These Balsamic Glazed Green Beans can be ready on the table in just 30 minutes and make a great side for almost any meal! They're inspired by my popular honey balsamic brussels sprouts and just as delicious. The recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and so easy to make!
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Why You'll Love These Balsamic Green Beans
Packed with flavor - These green beans are inspired by my Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts, and they're just as delicious! The ingredients are almost the same but this recipe also has tapioca starch to thicken the sauce a little bit.
Easy and simple - The recipe is really easy to make. All you need to do is roast the green beans and make the sauce while they're in the oven. Then you'll just toss them with the sauce, and you're done!
Perfect for the holidays - Whether you're looking for a new side for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday, I highly recommend adding these green beans to your holiday table! They're hard to mess up, and balsamic is such a classic fall flavor. It might even change the opinion of any green bean haters in your family!
Ingredients
- Green beans - Look for firm, vibrant green beans with no visible mold or soft brown spots. I usually cut off both ends, but it's mainly important to cut off the tough tops.
- Avocado oil - I like cooking and roasting most things with avocado oil because it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor, but you can use any neutral-tasting cooking oil here, like sunflower oil.
- Extra virgin olive oil - I use this for the balsamic sauce. I don't recommend baking with it because it has a much lower smoke point.
- Balsamic vinegar - Make sure to use your classic balsamic vinegar here, not balsamic glaze, which is thicker and sweeter.
- Honey - A little bit of sweetener is needed to balance the vinegar, and honey works great here. It also helps to thicken it and make it stickier. A great vegan substitute is maple syrup.
- Garlic - I recommend using fresh minced or grated garlic if you have it. If not, garlic powder will do the job too.
- Sea salt and black pepper - I always recommend either sea salt or Himalayan pink salt and coarse freshly ground black pepper. If yours is pre-ground, use less of it because it's finer.
- Tapioca starch -
Variations and Substitutions
- Frozen green beans - If you don't have fresh, you can use frozen ones! See my Roasted Frozen Green Beans post for more tips. You can follow the recipe as is and cook the beans from frozen. You may need to cook them for a few minutes longer. They might not brown as much as fresh ones would, but other than that, you'll get the same results!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F and prepare a large baking sheet (optionally lined with parchment paper).
- Cut the ends of the green beans off and add them to the baking sheet.
- Drizzle with avocado oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While the green beans are roasting, make the glaze.
- In a small saucepan, stir together balsamic vinegar, honey, extra virgin olive oil, and grated garlic.
- Bring the mixture to a soft simmer while stirring or whisking constantly just until the honey dissolves and everything comes together. It doesn’t need to cook; you just want it to be hot.
- Mix tapioca starch and water to create a slurry.
- Pour the tapioca slurry into the sauce while stirring constantly.
- Cook for a few more seconds to allow the sauce to thicken, and take it off the heat. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- When the green beans are done, drizzle them with the sauce and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve these with practically anything, from roasted or grilled chicken, steak, other meats, fish, or any vegan dish, roasted or grilled veggies, rice, pasta, and more!
While they can be made all year long, balsamic has always tasted like fall to me. I highly recommend trying this for the holidays, either for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Plus, it's easy enough to do a test run ahead of time to see if you like it before you make it for the big dinner!
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerator: Store any leftover green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I don't recommend freezing them because they'd be too mushy after defrosting.
Reheating: Reheat the green beans in a pan with a small splash of water, in the oven at 300°F, or in the microwave.
FAQs
Yes! I actually have a separate post for Frozen Green Beans you can check out. Just add the sauce at the end!
No, it's not necessary. It helps preserve the green color, but if you're like me and don't want to dirty an extra pot and a bowl, or don't have enough ice for an ice bath after boiling them, you can totally skip this step. I never do it.
Similar Sides
If you want to try other sides with a similar balsamic glaze sauce, try the three recipes below! I also added my all-time favorite Parmesan green beans, but there's a lot more to choose from in the Side Dishes category.
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Have you tried these Balsamic Glazed Green Beans? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Print📖 Recipe
Balsamic Glazed Green Beans
These Balsamic Glazed Green Beans can be ready on the table in just 30 minutes and make a great side for practically any meal. They're inspired by my popular honey balsamic brussels sprouts and just as delicious. The recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and so easy to make!
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield2-4 1x
- DietVegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans, ends removed
- ½ tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- ¼ tsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch or arrowroot starch)
- ½ tsp water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F and prepare a large baking sheet (optionally lined with parchment paper).
- Cut the ends of the green beans off and add them to the baking sheet.
- Drizzle with avocado oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While the green beans are roasting, make the glaze.
- In a small saucepan, stir together balsamic vinegar, honey, extra virgin olive oil, and grated garlic.
- Bring the mixture to a soft simmer while stirring or whisking constantly just until the honey dissolves, and everything comes together. It doesn’t need to cook; you just want it to be hot.
- Mix tapioca starch and water to create a slurry.
- Pour the tapioca slurry into the sauce while stirring constantly.
- Cook for a few more seconds to allow the sauce to thicken, and take it off the heat. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- When the green beans are done, drizzle them with the sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Too much tapioca: If you accidentally add too much tapioca starch and your sauce starts to resemble pudding, add a small splash of water to thin it out. I recommend adding 1 teaspoon at a time to avoid watering it down too much.
Charred green beans: If you want the green beans get more crispy and charred, turn on your broiler for the last couple of minutes of cooking. Do NOT use parchment paper if you’re going to do this because it will burn. Keep a close eye on the green beans because every oven is different, and they could burn very quickly!
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Sides
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
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