Green Beans in Crockpot

Easy side dish green bean recipe for Thanksgiving table with slow-cooked tender green beans, salty bacon, and tons of aroma and flavor.

If you love green beans, they have to be at your holiday table no matter what. The easiest way to make them is to use a slow cooker, it will be just a dump-and-go side dish that is comforting, yummy, and doesn’t take many ingredients or much time to whip up.

Southern-style crock pot green beans have never left anyone disappointed! And for many, it is something grandma would make for a big family gathering, so it brings many nice memories. It is also the perfect easy side dish for weeknight dinners.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe

• Effortless one-pot recipe: you chop the ingredients, load them in the crockpot, and off you go.
• Delicious green beans recipe! Soft fresh green beans with salty fatty bacon and some onion and garlic flavors – mmm, so simple and always a hit. So much more flavor than just green beans too.
• No mess and easy clean-up – just one pot to wash.

Ingredients Notes

• Fresh green beans (Haricots Verts). Fresh string beans are the best as they become tender but still maintain that fresh bouncy crunch, but you can use frozen green beans or canned green beans too (make sure to thaw frozen ones beforehand or cook them longer). Canned beans will taste more cooked than fresh green beans.
• Smoked bacon gives so much bacon flavor and the bacon grease serves as an amazing cooking liquid for aromatics and green beans. You can also use freshly cooked bacon pieces. If you cook your own bacon, make sure to collect all the bacon drippings and add them to the pot.
• Onion or onion powder (fresh onion will give more juice and flavor, of course). White or yellow onion is fine.
• Minced garlic (or garlic powder).
• Chicken broth. You can replace it with chicken stock or vegetable broth. Homemade or store-bought.
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste (seasoned salt like garlic salt is a nice option for simple dish recipes where it can really shine), and crushed red pepper flakes (optional). Try to use freshly ground black pepper if possible. Even if you use just salt and pepper, without adding red chili flakes, the beans will still have so much flavor. You can also add some sugar for sweetness, cayenne pepper and thyme.

Kitchen Equipment

• Slow cooker
• Kitchen scissors (for trimming)
• Slotted spoon for serving to make sure excess bacon fat doesn’t get into the plates.

How To Make Crockpot Green Beans

1. Load the ingredients. Trim the green beans. Wash them, and then add the green beans to the crockpot. Add the chopped bacon, diced onion, and minced garlic on top of the green beans.
2. Pour in the broth, add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
3. Cover and cook green beans on low for 4 hours or until the green beans are tender.
4. Stir well before serving. Adjust any seasonings as needed. Make some crispy bacon bits for topping if you have any bacon left and homemade hot sauce to go with the beans.

Storage

Store leftover green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.

These don’t freeze well when made with canned beans as they will become too soggy after thawing. Fresh green beans in a crockpot can be frozen for 2-3 months.

Substitutions & Variations

• Bacon substitutes: ham or ham hocks, Smoked turkey (for Thanksgiving), pancetta, your favorite smoked sausage. Ham hock has tons of smoky flavor and goes well in slow-cooked dishes, especially with fresh beans.
• Butter. The old-fashioned way to add lots of flavors to crockpot green beans is to simply add chunks of butter to it.
• To bulk it up either add some bell peppers, tomato sauce, and red potatoes or serve the dish with homemade mashed potatoes. I have a delicious recipe for garlic mashed potatoes.
• Kentucky green beans in crock pot recipe will definitely call for some brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. For really interesting flavorful green beans you can experiment with balsamic too.
• Instant pot green beans. To significantly shorter the cook time, you can make these green beans in an instant pot. Simply load all the ingredients and cook on manual for 4-5 minutes. For better flavor, you can first saute the onion with garlic and oil.
• Try this recipe with sweet onions, maple syrup, parmesan cheese, soy sauce, or balsamic vinegar. Any of those additions would be a great option. 

Tips To Make The Best Slow Cooker Green Beans

• Always cook vegetables on low – it will make time for flavors to sip into the juicy parts and will make them tender.
• You can precook onions and garlic in some olive oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat before loading them into the slow cooker.
• Do not overcook green beans. They are done when they are tender and keep the green color.
• Adjust cooking time if you’re using not fresh green beans – they take the longest while canned green beans will be very quick to make. Cook on low no matter what green bean type you use (frozen, fresh, canned).

Popular Questions

How Long Do I Need To Cook Fresh Green Beans In A Crock Pot?

Cook on low for around 3-4 hours and check to see if the green beans are done. Fresh green beans may take longer to cook than canned green beans, but they have to remain bright green and soft.

If you’re short on time you can also cook green beans on high for 1-2 hours or use an instant pot.

Is It Better To Cook Green Beans On Low Or High In A Crock Pot?

It is always best to cook vegetables on low in a slow cooker to keep the juices and make them tender and soft. However, it is possible to use both options.

Do Fresh Green Beans Need To Be Soaked Before Cooking?

No, you don’t need to soak green beans to get a tender bite. They will be cooked in broth and with some bacon grease so it will give enough cooking liquid. 

If you love this slow cooker side dish recipe, you’re going to love these other sides made in the crockpot too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Green Bean Recipes

Loaded Green Bean Casserole

Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes

Canned Green Beans

Bacon & Garlic Green Beans

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