This is the best Copycat PF Chang's Spicy Green Beans recipe! It's the perfect side dish and done in less than 10 minutes!
Figuring out how to make your favorite restaurant dishes at home, is actually pretty simple, but does take some work to get it just right. I am excited to have finally perfected the Copycat PF Chang’s Spicy Green Beans.
Not only do you know what you are putting into these Copycat PF Chang's Spicy Green Beans when you make it at home, but you also save lots of unnecessary calories and you save money! At the restaurant these cost over $10 for the plate, which at home it costs less than $3 to make them!
Pair these with my favorite Air Fryer Asian Chicken Wings (crispy & sticky), Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (One Pot) Air Fryer Salmon Bites, Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken, or Mongolian Chicken for the perfect dinner!
Copycat PF Chang's Spicy Green Beans are so easy to make:
- It takes 1 minute to whip up this sauce, and then only a few minutes to actually cook the green beans.
- The longest part is actually trimming and cutting the green beans. I like to cut them into about 2 inch long pieces, but it’s really up to you how you cut them.
- This dish yields a lot of sauce, too, so it would be perfect to serve these as a side dish over rice, or make baked chicken and top with the green beans and sauce.
How to make these spicy green beans:
**scroll down for full ingredients list and printable directions**
- In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water, corn starch, salt, and pepper; set aside.
- In a wok or large skillet, add oil; heat over medium high heat for 30 seconds. Add garlic, green onions, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Stir fry quickly, for about 30 seconds. Add green beans and stir constantly until they are almost fully cooked, about 3 minutes (should turn deep green).
- Push green beans to the side, pour sauce into pan, stir to distribute sauce to bottom of pan.
- Cook for 30 seconds over medium high heat; allow to come to a boil (shouldn't take long), reduce heat to low, stir to coat green beans with sauce. Cook for 30 more seconds. Serve and enjoy!
Don't like spicy green beans? Try out these Southern Green Beans instead!
What to serve PF Chang's Green Beans with:
- Asian Salad
- Air Fryer Asian Chicken Wings (crispy & sticky)
- Instant Pot Asian Meatballs
- Asian Spaghetti Squash
- Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
- Mongolian Chicken (One Pot)
- Spicy Asian Eggplant & Tofu Bowls
- One Pot Spicy Thai Zoodles
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This is the best Copycat PF Chang's Spicy Green Beans recipe! It's the perfect side dish and done in less than 10 minutes!
- 1-2 lbs green beans , trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 green onions , chopped thinly
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 TBS sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
- 1 TBS rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
-
In a small bowl mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water, corn starch, salt, and pepper; set aside.
-
In a wok or large skillet, add oil; let heat over medium high heat for 30 seconds. Add garlic, green onions, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Stir fry quickly, for about 30 seconds. Add green beans and stir constantly until they are almost fully cooked, about 3 minutes (should turn deep green). Push green beans to the side, pour sauce into pan, stir to distribute sauce to bottom of pan. Cook for 30 seconds over medium high heat; allow to come to a boil (shouldn't take long), reduce heat to low, stir to coat green beans with sauce. Cook for 30 more seconds.
-
Serve and enjoy!
First published in 2016. Updated in 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2023.
To reduce spice level, use only ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
Liz says
Thank you for the nice recipes. Have a great Monday!
Tiffany says
Hi, Allyson ~ I'm looking forward to trying out this recipe. I love the idea of adding chicken! I'm with you, I want to know what's in my food. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kimberly says
So good! Thanks so much ◡̈
Allyson says
So glad you loved it!
Emelina says
I am looking to try this recipe today but I only have frozen green beans. Do you think this will work the same?
Allyson says
Hi, I am not sure as I've never tried it that way. Did you end up trying it, if so, how did it turn out? I am sure others would love to know!
Sherri says
I tri d this recipe with frozen green beans from SAMS Club and it was delicious.
Marlena Willey says
This might be a stupid question, but did you thaw them first? Or just toss them in and thawed them in the hot pan?
thoughtsopinionsandeverything says
Just wrote up a piece on my experience with these! Thank you so much for the delicious recipe! https://thoughtsopinionsandeverything.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/vegan-cooking-with-jules-spicy-green-beans/
Kevin says
Great recipe, although I did some hacking based on items on hand.
I caramelized yellow onion, used garlic powder, siracha powder and did not add sugar and it turned out really nice.
Thanks will use again with the fresh ingredients (and siracha sauce or powder again!)
Allyson says
So glad you loved it! Your changes sound GOOD!
Olivia -Reinvented Collection says
Hi, I just found your recipe on Pinterest while searching for a Gluten Free Chinese chicken salad recipe. Do you think I could substitute honey for the sugar? If it's not to much trouble, could you email me or contact me through my blog? reinvented(dot) co at gmail dot com is my actively checked email.
I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts on this substitution.
Thank you,
Olivia
Allyson says
Hi Olivia - I have never made that substitution, so I can't say if it will work or not. In theory it seems like it should be fine, but like I said, since I haven't tried it, I can't say for sure. Let me know if you try it!
Mayra says
Are these fresh green beans I should use for the recipe?
Allyson says
Yes, I would suggest fresh beans.
Sherri says
FYI—-I fixed this recipe with whole frozen green beans from SAMs Club and it was delicious.
Rayanne says
Hello! Just thought id add something for you to try out next time you make this dish! Add fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and some chili paste !
Kathy the Fun Baker says
Hi Rayanne, i love the idea of adding fresh ginger & maybe a little Korean red chili paste! Thank you for the suggestion!
Lisa J says
Good but REALLY spicy. Either it is too.much red pepper flake or mine was just really fresh. I've had the PFChang beans before and they weren't this spicy. I added a little extra sugar to take down the heat. Also took a lot longer than 3 mins for the beans to get soft. I finally just threw them in microwave for 2 mins. End results were good though.
JANET LOVETT says
Totally delicious! Will make this again. I paired it with rice and topped with salmon. Love this dish!
Kevin says
These are so good! I love that I can have them at home!
Jen says
Perfect way to get our fix without having to leave the house or order in! Love it! BTW, jealous you have a discounted produce section at your store. Maybe I need to look a little harder in our store (we don't have Kroger though).
Allyson says
Yes! They have a big discounted section on a little endcap in the produce section...and actually I've seen it at pretty much all the Kroger locations I've been to!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
YUM!!! I love this Copycat PF Chang’s Spicy Green Beans delicious version!!!
Vikki says
These are sooo yummy, and they taste just like the original! Served these over some rice and loved it
Toni says
This is really delicious! My family loved it!
Sara Welch says
Love a good copycat recipe for recipes just like this one! Looking forward to enjoying this with dinner one night this week!
Jacque Hastert says
I can't wait to surprise my husband with this side dish! It's his favorite side to order when we went to PF Changs.
K Bethany says
This tastes amazing yall!! The perfect side for my fried rice
Kathy The Fun Baker says
Hello Allyson,
I can't wait to try this yummy recipe!!! It looks AMAZING! We just got our second COVID vaccine recently so we are looking forward to grocery shopping via pickup service soon! Thank you So Very Much for sharing this Wonderful recipe with us!!! <3
Allyson says
Congrats on your vaccine! That is great and hopefully can start getting back to normal soon!
Caria says
Made it last night. It was delightful. Definitely making it again.
Gary says
Who is this adorable girl on the truck tailgate . 😊 That recipe turned out great . It’s now on my list for green beans . 👍
Allyson says
Hi Gary - thanks for the sweet compliment 🙂 So glad you loved the recipe!
Sonja says
Just made the dish in two batches. The first batch, I followed the recipe as is. It was very good, just very spicy. For the second batch, I tried a few things differently. I first steamed the green beans with water, 1/8 tsp salt (I used the salt in the water instead of liquid mixture) & Sesame oil. That allowed the green beans to coat faster when it was time to add them to the skillet. I used brown sugar instead of white. I cut the red pepper flakes to 1 tsp. Thank you for the recipe! This will be a go to favorite!!
Charlie Bee says
I totally agree about Steaming the Beans 1st
Personally I find it just as useful to boil the Beans
Either way it is a nessacary part of the recipe
It eliminates that Hard Waxie tast you get with Long Beans
Sonja says
I had to come back and tell you that, I keep a jar of this sauce on hand in the refrigerator! I use it over stream cabbage with carrots, broccoli and over stir fry. This is by far the best sauce for any of your favorite Chinese dishes!!
Allyson says
The sauce is everything!!!!
Jennifer C says
I will definitely be making these again! I’ve never had the PF Chang’s version, but really enjoyed these! It was the perfect amount of heat- not too spicy. Just a tingle on the tongue. Used low sodium soy so they weren’t too salty!
Lisa says
Hi, what do you do with the other 1/4 teaspoon of red flakes?
Allyson says
Thank you for bringing to my attention that I didn't clarify! You can use it as a garnish or leave it off 🙂
Alicia says
WOW!!!!!! I used to eat at PF Changs at least once a week, and now that I moved there isn't one nearby. I was in such bliss when I bit into these green beans! They taste exactly like PF Changs and are so easy to make! THANK YOU!!!
Allyson says
I am so happy you loved them!
Jamie says
So easy and delicious! The sauce on top adds the perfect amount of heat.
Tara G says
So easy to make and delicious. We will never order takeout again!
April says
Delicious and easy! They taste just like PF Chang's - love them!
Amanda says
I have always loved these! I am so excited to be able to make them at home!
Sandra says
This is such a good and really flavorful side dish! Love it!
Catalina says
I am sure this green bean dish will our new favorite side! It looks irresistibly delicious!
Catalina says
Now this is my favorite recipe for green beans! It's always a hit when I make it!
Diane says
1 tsp of red pepper flakes makes this pretty darn hot, honestly. Good recipe, but it’s fire.
Allyson says
You can definitely reduce it if it's too spicy for you!
T. Max says
Yummy recipe! A hit with my entire family and super easy. But the post is an AWFUL maze of ads. The worst I’ve come across on Pinterest. If there was a “jump to recipe” button I couldn’t find it. I would never subscribe for more of the barrage. Good grief.
Allyson says
Sorry you had a hard time finding the recipe, but happy you enjoyed it!
MonaMae says
This recipe is nothing like PF Chang's spicy green beans! First off, their green beans have a tempera coating and they are not just in a spicy sauce. Very disappointed with this recipe.
Allyson says
You are thinking of their tempura green bean appetizer which you can see these green beans are not deep fried with a batter. This is a copycat for their chili-garlic green beans which I guess you haven't tried.
De says
There’s two different kinds of green beans. A tempura and this one. And this is the better of the two.
Allyson says
I agree!!
Christine says
This looks really good please send me the website thank you
Julia says
This is one of my favorites at PF Changs! I have not found a recipe close enough to the actual dish, until now! Wow!! It probably turned out even better than at the restaurant. I am forever keeping this in rotation at our house.
Abby says
These are the best green beans! So much flavor and pair great with steak.
Beverly Morales says
This recipe is so easy and the results are delicious. I will definitely be making them again!
Allyson says
So happy to hear you enjoyed them!
Beth says
I can't wait to make these! I order the spicy green beans every time we get PF Chang's. Yummo!
Amanda says
Oh my goodness I have always loved these. I cannot wait to make them myself!
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Dessert says
My family would definitely love this! Definitely a must make!
Natasha says
This Spicy Green Beans recipe is a winner! It was such a quick and easy recipe with awesome results!
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says
Such an awesome side dish! Can't wait to try this!
katerina @ diethood.com says
This sounds incredibly delicious!! The perfect side dish!! YUM!
Allison says
This recipe disappointed me. The flavor was just not there for me. The P.F. Chang's chili green beans are spicy, sweet, and have an awesome chili flavor, but unfortunately I did not get that with this recipe. It tasted like more of a general stir fry sauce. I followed the recipe to a T, with no luck.
Allyson says
I am sorry you didn't find it the same as your local restaurant. I hope you still enjoyed it!
Linda says
I made it as is, minus the green onions and it was great. Increased the red pepper flakes as I love the heat and spice. Really good and simple recipe.
Julee says
Can you use frozen green beans
Allyson says
Yes you can, but I do think overall it comes out nicer with fresh ones!
Lynne says
Was I supposed to parboil the string beans a few minutes before putting them in the pan? I feel like I’m cooking them for a lot longer to even soften them.
Thanks
Allyson says
No, I usually use fresh green beans and cook them. You can do that if you want them softer but these beans are supposed to be somewhat al dente!
Shannon says
These are delicious. I could eat them every day! Thanks for the recipe.
Lori says
Can you reheat in the oven for a busy dinner party?
Allyson says
I haven't tried that but it might effect the sauce by reheating like that. They are definitely best served fresh.
Julie M says
Hi! Is the same oil supposed to go in the rice vinegar soy mixture?
Allyson says
The only oil used is in the skillet while heating before you cook the vegetables. Are you seeing another spot in the recipe that calls for more oil? I looked it over again to make sure there isn't a typo but I don't see anything. thanks and enjoy!