Sweet and Spicy Green Beans
These crazy easy sweet and spicy green beans are sure to become a family favorite! With just 5 minutes of prep and plenty of fantastic flavor, they’re the perfect side to just about any meal. Dairy free and gluten free with vegan option.
Are you ready for a ridiculously easy recipe? As in, so easy that I probably shouldn’t even be posting?
These honey green beans are a complete staple at our house. We’re talking they show up on our dinner table a minimum of once a week. Ahem, usually more.
And yet it never occurred to me to share them here. Not at all.
But then. Then one of my friends picked an Asian theme for our monthly potluck dinner. Which led to a discussion about side dishes, that eventually somehow wound up on green beans.
And when another friend later asked me what recipe I use for green beans, I proceeded to provide a fairly unhelpful answer. I was all a little of this, a little of that.
So I finally wrote it down. Like, really wrote it down. With measurements! About two months too late for that potluck dinner, but it’s here.
And I’m hoping that you completely dig these green beans as much as we do. A little sweet, a little spicy, barely any prep work.
That’s a win win win for a side dish – triple threat!
Tips & Tricks For These Sweet and Spicy Green Beans
- I mention this in the recipe below, but be sure to buy the thin green beans for this recipe. French, haricot vert, slender. Got it? Good.
- The green beans that I buy come pre-trimmed. Which is awesome. But if yours aren’t, the prep time will likely be a few minutes longer.
- Play around with the amount of red pepper flakes to your taste – i.e. how spicy you like things. As written, it’s got a little kick but nothing too crazy (at least I don’t think so).
- A word on the yield: the husband and I can eat an obnoxious amount of these green beans in one sitting. I listed it as two to four servings down below … but take that as you will. You’ll probably get closer to four servings if you eat like a normal person (i.e. not like us).
Additional Side Dish Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots
- Maple Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Honey Mustard Roasted Vegetables
- Honey Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
- Green Beans with Almonds and Shallots
- Roasted Red Potatoes
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Sweet and Spicy Green Beans
These crazy easy sweet and spicy green beans are sure to become a family favorite! With just 5 minutes of prep and plenty of fantastic flavor, they’re the perfect side to just about any meal. Dairy free and gluten free with vegan option.
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin (french / haricot vert) green beans, trimmed
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey*
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Add the green beans to a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and honey, then sprinkle with the salt and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. If the green beans are not all lightly coated with oil, drizzle on a little more and toss again. Spread in an even layer.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until tender and browned. Season with additional salt and red pepper flakes to taste, if needed. Serve!
Notes
*Pure maple syrup can be subbed for the honey to make these vegan.
Be sure to use a large rimmed baking sheet here (and not a glass baking dish). It makes a difference with this recipe - they brown much better with the sheet.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 398mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
These look SO 100% crave-worthy! Yesterday while buying brussels sprouts a green bean from the next bin seemingly “jumped” into my brussels sprouts bag. I wonder if it was a sign that I should eat more green beans! 😉
haha total sign!!
Sweet and spicy is a combination that always ends well! I’m loving the look of these beans, Ashley!
The recipes so easy you don’t think to blog about them are usually my favorites! Simple is where it’s at most of the time at my house. I’m all over these green beans – I think we’d be hovering over the dish and eating them standing up, too!
More often than not, I create our meals by “feel” rather than using measurements or a recipe, all the time thinking, “It’s a good thing I don’t blog about savory food! I would have to write this all down!” I am so glad you did take the time to write down this one. Roasting, spicy, honey glazed….all sound wonderful straight from the pan or on a plate. 🙂
haha I totally get that!! Thanks Wendy!!
Green beans are one of my favorite side dishes. I love that these are sweet and spicy. They sound quite flavorful!!
Green beans are my favourite too. Actually just bought some this morning…have to give this a try too.
Love green beans and also love the combo of sweet and spicy flavors. And I also love how easy this recipe is. So all in all I will have to make them ASAP. Happy Friday, Ashely! 🙂
Easy recipes like these are my favorite! Haha I am a big green bean fan and could probably be right there with you guys and make this just a serving for 1 🙂 Looks amazing and I love the kick of heat!
haha I like it!! Have a great weekend Kelly!!
I’m so glad you shared this recipe ashley! Green beans are my favorite, and i’m always looking for variations on how to make them.
Ashley! I love this recipe. Seriously, don’t think it’s too easy that you shouldn’t post it! The easiest recipes are the best recipes if you ask me! And ya know what?? I’ve actually made green beans like this before. The red pepper is such a great seasoning! …but I’ve never added honey! What a great idea! I’ll have to try that next time! Thanks for sharing!
xoxo Cailee
Thanks so much Cailee! Happy weekend!
I can’t believe you never thought to share these! It’s the simple ones that seem too easy that are really the best, IMO. I’ve never tried honey on my green beans but it sounds amazing with the crushed red pepper! I could see myself scarfing down a plate at 11am too, hehe. Besides, getting that much green in your diet before noon is definitely a win-win situation. 🙂
That’s what I figure – never a bad thing right?? 🙂 Thanks Sarah!!
This looks wonderful, Ashley. I buy bags and bags of frozen green beans at Trader Joe’s and just flash boil them and eat with lunch. Now you have me thinking I need to make it more exciting and tasty! I love the idea of roasting it and the touch of honey. Definitely glad you wrote down the recipe for us! (PS – have you ever had stir-fry green beans with Chinese black bean paste? … sounds a bit crazy but you’ve got me thinking of that…told you that you had me thinking about jazzing up the beans! ; )
Oooo no, but now I’m so intrigued!!
Always post the simple recipes! They are always the most popular! Give the people want they want! The look lush, I think I’ll give them a go next week, my tot has been loving the green beans of late… so I want to ride that wave as long as I can 😀
I am obsessed with green beans! Besides brussels sprouts, they are my favorite simple side dish to eat for dinner. I usually pan saute them but I need to try roasting them in the oven more often.
Me too! I rotate between these and brussels sprouts!! Thanks Ashley!
Absolutely ZERO judgement here! Boy and I will stand at the counter and eat a lot of things straight from the pan – asparagus, broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash and most definitely green beans! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Like, I have totally made a meal out of just green beans before. So you can bet your you know what I am dying over these sweet and spicy green beans! Totally making these over the weekend! Pinned! Cheers, girlfriend!
So simple and easy recipe to make!!! Pinning
Haha, awesome! These are delicious green beans! 🙂
Better late than never right??? 😉
Yum! Green beans are so delicious- at home, my mom cooks them in a dry curry with coconut and lentils and it’s so good. Whenever I have them elsewhere, I always feel like they’re underwhelming because no one ever does anything with them, but these green beans have proven otherwise!! They look SO flavor packed and delicious 🙂
Ooo your mom’s green beans sound delicious!!
I love green beans but hate trimming them — I love that hericot verts are nice and trimmed down already and cook so fast! Everyone needs a go-to side dish, and these look and sound amazing. Love these flavors. 🙂
Yes! It makes it so easy!
Haha, I am the same way when it comes to recipes – I have to go out of my way to figure out measurements because I never measure when cooking (unless for the blog!). I am all about these sweet and spicy green beans! I used to HATE green beans, but it was because I had only ever had the canned ones, blech. These look amazing, pinning!
My husband and I can eat a crazy amount of green beans, too! I know we’d love this!
5 ingredients and a 400 degree oven is all it takes to make these fantastic beans – wow! My daughter and I would do what you and your hubs did and eat these standing over the kitchen counter!
They’re hard to resist! Thanks Shashi!!
Oh gosh, such a simple recipe, but these beans really do look completely FABULOUS! I’m pretty sure I’d follow your example and eat them all straight off the pan too! Haha!
I love easy recipes like this, especially when veggies are involved! My husband and I love green beans, so this sweet and spicy version is just perfect. Can’t wait to try this out!
Thanks Gayle!!
Green beans are one of my favorite foods! Probably will turn into one soon. But who cares, they are delicious and I love the way you prepared them. Yum!!!
It’s strange, because I think the things we eat the most I haven’t actually blogged about either haha.
I have a very similar recipe in my book, and it’s one of my favourite sides.