If you’re searching for the perfect recipe for green beans in crock pot form, you’ve just landed on a side dish that’s as comforting as it is convenient. This Southern-style slow cooker green bean recipe is built on layers of smoky bacon, tender beans, and savory broth that infuse every bite with old-school flavor. Whether you’re cooking for Thanksgiving, a weekend potluck, or a simple weeknight dinner, this dish shows up with big flavor and little fuss.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the story behind this family favorite, the secrets to making it sing, and exactly how to serve it with pride.
Table of Contents
Recipe for Green Beans in Crock Pot
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
This recipe for green beans in crock pot is slow-cooked with bacon, onions, and savory spices. A Southern classic, perfect for holidays, potlucks, or weeknight meals.
Ingredients
5 slices thick-cut bacon
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 cups chicken broth (plus more if needed)
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
1. Cut bacon into ¼-inch pieces and cook until crispy. Set aside.
2. In the same pan, cook onions in bacon grease until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.
3. Transfer onion-garlic mix to crock pot. Discard remaining grease.
4. Add chicken broth, garlic salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir. Mix in half of the bacon.
5. Lay green beans tightly into crock pot, in one direction. Add more broth if needed to cover 90% of beans.
6. Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until desired tenderness is reached.
7. Drain, then toss with butter and remaining bacon. Season to taste.
Notes
You can prep the onion and green beans a day ahead.
For a spicy twist, double the red pepper flakes or add hot sauce.
Use smoked paprika and omit bacon for a vegetarian version.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Southern
A Family Favorite – My Crock Pot Green Beans Story
Why green beans in the slow cooker feel like home
I still remember the scent that used to fill my grandma’s kitchen each Thanksgiving morning: rich bacon, softened onions, and green beans simmering gently in the corner. She never used canned beans, only the fresh ones we’d snap together the night before, half of them ending up in our mouths, not the bowl. That’s how I learned that a recipe for green beans in crock pot form isn’t just a dish it’s a memory. It’s a slow-cooked love letter to the people you’re feeding.
My version? It’s simple, deeply savory, and always wins a place on the table beside roast turkey. I use a handful of ingredients: thick-cut bacon, yellow onion, fresh garlic, chicken broth, and fresh green beans. The trick is giving them time let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting. By the time dinner’s ready, the beans are infused with everything you love about Southern comfort food. This recipe for green beans in crock pot style turns humble ingredients into a bowl of rich, smoky goodness.
I’ve tried other methods, but I always come back to this one. Why? Because this recipe for green beans in crock pot form delivers consistent results every time, whether I’m cooking for a weeknight dinner or feeding a full table on Christmas Day.
If you’re someone who loves hands-off cooking, this recipe pairs beautifully with dishes like shrimp scampi crock pot style or this hearty potato soup with hash browns in the crock pot. The slow cooker magic just keeps giving.
The beauty of slow-cooked simplicity
There’s something deeply satisfying about recipes that cook low and slow while you’re off living your life. Green beans in the crockpot soak up every drop of seasoned broth, gently softening without getting mushy. This method guarantees flavor and frees up oven space, a blessing during big holiday meals. Plus, it makes cleanup a breeze.
Whether you’re planning out your holiday menu or just looking for a new recipe for green beans in crock pot form that’s worthy of your family table, this one fits the bill. It’s a humble dish, but with the right balance of fat, salt, and heat, it becomes unforgettable.
The Secret to Southern Crock Pot Green Beans
Why bacon and broth matter
If you’ve ever wondered why Southern green beans taste like pure comfort, the answer is bacon and not the skimpy kind. Thick-cut bacon builds the base of flavor, releasing fat that turns every green bean into a smoky, salty treat. But that’s just step one. Once the bacon is crisped and the onions are soft, everything gets layered into a slow cooker with garlic and chicken broth. As it all simmers, the flavors deepen into something that feels like it’s been cooking all day on grandma’s stove.
The broth does more than keep the beans moist. It acts as a slow infuser of flavor. In this recipe for green beans in crock pot, the broth should come up just below the tops of the beans, allowing them to steam and soak without turning to mush. Red pepper flakes bring a mild touch of heat, while garlic salt and paprika bring balance and warmth.
This isn’t just a dump-and-go recipe it’s a careful layering of ingredients that brings real results. You’ll find this technique used in other soul-warming recipes, like our flank steak in the crock pot, where time and broth transform basic ingredients into magic.
Tips for green bean texture & seasoning
For the best results, always start with fresh green beans. Canned beans break down too quickly and often end up mushy, while frozen beans can be watery. In this recipe for green beans in crock pot, you want the beans to be snug in the pot laying them in one direction helps them cook evenly without getting tangled or bruised.
As for seasoning, less is more. Taste the broth before starting the slow cook and adjust if needed. The bacon will add plenty of salt, so go easy on additional seasoning until the end. Pair this dish with any main course, or explore more Southern recipes that make your crockpot the hero of the kitchen.
Easy Step-by-Step Guide for Crock Pot Green Beans
Gathering your ingredients
The beauty of this recipe for green beans in crock pot style is how accessible it is no fancy ingredients, just pantry staples and a bit of prep. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed
- 2 cups chicken broth (with extra as needed)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
The bacon adds richness, the garlic and onion bring depth, and the broth transforms everything into comfort food gold. If you’re prepping ahead, dice the onion and trim the beans the night before to make morning assembly even easier.
For more hands-off meal prep ideas, check out our slow cooker recipes that deliver maximum flavor with minimum effort.
How to prepare green beans in a crock pot perfectly
- First, crisp the bacon in a skillet. Remove the pieces but leave the grease.
- Cook the onions in that bacon fat until translucent, then stir in garlic for just a minute.
- Transfer the onion-garlic mix to your slow cooker, along with chicken broth and seasonings. Add half the bacon.
- Lay the green beans in tightly, facing one direction so they cook evenly. Pour in more broth if needed aim to cover about 90% of the beans.
- Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Check for doneness at the earliest time.
- When finished, drain the beans and toss them with butter and the remaining bacon before serving.
This recipe for green beans in crock pot delivers deep, savory flavor with almost no hands-on cooking. It’s a keeper just like our holiday-friendly sides that warm hearts and fill plates.
Serving & Variations for Any Occasion
Holiday-ready or weekday win
One of the best things about this recipe for green beans in crock pot is its versatility. It’s the kind of dish that quietly steals the show whether you’re serving it next to roasted turkey at Thanksgiving, or just a simple chicken dinner on a rainy Tuesday night.
During the holidays, I often double the batch and let it cook alongside mains like flank steak in the crock pot or slow-roasted pork. Because it doesn’t need oven space, it’s perfect for those full-on cooking marathons. Just set it and forget it and come back to a pot of rich, perfectly tender beans. This recipe for green beans in crock pot dishes out deep, savory flavor with almost no effort.
And don’t overlook it for casual meals. This recipe for green beans in crock pot plays beautifully with grilled meats, skillet cornbread, or even just a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes. It’s a side dish with backbone, flavor, and enough heart to carry any plate.
Make it your own: Variations & swaps
Want to give this dish a twist? Easy. If you like heat, double the red pepper flakes or splash a few dashes of hot sauce to the broth. You can also swap bacon for smoked turkey necks whatever you have on hand. Just be sure to taste and adjust salt as you go.
Vegetarian? Skip the bacon and substitute with smoked paprika for that same depth. A handful of sautéed mushrooms adds meaty texture. You can even stir in some parmesan at the end for a savory punch. This version of the recipe for green beans in crock pot still holds strong without the meat.
However you tweak it, the base of this recipe for green beans in crock pot keeps everything grounded in slow-cooked comfort. It’s flexible, forgiving, and always satisfying. For more slow-cooked side ideas, head over to our full side dish category or check out hearty mains in our slow cooker collection.
Conclusion: Recipe For Green Beans In Crock Pot
There’s something truly special about a side dish that cooks low and slow, filling your kitchen with the scent of comfort and tradition. This recipe for green beans in crock pot brings together everything I love about Southern cooking simple ingredients, deep flavor, and time-tested ease. Whether you’re planning your holiday menu or just want a reliable side for Sunday dinner, this one never fails. It’s a recipe that turns a humble vegetable into a dish worth remembering. Give it a try, and don’t be surprised if it becomes a permanent part of your family table, just like it did at mine.
FAQ: Crock Pot Green Beans – What You Need to Know
Is it necessary to soak beans before slow-cooking them?
For this recipe for green beans in crock pot, soaking isn’t necessary because we’re using fresh green beans, not dried legumes. However, if you ever use dried beans in a slow cooker, a soak is usually recommended to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility.
How does Gordon Ramsay cook green beans?
Gordon Ramsay typically blanches green beans quickly in salted boiling water, then sautés them with garlic or butter for a crisp-tender finish. His method is fast and full of flavor, but if you’re after tender, Southern-style green beans, this slow cooker version is a more hands-off and deeply savory approach.
How do you add green beans to a slow cooker?
For even cooking, place trimmed green beans into the crock pot so they lay flat and close together. In this recipe, we add them after building the flavor base of bacon, onion, and broth. Be sure they’re mostly submerged, about 90%, so they absorb maximum flavor.
Are there any beans that shouldn’t be cooked in a slow cooker?
Dried kidney beans should never be cooked in a slow cooker without first boiling for 10 minutes. They contain a toxin (phytohaemagglutinin) that can cause illness if not properly prepared. For green beans, though, you’re totally safe. This slow-cooked method is perfect.
