, especially Japanese, vegan, and vegetarian, with beautiful photography, easy-to-follow instructions, videos, and practical recipe variations. Caroline has been featured on Bon Appetit, Shape Magazine, Self, Today Show, and more.
I used the air fryer method and it was great! On a whim, I chopped some fresh ginger and added that in too. While the sauce was cooking, I added a bit more cornstarch because it didn’t seem to thicken enough yet. Green beens can get kind of boring but this recipe is the cure for that. It definitely livens things up.
★★★★★
These green beans are just perfection. They’re exactly like the ones I used to get from a Chinese restaurant years ago. The restaurant is now long closed and I’ve missed them greatly. Thank you so much for giving them back to me, they’re absofreakinglutely delicious.
ps – I made them exactly as directed. I didn’t change a thing!
★★★★★
The broiler method is excellent! So nice to get the char without all the oil!
★★★★★
Delicious! I didn’t have any chicken broth so I just used water instead and it came out really tasty. However, I had to use 3x as much liquid as the recipe called for to cook the green beans to my liking. If you like your green beans just barely cooked but still on the crunchy side, then do the recipe as is. If you like your green beans well done, add 1/4-1/2 a cup of water to the sauce mixture.
★★★★
I just stir fried these in some oil with the wok and added the sauce for a minute or two at the end. soooo addicting! thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you much Jenni! 🙂
Very tasty recipe! We used our air deep fryer and these green beans were awesome. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Thank you Robert! 🙂
I’m so excited to try this recipe. I love Chinese green beans. Sounds like I’m going to have a new go to while saving money. Thanks for sharing.
Received an air fryer for Christmas. This looks like a great recipe to air fry!
This plus your spaghetti squash yakisoba were HUGE hits with my three girls and hubby. Got a “this is better than good!” And couldn’t even broil them because they were picking them out of the bowl and eating them. Will definitely make both again!
That’s so great Robin!! 🙂
I’m going to try these in my new air fryer. If it can do crisp chicken fingers, it can do these!
Just tried this recipe. I oven roasted the green beans (400 degrees for 25 minutes) & they were perfect: texture a little chewier & I like it! Next time, I think I’ll sauté the garlic first to mellow it out a bit before adding the liquid. Also, mixing the cornstarch with the liquid seemed easier: just toss in the beans to reheat at the end.
Made these yesterday hoping they would be similar to a favorite dish I order out. They were very, very good and similar! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Just a comment on parchment paper, it can ignite at high temps.
This happened to me too! I will either try foil or a lower rack next time. Exciting!
Thank you for letting me know Trudy, I’ll mention it in the steps!
Thank you for this recipe. It is a family favorite. I just wanted to share that I didn’t have any chicken broth when it came time to make it. I was momentarily stumped. I found a package of chicken gravy that worked perfectly, being that it has chicken flavors and cornstarch including. I just omitted the called for cornstarch and added water. Try it. Thanks again!
★★★★★
That’s great Karen, thank you for sharing!
could these be fixed in a air-fryer?
Hi Ruby, I’ve never used an air-fryer so I don’t know how the beans would come out. You could finish them in the oven on broil for a couple of minutes if you don’t get the wrinkled look on the beans.
These were delicious! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
I added a pinch of brown sugar and sesame seeds. Very similar to an appetizer served in an Asian-fusion restaurant here.
Yum!
★★★★★
Thank you Karen!
So great! I love the option. Still tastes authentic.
Is the calorie count for the deep fried or the oven broil/fried method?
Hi Kelly! The calorie count is for the deep fried version – since the beans are only briefly fried and drained, they still remain quite low in fat.
How many calories per serving?
Hi Amanda, I no longer post nutritional servings after noticing that the programs available online were unreliable. I’m hoping a good one will come up soon!
Just wanted to let you know I’ve made this twice now and it’s delicious! This was always my go-to order from my Chinese place, but it’s so much better at home with less grease. Thank u!
That’s so great Lisa, I also love these green beans to bits! And you are right, they are less greasy than takeout which is always a good thing 😉