Crispy Green Beans PF Chang’s Copycat Recipe (2024)

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Back in the kitchen with another copycat recipe to share with you and this time it’s one of my favorite appetizers from one of my favorite restaurants (that has sadly gone down hill in my city over the years) PF Chang’s Crispy Green Beans. I am not just sharing the crispy green beans though, I am also including the recipe for their luscious spicy dipping sauce. What they give you in one little cup is never enough, right? With this signature sauce recipe I am sharing, you can make as much sauce as your little heart desires! Let’s get ready to throw our calorie counting out the window for today because this Crispy Green Beans PF Changs Copycat recipe is one decadent appetizer that you will enjoy every minute of.

What Are Crispy Green Beans from PF Chang’s:

The Crispy Green beans from PF Chang’s are light and bubbly tempura battered crispy green beans, sprinkled with the perfect amount of salt. They are paired with a signature spicy sauce which is a combination of mayo, green onion, garlic, and paprika. This is available on the appetizer menu at PF Chang’s and is one of the most popular menu items. Since they are battered and fried, they are best served immediately once they are pulled from the hot oil. In this recipe we make a good amount of sauce so you don’t have to worry about scraping the bottom of the container for more!

How To Make Crispy Green Beans from PF Chang’s:

Aside from frying – which I realize intimidates some people – these Crispy Green Beans are extremely easy to make. They use just a hand full of ingredients that you likely have in your pantry plus some cold soda water (I used my soda stream for this!) and you can whip up the batter and sauce in just a few minutes. We also don’t need to heat tons of oil if these green beans is all you’ll be frying. Just about 3 inches in the bottom of a fry-safe pot. I never like to fry with pans because the chance of the oil bubbling over the sides is a risk much too great for a clumsy and accident-prone person like myself.

To make these crispy green beans:

Make the sauce and set aside – add the green onion, garlic, mayo, sriracha, paprika, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the heat if necessary, then store in a bowl covered in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. You can make this a day ahead to save you one less mess in the kitchen.
Prep & Batter Green Beans – Use fresh green beans that have been trimmed and cleaned. In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt and white pepper. Mix well then add the cold club soda and slowly whisk until no lumps remain.
Fry Green Beans – Submerge the green beans into the batter so they are fully coated. The batter will be drippy which is normal. Carefully drop them one by one into the oil. Use the skimmer or another heatproof tool to separate the green beans in the oil so they don’t stick together. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Drain – Using the skimmer, remove the green beans, tap against the side of the pot to rid the excess oil, then dump them onto the wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow to cool for a few minutes and serve immediately with the prepared sauce.

Always Monitor Your Oil Temp!

As I mention in most all my frying posts, to avoid your house smelling like an oil-laden hole in the wall restaurant, always, always, always monitor your oil temperature. If you don’t have a candy thermometer now is the time to get one. They last forever and come in handy when you least expect it. Pardon my TMI comparison, but you know how they say sweat itself doesn’t smell, body odor only smells because sweat has mixed with your skins bacteria? Oil itself does not smell. You only start to smell it once it’s burning at it’s smoke point or burning your food. Over the years I’ve learned how to master frying by making lots of mistakes. I can now make fried foods and have it be undetectable to my family, no smell on my clothing, my hair, etc. and I’m here to tell you, so can you! It’s not nearly as intimidating to me as it once was.

Frying can be easy, but it’s still a dangerous process so we can’t take it too lightly either. I always follow these easy steps:

Set-Up Tools: heavy bottomed fry safe pot with a candy thermometer hooked to the side and a skimmer on the counter.
Set-Up Landing Station: baking sheet with covered with a layer of paper towels then topped with a wire rack. Food should never come into contact with the paper towels. It needs to drain and breath directly on the wire rack.
Safety: have oven mitts nearby in case you need to move the pot of oil. Know where the fire extinguisher is located. Never take your eyes off the frying oil. Never put it on a burner where kids can reach it.

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