A wax bean is a type of green bean that happens to be yellow instead of green. The name comes from its pale, waxy-looking color, which can range from butter yellow to almost white. Despite the name, wax beans don't contain wax and aren't waxy to the touch.

Wax beans taste almost identical to green beans and can be used the same way in cooking: steamed, sautéed, roasted, or tossed into salads and stir-fries. Gardeners often grow both varieties side by side. Some people think wax beans have a slightly milder, sweeter flavor than green beans, while others can't taste any difference at all.

If you see yellow beans at the grocery store or farmers market, they're probably wax beans. They're just as crunchy and nutritious as their green cousins. The yellow color comes from a lack of chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, but this doesn't affect how they grow or taste. Whether you prefer green beans or wax beans usually comes down to which color looks more appetizing on your plate.