Spicy Szechuan Green Beans are perfect if you are looking for a quick side dish with a little kick!
We love any side dish that comes together in 15-minutes!
Green beans are so versatile and they quickly take on the flavors you choose. This recipe has a little kick, but you can absolutely tone it down to suit your taste.
The nice thing about this Szechuan Sauce is that you can use it for nearly any green vegetable, so keep it in mind for broccoli, broccolini, bok choy, and asparagus.
We like to use Chinese long beans for this recipe, but regular green beans work perfectly too!
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What are Chinese Long Beans?
We LOVE Chinese Long Beans because they really hold their shape and it’s hard to overcook them. They are perfect for this spicy Szechuan green bean recipe. You can find them in any Asian specialty market but they are also often available at any well stocked market.
Chinese Long Beans are sold in bundles, like the photo below. They are usually 12-18″ long. They grow up, not in the ground, just like all other green beans, so clean them by gently rubbing them under warm running water. You can cut them to any length you prefer. I normally cut them about 3-4″ long so that they are easy to eat without a knife.
How to make Spicy Szechuan Sauce
This sauce is a classic Szechuan Sauce so consider doubling the sauce, and storing the remainder in the refrigerator, for your next side dish. I always make a big batch and keep it on hand because it can transform a boring dinner into magic!
You will need a few basic Chinese ingredients for this sauce:
- Hoison Sauce – this is a staple of Chinese cooking, but what exactly is Hoison sauce? Hoisin sauce is made from soybean paste, garlic, chilies, and various spices, and can contain sugar and vinegar. It is a wonderful brown sauce that is salty, spicy, and sweet. It’s very versatile!
- Oyster Sauce – this is another staple of Chinese cooking. Oyster sauce is a dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt, and water and thickened with corn starch
- Sesame Oil – This is my favorite cooking oil (other than olive oil) because it lends a subtle nutty flavor to any dish or sauce. Sesame oil has a very high smoke point (410˚ F degrees), so it’s perfect for stir-frying. Because it is a nut oil it’s best to keep it stored in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.
- Soy Sauce – I like to use the low sodium version because you can control the salty flavor
- Szechuan Peppercorns – or red chile flakes which bring the heat to this sauce
How to make Spicy Szechuan Green Beans
This recipe comes together in a flash so be sure to make the sauce ahead of time.
- Like most stir fry recipes, you will cook with high heat.
- Preheat your wok and add the oil. I use a stovetop wok but any large heavy non-stick pan is perfect. If you don’t have sesame oil, use canola or peanut oil
- Heat the oil until very hot. It should be shimmering, but not smoking
- Add the green beans. Shake or stir the pan frequently to prevent burning and to adequately coat with oil
- Cook the beans until lightly browned
- Add the mushrooms, or any other vegetable (or any cooked meat), and stir fry for 1 more minute until they are beginning to caramelize slightly
- Add spicy Szechuan sauce, and toss to coat the beans
- Cook for about 3 more minutes, and until sauce is lightly caramelized, and beginning to thicken up
- Remove everything to a serving dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds
Adding extra vegetables or meat:
You can add any extra quick-cooking vegetables to the stir fry. We like mushrooms, but onions or shallots are wonderful too.
If you want to add longer cooking vegetables, such as carrots, you will want to steam them a bit ahead of time, since the cooking time in the wok is only 5 minutes.
For extra protein add any pieces of cooked meat, such as pork, steak, shrimp, or chicken, to make a complete dinner.
Other spicy dishes you might like:
- Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
- Szechuan Air Fryer Wings
- Stir Fry Broccoli and Beef
- Roasted Shrimp with Chipotle Sauce
- Spicy Pumpkin Soup
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Spicy Szechuan Green Beans
Ingredients
Green Beans:
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 lb Green Beans, trimmed (we use Chinese Long Beans)
- ½ lb mushrooms, sliced, optional
Szechuan Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns, or red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Garnish:
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare Szechuan sauce before beginning to cook by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
- In a large nonstick pan or wok, over high heat, add 2 teaspoons sesame oil and heat until very hot but not smoking.
- Add green beans and saute about 3 minutes, tossing until slightly brown. If adding mushrooms, add after 1 minute.
- Add Szechuan sauce and toss or stir to coat. Reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for about 2-3 more minutes, or until beans are tender and sauce is caramelized.
- Remove to a serving dish and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Rebecca
What can I use instead of the oyster sauce?
Cyndy
Hi Rebecca – you could skip the oyster sauce and add in 1 more tablespoon of Hoison sauce, which has a similar consistency, and 1 more tablespoon of soy sauce. Hopefully that helps and let us know how it turns out. Thanks!
Beth
This makes me want to run out to our local Chinese grocery store for the green beans! They look incredible!
Jayne
You should Beth! We love the flavor of these beans with or without sauce!
Erika
I love the tips on the green beans. Such a great dish!
Jayne
Thank you for stopping by Erika and we hope you enjoy!
Krissy Allori
These beans are so good! I loved the kick and the mushrooms. I’d recommend them for sure.
Jayne
We love them and that fact that you can kick up the heat is you want – or tone it down too!
Patty at Spoonabilities
This is such a perfect side dish! What a great way to give green beans a delicious kick! Yum!
Jayne
Thanks and this quick sauce does have a little kick!
Noelle
Szechuan is my favorite flavor!! Love it on green beans, can’t wait to add some mushrooms too!!
Jayne
Thanks Noelle – Szechuan is one of our favorites too and this sauce is super easy to pull together.
Phil
No szechwan pepper?
Cyndy
Hi Phil – we were just updating this post and some of the wording and ingredients were left off! Thanks for catching that super important piece and it’s all updated now. Appreciate the feedback!