Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (2024)

Jump to Recipe

These Sweet and Spicy Green Beans will be your new favorite keto side dish! This easy recipe is ready in just 20 minutes and has just 5 net carbs per serving.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (1)

Easy Green Bean Recipe

These delicious Sweet and Spicy Green Beans are quick, simple, and super flavorful! Crunchy bacon and tender green beans are coated in a delicious 4-ingredient sugar-free sauce that you’ll love. Top with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes for the perfect side dish for nearly any entree. With just 5 net carbs and fewer than 100 calories, this easy green bean recipe is the perfect side dish on a low-carb or keto diet.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (2)

Ingredients for Sweet & Spicy Green Beans

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. Find exact measurements at the bottom of the page in the printable recipe card.

  • Bacon – I prefer thick-cut bacon in this recipe because it gives a meatier bite that perfectly complements the green beans.
  • Green Beans – Fresh with ends trimmed. I don’t recommend frozen or canned green beans as they won’t get that crisp texture we’re looking for in this recipe.
  • Garlic – Freshly minced garlic has the most flavor, but you can use the pre-minced jar from the store to make the meal quicker.
  • Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar Monk Fruit, and Apple Cider Vinegar – Makes the flavorful sauce. Coconut aminos is a great soy-free alternative to soy sauce. Brown sugar Swerve or other alternative sweetener could be used instead of monk fruit. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, substitute champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar for a similar flavor.
  • Optional: Sesame Seeds & Red Pepper Flakes – These are for garnish and add a great texture and flavor! If you don’t enjoy spicy foods, feel free to leave out the red pepper.

You’ll also need a small mixing bowl, a skillet, a slotted spoon, a paper towel lined plate, and a stovetop or hot plate.

How to Make Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

In addition to the ingredients listed above you will need a large skillet, cutting board and knife. This is an easy side dish recipe that can come together in just 20 minutes! Here’s a step-by-step guide for making these tasty green beans!

Cook the Bacon

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (3)
Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (4)

Warm a skillet to medium heat. While that’s warming up, cut your bacon into small pieces. Place the bacon into the hot pan and cook until bacon is crisp. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Set it aside for now.

Add Green Beans

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (5)
Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (6)

Pour off almost all of the bacon grease, but reserve 1 tablespoon for cooking the green beans. Add your trimmed green beans to the hot skillet and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the beans have begun to char, and they reach your preferred level of tenderness.

Toss in Sauce

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (7)

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, soy sauce, sweetener, and vinegar. Pour this into the hot skillet and toss the green beans to coat. Add bacon, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper, then serve immediately.

Serve

We love these delicious green beans with an easy entree like Sesame Shrimp or this Slow Cooker Ginger Garlic Pork Tenderloin. To stretch the meal, you can add Cauliflower Fried Rice or Roasted Cabbage without weighing yourself down too much. These amazing Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts would make the best appetizer… The dipping sauce would be excellent with these green beans, too! Some other entrees include:

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (8)

Store

Allow these green beans to cool completely, then transfer any leftovers to an airtight container. It’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge. If you’re trying to prep this ahead of time, feel free to just cook the bacon, reserve one tablespoon of oil, and mix together the sauce ingredients. When you’re ready to cook, you’ll save another 5-10 minutes!

I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Cooked green beans don’t keep a very crisp texture in the fridge, so they’re likely to become soggy and a bit mushy after freezing and thawing.

Reheat

Fresh green beans are best reheated in a hot skillet (medium heat, 2-5 minutes, shaking or stirring frequently), in the oven (350 degrees, 5-10 minutes, cover if you’re concerned they’ll brown too much), or in the air fryer (350 for 2-5 minutes, preferably with a liner so you don’t lose the bacon in the bottom).

You can microwave them, but they do lose some crispness this way. If microwaving, consider blasting at 50% power to prevent them from changing texture too much.

If you like this easy side dish, check out these simple recipes!

  • Crispy Green Bean Fries – These are easily breaded and quickly crisped up in the air fryer! Just 5.6 net carbs per serving.
  • Foil Pack Green Beans – This recipe uses a similar sauce, but the green beans basically get steamed in the tightly secured foil pack. I love that the only cleanup required is throwing away the foil!
  • Air Fryer Green Beans – Ready in about 10-12 minutes, this is such an easy, healthy recipe! Lemon juice adds a ton of flavor and perfectly complements this crispy veggie.
  • Green Bean Almondine – Our favorite holiday side dish! The texture of slivered almonds on crisp, fresh green beans, all with a sugar-free, delicious sauce… It can’t be beat!
  • Keto Bacon Wrapped Green Beans – These are SO flavorful with just steak marinade, a sugar-free sweetener, and a sprinkle of blue cheese!
Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (9)

Green Bean FAQs

How do you trim green beans?

When trimming green beans, you just want to focus on the ends. Grab a handful of green beans and arrange them so that all of the bottom end lines up together. Cut the ends off with a knife (usually just 1/4″ or so is needed). Flip the green beans, arrange so that the remaining ends are lined up together. Cut off those ends, rinse beans with water, and pat dry.

Do I have to blanch green beans?

No, this is not a recipe that calls for blanching. Blanching is a great way to parcook your green beans, perfect for freezing but not for this recipe. If you do use blanched green beans, you’ll have a very mushy dish that likely won’t stick to much of the flavorful sauce.

Can I use frozen green beans? Canned green beans?

No, using frozen or canned green beans will make it impossible to achieve the crisp texture we’re looking for in this dish. Frozen and canned options have already been blanched, steamed, or otherwise cooked, so they don’t hold up as well in the skillet. If you do use frozen or canned, you’ll get extremely soft green beans that struggle to soak up the sweet-and-spicy sauce.

Are green beans keto?

Yes, green beans are a great veggie option on the keto diet! One cup of green beans has 7 grams of carbs, 2.7 grams of fiber, 0.2 grams of fat, and 1.8 grams of protein. 7 grams of carbs – 2.7 grams of fiber = 4.3 net carbs in a cup of green beans.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (10)

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

Annie

These Sweet and Spicy Green Beans will be your new favorite keto side dish! This easy recipe is ready in just 20 minutes and has just 5 net carbs per serving.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Keto

Servings 4 servings

Calories 77 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 slices thick-cut bacon
  • 12 ounces fresh green beans ends trimmed
  • 3 cloves garlic very finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons EACH soy sauce brown sugar monkfruit, and apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • Red pepper flakes optional garnish

Instructions

  • Cut the bacon into small pieces and brown over medium heat. When the bacon is crisp, remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.

  • Pour off all of the bacon grease except 1 tablespoon. Add the green beans to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, 6-7 minutes until they have begun to char and reached your desired tenderness.

  • In a small bowl combine the garlic, soy sauce, sweetener and apple cider vinegar. Toss the green beans in the sauce until the beans are well coated.

  • Add the bacon, sesame seeds and crushed red pepper for garnish. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Brown sugar Swerve or another alternative sweetener can also work in place of the monk fruit.
  • If you are not low carb you can use regular brown sugar in this recipe.

Net carbs are 5 g per serving

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of skilletCalories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 7.4gProtein: 5gFat: 3.6gCholesterol: 8.5mgSodium: 223.3mgFiber: 2.4gSugar: 2.9g

Keyword easy sides, green bean recipe, keto side dish, side dish recipe

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans - The Best Keto Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How many green beans can I eat on keto? ›

One cup of green beans contains almost 7 grams of carbohydrates so they can easily fit into a daily allowance of fewer than 50 grams in a keto diet. Green beans are a low-calorie, nutritious vegetable that can be a part of your healthy diet.

What are the lowest carb beans on keto? ›

Highest and Lowest Carb Beans

Among these, black soybeans and green beans have the lowest carbs, potentially making them better for a keto diet. On the other hand, chickpeas, pinto beans, and navy beans have high carbs. You might want to avoid these if you're strictly following a keto diet.

What are the best canned beans for keto diet? ›

Green beans and black soybeans are keto-friendly bean options, each containing only 2 grams of net carbs per 1/2-cup (60–90-gram) serving. Some promising keto substitutes for beans include mushrooms, eggplant, avocado, ground meat, and boiled peanuts.

Are canned green beans keto friendly? ›

A 100-gram can contains around 8 grams of total carbs and 4 grams of net carbs, and since a ketogenic diet limits you to 50 grams of daily net carbs, you can safely enjoy multiple servings. However, you always want to double-check the ingredient list in case a manufacturer adds preservatives or other ingredients.

Can you eat unlimited vegetables on keto? ›

You do not have to limit vegetables if you are on the keto diet or are considering it. Plenty of low-carb vegetable options include arugula, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes.

Can you eat too much vegetables on keto? ›

“Even though all vegetables have health value, eating too much of some will likely push you over your carb limit.” Worried about their carb counts, some people avoid veggies altogether when they go keto.

Why avoid beans on keto? ›

Why Are Beans Not Keto Friendly? Because keto is a low-carb, high fat diet, and most types of beans fall into high-carb categories, they are not best suited for a ketogenic diet. Though the range can vary, one serving of any type will likely take up a large chunk of your daily carbohydrate allowance.

Can I eat peas on keto? ›

Although carbs in peas are higher than some other veggies, you can still incorporate them into a keto lifestyle. Keep carbs low with small serving sizes, or try keto pea substitutes to cut carbs even more.

What vegetables are keto friendly? ›

Vegetables to include in a keto diet
  • Asparagus. There are 3.88 g of carbs in 100 g of asparagus. ...
  • Celery. Celery contains 2.97 g of carbs per 100 g. ...
  • Tomatoes. Different types of tomato contain different amounts of carbs.
  • Spinach. ...
  • Lettuce. ...
  • Mushrooms. ...
  • Cucumber. ...
  • Zucchini.
Apr 28, 2021

What can I eat instead of rice on keto? ›

6 Keto-Friendly and Low Carb Rice Substitutes
  • Cauliflower Rice. 0.9 grams net carbs and 0.9 grams protein per 50 grams cooked serving. ...
  • Shirataki Rice. 0.6 grams net carbs and 0 grams protein per 50 grams cooked serving. ...
  • Mushroom Rice. ...
  • Lentils. ...
  • Wild Rice. ...
  • Quinoa.

Which fruit is keto? ›

Keto fruits by definition are low in carbohydrates. You still need to exercise portion control with most keto-friendly fruits to be within the limits of a keto diet. Keto-friendly fruits include avocados, watermelon, strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, raspberries, peaches, cantaloupe, star fruit, and blackberries.

Can you eat cabbage on keto? ›

Cabbage is delicious when stuffed into keto fajitas, used in soups, or made into coleslaw with a rich, creamy high-fat dressing that's keto-friendly. It has 2 grams of net carbs per cup shredded, so you can eat a lot in one sitting without falling out of ketosis, says Dixon.

Can you have pickles on keto? ›

Pickles can be keto-friendly as long as they don't contain added sugar. In general, you should select dill or sour pickles but avoid sweet, candied, and bread and butter ones.

What veggies have no carbs? ›

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, celery, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes contain very few or almost no carbohydrates. The carbohydrate count ranges from 2.97 to 3.89 grams. One cup of raw kale contains 0.9 g of carbohydrates (0% DV), making it a low-carb option.

Can I have a banana on keto? ›

Bananas. Bananas may be great for muscle recovery, reducing bloat, and calming an upset stomach, but they're on the list of foods you can't eat on the keto diet. With 25g of carbs per 100g serving, bananas are too high in carbs.

How many green beans is a serving? ›

Although there's no hard-and-fast rule to predict exactly how hungry your guests will be, this formula should get you through the farmer's market or grocery store with confidence that you've got it right: Assume that one serving of green beans is about one cup, or 5 oz, with about 12 to 13 green beans per cup, ...

How many whole green beans is a serving? ›

What is a Serving? A serving of green beans is one cup. This is about 20 medium green beans.

Can you eat green beans on keto for weight loss? ›

Green beans, cauliflower, and kale are all low in net carbs but high in nutrients, making them three great veggies to add to your keto meal plan. Few diets have gained as much popularity in recent years as the ketogenic diet.

Can you eat fresh green beans on keto? ›

Green beans are one of the best vegetables to eat on Keto. Clocking in at just around 4g net carbs per 100g they work great. If you are a meat eater they make a great side dish, if you are vegetarian then have them as a snack or even as part of a main course.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Last Updated:

Views: 6033

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Birthday: 1993-07-01

Address: Suite 763 6272 Lang Bypass, New Xochitlport, VT 72704-3308

Phone: +22014484519944

Job: Banking Officer

Hobby: Sailing, Gaming, Basketball, Calligraphy, Mycology, Astronomy, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.