Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries and Walnuts
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Roasted green beans with tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts make the perfect simple yet elegant holiday side dish.
If you’ve never tried roasted green beans, you’re in for a real treat. Unlike boiled green beans that can be bland and squeaky, roasting brings out their natural sweetness and gives them a tender, caramelized flavor. In this version, dried cranberries add a pop of color and tart-sweetness, while walnuts bring a savory crunch. It’s a simple yet elegant side dish, perfect for the holidays.
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Green beans with Cranberries & Walnuts
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by toasting the walnuts.
While the walnuts toast, rehydrate the cranberries: Place the cranberries in a small heat-proof bowl.
Cover with boiling water and let sit until the green beans are cooked.
To roast the green beans, line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Toss the green beans with the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar directly on the prepared baking sheet.
Roast the beans for 15 minutes, then stir with a spatula to promote even cooking. Continue roasting until beans are tender, slightly browned and just starting to shrivel, about 10 minutes more.
Add lemon zest, lemon juice, drained cranberries, and walnuts.
Toss well.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired.
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Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries & Walnuts
Roasted green beans with tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts make the perfect simple yet elegant holiday side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from one lemon
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, from one lemon
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the walnuts on the prepared baking sheet and bake until until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the nuts so they don't burn. When cool enough to handle, transfer the nuts to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Place the foil back on the baking sheet (you'll use it for the green beans) and increase the oven temperature to 450°F.
- Place the cranberries in a small heatproof bowl. Cover the cranberries with boiling water and set aside.
- Directly on the foil-lined baking sheet, use a rubber spatula to toss the green beans with the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and sugar. Roast the green beans for 15 minutes, then stir with a spatula to promote even cooking. Continue roasting until the beans are tender, slightly browned and just starting to shrivel, about 10 minutes more.
- Drain the cranberries.
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, drained cranberries, and toasted walnuts to the green beans. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 104
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 301 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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I would like to make this a day ahead. When should I add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cranberries and walnuts? On the day I actually cook the beans, or the next day just before I reheat them?
Also, how long & at what temp should I reheat?
Hi Judy, You could include all the ingredients ahead and then reheat everything together in a casserole dish in the oven, but I would suggest undercooking it just a bit the first time around so the green beans don’t get too soft. I’d reheat them at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until heated through.
Easy elegance. A fresh and healthy addition to Thanksgiving. I substituted pecans for the walnuts and omitted the sugar. It doesn’t get any easier than this! Everyone loved it!
This is the first recipe on your site I have not been crazy about. I love the roasted green bean recipe with the Parmesan, lemon and pine nuts so I am not sure what happen with this one. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I did use the petite green beans but I believe I’ve done that with your other recipe. I found this recipe lacking in flavor.
No other description for this but 5 Stars. This recipe is healthy, scrumptious and a real crowd pleaser. Do not mess with this recipe – it is perfection!
Served this at Thanksgiving and even though with the last minute craziness I left out about three ingredients, it was still delicious! Thanks for bringing the green to my table.
Delicious and so easy! I wish I had taken them out abit earlier (I cut out 5 minutes), as I was traveling for Thanksgiving and reheating them (they got a tad mushy). I added some left over carmelized onions that had a splash of balsamic.
just wondering, as an amateur, whether the dried cranberries will conflict with the cranberry sauce I’m planning?
In my opinion, no. Because it’s Thanksgiving, you’re likely to have many other dishes, with a variety of flavors, that it shouldn’t be an issue. Feel free to leave the cranberries out, though, if you’re concerned about it.
I will be using at least 4 of your recipes for Thanksgiving!! Can’t wait!! I wondered if leaving the cranberries (& maybe walnuts too) out of this recipe if it would make a big difference..I’m asking because I always make fresh cranberry sauce and I will be trying your carrot slaw with cranberries recipe..just don’t know if that’s too much cranberries for one meal??!! I will also be making your Brussels Sprouts Gratin & French Apple Cake…Thanks.
Hi Wendy, these will still be tasty if you omit the cranberries and nuts, but will just taste more like ordinary roasted green beans.
First, thank you for all of the wonderful recipes. It’s wonderful to have a reliable source for recipes and I have NEVER been disappointed by anything on your site. Now, onto my question: Can I use frozen French green beans for this recipe?
I just scrolled down and found the answer my self. Thanks!
I don’t usually like green beans but I like these. I made them for one so I cut the recipe down to a fourth. Yummy.
I made this recipe and it was fantastic, the lemon zest and juice gave it something extra. The instructions were perfect.