Lemon green beans

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

PIN Lemon Green Beans to try later!

I highly recommend you try this recipe Lemon green beansespecially if you’re someone who loves those delicious thin green beans that you can get at Costco almost all year round! And this is a green bean recipe that literally comes together in minutes, and it’s special enough to make for a holiday meal!

Please believe me when I say this recipe is ridiculously simple, but so delicious! In fact, the first time I made the Lemon Green Beans, I ended up eating an entire pound of green beans myself and calling it lunch! And over the years, I’ve made these beans many times when I need a special side dish for guests, and I think they would be perfect for Thanksgiving, too.

I like to spotlight beloved recipes like these that I’ve made time and time again in my Friday Favorites posts, so today I’m reminding you of this favorite way to cook green beans and encouraging you to make some lemon green beans soon!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is just a list of ingredients; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you want the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, which will take you directly to the full recipe with ingredient quantities.)

salty
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 much thicker than the ones in my photos, I would increase the cooking time by about a minute.

Can you make Lemon Green Beans without lemon zest or juicer?

Using a fresh lemon is one thing that makes this recipe so delicious! But if you don’t lemon zester (affiliate link) or a Lemon juicers (affiliate link) as you can see in my photos, you can zest the lemon with the fine side of a cheese grater and simply squeeze the lemon by hand.

How low in carbohydrates are the green beans with lemon?

The delicious lemon flavored green beans contain only 5.2 net carbs per serving!

To make lemon green beans:

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

Cut off both ends of the beans. I take a handful of beans, stand them upright in my hand, and drop them onto the cutting board to align the ends.
Bring salt and water to a boil in a large saucepan and cook the beans for about 5 minutes, or until barely tender and crisp-tender.
While the beans are cooking, zest and squeeze the juice of one lemon. (I used all the juice, but I like really lemony stuff.)
Drain the beans in a colander in the sink.
Heat the olive oil in the same pan you cooked the beans in, then add the beans and cook for about 1 minute.
Pour over the lemon juice, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and cook for about 1 minute more (just long enough to give the beans a lemon flavor).
Place the beans on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon zest.
Serve Lemon Green Beans warm and wait for compliments!

Make it a low-carb meal:

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

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

You can use green beans to find more recipes like this. Or check out Keto Vegetable Recipes for Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes (Low Carb and Gluten Free) for many more tasty ideas using green beans.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

Cut off both ends of the green beans. (I take a handful of beans, stand them upright in my hand, and drop them onto the cutting board, which aligns the ends. Then cut that end and repeat with the other end.)

Fill a medium, wide saucepan halfway with water, add salt and bring to the boil.

When the water boils, add the beans, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let the beans cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are barely tender and crispy.

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

When the beans are soft and crispy, drain them in a colander in the sink.

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

Then pour over the lemon juice, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook the beans for about 1 minute. (Cook the beans just long enough to give them a lemon flavor.)

Place the beans on a serving platter and sprinkle with lemon zest.

Serve the lemon green beans warm and enjoy!

Nutritional information

Yield

Portion size

Quantity per serving

Calories 91Total fat 5.4gSaturated fat 1gUnsaturated fat 4.4gSodium 734 mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 3.8gSugar 4.2gEgg white 2.4g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I use. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy as many variables influence these calculations.

Square image of lemon green beans on serving plate.

Suggestions for a low-carb diet/low-glycemic diet/South Beach diet:
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:
Use green beans to find more recipes like this. 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 TikTokor on YouTube to see all the good recipes I share there.

Historical notes on this recipe:
This recipe for Green Beans with Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest was first posted in 2012 and I have made it so many times since then for dinner guests. It was last updated with more information and better photos in 2025.

Pinterest image of green lemon beans on serving plate, with salt and pepper in the back.