Honey Mustard Green Bean Salad
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Crispy, tangy green bean salad is simple to make but boasts a complex, delightful flavor. The smooth, balanced dressing pairs spicy brown mustard with sweet, floral honey that coats every inch of the crunchy almonds and vegetables. Enjoy this bright, refreshing appetizer any time of the year!
Although this recipe is very easy to make, my honey mustard green bean salad has plenty of character — enough to serve during the holidays and on special occasions. Nothing is over-processed, watered down, or overcooked. It’s quick, refreshing, and sure to satisfy everyone, not just the salad lovers!
These grassy, “green” vegetables are a favorite of mine. When I find my garden overflowing with them, I’m known to pickle and present my chilli dilly green beans as gifts. Family and friends are always happy to receive them!
Table of Contents
The match between honey and mustard is a tale as old as time. I find it especially pleasant with proteins, from salmon to chicken, and with other vegetables like sweet potatoes.
- Green Beans – I always prepare honey mustard green beans with the French variety. They’re straight, uniform, and easy to prepare. They’re also good for blanching — a key step in preparing my green bean salad recipe.
- Dijon Mustard – This sharp, spicy mustard is best substituted with yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard, or whole-grain mustard.
- Slivered Almonds – Thinner sliced almonds are preferred by some, and others might even want to throw in a handful of chopped walnuts. Include whatever nature of nuts you like.
- Kosher Salt – Large-grained, flaky salt is recommended in green bean salad to allow the pops of saltiness to stand out best and allow the other flavors to shine.
- White Vinegar – Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or even lemon juice are possible alternatives. The goal of this ingredient is to add brightness and acidity, so there are many options to choose from!
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin varieties bottled in dark glass bottles are best preserved and best tasting. It’s an ingredient worth investing in!
- Garlic – You may use either peeled, loose cloves or a whole head of garlic. Roasting the whole head allows the garlic to become as creamy and caramelized as possible, while loose cloves run the risk of drying out.
What is blanching?
It’s the art of briefly boiling veggies or fruits, then plunging them into ice water to halt cooking. This technique retains their vibrant colors, texture, and nutrients, setting them up for perfection in dishes. Whether prepping for freezing or aiming for that ideal crunch in salads, like in this recipe, blanching is the secret weapon. A quick dunk in boiling water followed by an ice bath—your produce stays fresh, crisp, and ready to dazzle.
- Roast the Garlic. While your oven preheats to 400 degrees F, wrap the garlic bulbs in foil. If roasting peeled garlic, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil before wrapping. Roast for 30 minutes.
- Boil the Green Beans. Meanwhile, rinse the green beans, trim off the stems, and halve them. Bring a pot of salted water to boil, then add the prepared beans and cook for 5 minutes until crisp yet tender.
- Drain & Rinse. Strain the beans and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water or rinse under cold water to prevent any further cooking and preserve the bright green color, crunch, and flavor. Add to your serving dish and set aside.
- Prepare the Dressing. Remove and unwrap and roasted garlic, then transfer to a small bowl. Pour the vinegar, mustard, and oil into the bowl and add the honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk well or emulsify with an immersion blender.
- Toss & Serve. Pour the dressing over the beans and add ⅔ of the almonds to the dish. Toss until all ingredients are coated, sprinkle the remaining almonds over top, and serve!
Recommended Tools
- Immersion Blender – When you’re dealing with dressing ingredients of multiple sizes and textures, an immersion blender is the best way to get a smooth result. It’s perfect for emulsifying dressings.
- Whisk – In lieu of a blender, use a whisk to combine the oil with the garlic, honey, mustard, and other dressing ingredients. It helps to break down the roasted garlic with a fork first!
Storing and Serving
Any salad tossed in dressing has a limited life in the refrigerator, and honey mustard green beans are no exception. I wouldn’t recommend preparing them any more than 2 days in advance, lest the green beans start to get soggy and the almonds lose their crunch.
The dressing itself, on the other hand, can be prepared, packaged, and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. As the vegetables take only 5 or so minutes to prepare, this is a great time-saving strategy for meal preppers and time savers alike.
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The stem is always worth removing. It offers no texture or flavor and is generally just tough and unappetizing. Other than that, there is no other part of the vegetable that needs to be trimmed before eating!
My green bean salad recipe takes advantage of the crispy, crunchy texture of the vegetable. Therefore, no prior softening is necessary.
Instead, they are very briefly tenderized in boiling salted water before being blanched in cold, ice or running water until completely cooled.
Honey mustard green beans are delicious both at room temperature or chilled. As the beans are cooled before being tossed in the dressing, the warmest ingredient we’re working with is the roasted garlic — and that shouldn’t do too much to warm the batch.
That being said, coating with the dressing and then chilling for an hour or so will really allow the flavors to marry. This is particularly recommended for those who would like a cold, refreshing version of this green bean salad recipe.
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Honey Mustard Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb green beans
- 2 heads garlic (or 20 loose, peeled garlic)
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic bulbs in foil and roast for 30 minutes. If using loose, peeled garlic, drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap tightly.
- Trim the stem from the green beans and cut in halves. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and boil for about 4-5 minutes, or until crisp tender. Strain the beans and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water or rinse under cold water to prevent any further cooking and preserve the bright green color, crunch, and flavor. Drain, transfer to serving bowl and set aside.
- Remove garlic from the oven. Transfer garlic to a small bowl (if using bulbs, cut the head and squeeze out the garlic). Add vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper and olive oil. Whisk the dressing to emulsify or use an immersion blender.
- Pour dressing over green beans with 2/3 of the almonds. Toss to coat the beans with dressing and season to taste. Top with remaining almonds and serve.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I overcooked my beans, but it was still delicious Kevin. Thanks, will make again and watch my timer!
Yes, the bright green and crunch make these. Thanks for trying these and letting me know Betty. Cheers!
Loved the balance of tangy and sweet plus the crunch from the blanched beans and almonds made it!
This is one of my favorites. Thanks for coming back and letting me know Jewel. 🙂
This was so good and I even had the leftover the next day cold! I’m gonna double the recipe and will be making it for Christmas dinner.
Sounds perfect, thanks Todd. Happy holidays.