How to blanch green beans for a perfectly crisp and tender texture

• Blanching involves a short cook time in boiling water and then an ice bath to stop the cooking.
• Blanching green beans softens them while retaining a crisp-tender texture and bright green color.
• Blanch green beans before sautéing, roasting, or freezing.

Green beans are a versatile green vegetable that you can serve as a side dish alongside a Sunday roast, simmer in a curry, or toss into a stir-fry. But while fresh green beans aren't difficult to prepare, you'll likely want to blanch them before moving onto any other cooking process.

"Blanching involves cooking veggies for short periods of time in boiling water, then transferring them immediately to ice water to stop the cooking process," says Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD, creator of It's a Veg World After All and author of "Vegetable Cookbook for Vegetarians." This softens green beans slightly while retaining a crisp-tender texture and bright color.

Blanching is recommended when using green beans in cold applications like salads, before sautéing or roasting, and before freezing. Unless you're planning to simply boil or steam your fresh green beans, blanch them first for best results.

How to blanch green beans

To blanch green beans, you'll need a large pot, a kitchen spider or tongs, a large bowl, and ice.

1. Prepare an ice water bath. Add ice and cold water to a large bowl and set aside.
2. Boil a large pot of water. You'll want a pot big enough to completely submerge the green beans in the water. If desired, you can salt the water to add some flavor to your beans.
3. Clean and trim the green beans. Rinse the green beans well and snap or trim off any stems or brown ends.
4. Boil the green beans. Once the water is boiling, add the green beans all at once and cook for two minutes. Streit warns against overcooking the beans, and says "[you want to] stop the cooking before they get mushy."
5. Transfer to the ice bath. As soon as the two minutes are up, use a spider, tongs, or slotted spoon to quickly transfer the green beans to the ice bath. Let sit for a few minutes, until cooled.
6. Drain and use. Retrieve the green beans from the ice bath and drain well before using.

Quick tip: Store-bought frozen green beans have already been blanched and canned green beans have been cooked in the canning process, so there's no need to blanch them.

What to do next

• Freeze and store: "Blanching is often performed before freezing veggies to stop enzyme processes that lead to color, flavor, texture, and nutrient losses," says Streit. Blanched green beans hold up much better in the freezer than raw ones. After draining, spread the blanched beans out on clean kitchen towels or paper towels. Dry completely, then spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for an hour, then transfer to a zip-top freezer bag, and store for up to three months.
• Sauté: For a quick side dish, Seide recommends sautéing. Heat some olive oil in a skillet, add the blanched green beans, and sauté until heated through and the green beans have reached your desired texture. You can add ingredients to the sauté like shallots, garlic, or chiles or top with lemon, balsamic or sesame seeds after cooking for extra flavor.
• Roast: For green beans with a more uniform texture and shorter roasting time, blanch them first. Toss the blanched green beans on a baking sheet with oil and salt and pepper and roast in a 425 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes.
• Serve: You can also serve blanched green beans as-is. Their crisp-tender texture and bright green color make them a nice addition to cold dishes. "I love to make green bean salads," Streit says. She also recommends adding them to veggie platters.

Insider's takeaway

Blanching green beans gives the vegetable a pleasantly crisp texture and brightens their color. After a quick boil, the green beans are added to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Blanched green beans can be roasted, sautéd, served in salads, or frozen for longer storage.