This easy sweet green beans recipe is quick, simple, and delicious making it perfect for busy weeknights. Brown sugar and soy sauce give green beans a sweet and tangy combo everyone will love.
My friend Lisa was visiting and I complained that I needed something different to do with green beans. I was not happy with anything I was trying and she asked me if I wanted to try her brown sugar green beans no bacon recipe.
I never imagined that combining butter, soy sauce, and brown sugar could taste so good with green beans.
Now, especially when I am in a hurry, I make this sweet green bean side dish all the time.
If you love green beans you've got to try Smoked Green Beans and Air Fryer Parmesan Green Beans. If you prefer a recipe green beans recipe with bacon, you're going to love Green Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Such great flavor! Tender green beans with brown sugar cook up with a sweet, tangy sauce.
- So much versatility! They're perfect with rice, mashed potatoes, or your favorite noodles.
- No boring green beans. Candied green beans are a great twist on a classic side dish.
- Only four ingredients. Easy to make with fresh, canned, or frozen green beans.
Ingredients
It only takes a handful of simple ingredients to make this recipe, and you'll find them all easily at your local grocery store.
- Green beans: I vote for fresh! But you can adapt the recipe easily using canned or frozen instead.
- Butter: Adds rich, buttery flavor to the green beans.
- Soy sauce: The salty and savory part of the sauce.
- Brown sugar: Adds more depth of flavor than using granulated sugar.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- No green beans? Wax beans or snap beans, baby lima beans, snap peas, or green peas all make a tasty swap.
- No fresh green beans? Use frozen or canned instead. To use the canned green beans, mix the sauce and add it to your heated canned beans.
- No butter? You can swap it with another vegetable oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, or another neutral option. However, these are not as rich in flavor as the butter so the flavor is a bit different.
- No soy sauce? Tamari or coconut aminos work. These also work to make the green beans gluten-free.
- No brown sugar? You can use white sugar or honey as a replacement
- Want them spicy. Add some crushed red pepper .flakes, sambal oelek chili paste, chili garlic paste, or a little jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder or chipotle powder, to the sauce.
How to Make Sweet Green Beans
Making this recipe is super easy. I'm covering the highlights below, but you'll find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post. It's not much different!
- Wash, trim, and cut the green beans into bite-sized pieces.
- Boil the beans until bright green.
- Combine the remaining ingredients while the beans boil.
- Drain the beans, return them to the pot, and toss them with the sugar mixture.
- Toss the green beans and serve.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store these in an air-tight container for up to 7 days.
- Freezer: Freeze these beans for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
- Reheat: Heat leftovers on low in a skillet or saucepan on low until heated through.
What to Serve with Green Beans
Green bean recipes make a great side dish for a wide variety of main dishes and other side dishes. Here are some of our favorites!
- Main Dishes: Oven Baked Beef Ribs, Oven Roasted Turkey, and Skillet Pork Chops all go great!
- Other Sides: Mashed potato casserole, air fryer baby potatoes, cooked brown rice, white rice, or noodles all make tasty side dishes.
Tips and FAQ
- If serving a crowd, this recipe can easily be doubled.
- Don't overcook your green beans. They taste better with a little crunch!
Yes. Skip the steps for prepping the green beans. Go straight to sauteing the green beans and finish the recipe from there.
Not much. Both of them are green beans. String beans are any green bean variety with a fibrous string running down the length of the pod, although these days, most green beans don't have that.
They're great with chicken, beef, and pork. For sides, you can't go wrong with any kind of potato, rice, quinoa, and other mixed vegetables.
More Green Bean Recipes
It seems I am always looking for more ways to use up all of my green beans. Don't get me wrong, I love this Easy Sweet Green Beans recipe and hope you try it but if this one isn't for you I have some other oldies but goodies you might want to have a peek at.
Here are some of my favorites!
Below, you will find a short video of these green beans being made. I can't wait for you to see just how quick and easy they are to make.
Easy Sweet Green Beans Video
Easy Sweet Green Beans
Equipment
- saucepan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Sharp knife
- cutting board
- medium bowl
- whisk
- colander
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups green beans, fresh, cut
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat water in a pot large enough to hold all of your beans until boiling.
- Wash, trim and cut your green beans into bite sized pieces while you are waiting for the water to boil.
- When water is boiling and your beans are prepared dump them into the boiling water for about 5 minutes or bright green.
- While beans are boiling grab a medium bowl and combine soy sauce, melted butter and brown sugar. Stir or whisk until blended. Set aside.
- When beans are cooked drain them in a colander in the sink or how ever you prefer. Return beans to the pot and add the soy mixture on top of the beans. Toss beans in mixture until they are all coated. Serve immediately.
- I always serve this dish with rice. I usually serve the beans beside or on top of the rice with a little extra sauce drizzled all over!
Notes
-
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, add the leftovers to a skillet or saucepan and cook on low until heated through.
- If serving a crowd, this recipe can easily be doubled.
- Don't overcook your green beans. They taste better with a little crunch!
This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been republished with new images and content.
Adriane Kirby
These green beans are some yummy. Thanks for sharing recipe.
Karin and Ken
Im so glad you enjoyed them! We love them around here! Hopefully you find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much. All the best. Karin
Christin
Super easy & good!
Karin and Ken
Thank you! I could not agree with you more! All the best. Karin
Annette Stutzman
I just saw this recipe a half an hour ago and already tried it. It's so good. I couldn't find the brown sugar so I used white sugar but I bet it would be so much better with brown sugar..
Karin and Ken
I’m so glad you liked it! It is better with brown sugar but I have used white sugar in a pinch too! Hopefully you find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much! I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to let me know! Take care and enjoy your day! Karin
Barbara
I love green bean ,and always do them the same old way boil them and that's it,I will definitely try this recipe
Karin and Ken
I love this recipe because it is so easy and I get tired of green beans the same old way too! We are actually making a video of this recipe right now! Please let me know what you think of these beans after you try them. I can’t wait to hear! I also have two other green bean recipes on this site that I use also just to change things up. If you are interested I can give you the links! Hopefully you have a great rest of your day! Take care and hope to talk soon! Karin