To boil green beans, a favorite vegetable in cultures all over the world, all you need is a pot, some water, the green beans and a heat source. It really couldn’t get any easier than that! Of course, you need to know how long to boil the green beans, and this handy guide has you covered – keep reading to find out!
- How to Boil Green Beans
- How Long to Boil Green Beans by Temperature
- How Long to Boil Fresh Green Beans
- How Long to Boil Frozen Green Beans
- How Long to Boil Canned Green Beans
- How Long to Boil Dried Green Beans
- Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Temperature
- How Long to Boil Green Beans by Type
- Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Type
- How Long to Boil Green Beans by Texture
- How Long to Boil Green Beans Until Soft
- How Long to Boil Green Beans Al Dente
- Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Texture
- How Long to Boil Green Beans by Cut
- Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Cut
- How Long to Boil Green Beans by Dish
- Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Dish
How to Boil Green Beans
This section will cover the steps of how to boil green beans, and, if you’re wondering how long do green beans take to boil, stay tuned and read on to the next section.
- Prepare your green beans. If you’re using fresh green beans, trim the ends where the stems are hard. If you’re using frozen green beans, you don’t need to do anything yet. If you’re using canned green beans, open, drain and rinse the green beans.
- Fill a large pot with water (enough to cover the green beans) and add a palmful of salt. You can skip the salt if you’re using canned green beans, as they typically contain salt as a preservative. Place the pot over a stove burner on medium-high heat.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the green beans to the pot and allow the water to return to a boil. Allow the beans to boil for the appropriate amount of time (see below for details).
- Once the beans are done boiling, turn off the heat and drain the beans and the water in a colander.
- Add any seasonings, garnishes or additional ingredients and serve!
How Long to Boil Green Beans by Temperature
How Long to Boil Fresh Green Beans
If you’re working with fresh green beans, whether store-bought or straight from your home garden, you should boil them for 5 minutes.
How Long to Boil Frozen Green Beans
To cook frozen green beans, boil them for 6 minutes until heated all the way through. There’s no need to thaw them first – you can boil them straight from the freezer after removing them from the bag or container you purchased them in.
How Long to Boil Canned Green Beans
Canned green beans may not need to be cooked, depending on if they were cooked or not before they were canned, but you can boil most types of canned green beans (at room temperature) for 5 minutes.
How Long to Boil Dried Green Beans
Green beans that have been dried can be boiled for 6-8 minutes to rehydrate and cook them.
Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Temperature
| Temperature | How Long to Boil |
| Fresh green beans | 5 minutes |
| Frozen green beans | 6 minutes |
| Canned green beans | 5 minutes |
| Dried green beans | 6-8 minutes |
How Long to Boil Green Beans by Type
- · Boil French green beans for 5 minutes
- · Boil green string beans for 4-5 minutes
- · Boil Italian green beans (also known as Romano beans) for 6-9 minutes until tender
- · Boil Tendergreen green beans (a popular variety) for 3-5 minutes
Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Type
| Type of Green Beans | How Long to Boil |
| French green beans | 5 minutes |
| Green string beans | 4-5 minutes |
| Italian green beans | 6-9 minutes |
| Tendergreen green beans | 3-5 minutes |
How Long to Boil Green Beans by Texture
How Long to Boil Green Beans Until Soft
If you want to boil green beans until they’re very soft (almost mushy) for things like homemade baby food, boil them for 6-9 minutes.
How Long to Boil Green Beans Al Dente
For al dente, just-tender-enough-to-bite green beans, boil them for 3-5 minutes. Any shorter and they run the risk of being semi-raw; any longer and they run the risk of being mushy.
Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Texture
| Texture | How Long to Boil |
| Soft green beans | 6-9 minutes |
| Al dente green beans | 3-5 minutes |
How Long to Boil Green Beans by Cut
- · Boil whole green beans for 5 minutes until cooked through
- · Boil green beans that have been cut in half for 3-5 minutes
- · Boil cut green beans for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how large the pieces are
Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Cut
| Cut | How Long to Boil |
| Whole green beans | 5 minutes |
| Halved green beans | 3-5 minutes |
| Cut green beans | 3-5 minutes |
How Long to Boil Green Beans by Dish
- · To blanch green beans, whether preparing them for canning or frying, boil them for 2-3 minutes
- · To boil green beans and potatoes together, boil them for 10-15 minutes
- · To fry green beans, blanch them first by boiling them for 2-3 minutes
- · To make a green bean casserole, boil the green beans for 5 minutes
- · To cook green beans for salad, boil them for 2 minutes
- · To make baby food from green beans, boil them for 6-9 minutes until they are soft enough to mash with a fork
Table: How Long to Boil Green Beans by Dish
| Dish | How Long to Boil |
| Blanched green beans | 2-3 minutes |
| Green beans and potatoes | 10-15 minutes |
| Fried green beans | 2-3 minutes |
| Green bean casserole | 5 minutes |
| Green bean salad | 2 minutes |
| Green bean baby food | 6-9 minutes |
