A Din Tai Fung green beans recipe comes down to three moves: flash-fry dry 3-inch green beans for about a minute at 375°F, toast minced garlic in a little of that oil, then toss everything together over high heat with salt, white pepper and a pinch of umami powder. It takes about 15 minutes, and the garlic is the part you’ll want to adjust.
I’m not going to pretend this is the restaurant’s recipe, because it isn’t. The restaurant’s menu page doesn’t print one. What you get here is the method three copycat recipes agree on, plus the places they don’t.
What Din Tai Fung says about the dish
The restaurant’s menu page calls it String Beans with Garlic and lists it under Greens and under Most Popular. It describes freshly cut string beans coated with minced garlic and tossed over high heat for a savory, umami-packed bite.
That’s the full description. It gives no amounts, and it doesn’t say whether the beans are fried first. Every number below therefore comes from home cooks, not from the restaurant.
The Din Tai Fung green beans recipe
This is the version I’d make. The salt, pepper and umami amounts follow the recipes below, and the 10 cloves of garlic sit inside the 6-to-15 range they print.
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 quart neutral oil, enough for about 1 inch in a shallow pan (avocado, canola or vegetable)
- 10 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon MSG or chicken bouillon powder
- Dry the beans completely. Wash them, then pat them bone dry with towels. Wet beans make hot oil spatter.
- Flash-fry in small batches. Heat the oil to 375°F, fry the beans for 1 minute, and keep the oil from dropping below 325°F. Lift them onto a paper towel-lined plate.
- Pour off the oil. Leave about 2 tablespoons in the pan.
- Cook the garlic. Over medium-low heat, give it 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and pale gold. CJ Eats and Modern Honey both say not to let it brown.
- Toss. Return the beans, add the salt, white pepper and umami powder, turn the heat to high, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve right away!
Three copycat recipes, side by side
Three popular copycats share a skeleton and disagree on details. Modern Honey says it adapted CJ Eats’ recipe and cut the garlic from 15 cloves to 8. Little Spice Jar fries cooler and longer.
| Detail | CJ Eats Recipes | Modern Honey | Little Spice Jar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beans | 1 lb, 3-inch pieces | 1 lb, about 3-inch pieces | From 1 1/4 lb French beans, large pieces |
| Frying oil | About 1 quart, 1 inch deep | About 1 quart, 1 inch deep | 1/2 to 1 inch deep |
| Oil temperature | 375°F, never below 325°F | 375°F, never below 325°F | 350°F |
| Fry time | 1 minute, “1 minute MAX” | 1 minute | 1 to 2 minutes, until blistered |
| Garlic | 15 cloves | 6 to 8 cloves (8 to 10 for more) | 14 cloves |
| Garlic step | 2 tbsp oil, medium-low, 1 to 2 min | 2 tbsp oil, medium-low, 1 to 2 min | 1 tbsp oil, cooled 2 min, low 2 to 5 min, then 30 sec hotter; some kept as garnish |
| Salt and pepper | 1/2 tsp kosher, 1/4 tsp white | 1/2 tsp kosher, 1/4 tsp black | 1/2 tsp kosher, 1/8 tsp white |
| Umami | 1/4 tsp MSG or chicken bouillon | Skipped, 1/4 tsp optional | 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon |
| Cook time | 5 minutes | 6 minutes | 10 minutes |
How much garlic is right? The recipes print anywhere from 6 cloves to 15, the biggest gap on the grid! Little Spice Jar also takes its garlic to golden brown and saves a spoonful as a crispy topping, while the other two stop at pale gold.
Pick by taste. I lean toward 10 cloves and a bouillon pinch for the restaurant-style punch, and I’d use fewer cloves with no umami powder if your table wants a milder plate.
Why green beans go soggy
Soggy beans have a short list of causes, and the recipes name most of them. Oil below 325°F makes the beans greasy and limp. A crowded pan drops the temperature, so you should work in small batches. Beans that aren’t dry enough also turn soft, so make sure yours are, and Modern Honey advises against frozen beans because of their extra moisture.
Frying past a minute is the other trap. CJ Eats and Modern Honey both say longer frying lets the beans soak up oil. If your oil runs a little cooler, I’d go by color: you want them bright green and blistered, not limp!
Making it without deep frying
Modern Honey says air frying or pan-searing works as a lighter route, though you may lose some of the crunch. One commenter on the CJ Eats post reports blanching the beans for 4 to 5 minutes in salted water, cooling them in ice water, patting them dry, and then cooking them with the garlic in 4 tablespoons of avocado oil for 3 to 4 minutes. They say the beans stayed crisp the next day. That’s one cook’s report, so you should treat it as an idea to try rather than a tested result, and I haven’t tried it.
What to serve with them
Garlic beans love company! Put them next to the spicy noodles, spoon some chili oil over rice, and add the cucumber salad for something cold. The garlic broccoli works if you’d like a second green.
You can’t copy the kitchen from the outside, but you can copy the method: heat, speed and garlic.
FAQ
How do you make the Din Tai Fung green beans recipe at home?
Flash-fry dry 3-inch green beans for about a minute at 375°F, then toss them over high heat with minced garlic cooked in a little of the frying oil, plus salt, white pepper and an umami powder. The restaurant describes its version as string beans coated with minced garlic and tossed over high heat.
Are Din Tai Fung green beans fried?
The restaurant’s menu page doesn’t say. All three copycat recipes here flash-fry the beans before tossing them with garlic, so that is how home versions get the blistered skin.
Can you make them without frying?
Yes, with a trade-off. Modern Honey suggests air frying or pan-searing and warns the texture may be less crunchy, and a commenter on CJ Eats reports a blanch-then-pan-cook method that stayed crisp.
What can you use instead of MSG?
Chicken bouillon powder, which CJ Eats and Little Spice Jar both name, or nothing at all, as Modern Honey does. For a vegetarian version, Little Spice Jar says to use MSG in place of the chicken bouillon. Check the restaurant’s own allergen guide if you need to know about its version.