In brief
- Fresh runner beans cook in 8 to 12 minutes, frozen in 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the tips and any strings, then cut them diagonally into strips.
- Cook in plenty of salted water and rinse briefly with cold water for a bright green color.
- Do not cook too long, or they will become dull and soft.
Runner beans resemble green beans but are flatter and wider and are cut into diagonal strips. The preparation is similar: cook briefly in plenty of water and stop cooking on time.
How long should you cook runner beans?
Fresh runner beans are tender-crisp in 8 to 12 minutes, frozen runner beans in 6 to 8 minutes. Pierce with a fork to check if they are done. Keep the cooking time short, as overcooking makes them limp and dull.
| Type | Cooking time |
|---|---|
| Fresh | 8 to 12 min |
| Frozen | 6 to 8 min |
How do you clean runner beans?
Cut off the tips on both ends and pull off the string along the side for older beans. Then cut them diagonally into strips, the classic shape that gives runner beans their name. A runner bean slicer speeds this up, but a knife works just fine.
How do you keep runner beans bright green?
Cook them in plenty of salted water and rinse briefly under cold water after cooking. This stops the cooking process and keeps the color bright green. If you want to freeze or prepare them in advance, you can first briefly blanch them. The method is similar to that for green beans.
