Lemon Green Beans

Lemon Green Beans have lemon juice and lemon zest, and these flavorful beans are a favorite green bean recipe that I’ve made many times. And the tasty green beans with lots of lemon flavor are a quick and easy low-carb side dish that’s delicious enough for a special meal!

PIN Lemon Green Beans to try them later!

I highly recommend you try this recipe for Lemon Green Beans, especially if you’re someone who likes those lovely thin green beans you can get almost all year at Costco! And this is a recipe for green beans that literally takes minutes to get on the table, and it’s special enough to make for a holiday meal!

Please trust me when I say this recipe is ridiculously easy but so, so good! In fact, the first time I made the Lemon Green Beans, I ended up eating a whole pound of green beans myself and calling it lunch! And through the years I’ve made these beans often when I need a special side dish for guests, and I think they would be perfect for Thanksgiving too.

Beloved recipes like this one that I’ve made over and over are the ones I love to spotlight for my Friday Favorites posts, so today I’m reminding you about this favorite way to cook green beans and urging you to make some Lemon Green Beans soon!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• salt
• fresh green beans
• lemon for lemon zest and lemon juice 
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• salt and  black pepper

Can you make the Lemon Green Beans with thicker green beans?

If you have green beans that seem a lot thicker than the ones in my photos, I’d just increase the cooking time for about a minute.

Can you make Lemon Green Beans without a lemon zester or squeezer?

Using a fresh lemon is one thing that makes this recipe so good! But if you don’t have a lemon zester (affiliate link) or a lemon juice squeezer (affiliate link) like you see in my pictures, you can zest the lemon with the fine side of a cheese grater and just squeeze the lemon by hand.

How low in carbs are the green beans with lemon?

The delightfully lemon flavored green beans have only 5.2 net carbs per serving!

How to Make Lemon Green Beans:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Trim both ends of the beans. I take a handful of beans, stand them up in my hand, then let them fall down on to the cutting board to line up the ends.
2. Bring salt and water to boil in a wide saucepan, then cook beans for about 5 minutes, or until barely tender-crisp.
3. While beans cook, zest and squeeze the juice of one lemon. (I used all the juice, but I like things really lemony.)
4. Drain beans in a colander placed in the sink.
5. Heat the olive oil in the same pan you cooked the beans in, then add the beans and cook about 1 minutes.
6. Pour over the lemon juice, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and cook about 1 minute more (just long enough to get the beans infused with lemon flavor.)
7. Put beans on a serving dish and sprinkle with lemon zest.
8. Serve Lemon Green Beans hot, and wait for compliments!

Make it for a low-carb meal:

Even though I think these green beans are great for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I would make this for a special meal any time of year. Here are some low-carb main dishes that would be great with the beans:

• Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms
• Air Fryer Salmon with Mustard Herb Sauce
• Artichoke Chicken Bake
• Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Breasts
• Slow Roasted Salmon with Butter, Garlic, Capers, and Lemon

Want more low-carb vegetable side dishes ideas for special dinners?

You can use Green Beans to find more recipes like this one. Or check out Keto Vegetable Recipes for Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes (Low-Carb and Gluten-Free) for lots more tasty ideas with Green Beans. 

Continue to Content

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Yield: 4 servings

Lemon Green Beans

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 21 minutes

Lemon Green Beans have lemon juice and lemon zest, and this is a great low-carb side dish to serve guests.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 lb. fresh green beans, both ends trimmed
• one large lemon (for lemon zest and lemon juice)
• 1 1/2 T olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Trim both ends of green beans. (I take a handful of beans, stand them up in my hand, then let them fall down on to the cutting board, which lines up the ends. Then trim that end and repeat with the other end.)

Fill a medium-sized wide saucepan half full with water, add salt, and bring to a boil.

When water boils, add beans, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook beans about 5 minutes, or until they are barely tender-crisp.

While beans cook, grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the lemon.

When beans are tender-crisp, drain into a colander placed in the sink.

Return pan to stove and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the beans and cook about 1 minute.

Then pour over the lemon juice, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and cook beans for about 1 minute more. (Cook beans just long enough to get them infused with lemon flavor.)

Put beans on serving platter, then sprinkle with lemon zest.

Serve Lemon Green Beans hot and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 91Total Fat 5.4gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 4.4gSodium 734mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 3.8gSugar 4.2gProtein 2.4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
These Lemon Green Beans are a perfect side dish for low-carb or Keto eating plans, and the recipe is also suitable for any phase of the original South Beach diet. And it’s vegan and gluten-free!

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Green Beans to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for green beans with lemon juice and lemon zest was first posted in 2012, and I’ve made it so many times for dinner guests since then. It was last updated with more information and better photos in 2025.

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