How to Make Perfectly Breaded and Crispy Green Beans

You only need fresh green beans, a few pantry items, a baking sheet, and 25 minutes to make these tasty green bean fries that are breaded. Use your oven or air fryer to cook these – directions for both are included!.

They’re better for you than French fries and make a great healthy side dish, crunchy appetizer, or snack. Best of all, the kids will eat them up without complaint and even ask for more!.

Green beans are a tasty and healthy vegetable that can be prepared in many ways One popular preparation is breaded and baked or fried green beans, which gives them a crispy coating and texture while still retaining their flavor With just a few simple ingredients and steps, you can make crunchy breaded green beans at home that taste even better than the appetizers you get at a restaurant.

Ingredients You’ll Need

To make breaded green beans, you’ll need:

1 pound fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (panko gives the crispiest coating)
1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil or cooking spray

That’s it! Just 10 common ingredients you likely have on hand The breadcrumbs give the beans their crispy coating, while the ranch mix and spices add lots of flavor without much work.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Making crunchy breaded green beans is simple:

1. Prep the green beans

Rinse the green beans under running water and trim off the stem ends. Pat them dry thoroughly with paper towels or a clean dish towel. The drier they are, the crispier your finished green beans will be.

2. Set up your breading station

In one small bowl, beat the eggs. In another shallow bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, ranch seasoning, and spices until well combined.

3. Bread the green beans

Working in batches, dip the green beans in the beaten egg until evenly coated. Allow any excess egg to drip off, then place the eggy beans in the breadcrumb mixture. Toss and press to evenly coat the beans in crumbs.

4. Bake or fry

For baked green beans: Place the breaded beans in a single layer on a lightly greased or foil-lined baking sheet. Spray or brush lightly with olive oil. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip beans, and bake 2-5 more minutes until crispy and browned.

For fried green beans: In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1⁄2 inch of vegetable oil to 350°F. Fry breaded beans in batches for 2-3 minutes, flipping occasionally, until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

5. Enjoy your crunchy green beans!

Transfer the baked or fried green beans to a serving platter. Sprinkle with a bit of extra salt, if desired. Enjoy these crispy breaded green beans as a side dish, appetizer, or snack!

Tips for Making Perfect Breaded Green Beans

For a shortcut, use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs instead of the plain crumbs plus ranch mix and spices.
Work over a large bowl when breading to catch any fallen crumbs for re-coating.
Use one hand for “wet” ingredients (beaten eggs) and the other for “dry” (breadcrumbs) to avoid clumping.
Fry in batches to avoid crowding for even crispiness.
Pat beans very dry after washing and trimming. Any moisture will make beans soggy instead of crisp.
Bake at high heat or fry at 350°F for the crispiest coating. Lower temperatures lead to limp breading.
Serve immediately after baking or frying. Leaving them to sit will cause the crisp coating to become soggy.
To reheat leftovers, use oven or toaster oven to restore crispiness. Avoid microwave, which makes them soggy.

Variations and Substitutions

There are lots of ways to customize breaded green beans to suit your tastes:

Use panko, flavored breadcrumbs, cornflakes, or crushed tortilla chips for the coating.

-Flavor the breadcrumb mixture with dried parsley, cayenne, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, or other spices.

-Swap in other vegetables like zucchini sticks, carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli florets in place of the green beans.

-Instead of frying or baking, use an air fryer to make crispy breaded green beans with less oil.

-For a healthier low-carb option, dip in beaten egg whites instead of whole eggs before breading.

-Coat in a light flour dredge before the egg wash and breadcrumbs for extra crisp adhesion.

-Make a dipping sauce like ranch, marinara, or sriracha mayo for serving.

More Tasty Ways to Enjoy Green Beans

Beyond breading and frying, there are lots more flavorful ways to cook green beans:

Sauté green beans in olive oil with garlic, onions, bacon, mushrooms, or other veggies.
Roast green beans tossed in oil, salt, and pepper high heat for caramelization.
Grill blanched green beans over medium heat for charred flavor.
Steam or boil briefly to retain brightness. Don’t overcook!
Toss raw or blanched green beans with bold vinaigrettes for tangy flavor.
Mix green beans into pasta salads, grain bowls, omelets, and stir fries.
Pickle raw green beans for a fun crunchy, tangy condiment.

With this easy recipe and helpful how-to tips, you can make restaurant-quality crunchy breaded green beans in your own kitchen. Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, these homemade breaded green beans make for a delicious side dish, appetizer, or snack.

how to make breaded green beans

Substitutions and Variations

SHORTCUT! You can eliminate the seasonings by purchasing seasoned breadcrumbs.
Looking for easy air fryer recipes? To make these green bean fries in the air fryer, follow all the steps except the last one, which is to bake them. Then, put the beans in a single layer in the air fryer basket and set the temperature to 390 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Add Parmesan cheese to the bread crumb mixture to make it taste better.
Chopped parsley, cayenne pepper, chili powder, or jalapeno ranch are some other flavorings that you can use. With these flexible crispy green beans, you can try any mix of spices and flavors!
Dip them in your favorite sauce, like this spicy Chipotle Cheese Dip.

Expert Tips and Tricks

To save time, buy your green beans pre-washed and trimmed.
If you’re making a lot of green beans, a gallon-sized zipper-top bag is a simple way to coat them. First, coat them in the beaten eggs. Then, put them in the plastic bag with the seasoned bread crumbs.
So that the green beans don’t stick together, dip them in the egg and then move them to the bread crumbs using tongs, tweezers, or a fork.

This green bean snack is so easy to make! You can bake them in the oven for a quick pick-me-up in the afternoon or serve them with a main dish for a healthy and tasty dinner.

DIY TGI Friday’s Green Bean Fries

FAQ

Why are my green beans not crispy?

Make sure you spread out the green beans. They can overlap some, but you want as much surface area exposed to the heat as possible for crispness. Along the same lines, you can technically double this recipe, but remember that the more you make at once, the less crispy the green beans will be.

How do you keep green beans crispy?

Cook for 2-3 minutes until they have lost their rawness but retain a lovely crunch. Drain the beans and plunge into a bowl of cold water, or run under a cold tap. Make sure the water stays cold. If the beans sit in warm water they will continue to cook and start to discolour.

How do you cook green beans so they are not stringy?

You want to avoid overcooking green beans, but you also don’t want to undercook them, or as most commonly happens, overcook the outside while the inside remains tough and kind of stringy. One solution is to quickly boil the green beans in salted water, also known as blanching.

Are fried green beans healthy?

Fried green beans contains 2.6 g of saturated fat and 15 mg of cholesterol per serving. 145 g of Fried green beans contains 24.65 mcg vitamin A, 5.9 mg vitamin C, 0.14 mcg vitamin D as well as 2.46 mg of iron, 55.10 mg of calcium, 171 mg of potassium. Fried green beans belong to ‘Fried vegetables’ food category.