Easy Crockpot Green Beans

5 from 34 votes

These Crockpot Green Beans are easy to make and delicious, to boot! Crafted with flavorful bacon, aromatics, and umami-rich seasoning, you'll want to make this recipe as often as possible. It’s great for weeknight dinners, holidays, and any meals where you want a side that doesn’t take up extra space in the oven.

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 30

Total Time3 40

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Brianna May

Ingredients

12 ounces bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
12-14 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds fresh French green beans, washed & dried
1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt*
fresh cracked black pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth or water
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon balsamic glaze*

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, sauté the diced bacon for about 10 minutes or until it is browned and the fat has rendered. While the bacon is cooking, line a small plate with paper towels. Once the bacon is done, turn off the heat and transfer the bacon to the prepared plate. Set aside.
12 ounces bacon, diced
Remove most of the bacon grease, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet.
Increase the heat to medium and sauté the onions for 10-12 minutes until they are softened and translucent.
1 yellow onion, diced
Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
12-14 cloves garlic, minced
In the base of a slow cooker, combine the green beans, salt, pepper, broth (or water), soy sauce, balsamic glaze, cooked bacon, onion, and garlic. Toss well to ensure everything is evenly coated.
2 pounds fresh French green beans, washed & dried, 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt*, fresh cracked black pepper, 1/3 cup chicken broth or water, 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon balsamic glaze*
Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours, depending on your desired level of tenderness.

Notes

Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
Balsamic Glaze: I love including balsamic glaze in my crockpot green beans, as it adds a bit of sweetness and tanginess to the recipe. You can also use maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey, depending on how sweet you prefer them.
Use kitchen shears to dice the bacon. Bacon tends to be slippery, which makes it challenging to cut. Using kitchen shears means it’s easier to cut and you can chop the bacon into evenly-sized pieces.
Use fresh green beans instead of canned ones. I find canned green beans are a bit too mushy for my taste, so I usually skip them. Cooking fresh green beans means you can adjust their consistency to your preference, whether that's al dente or softer. I also recommend skipping frozen green beans, as they don't offer quite the same texture as fresh ones.
Sauté the bacon first to remove excess grease. If you don’t remove some of the bacon grease, the dish will turn out too heavy/oily. You want to keep a small amount of bacon grease, just enough to add flavor to the green beans.
Adjust the cook time depending on if you prefer al dente or very tender green beans. If you want al dente green beans, cook them for three hours on high or six hours on low. Softer green beans will need to be cooked for four hours on high or eight hours on low.
Turn it into a make-ahead recipe. If you need to make this green bean recipe ahead of time, follow the instructions through step 5. Then, transfer them to the fridge. When you’re ready to cook the green beans, follow the final step. Be sure to add about 30 minutes to 1 hour on high or 1-2 hours on low to the cooking time since they are cold. As a note, this can be done up to one day in advance.
Use ham or sausage instead of bacon. This crockpot green beans recipe also works with a ham hock, ham pieces, or sausage. I recommend cooking/browning the protein first to remove excess grease. Be sure to leave a small amount of grease to add flavor to the recipe.
Add smoked paprika. If you prefer your green beans to have a smoky flavor, add ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika to the recipe. It will help create a more complex taste in this dish.
Include crushed red pepper flakes. Add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to create some heat in this recipe.
Make it vegetarian/vegan. This dish can easily be made vegetarian and vegan. Skip the bacon and sauté the aromatics in olive oil before adding them to the crockpot with the other ingredients. You'll also want to swap out the chicken stock for vegetable broth or water. The remaining ingredients are already vegetarian/vegan.

Nutrition