Green Bean Salad - Recipes From Europe (2024)

An Easy Green Bean Salad Recipe For You to Try!

Are you looking for a cold side salad that is light and easy to make? Then you will love this green bean salad.

This salad is made with fresh green beans that are trimmed and boiled until crisp-tender, then tossed with a simple oil and vinegar dressing that has a nice tang.

And don’t forget about the finely diced onion for a bit of crunch and extra flavor!

This type of cold salad is popular in Germany, where it is known as Grüner Bohnensalat. In Lisa’s family, it is often served as a side dish to meat dishes, especially Sunday roasts.

It’s super easy to make and you only need a few ingredients! Similar to Lisa’s grandma’s carrot salad, it’s best to make it ahead of time and let it marinate in the fridge for a while!

There are different versions of green bean salad that are eaten in many European countries. They often differ in the dressing and some of the extra ingredients.

Ingredients

Here are the cold green bean salad ingredients that you will need for this recipe. Aside from the beans and the onion, it’s basically just about making the easy dressing from scratch!

• Green beans – Use fresh, crisp green beans without dark spots.
• Yellow onion – Adds a mild onion flavor and extra texture.
• White wine vinegar – Adds tang; use good quality white wine vinegar for the best taste.
• Oil – Use a neutral oil such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
• Granulated sugar – To balance the flavors. Add more or less to taste.
• Salt – To enhance the overall flavors.
• Black pepper – Adds a hint of spice.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Before you make this string bean salad, have a good read through these recipe tips so that you know what to keep in mind as you cook:

• Don’t overcook the beans, they should be crisp-tender. If they are mushy, they will not hold up well when tossed in the dressing and the salad won’t taste as good.
• Feel free to adjust the dressing. You can add more or less vinegar depending on your personal preference.
• Add the salt, sugar, and pepper gradually. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away.
• Allow the salad to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably longer (up to overnight) to allow the flavors to mingle.

How to Make Green Bean Salad – Step by Step Instructions

In this section, we’ll show you exactly how to make this green bean salad recipe.

We’ve included all the recipe process photos so that you can see what each step looks like as you follow along at home!

Of course, the printable, detailed recipe card is located at the bottom of this post for your reference!

Rinse the green beans and trim off the ends. Cut them into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long.

Also, peel and finely dice the onion.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the green beans and cook for 8-10 minutes until they are crisp-tender.

While the beans are cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Set it aside.

When the green beans are cooked, drain them and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Pat them dry and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

Add the chopped onion and the dressing to the bowl with the green beans. Toss until well combined.

Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate the salad for at least one hour, preferably longer (up to overnight).

Before serving, taste the salad again and add more salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy!

Storage Tips

If you have leftover green bean salad, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

We would even argue that this salad tastes better on the second day because the flavors have had time to mingle.

FAQ

Here’s an answer to a frequently asked question about this bean salad:

Related Recipes

If you liked this recipe for green bean salad, here are some other classic cold salads that you might want to try out:

• Carrot Salad
• German Cucumber Salad
• Beet Salad (coming soon)
• Potato Salad (Swabian Vinegar-Style)
• Tomato Salad