This easy crock pot green beans recipe is an easy vegetable side dish that is always a crowd favorite! Fresh or canned green beans are combined with smoky bacon and sweet onions, all cooked to savory perfection in a slow cooker.
Table of Contents
- Why You Will Love Crock Pot Green Beans
- Ingredients Needed
- Can You Cook Fresh Green Beans in a Crockpot?
- How to Make Green Beans In Crock Pot
- Tips for Success
- What to Serve with Crockpot Green Beans
- Storing and Reheating Guidelines
- Can I Freeze Crock Pot Green Beans?
- More Easy Green Bean Recipes
- Get the Recipe
Why You Will Love Crock Pot Green Beans
Why should you give this recipe a whirl? Here are five scrumptious reasons:
- Effortless Prep: This recipe is incredibly simple and requires minimal hands-on time, using fresh or canned green beans. Let the slow cooker work its magic!
- Super Flavorful: Smoky bacon, onions, and garlic bring out the best in fresh green beans.
- Perfect Side Dish: This is a real-ingredient veggie side with no artificial anything! It’s from scratch goodness pairs wonderfully with just about any main course.
- Convenient: These crock pot green beans can be made ahead of time and stored, making meal planning a breeze. They also save you oven space during the busy holidays!
If you love green beans as much as I do, make sure to also check out my famous green bean casserole, these classic sautéed green beans with garlic, or this refreshing green bean salad.
Ingredients Needed
An old-timey recipe like this comes together with down-home, wholesome ingredients. For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Bacon: You can use any kind of bacon that you like, I used thick cut bacon.
- Onion: I like to use a sweet yellow onion, but a white onion will also work.
- Garlic: Fresh, minced garlic will give you the most flavor.
- Fresh Green Beans: Trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, or you can use frozen green beans. (Canned green bean directions are listed below in recipe card.)
- Vegetable Broth: Or chicken broth.
- Butter
- Brown Sugar: Optional, but just a pinch adds a nice depth and brings out the flavor of the bacon.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This is a powerful condiment, so be sure to measure carefully or it can overwhelm the dish.
- Salt and Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper will give the best flavor.
Can You Cook Fresh Green Beans in a Crockpot?
Definitely! Although slow cookers cook at a relatively low, gentle heat, they work perfectly for cooking green beans (and all kinds of other dishes, too). You can count on perfectly cooked, tasty, tender green beans with this recipe and with my easy crockpot green bean casserole!
How to Make Green Beans In Crock Pot
This is so simple and easy! All you have to do is cook the bacon and aromatics, and then let everything cook in the crock pot.
- Cook the Bacon. Cook the bacon until crispy in a skillet, then remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
- Add Onion and Garlic. Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon grease for 3 minutes, then add to the crockpot.
- Slow Cook. Add everything but the bacon to the slow cooker, and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
- Finish the Dish. Add the bacon and continue cooking for another half hour, and then serve.
Tips for Success
Every recipe is better with some helpful tips; here’s what you need to know:
- Trimming the Green Beans: Trim away any stems and tough ends – or, to save time, you can use pre-trimmed fresh green beans.
- Canned Green Beans: Canned green beans work great in this recipe, too! The texture will be a little different, but still tasty! Use four cans of green beans, drained, and omit the broth. Since the green beans are already cooked, just cook the beans for 1.5 hours instead of 3.
- Ham: This recipe would also be good with ham or sliced link sausage added! Just add the ham or sausage to the crockpot when you add the green beans.
- Add Heat: If you want to add a little heat, I recommend adding some crushed red pepper flakes!
What to Serve with Crockpot Green Beans
These savory Crock Pot Green Beans make an awesome side dish for all kinds of meals. Here are some great options to pair them with:
- Chicken: The rich flavors of the green beans complement the simplicity of my favorite baked chicken to perfection! This crockpot whole chicken or chicken fried chicken are great options as well!
- Steak: Serve these green beans alongside a juicy flank steak for a hearty, satisfying and healthy meal. Or if you are looking for a stick to your ribs kind of dinner, this smothered cube steak is a great southern classic.
- More Southern Sides: Create a classic comfort food combo by serving up these green beans with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, easy baked mac and cheese, or this southern style sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.
Storing and Reheating Guidelines
Store these slow cooker green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat. You can also add them back to the crockpot and heat on high for 30 minutes, until warmed.
Can I Freeze Crock Pot Green Beans?
Yes! You can easily freeze this dish for up to three months. Just cool them down and store in freezer bags or freezer-safe containers, for up to three months.
More Easy Green Bean Recipes
- Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
- Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan
- Cheesy Creamed Green Beans
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Easy Green Bean Casserole
- Best Sautéed Green Beans with Bacon
Crock Pot Green Beans
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, optional
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crispy in a skillet, then remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon grease for 3 minutes, then add to the crockpot.
- Add all the remaining ingredients (except the bacon) to the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
- Add the bacon and continue cooking for another ½ hour, then serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
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Can you use frozen green beans?
Sure!
How many does this recipe serve?
4 servings, up to 6 depending on how big of eaters they are!
Will I be ok doubling the recipe?
Hi Jessica! Yes if you have a large enough crockpot it is fine to double!
how many pounds of green beans is double recipe?
Hi Beth, to double the recipe you would use 2 lbs of green beans.