Green beans are one of the most versatile and nutritious vegetables available year-round in Australia — low in calories, high in fibre, and providing meaningful vitamin C, vitamin K and folate. Queensland and Victoria are major growing regions. Adjust the slider below for your exact serving size.
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Serving size:100g
31Calories (kcal)
7.1Carbs (g)
1.8Protein (g)
3.4Fibre (g)
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📊 Full nutrition facts — per 100g
Nutrient
Amount
% Daily value
Level
Calories
31 kcal
2%
Carbohydrates
7.1g
2%
Dietary fibre
3.4g
12%
Sugars
3.3g
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Glycaemic Index (GI)
15 — Low
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Vitamin C
12.2mg
14%
Vitamin K
43µg
36%
Folate
37µg
9%
Potassium
209mg
4%
Manganese
0.22mg
10%
Silicon
significant
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Based on Australian NRV. Source: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
📈 Glycaemic index (GI)
15
Glycaemic IndexLow GIGreen beans have a very low GI — they are a non-starchy vegetable with minimal impact on blood sugar.
0 · Low (<55)Medium (56–69)High (70+) · 100
What is the Glycaemic Index? GI measures how quickly a food raises blood glucose compared to pure glucose (GI=100). Low GI (<55) means slow, gradual blood sugar rise — better for sustained energy, appetite control and diabetes management.
💊 Key vitamins & minerals
Vit K
43µg
36% RDI
Vit C
12.2mg
14% RDI
Folate
37µg
9% RDI
Fibre
3.4g
12% RDI
Mn
0.22mg
10% RDI
K⁺
209mg
4% RDI
✅ Health benefits
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Bone health (Vitamin K)
Green beans provide 36% of daily vitamin K per 100g — essential for bone mineralisation, blood clotting and reducing fracture risk. Their silicon content also contributes to connective tissue integrity.
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Blood sugar management
With a GI of just 15 and 3.4g fibre per 100g, green beans are an excellent carbohydrate-friendly side dish that slows glucose absorption and improves post-meal blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
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Pregnancy (folate)
Green beans are a practical folate source providing 9% of daily needs per 100g — the B vitamin critical for neural tube development in the first trimester of pregnancy.
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Gut health
The combination of soluble and insoluble fibre in green beans supports healthy digestion, feeds beneficial gut bacteria and contributes to bowel regularity and reduced constipation.
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⚠️ Who should limit or avoid this food
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Warfarin users — monitor intake
Green beans contain significant vitamin K (36% RDI). Sudden large changes in green bean consumption can affect warfarin's anticoagulant effectiveness. Keep intake consistent if on blood thinners.
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Kidney disease (phosphorus)
Green beans contain moderate phosphorus and potassium. People with advanced kidney disease on a restricted diet should monitor portions and consult their dietitian.
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Legume sensitivity
Some people with legume family sensitivity experience mild digestive discomfort from green beans. Cooking thoroughly significantly reduces any lectin content.
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Pets — small amounts only
Plain cooked green beans are generally safe for dogs in small amounts, but avoid canned beans with added salt. Keep away from seasoned preparations.
✅ Green beans are safe and nutritious for virtually all healthy adults. They are one of the safest vegetables for people managing blood sugar, and suitable for low-carb and low-calorie diets alike.
⚕️ General nutritional information only — not a substitute for professional medical or dietary advice. Always consult your doctor or an accredited practising dietitian before making significant dietary changes.
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🔬 Possible side effects or risks
low
Digestive gas (large portions)
Like all legumes, large quantities of green beans can cause flatulence and bloating in some people due to fermentable oligosaccharides.
Prevention: steam or boil thoroughly; introduce gradually
low
Raw beans — mild lectins
Raw green beans contain low levels of lectins that can cause nausea. Always cook green beans before eating — a quick steam or blanch is sufficient.
Prevention: never eat raw in large quantities; always cook
🛒 How to select fresh green beans
1
Check snap and firmness
Fresh green beans should snap crisply and cleanly when bent — like a twig. Beans that bend without snapping have lost moisture and are past their peak. The snap test is the most reliable freshness indicator.
2
Check colour
Look for deep, uniform bright green colour. Pale, yellowing or spotty beans indicate age or poor storage. Avoid beans with brown patches, slimy spots or visible mould at either end.
3
Check size and seed bulge
Thin to medium beans are generally more tender and flavourful than very large, thick beans where the seeds have become prominent. Very large beans with visible seed bulges tend to be tougher and starchier.
🇦🇺 Australian tip: Green beans are grown year-round in Australia with QLD, VIC and SA as the main producing states. Australian season peaks in summer and autumn. Look for the longest, straightest beans in the bunch — curved or kinked beans are often tougher. Farmers market beans are typically picked within 24 hours, offering significantly better flavour and snap.
🧊 Storage tips & shelf life
Pantry
Not recommended
Room temperature only
Green beans deteriorate rapidly at room temperature. Only suitable for a few hours if eating that day.
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Refrigerator
5–7 days
Unwashed, in produce bag
Best method. Store dry and unwashed in a produce bag or paper bag in the crisper. Moisture causes rapid deterioration — only wash just before cooking.
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Freezer
10–12 months
Blanch first
Blanch trimmed beans in boiling water for 2–3 minutes, transfer to ice bath, dry, then freeze flat on a tray before bagging. Freezing without blanching results in mushy texture.
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📖 About green beans — complete guide
Green beans are one of Australia's most practical and affordable everyday vegetables — providing meaningful nutrition at low cost, cooking in under five minutes, and working in cuisines from Italian to Chinese to traditional Australian. At just 31 calories per 100g with 3.4g of dietary fibre and 36% of daily vitamin K, they punch well above their weight nutritionally while remaining completely unremarkable in the sense that they complement rather than dominate a meal.
The vitamin K content of green beans is one of their most medically significant nutritional features. Vitamin K is essential not just for blood clotting but increasingly recognised for its role in bone mineralisation — working alongside vitamin D and calcium to deposit calcium into bone tissue rather than arteries. Regular consumption of vitamin K-rich vegetables like green beans is associated with significantly lower fracture risk in older adults, and emerging research links adequate vitamin K intake to reduced arterial calcification.
💡 Did you know? The nutrients in green beans work best as part of a varied whole-food diet. For personalised nutrition advice consult an accredited practising dietitian at dietitiansaustralia.org.au.
The 'green' in green beans isn't their only colour — they also come in purple, yellow and mottled varieties
Purple green beans turn green when cooked due to heat denaturing the anthocyanin pigments. Yellow wax beans are a naturally pigment-free variety with identical nutrition. All are the same species — Phaseolus vulgaris — just different cultivars.
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2
Australia exports significant quantities of premium green beans to Japan and Southeast Asia
Australian green beans are prized in Asian export markets for their consistent snap, bright colour and food safety standards. Queensland's Lockyer Valley is the largest single growing region, producing year-round thanks to its temperate climate.
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3
Green beans are technically the immature seed pod of a legume — not a vegetable in botanical terms
Botanically, green beans are the unripe fruit (pod) of the bean plant, eaten before the seeds mature. Unlike mature dried beans, they contain very little starch and behave nutritionally like a low-carbohydrate vegetable rather than a legume.
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4
Blanching green beans for exactly 2 minutes preserves both colour and nutrition better than any other cooking method
A 2-minute blanch followed by an immediate ice bath stops enzyme activity that causes yellowing and nutrient loss, locks in the bright green colour, and reduces cooking time later. Vitamin C retention with this method exceeds boiling by approximately 40%.
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5
Green beans originated in Central and South America and were unknown in Europe before the 15th century
All Phaseolus bean species are native to the Americas. Green beans were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 1500s and spread rapidly, becoming embedded in Mediterranean, French and northern European cuisines within 150 years of contact.