This simple side dish of Roasted Green Beans with Caramelized Onions pairs wonderfully with Thanksgiving turkey or roasted chicken.

Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
This Roasted Green Bean recipe with caramelized onions is your answer if you’re looking for a lighter and simpler alternative to a green bean casserole. Caramelized onions add amazing flavor to anything you’re cooking, and they are absolutely delicious on roasted green beans. This dish has 3 ingredients not counting salt and pepper and it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and Whole30. For more ways to cook with caramelized onions, try my French Dip Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions, Caramelized Onion Empanadas, and Asparagus and Caramelized Onion Tartlets.
I’m pretty picky when it comes to green beans. I don’t love them unless they’re prepared right! One of my favorite ways to make them tasty is to roast them so they get a little charred on the edges. Topping them with caramelized onions takes them over the top! Green beans are also very healthy. They’re full of vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, and potassium. Plus, they’re low in calories, fat, and carbs and high in fiber.
What is the difference between caramelized onions and sauteed onions?
To sauté onions, you cook them for a few minutes until they’re softened and browned. Caramelized onions are cooked lower and slower, at least 30 minutes to an hour depending on how many you’re making, which allows the natural sugar in onions to caramelize. The result is sweeter onions with a more complex flavor.
How to Caramelize Onions
Although caramelizing onions takes time, it’s not hard at all. You can use any onions that you want, but I really like Vidalia onions for caramelizing. You can also caramelize using butter instead of olive oil if you prefer.
- Cook sliced onions, seasoned with salt and pepper, in olive oil on medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet.
- Stir the onions often until they start to brown, which should take about 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 30 minutes until the onions are a deep golden brown.
What to Serve with Roasted Green Beans
These roasted green beans make the perfect side dish for really any protein. They’d be delicious with a whole roasted chicken, roast beef, or a stuffed turkey breast. Serve the green beans with mashed potatoes, smashed sweet potatoes, or baked sweet potato to round out the meal.
More Green Bean Recipes You’ll Love:
- Roasted Parmesan Green Beans
- Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles
- Potato and Green Bean Salad
- String Beans with Garlic and Oil
- One-Skillet Chicken with Bacon and Green Beans
Roasted Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
- 2 large Vidalia Onions, about 1 1/4 lbs, peeled and sliced
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add onions, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring often until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and cook stirring until the onions are deep golden brown and soft, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile place the green beans on a sheet pan and spritz all over with olive oil spray, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Bake until tender crisp, about 16 to 18 minutes, turning halfway.
- Transfer to a platter and top with caramelized onions. Serve hot.
Absolutely delicious! New go to side!
Can you add bacon to this recipe
Since Onions can be made ahead, what is your recommendation for reheating them?
Cannot wait to give these a try!
Thanks!
Great w/Dijon porkchops and mashed potatoes.
Easy and very delicious.
Spectacular!
Made these for dinner last night, and OMG they were so delicious, I could’ve eaten all of them, they will definitely be in my dinner rotation, Thank You Gina!
Made this for dinner to go with pork tenderloin. It was soo good! Hadn’t thought to put carmelized onions on green beans. We’ll be making this often:)
I made these string beans for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them including my picky 3 year old nephew. It was his favorite part of the meal. I made it again the other night. I love them!
Excellent!! Thank you
This was such a big hit to my Thanksgiving menu, and so easy to make! The only thing I added was a splash of balsamic vinegar to the green beans while roasting! Who knew how easy it is to carmelize onions!
Can I blanch the green beans a day ahead? If yes, how long should I cook in the oven?
This was so good!! We added small potatoes. The onions are key and forever now going on all roasted veggies we make!
Hi Gina! Love your recipes! How do you think it’s would work with frozen whole green beans? I purchased a big bag at a warehouse store and now see the recipe is for fresh. I’m thinking I’d probably need to thaw them out first?
I wouldn’t. They won’t taste the same. Sorry!
Sarah and Gina, I made these yesterday for Christmas dinner and tried it with frozen whole green beans. THEY WERE FABULOUS! I am never making green beans in the microwave or stovetop ever again. The flavor was fantastic. I watch what I eat so only used oil spray, salt and pepper. No butter was needed as the flavor was perfect. Of all the foods served, these green beans were what everyone was talking about! Put them in a casserole dish completely frozen and it took about an hour (turning 1/2 way through).
Perfect side dish for our Thanksgiving table. Every year I do fresh green beans and this is a new favorite recipe. Thank you!
This recipe needs to rename to “World’s Greatest Green Beans.” I brought this to our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was a HUGE hit. Thank you for making eating healthy taste so good!
This is fantastic!
I suggest blanching the string beans before roasting: Search benefits in blanching green or string beans prior to roastinh.
Delicious. I used asparagus because that’s what I had in the fridge.
This was delicious, so much more than it appears! I debated using regular greens beans and French ones, I and am glad I didn’t choose the pricier French ones. This made plain old green beans tender and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome!!
I see the WW Personal Points button…so that gives me my Personal Points, right? I don’t like the new WW Plan, but as a long time lifetime member at goal I appreciate your dedication to get us the right info. Thank you.
Yes it will give you YOUR personal points : )
Delicious and so easy! Since I was making green beans for dinner last night I thought I’d do a test run before Thanksgiving and glad I did, it was so good! I think I’ll prep the onions a day or two in advance and do a quick reheat before serving. Might advance prep the green beans too but will probably under cook them just a bit otherwise I think they’d shrivel up too much when reheated. Thanks Gina!
Please include the old Green/Blue/Purple point values on your recipes for those of us who are sticking with our plans. Thank you!
I cant, I used to get them from WW recipe builder and now I only get my personal points. Would you like me to share my Personal Points? They are different for everyone.
Please continue to include the old Green/Blue/Purple points on your recipes for those of us who are sticking with our plans.
Really……the only way I’m going to get WW points for this recipe is to join WW for $10.00 a month. Not in my budget…and WHY?
Id love to share but everyones points are different so not sure how to share the personal points.
How awful that WW are not sharing anymore. Its sad because a lot of people can’t afford $10.00 a month….just buying gas and food for your family now is so expensive. Extras have just have to go by the wayside. Keep doing your recipes I know what I can eat and what I can’t….
I’m thinking this will be great for Thanksgiving but oven space will be at a premium. How would you do the green beans in the air fryer? Thanks.
perfect! But the onions still need the stove which you can make ahead.
Yes, definitely stove for the onions. How would you do these in the air fryer (temp and time)? Thanks.
I’m in the middle of a kitchen remodel with no stove, but I have a small oven/air fryer, microwave and crockpot. Do you think I could caramelize the onions in the crockpot?
I know you can because I’ve done it but the recipe I used called for 1 lb butter and 5 lbs onions at about 8 hours on low. They were delicious. I made them into ice cubes of caramelized onions.
Can you prepare the sting beans ahead of time and then reheat? I don’t know if they will get soggy, but I have limited oven space to cook everything on Thanksgiving!
I’m thinking that would be ok
Can the whole dish be made ahead and then reheated in the oven at a low temp?
I dont see why not