Szechuan Green Beans are crispy pan-fried beans tossed in a simple spicy sauce. They make a great side dish any time you want a veggie with an Asian twist.
If my family and I had to pick a favorite vegetable, I’m pretty confident that it would be green beans. I make them weekly because there are so many different ways to make them. Air Fryer Green Beans make a quick easy side dish. Green Bean Salad is a great summer side dish and you can’t forget classic Southern Style Green Beans with Bacon.
And today I am sharing another favorite way to enjoy them: Szechuan Green Beans. They are crisp, a bit spicy and are a perfect weeknight veggie side dish.
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make them.
Szechuan Green Beans Ingredients:
- GREEN BEANS: Chinese long beans are the traditional bean used in this recipe but those can be hard to find unless you have an Asian grocery store in your area. Instead, I use the regular green beans that you find in the grocery store. You must use fresh beans though. Frozen beans won’t work for this recipe.
- OIL: Use a neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point like vegetable, canola or peanut. Don’t use olive oil to stir-fry, the smoke point is too low.
- SESAME OIL: This is going to add a bit of nutty flavor to the sauce. You don’t need a lot though, a little goes a long way.
- GARLIC: Minced fresh garlic is going to add the perfect amount of garlic flavor to these beans.
- SOY SAUCE: Adds umami and saltiness.
- GARLIC CHILI SAUCE: I use Huy Fong Garlic Chili Sauce but it has become a popular condiment in recent years so there are many different brands. You should be able to find it in the International/Asian aisle at your local grocery store.
- SALT
- MIRIN: Mirin is a rice wine. If you cannot find it a dry sherry can be substituted.
- RICE VINEGAR: A vinegar that is made with fermented rice. It is used as a seasoning in many Asian dishes.
- SESAME SEEDS: Add a bit of crunchy, nuttiness to the dish.
Step by Step Photos and Instructions:
Szechuan Green Beans come together really quickly so it’s important to have everything ready to go as soon as you start.
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add beans and cook 5 – 7 or until tender crisp. Transfer to a plate and set aside. 
Add remaining ingredients, except sesame seeds. And cook 30 seconds. 
Return green beans to pan and cook for 3 – 4 min.
STEP #1: Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add beans and cook, 5 – 7 minutes or until the beans start to crisp slightly. Transfer to a plate.
STEP #2: To the same wok, add in the remaining ingredients, except sesame seeds. Cook 30 seconds or just until the garlic becomes fragrant. Return the beans to the pan and cook another 3 – 4 minutes or until the beans have softened but are still crisp.
STEP #3: Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Storage and Leftovers:
Szechuan Green Beans are best served immediately and tend to get a bit rubbery when reheated.
Recipe FAQ:
The best oils for stir fry cooking are those with higher smoke points. Oils like canola, peanut, grapeseed or avocado work best.
Mirin is a type of rice wine that is common in Japanese cooking. It is important to note that although they go through a similar process, mirin is different than rice wine. Mirin has a much sweeter flavor.
Looking for more vegetable side dishes? Try these:
Sautéed Broccoli is a favorite with the adults and kiddos alike!
Baked Asparagus with Breadcrumbs is an easy way to enjoy this Spring vegetable!
Have a lot of vegetables to use? Roast them! These Oven Roasted Vegetables are delicious.
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2011. The post and recipe were updated in 2023 with a new recipe, photos and nutrition information.
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 pounds green beans trimmed and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons mirin wine
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
Heat oil in a wok or other large skillet over medium high heat. Cook green beans 5 - 7 minutes or until the beans start to crisp slightly. Transfer to a plate.
In the same pan that you cooked the beans in stir in remaining ingredients except sesame seds. Cook for 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Return beans to the pan and continue cooking 3 - 4 minutes or until the beans have softened slightly but are still crisp.
- Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired and serve hot.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it!
Made this last night, Des. So simple and so very delicious. Thank you!
Great Recipe.
Except I would say, using non-chinese green beans, I found the beans were not cooked based on the specified time frame.
Next time, I will steam the beans for 2 mins in microwave and try your recipe.
[…] – Dinner: Kung Pao Chicken & Szechuan Green Beans with Shitake […]
Made these tonight, and added shitake mushrooms, so, so good.
ditto to Jenn, Love Uncle Jessie. Going to try this soon!
Ok, first… love the Uncle Jessie reference :) Second…OMG those green beans sound amazing. Than again, I will eat pretty much anything that has Sambal Oelek in it! Too bad i didn’t see this early, I just made green beans on the grill last night!!
This looks so yummy! I’m always looking for new ways to cook veggies and this looks great!
These look just like the Chinese green beans at our favorite local take-out! Certainly one of my faves to order, and while my husband isn’t too fond of vegetables with much texture and crunch (he prefers the lifeless, mushy ones!), I’m confident that he can be persuaded with a batch of these…it’s a work in progress :) Can’t wait to try! (P.S. I stumbled upon your blog a couple weeks ago and have been addicted ever since. I’ve toyed with starting one myself, but feel it would pale in comparison, but you have given me inspriation nonetheless. I’m a foody at heart and my husband is always telling me to put my recipes out there…so maybe one day :) Thanks for sharing with us!)
I was just looking at the Chinese long beans yesterday. I can close to buying them but standing there in the middle of the grocery store I was at a loss for what I would do with them this week. Thank You. I love these Szechuan beans and had forgotten all about them. They are my favorite thing to order at a restaurant on west broadway in Vancouver. Now I know how to make them myself! Thanks for sharing!
I am fortunate in that I can get long beans in a heartbeat. I’ve bookmarked this and will make it soon, subbing Chinese cooking wine for mirin (it’s what I have on hand) and some sriracha sauce. Thanks.
My husband loves green beans in any form, and I know he’d be crazy about this dish.