Brown sugar green beans [with no bacon] are the sweet and savory holiday and everyday side dish of your dreams. With just 6 ingredients and under 20 minutes, transform simple and inexpensive ingredients into a vegan version of these delicious green beans.
Fill a pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Put a steamer basket into the pot and place the green beans inside. Cover with a lid and steam for 5 to 8 minutes.
In a large pan over medium heat, heat the vegan butter until it’s melted. Add the garlic and saute for 45 seconds.
Stir in the brown sugar, dijon mustard, walnuts, and green beans until the green beans are evenly coated.
Serve hot.
Notes
Adjust the green bean texture: Adjust the cooking time of the beans based on if you’d like tender or tender-crisp green beans. This will also change based on whether you use frozen or fresh green beans.
Chop to size: You can leave the green beans whole or cut them down into bite-sized pieces for these brown sugar green beans.
Adjust the sweetness: Increase or decrease the amount to taste. Also, note that if you use a sugar substitute, the level or ‘sweetness’ will change, so adjust accordingly.
For more caramelized green beans: Increase the time you cook the green beans in the brown sugar glaze (over low temperature). The process can take up to 40 minutes for traditional caramelized green beans, but cook it to your desired level. Just a few additional minutes is great.