Learn this quick and easy way to Blanch Green Beans to ensure the best color, texture, and taste of the green bean every time.
Blanching green beans is a simple cooking method that creates a crisp and tender green bean. Blanching is also how you prep your green beans that you are going to freeze.
How to Blanch Green Beans
Blanching is a cooking method often referred to as “blanch and shock.” First you boil water, then place the green beans in for a couple of minutes, and finally move the green beans to a bowl of ice water to “shock” or stop the cooking process.
Before you begin blanching you will want to wash and trim your green beans. I rinse mine in a colander under cold water and then shake to dry. As for trimming, you (or your kids) can snap off the hard ends by hand or you can cut them with a knife.
It is such a simple method but it makes a huge difference in the overall quality and taste of the green bean.
What is the purpose of blanching?
There a several reasons for blanching. When you blanch a vegetable if brightens the color. This is especially good for green vegetables like broccoli or green beans. Blanching removes any bitter taste from vegetables. Blanching also affects the texture. When you blanch green beans you end up with a very crisp and tender bean. The blanch method is a tool used to preserve the nutrients in preparation for freezing vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I salt the water when blanching green beans because it improves the taste and also helps the green beans maintain their color.
Once the water is boiling you will only blanch the green beans for 2-3 minutes depending on their size.
When buying green beans you want to find firm, bright green beans that snap. Avoid any limp or discolored beans.
Once you have blanched your green beans, arrange the beans on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can put the green beans in an airtight bag and enjoy them throughout the year. I wrote a whole post on how to freeze green beans it if you need more information.
More green bean recipes:
If you’ve tried this easy green bean recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation
Print
How to Blanch Green Beans
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Blanching green beans is how you prepare them for going into the freezer! This is a great thing to know and makes preserving a small amount of green beans possible.
Ingredients
- As many green beans as you have to preserve, it can be a large or small amount
- A pot of water
- A large bowl of ice water
Instructions
- Prepare your green beans by washing them, breaking off the stem ends, and snapping them into bite sized pieces.
- Bring a pot, half filled with water, to a boil. You can add ½ teaspoon of salt to the water if you'd like.
- While the water is boiling, add in some green beans, working in batches if needed, as to not over fill the pot.
- Bring the water back to a boil and boil the green beans for 1 minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the green beans from the boiling water and place them in the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Repeat the boiling and ice water bath process as needed to use all of your green beans.
- Your green beans are now blanched and you can put them in freezer safe containers and freeze or use them in recipes that call for blanched fresh green beans.
Notes
- This recipe is ideal for getting small amount of green beans into the freezer. If my garden hasn't produced enough to can a bunch, I'll just put little batches in the freezer as I have extras. It's so nice to have fresh (frozen) beans in the winter!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 1 min
- Category: preserving
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup green beans
- Calories: 16
- Sugar: 1.6g
- Sodium: 0
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 3.5g
- Fiber: .9
- Protein: .9
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: how to blanch green beans, blanching green beans, garden green beans, how to freeze green beans
Blanching green beans is an easy process that really changes the outcome of your vegetable. If you want your green beans to be crisp, tender, bright in color, and tasty-try blanching.
Leave a Reply