Crockpot Fresh Green Beans with Bacon

This crock pot green beans recipe is a delicious side dish that requires minimal prep and simple ingredients. Learn how to cook southern style fresh green beans in a slow cooker with bacon for your next family dinner or the holiday season.

Why Make This?

• Simple Side Dish: These slow cooker green beans require almost zero attention. After the bacon is done, add the rest of the ingredients and let them cook uninterrupted.
• Great for holiday meals and special occasions: If you’re preparing a Thanksgiving dinner or need a Christmas dinner side dish for your holiday menu, a great way to free up space in the oven is to use a slow cooker recipe. While the string beans cook, you can focus on the main course.
• Perfect Comfort Food: southern green beans with bacon drippings and spices is a classic side dish. Use this simple recipe to make tender green beans with only a little effort.

Ingredients Needed

• Green beans: I’m using pre-washed and trimmed fresh green beans from the grocery store. This recipe was not tested with canned green beans.
• Bacon: I prefer thin cut bacon since it’s easier to crisp. I used a whole package to prevent it from going to waste, but you can use a half package as well.
• Yellow onion: Thinly sliced
• Butter: Cut into 1 tbsp pieces so it’s easier to distribute
• Garlic Cloves: I mince these. You can substitute garlic powder for garlic cloves if you wish. Use about 3/4 tsp per tablespoon of minced garlic.
• Chicken Bouillon Paste: I prefer to use this mixed with water over chicken broth or chicken stock because it is more flavorful.
• Water: Warm to mx with bouillon
• Old Bay
• Sweetener: you can use your preferred granular sweetener. The one I use is low-carb and replaces regular sugar and brown sugar 1:1.
• Natural ancient salt
• Black pepper
• Red pepper flakes: Optional

How To Make Crockpot Green Beans With Bacon

1. Add the bacon, butter, and onions to a large skillet over medium heat and saute until the bacon is crisp and the onions are sauteed (about 10 minutes).
2. Mix the bouillon and water and pour it into the skillet with the bacon and onions. Stir it around to deglaze the pan.
3. Add the green beans, the bacon and onion skillet contents, and the remaining ingredients (you can save the pepper and salt to the end to season to taste) to the cooking pot. 
4. Cook on high for 4-5 hours (check at 4 hours for the desired doneness) or low for about 8 hours. Stir and add the remaining seasoning to taste.

Recipe Tips & FAQs

• Buy pre-washed and trimmed green beans to save prep time.
• You can save the salt and pepper to the end and season to taste.
• If you’re cooking on high, check your slow cooker green beans for doneness at 4 hours to avoid over-cooking. On low, you can check them for doneness around the 6 hour mark.
• For the presentation, you can save some crispy bacon pieces for the top of the beans or make some to serve.

Swap the smoked meat

The bacon grease gives this green beans recipe so much flavor.

But, you can swap it for another smoked meat like turkey bacon, cubed pieces of ham steaks, or ham hocks.

If using a ham hock, adjust the cooking time. You can give the ham hocks a head start for at least an hour in the slow cooker without the green beans to ensure that the ham hocks turn out tender.

Storage and Leftovers

Store leftover crockpot green beans with bacon in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Other Green Bean Side Dish Recipes

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