Lemon Pepper Green Beans
Looking for a way to liven up your green beans? These Lemon Pepper Green Beans are like eating a ray of sunshine. This sprightly combination of fresh flavors even gets B to eat green beans! These are the perfect side dish for spring and summer meals, especially Easter or Mothers’ Day.
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B always tells me how little she likes green beans and I’m always coming up with ways that make her say “I love these green beans!” Exhibit A: My Spicy Sauteed Green Beans. Exhibit B: These Lemon Pepper Green Beans. B literally couldn’t stop eating these.
These piquant and peppery green beans are a delightful combination of fresh flavors perfect for spring and summer meals. They come together in less than 15 minutes, and you won’t believe the flavor you get from just a few simple ingredients.
Serve these vibrant green beans with any of our delicious tofu cutlets, vegan seafood, or pasta dishes. We’ve listed a bunch of tasty options in the How to Serve section below!
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Why You’ll Love The Lemon and Pepper Green Beans
- Fresh – A delightful combination of fresh flavors perfect for spring and summer meals.
- Simple – Just a handful of ingredients and done in less than 15 minutes.
- Delicious – You won’t believe the flavor you get from just a few simple ingredients! B couldn’t stop eating these!
Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Green Beans
These easy Lemon Pepper Beans only call for a handful of super common ingredients. They might even all be in your kitchen right now!
Green Beans – Use fresh green beans for the best results. Flash frozen beans will work. I don’t recommend canned beans.
Lemon – For both the lemon juice and the zest
Black Pepper
Coarse Salt – Reduce the amount a little if using regular table salt
Olive oil – For sauteing the beans
How to Make Lemon and Black Pepper Green Beans
This simple recipe is made quickly and ready to eat in about 15 minutes or less.
Step 1: Blanch the green beans.
- Trim the ends of the green beans and blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water.
- Strain and set aside.
Step 2: Prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Grate or mince the lemon peel while the beans boil.
- Measure out the lemon juice and seasonings
Tip: We love to use our Fluicer for getting the most juice out of fresh lemons as easily as possible!
Step 3: Saute the green beans.
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat
- Saute beans for 3-4 minutes, stirring or tossing occasionally.
Step 4: Finishing touches.
- Remove the pan from heat and add the lemon juice, grated zest, and black pepper.
- Stir or toss to combine lemon and pepper with the beans and serve.
Tips & Tricks
- If you don’t have a grater or zester, use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to get large pieces of lemon peel and mince them small with a knife. (This is my preferred method anyway.)
- To get the biggest lemon flavor, make sure you remove as much of the white pith from inside the lemon peel.
- For a bigger peppery flavor, grind fresh black peppercorns finely in a mortar and pestle.
- Don’t overcook the beans or they’ll come out limp and mushy.
- Do yourself a favor and make a double batch.
How to Serve Lemon and Pepper Green Beans
These zesty Lemon Pepper Green Beans go with just about all our Vegan Chicken Cutlets, but I’ve included some of our favorites and a few other recipes for you to try them with as well!
Tofu Chicken Cutlets:
- Lemon Pepper Tofu (or try them with our Crispy Lemon Pepper Tofu Wings!)
- Balsamic Tomato Tofu
- BBQ Tofu Cutlets
- Vegan Honey Garlic Tofu Cutlets
The lemon and pepper flavor in these beans goes great with Vegan Seafood Dishes:
These tasty green beans also complement these vegan pasta recipes really well!:
How to Store Leftover Green Beans
Allow the beans to cool completely before covering for storage. Store any leftover green beans in an airtight container in your refrigerator. Eat within 3-4 days.
How to Reheat Lemony Pepper Green Beans
Reheat the beans for 1-1.5 minutes on high in the microwave or heat a pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes until heated through.
More Great Spring Side Dish Recipes
We’d love to hear what you think of these Lemon Pepper Green Beans if you try them!
Did you try them with another of our recipes or just eat them straight from the pan? Leave a comment and star rating in the section below the recipe card!
Green Beans with Lemon
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb green beans fresh
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest minced
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Trim the ends of the green beans and place in a mixing bowl
- Grate or mince the lemon peel
- Measure out the lemon juice, black pepper, and salt
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch green beans for 2 minutes in boiling water
- Strain the beans and heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat
- Add the beans to the heated pan and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring or tossing occasionally.
- Remove the pan from heat and add the lemon juice, zest, and black pepper.
- Stir or toss to combine and serve.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have a grater or zester, use a vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife to get large pieces of lemon peel and mince them small with a knife. (This is my preferred method anyway.)
- To get the biggest lemon flavor, make sure you remove as much of the white pith from inside the lemon peel.
- For a bigger peppery flavor, grind fresh black peppercorns finely in a mortar and pestle.
- Don’t overcook the beans or they’ll come out limp and mushy.
- Do yourself a favor and make a double batch.
