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    Home » Recipes » Vegetables

    Easy Sweet Green Beans

    Published: Jan 31, 2023 · Modified: Sep 23, 2024 by Karin and Ken · This post may contain affiliate links. 14 Comments

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    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.

    Overhead photo of Sweet green beans served up in a white baking dish.

    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.

    Overhead photo of all the ingredients needed to make sweet green beans on the counter.
    • 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!

    1. Wash, trim, and cut the green beans into bite-sized pieces.
    2. Boil the beans until bright green.
    Fresh green beans boiling in water inside a large pot.
    1. Combine the remaining ingredients while the beans boil.
    Soy sauce, melted butter and brown sugar mixed inside a small glass bowl.
    1. Drain the beans, return them to the pot, and toss them with the sugar mixture.
    Soy sauce mixed poured onto the drained beans inside the pot.
    1. Toss the green beans and serve.
    Easy sweet green beans in a baking dish on the table.

    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!
    Can you use frozen or canned green beans?

    Yes. Skip the steps for prepping the green beans. Go straight to sauteing the green beans and finish the recipe from there.

    What's the difference between string beans and green beans?

    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.

    What do green beans go with?

    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.

    A closeup of sweet green beans in a baking dish.

    If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also enjoy our Chicken and Mixed Vegetables recipe!

    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!

    • Balsamic green beans in a bowl with fresh green beans on the table, a bulb of garlic, and a fork.
      Quick and Easy Balsamic Green Beans
    • A green beans and corn recipe served with corn on a white plate.
      Sweet and Sour Green Beans and Corn Recipe
    • Glazed Green Beans and Carrots
      Glazed Green Beans and Carrots
    • Shrimp stir fry on a plate of white rice with chopsticks partially in view in the background.
      Shrimp Stir Fry

    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

    YouTube video
    Sweet green beans in baking dish from overhead.

    Easy Sweet Green Beans

    Karin and Ken
    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.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 241 kcal

    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
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    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!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 241kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 956mgPotassium: 247mgFiber: 2gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 1077IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword green bean recipe, green beans brown sugar no bacon, sweet green beans
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been republished with new images and content.

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    Comments

    1. Shelly Nlankenship says

      October 06, 2023 at 5:55 am

      5 stars
      Best green bean recipe I’ve ever made! They sure don’t last very long! My family devoured them and I had no leftovers!! Wonderful taste combination!

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        October 06, 2023 at 8:53 am

        I’m so glad to hear it. This recipe has been in our regular rotation for years! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. All the best. Karin

    2. stu says

      July 07, 2023 at 6:34 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best green bean recipe ever!!!! We wanted more! Thank you for sharing this easy recipe. Keep up the great work

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        October 06, 2023 at 8:56 am

        I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind words. You made my day. All the best. Karin

    3. Adriane Kirby says

      December 11, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      These green beans are some yummy. Thanks for sharing recipe.

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        December 13, 2022 at 8:41 am

        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

    4. Joan says

      November 24, 2021 at 1:45 pm

      5 stars
      This was marvelous. We’re going to be making it regularly! Thank you. This green bean’s recipe is sooo good.

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        October 06, 2023 at 8:59 am

        Happy to hear it. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me know. All the best. Karin

    5. Christin says

      February 21, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      5 stars
      Super easy & good!

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        March 10, 2021 at 2:08 pm

        Thank you! I could not agree with you more! All the best. Karin

    6. Annette Stutzman says

      April 04, 2020 at 12:36 pm

      5 stars
      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..

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        April 04, 2020 at 1:09 pm

        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

    7. Barbara says

      July 29, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      I love green bean ,and always do them the same old way boil them and that's it,I will definitely try this recipe

      Reply
      • Karin and Ken says

        July 29, 2018 at 4:49 pm

        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

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    Welcome!

    We are the kitchen divas: Karin and my partner in life, Ken.

    We have been attached at the heart and hip since the first day we met, and we love to create new dishes to keep things interesting. Variety is definitely the spice of life!

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