Chinese Green Beans Stir Fry with Garlic

Looking for a quick, tasty, and healthy side dish? This Chinese Green Beans Stir Fry is a simple, delicious recipe you can whip up in just 10 minutes! Perfect to serve with your favorite Asian dishes, this stir fry packs flavor with minimal ingredients.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Quick & Easy - This dish comes together in just 10 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
• Savory & Garlicky - Packed with flavor from oyster sauce (optional), soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil.
• Customizable - Prefer your green beans more tender? Add a splash of water or broth and cover to steam them a bit!
• Pairs with Everything - Serve it with rice, noodles, or any main dish-it's super versatile.
• Simple Ingredients - You probably already have everything in your pantry!

How to Make This Recipe Vegan

This dish is super easy to adapt for a vegetarian or vegan diet! While traditional oyster sauce is made from oysters, there are vegetarian versions available that use mushroom extracts to mimic that same deep, savory, umami flavor.

You can usually find vegetarian oyster sauce (sometimes labeled as "mushroom stir-fry sauce") at Asian grocery stores or online. My favorite one is actually Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Mushroom oyster sauce!

Just swap it 1:1 for regular oyster sauce in this recipe, and everything else is already plant-based-so it becomes a delicious vegan-friendly side dish in minutes!

Prepare your Green Beans

I highly recommend trimming the green beans. This will remove the tough parts of the green beans. My mom literally will not eat the tough parts of it for example.

It's not very hard to trim! There are a couple of different ways. I like to do things the easiest ways possible, so there are two ways I'll mention here.

First is you can line up your green beans all next to each other uniformly. Make sure they're all lined up so the ends are all one line. And then using a knife cut off all the tough ends on one end. Then, switch sides and cut off the other ends too in one line.

The second way is to use cutting shears / scissors, and just cut off the tips of the green beans - snip snip you're done.

How to Stir Fry Green Beans

First gather your ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 12 oz green beans, trimmed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 red chili peppers (optional)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or honey)
• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons water or chicken broth (for steaming)

Prepare the Green Beans:
Trim the tough ends of the green beans. I recommend using either a knife to line them up and slice off the ends or a pair of scissors for a quick snip. It makes a huge difference in the texture!

Stir Fry:
Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and red chili peppers and stir fry for about a minute. Then add the green beans, stir frying for about 3 minutes until the green beans start to soften.

Optional Steam:
Add 1-2 tablespoon water or broth and cover for 1-2 minutes to soften beans. I recommend this if you like your green beans more tender and soft. If you like it crunchier just stir fry until your desired tenderness / crispness.

Add the Flavor:
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in soy sauce, sugar or honey, and optional oyster sauce. Continue stir frying for another minute until everything is evenly coated and aromatic.

Serve:
Remove from heat and serve hot as a side dish. Enjoy!

Continue to Content

Chinese Green beans Stir Fry Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This Chinese Green Beans Stir Fry is super quick, super tasty, and perfect with any meal. Stir-fried with garlic, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, it’s savory with a little sweetness—and you can add a splash of water or broth and cover to cook the green beans faster if you’re short on time. It’s one of my favorite easy veggie sides to make on a weeknight!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 12 oz green beans, trimmed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 red chili peppers (optional)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or honey)
• Optional: 1–2 tablespoons water or chicken broth (for steaming)

Instructions

1. Prep: Trim green beans.
2. Stir Fry: Heat oil in a wok or skillet on medium. Add green beans and garlic and red chili peppers if using. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
3. Optional Steam: Add 1–2 tablespoon water or broth and cover for 1–2 minutes to soften beans.
4. Season: Stir in soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey/sugar, and sesame oil. Cook 1–2 more minutes.
5. Serve: Serve hot as a side dish.

Notes

Quick Steam Tip: Need the green beans to soften more quickly? Just splash in 1–2 tablespoons of water or chicken broth, then cover the pan briefly to help them cook through faster.

Vegetarian-Friendly Option: Swap in mushroom-based vegetarian oyster sauce for a meatless version that still delivers rich umami flavor.

Make It a Meal: Want to bulk it up? Stir in some cooked ground pork, chicken, or tofu to turn this into a simple, satisfying main dish.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  L.k.k Panda Brand Oyster Sauce 18oz
• 
  Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce, 33.8 fl. oz. VEGAN. NON-GMO. NO MSG ADDED. 100% Naturally Brewed. No Chemical Soy Sauce.No Caramel Coloring.
• 
  Hiware 10-Pairs Fiberglass Chopsticks - Reusable Chopsticks Dishwasher Safe, 9 ½ Inches - Black
• 
  Cooks Standard Stainless Steel Stir Fry Pan with Dome Lid 13-Inch Multi-Ply Clad Wok, Silver
• 
  Wan Ja Shan Organic Aged Soy Sauce, 33.8fl.oz

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼ of plate
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 76Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 576mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 3g

The nutrition information for this recipe is an approximate total per serving. Please double check the nutrition information for your exact ingredients and brands for more precise nutrition information.

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Variations & Tips:

• Steam Boost: Want softer green beans faster? Add 1-2 tablespoons of water or chicken broth and cover the pan for a minute or two to help them cook through.
• Make It Vegetarian: Use vegetarian oyster sauce (usually made from mushrooms) to keep it meat-free while still getting that umami flavor.
• Add Protein: Turn this into a main dish by adding cooked ground pork, chicken, or tofu.
• Extra Garlic: Love garlic? Feel free to add an extra clove or two-it's hard to go wrong.
• Make It Spicy: Add a dash of chili flakes or a spoonful of chili crisp if you like a little heat with your stir fry.
• Don't Overcook: For a nice crisp-tender texture, keep a close eye on the green beans and avoid over-steaming or over-stir-frying.

More Delicious Easy Green Beans Recipes!

• Add protein to your green beans and make it a meal! Try my Beef and Green Beans Stir Fry - marinated beef stir fried with green beans in a tasty sauce!
• Another great protein to add is Chicken! So if you prefer that, definitely check out my Chicken Stir Fry with Green Beans! I recommend serving with rice!
• If you need another tasty green beans veggie side dish, check out my Oven Roasted Garlic Butter Green Beans! Super tasty and easy and goes together with almost anything!
• Another tasty veggie side dish is my Green Beans and Tomatoes! This is an easy and delicious veggie dish to make! I absolutely love the flavor of the buttery garlicky tomato sauce!

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