German green bean salad, aka Bohnensalat, is a humble, simple salad that is a very popular side dish to many German meals.
This salad is budget friendly and you can make it with canned green beans, frozen green beans, as well as fresh green beans. And it always tastes fantastic.
Try my Bavarian potato salad with bacon at your next cookout if you're a fan of German salads.
If you're looking for the ideal salad to go with your German pork roast, try this traditional Swabian potato salad instead.
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Cultural Background
Bean salad is called Bohnensalat (m) in the German language.
Click on the play button to learn how to say Bohnensalat in German.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this wonderful cold green bean salad are very simple and budget friendly.
- green beans, canned alternatively frozen or fresh
- onion
- white wine vinegar or alternatively red wine vinegar
- neutral vegetable oil or olive oil
- yellow mustard
- sugar
- coarse Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- summer savory, dried (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow these easy steps to learn how to make a German green bean salad from scratch.
Prepare canned beans by draining and rinsing them with warm water. Thawing green beans if frozen at room temperature.
If using fresh beans clean and blanche them.
Add vinegar, spices, and mustard to the salad bowl.
Mix well.
Add oil and mix again.
Chop onion into small cubes and add them to the salad bowl.
Add the green beans to the bowl and mix carefully.
Hint: German green bean salad tastes best if you allow the beans to marinate in the vinaigrette for at least 30 minutes.
Substitutions
- Sour cream - You can substitute sour cream for the vinegar. This is the perfect way to add a creamy touch to your salad.
- Onion - If you have trouble digesting fresh onions, you can substitute onion powder.
- Dill - use finely chopped dill or other herbs instead of summer savory to change the flavor to your taste.
Variations
Change the flavor profile with these ideas:
- Garlic - To enhance the bean salad's flavor, mince a few garlic cloves and mix them in.
- Eggs - hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped, take this salad to the next level.
- Beets & Feta Cheese - finely cubed, cooked beetroot and Feta cheese add both color and flavor. This takes this salad to a main dish.
Equipment
You only need a few kitchen tools to make this German green bean salad:
- cutting board
- knife
- large salad bowl
- salad utensils
Storage
German green bean salad keeps for several days in the refrigerator but can not be frozen.
Top Tip
Remember to give your salad at least 30 minutes to marinate before serving.
To save time the next day, make it the night before you plan to serve it.
Recipe
German Green Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds green beans, canned alternatively frozen or fresh
- ½ onion
- 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp. neutral vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. coarse Kosher salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. dried summer savory optional
Instructions
- Drain canned beans or thaw frozen green beans. Clean and blanche fresh green beans.
- Finely dice onion.
- Add vinegar, mustard, and spices to a bowl and mix well.
- Add oil to the mixture and mix again.
- Add beans and onion cubes to the bowl and carefully combine.
- Allow to sit for about ½- hour refrigerated.
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