Chinese Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans (Less Oil!) (VIDEO)
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These Chinese-style Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans uses less oil but still gets the signature blistered effect of Chinese restaurants – tossed with lots of fresh garlic, they’re the perfect vegetable side dish!
Watch the Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans are so good!
I developed this recipe because I wanted to make green beans that tasted like the classic Chinese restaurants but with less oil – the key is using a dry-frying technique, which gets a beautiful blistered char without needing to deep fry!
If you love green beans as much as I do, try my Din Tai Fung Green Beans, Chinese Green Beans with Pork, classic Roasted Green Beans with Bacon, Spicy Sichuan Green Beans, or Garlic Green Beans!
I made these last night and the green beans were better than the ones on menu at a very popular restaurant in San Francisco! Delicious, flavorful and so quick and easy to prepare. My Mom ask me if I made them, truly restaurant quality at a fraction of the cost. Thank you for my now go to recipe for dry fried green beans!
How to Make Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans
Stir-Fry Green Beans and Remove – In a wok, add 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat, add the green beans and toss to coat in the oil. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until the green beans are slightly charred but still crisp and remove from the pan.
Fry Garlic and Add Back Green Beans with Seasonings – In the same pan, add 1/2 tbsp oil and fry garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Add the green beans, salt and white pepper and msg. Stir fry and mix for another 30 seconds over high heat and serve immediately.
Pro TipS
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
Watch the Garlic – After you cook the green beans, be extra mindful of the heat to ensure that you do not burn your garlic! Chopped garlic can go from cooked to burned very quickly, so it’s important you keep a close eye. The garlic will continue to cook from the residual heat once mixed in with the green beans, so you only need to fry for a few seconds.
Storage – Store any leftover green beans in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Green beans tend to get soft when stored in the refrigerator. This won’t impact the taste. Reheat quickly in the microwave or on the stove top (I like to quickly stir fry them until warmed).
If you tried this Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Chinese Dry Fried Garlic Green Beans (VIDEO)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
- 1 lb green beans, washed and trimmed
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp msg
Instructions
- In a wok, add 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat, add the green beans and toss to coat in the oil. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until the green beans are slightly charred but still crisp and remove from the pan.
- In the same pan, add 1/2 tbsp oil and fry garlic over medium heat until fragrant.
- Add the green beans, salt and white pepper and msg. Stir fry and mix for another 30 seconds over high heat and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Dry Fried Green Bean recipe was originally published in April 2022, and updated in March 2026.
I made these last night and the green beans were better than the ones on menu at a very popular restaurant in San Francisco! Delicious, flavorful and so quick and easy to prepare. My Mom ask me if I made them , truly restaurant quality at a fraction of the cost. Thank you for my now go to recipe for dry fried green beans!
Thank you so much, Sherri!
I love this recipe!
I love these green beans! So delicious. Just like my local restaurant.
I’ve been looking for recipes to follow my keto diet. And this recipe caught my eye!!! It looked fairly simple. Green beans, garlic, oil, and salt (not a big fan of pepper and didn’t have MSG in my pantry) when I finally got a taste of my dish, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. So simple, so tasty, what more could you ask for?? 5/5 would def make again.