These lacto-fermented “pickled” green beans make a tasty snack or finger-food. Kids, and adults, love them! They are a nutritious snack packed with probiotics for health and enzymes that enhance digestion.
Lacto-fermented, or cultured, vegetables and condiments are a great way to get plenty of beneficial “good” bacteria in your gut. Read more about fermented vegetables in our article “Lacto-fermented Vegetables & Fruits…Give Them a Try”.
Lacto-fermented “Pickled” Green Beans
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These pickled green beans make a tasty snack anytime of the day…they have a wonderful garlicky taste and are a great little “finger-food”. I like to grab a few straight from the jar and munch on them….betcha’ can’t eat just one 
Recipe type: Lacto-fermentation, Appetizer, Condiment
Serves: 1 quart
Ingredients
- ¾ to 1 pound fresh green beans
- 1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried dill OR 3 to 4 sprigs fresh dill
- 1½ Tablespoons unrefined sea salt
- 2 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Place half of the sliced garlic to a clean quart-sized mason jar, followed by the red pepper flakes and dill.
- Snap off the stem-end of green beans. Blanch green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water until no longer hot. Drain the blanched beans well and pat dry with paper towels.
- Add green beans to your jar, stem-end down, packing them close together….it helps to lay the jar on its side at first. Fill the jar completely with the green beans, but do not pack them in too tight. Sprinkle remaining garlic slices on top of beans in jar.
- In a bowl, or large glass measuring cup, mix together the water and salt. Pour this mixture into your jar of beans to cover, being sure to leave 1-inch space from the top of the jar for expansion. (If the brine does not cover, simply make up another batch using the same ratio of salt to water.)
- Place lid (preferably air-lock lid) on the jar tightly. If using air-lock fill with water according to instructions. Allow to ferment (culture) for 3 days at room temperature, checking after day 2. When they are done, the beans will smell and taste “pickled”, but they should still be slightly crisp.
- Remove air-lock lid, if using, and replace with storage lid — transfer to cold storage.
Notes
Other Items you will Need:
– 1-quart sized wide-mouth jar (preferably with air-lock lid)
– Pot of boiling water
– Bowl of ice water
(Makes 1-quart.)
(Makes 1-quart.)
*Sugar-Free / Grain-Free
Why are these called lacto fermented beans since there is no whey or culture added.. Wouldn’t they technically be called “fermented beans” since there is nothing in the recipe to make the “lacto”…… or am I missing something?
Brandy, this is a common misconception about lacto-fermentation. The term “lacto” in lacto-fermentation actually refers to the production of lactic acid producing bacteria and NOT a milk/whey/dairy based product. To read more about this you can check out the article Lacto-fermentation: The Methods.
I was wondering if I could use culture starter instead of salt since I am on a low sodium diet.
Cheryl, if you want to use a starter you certainly may give it a try. You would need to follow the instructions that come with the starter though. If you are looking for a good one, try going to Cultures for Health, they have a good selection.
The recipes on this site and also in our book “Lacto-fermenting: The Easy & Healthy Way” really do not have a lot of salt… especially when you break it down per serving.
One thing about salt that you may not know is, salt is not bad for you…as long as you are using the right salt. I suggest using a natural salt that contains all its minerals, like Real Salt or Himalayan Salt. I would not use table salt. as it is considered a poison to the body.
We have several articles on salt if you want to further your knowledge on the subject.
- Do You Need Iodized Salt?
- Do I Need Salt? Life or Death?
- What Salts Are Best?
This recipe is AMAZING! I made some a few weeks ago and just opened the jar. I can’t remember if I followed the recipe to the letter, but if not, I was awfully close. Thank you so much!
I don’t even like green beans! At all! But I had some on hand so decided to look for a lacto-ferment recipe, and found your site.
Yum yum yum!!!
Hi Shannon!
I thought I was the only one who lactofermented green beans (we call them Dilly Beans)!
I just wanted to say that I’ve never blanched my beans when lactofermenting, but then again, they were processed within hours of picking out of the garden, so maybe that’s why we never had the sliminess issue you spoke of. Our dilly beans have always come out crisp and yummy. I add a grape leaf in each jar to help maintain crispness as well.
Mmmm.Can’t wait until summer!
Thanks for the info Jami! My green beans didn’t do too well in my garden last year so I’ve never gotten to try “fresh-picked” beans. I know we really enjoy the lacto-fermented green beans in my house.
Must you blanch the green beans…want to keep the enzymes intact??
Blanching the beans is very important. Like all other legumes, they contain lectins (string beans specifically contain a lectin called PHA). Lectins are known for causing all sorts of issues, such as damage to the intestines etc. Thus the quick “blanching” takes care of this.
The whole idea of lacto fermentation is to remove and break down these proteins.
see
http://wss.nourishingconnections.org/Education/Lactic%20Acid%20Fermentation.pdf
Richard, I understand what the paper you’re referring to is stating. Sometimes what is written on paper does not match real life.
I’ve tried lacto-fermenting the beans both ways, with blanching and without blanching.
The beans done without blanching first did not come out well at all. They were mottled in color, mushy, slimy, and really inedible.
The beans done with a quick blanching first came out well everytime. There was no discoloration, the taste was great, and the beans stayed fairly crisp.
So while I ultimately would have loved to do the beans without the blanching process, real life steps in.
I’m not seeing any whey in this recipe and wonder if that is an oversight, or if it doesn’t need any. I’m thinking it would for it to be “lacto fermented”. Please respond as I am hoping to do these tonight and it will be my first try. I’d like to do it right! Thanks!!
Whey is not always needed for lacto-fermentation. The term “lacto-fermentation” refers to the creation of lactic-acid by friendly bacteria in the fermentation process.
There is no oversight in the recipe, so please go ahead with it confidently
See the following article on The Methods of Lacto-fermentation for greater detail on the lacto-fermentation process.