By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 3, 2026
Serves 4
35 min
Caramelized Green Beans
Recipe GLPRbd6e5b8f6134bf
Tender green beans slowly cooked in rich, cultured butter until they develop a deep golden caramel coating with concentrated, sweet and savory flavors. A simple yet elegant vegetable side dish that brings out the natural sweetness of fresh green beans.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
1 stick (8 tbsp.) Unsalted cultured butter
1½ lbs. Fresh green beans, trimmed
Directions
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted and foaming, add the trimmed green beans and stir to coat them evenly with the butter.
Cook the green beans uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning. The beans should gradually turn a deeper golden color and become tender.
Continue cooking until the beans are deeply caramelized with a rich golden-brown color and the butter has taken on a nutty appearance. The beans should be very tender and sweet.
Transfer the caramelized green beans to a serving dish and serve warm. The butter will coat the beans beautifully.
Comments
This is a genuinely simple side that delivers on flavor without artifice. Green beans and butter are stocked everywhere in Charlotte—Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix, all of them—so there's no special trip required. At roughly 75 cents per serving for quality butter and fresh beans, it's cheap enough for a weeknight vegetable. The stated 35 minutes is honest: caramelizing takes real time, not the rushed 15-minute lie some recipes pull. The only reason this isn't a 5.0 is that it doesn't reheat well; the beans soften further and lose their edge, so it's a same-night dish that needs eating fresh off the stove.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
