May 6, 2022
Fried Green Beans (TGI Friday’s Copycat)
These fried green beans with cucumber-wasabi ranch are sure to make all your snacking dreams come true! Fresh green beans are coated in seasoned breadcrumbs, fried to golden, crispy perfection, and sprinkled with vegan parmesan while still hot out of the fryer! Serve with cucumber-wasabi ranch for a fun appetizer that everyone is sure to love!
TGI Friday’s Green Bean Fries
Welcome back to anther Veganized Restaurant Remake Recipe! These copycat TGI Friday’s fried green beans, or green bean fries, used to be a favorite of mine! And apparently y’all love them, too, because when I asked you on Instagram which restaurant recipe I should veganize next, an overwhelming amount of ya’ll requested these green beans ????
Grab a drink and let’s get to making the best copycat fried green beans with cucumber-wasabi ranch!
what you need to make fried green beans (plus substitutions)
This recipe comes together in just about 30 minutes! Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
Cucumber-wasabi Ranch:
• Vegan ranch dressing: there are a TON of store-bought vegan ranch dressings on the market now. Some of my favorite brands are Daiya, Hidden Valley, and Follow Your Heart. You can also make your own vegan ranch dressing! A simple Google search will take you to tons of vegan recipes!
• Cucumber
• Wasabi: I use wasabi paste, typically found in a tube, but you can also use wasabi powder – just make sure you prepare it according to package directions.
• Salt and pepper
fried green beans:
• Vegetable bouillon paste: my favorite brand is Better Than Bouillon, which I can typically find at most grocery stores. If you’re unable to find bouillon paste, you can substitute for 4 vegetable bouillon cubes (I like this brand and this brand), or 8 cups of vegetable broth.
• Green beans: only fresh will work for this recipe – no canned or frozen! To save time, you can purchase the preached and precut green beans.
• All-purpose flour: while I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
• Salt
• 2 vegan eggs: my favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill, which I typically find on Amazon, or most health food stores, such as Whole Foods or Sprouts. To prepare the vegan egg, simply follow the instructions on the back of the package for preparing the number of vegan eggs needed for the recipe. Additionally, if you’re unable to get vegan egg replacer, you can sub for a chia or flax egg. To make a chia or flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flaxseed meal with 21⁄2 tablespoons of water (this is equivalent to 1 “egg”). Set aside to coagulate for about 5 minutes before adding to any recipe that calls for vegan eggs.
• non-dairy milk: make sure it’s unflavored AND unsweetened. You don’t want vanilla flavored green beans.
• Panko breadcrumbs: feel free to sub gluten free here as well. I really love these gluten free Panko breadcrumbs from Kikkoman!
• Cayenne powder
• Onion powder
• Smoked paprika
• Dried dill
• Vegetable oil
• Vegan parmesan
• Parsley
how to make fried green beans
These fried green beans are surprisingly easy to make! If you’re intimidated by deep frying, this is the perfect recipe to test out! Pro Tip: when preparing your dredging station, use containers with lids! It makes dredging so much easier! Here’s how to make deep fried green beans in just 5 simple steps:
1. make the cucumber-wasabi ranch:
Combine the ingredients in a food processor or small blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Put the dressing in a covered container and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Blanch the green beans:
Combine the bouillon paste with 8 cups of water in a stock pot. Whisk until the bouillon poaste evaporates and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Once at a boil, drop the green beans into the pot and boil, uncovered, until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge the green beans into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking.
3. Dredge:
Place the flour and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large container with a lidIn a second container with a lid, whisk together the vegan egg and non-dairy milk. In a third container, whisk together the breadcrumbs and seasonings. Add the blanched green beans into the container with the flour, then into the vegan egg/milk mixture, and finally into the panko breadcrumbs.
4. fry:
Working in batches, use tongs to remove the coated green beans from the seasoned breadcrumbs. Tap off any excess breadcrumbs and gently drop the green beans into hot oil. Fry them until they’re golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the green beans from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel–lined plate to dry, seasoning them with a pinch of salt as soon as they come out of the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining green beans.
5. Garnish and enjoy!
Garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve immediately with the cucumber-wasabi ranch. Enjoy!
tools you need:
more veganized restaurant remake recipes:
- CPK Chick’n Tequila Lime Pasta
- Cheesecake Factory Chick’n Bellagio
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chick’n Pasta
Better than TGI Friday’s
I might be biased, but I think my vegan fried green beans are way better than TGI Friday’s version ???? But I wanna know what you think! If you make these copycat green bean fries, I wanna know! Snap a photo, take a video, or make a story and post it to Instagram or TikTok, and tag me at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing your recreations of my recipes!
Til next time, friends!
xo!
Fried Green Beans (TGI Friday's Copycat)
Ingredients
Cucumber-Wasabi Ranch:
- • 1 cup vegan ranch dressing store-bought or homemade
- • ½ cup cucumber roughly chopped
- • 1 tablespoon wasabi
- • Salt and pepper to taste
Fried Green Beans:
- • 8 teaspoons vegetable bouillon paste
- • 12 ounces green beans trimmed and washed
- • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- • 4 teaspoons kosher salt divided, plus more to taste
- • 2 vegan eggs
- • 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- • 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- • 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
- • 1 teaspoon onion powder
- • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- • 1 teaspoon dried dill
- • 5 to 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
- • Vegan parmesan for garnish
- • Minced parsley for garnish
Instructions
- To make the cucumber-wasabi ranch, combine the ingredients in a food processor or small blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Put the dressing in a covered container and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine the bouillon paste with 8 cups of water in a stock pot. Whisk until the bouillon poaste evaporates and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Once at a boil, drop the green beans into the pot and boil, uncovered, until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge the green beans into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking.
- Meanwhile, prepare a dredging station. Place the flour and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large container with a lid, whisking to combine. In a second container with a lid, whisk together the vegan egg and non-dairy milk. In a third container, whisk together the breadcrumbs, cayenne powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried dill, remaining salt, and pepper.
- Add the blanched green beans into the container with the flour, cover, and give it a gentle shake, ensuring each green bean is coated in flour. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the green beans into the container with the vegan egg/milk mixture. Cover the container give it a shake to ensure the green beans are now coated in the egg/milk mixture. Last, transfer the beans to the panko breadcrumbs, cover and give it a mix until they’re coated in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Meanwhile, pour 5 cups of oil into a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. The oil should be about 3 inches deep; add more if needed. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you sprinkle a pinch of flour into it, and it sizzles immediately.
- Working in batches, use tongs to remove the coated green beans from the seasoned breadcrumbs. Tap off any excess breadcrumbs and gently drop the green beans into the hot oil. Fry them until they’re golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the green beans from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel–lined plate to dry, seasoning them with a pinch of salt as soon as they come out of the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining green beans.
- Garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve immediately with the cucumber-wasabi ranch. Enjoy!
