What is a "Haricot Vert"?

A “haricot vert” is a thin, tender string bean. The French term literally means “green bean,” but in English culinary use it usually refers to a particularly slender, delicate variety harvested young.

Haricots verts are immature pods of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. They are picked before the seeds inside become large and before the pod develops a tough, fibrous “string.” Their slim shape and tender texture make them popular in French cooking, where they may be blanched, sautéed in butter, or served cold in salads.

They are often confused with ordinary green beans, but the distinction is mainly one of size, tenderness, and harvesting stage rather than a completely different species. Green beans may also be yellow or purple, while “haricot vert” generally signals the fine, green French-style bean. Snow peas and sugar snap peas are different legumes: their pods are eaten, but they belong to the pea rather than bean group.