Admittedly, I’ve grown to love them both ways. French style haricot verts make frequent appearances on our weeknight table because I can steam them in the microwave and they’re a light, delicious, easy side. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love the green beans from my childhood.
Southern Slow Cooker Green Beans
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (2.8-ounce) package real bacon pieces (about 3/4 cup if making your own)
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Lightly spray the crock of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the beans, chicken broth, onion, salt, pepper, and about 1/2 of the bacon. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low to 6 to 8 - or until the beans are tender to your liking. Stir the beans a couple times during cooking. Serve topped with the remaining bacon pieces.
Making This Recipe?Tag me on Instagram: @SouthernBite using the hashtag #SouthernBite, so I can see how it turned out!
Trudy McFall says
Must. Try. This! Hubby and I love green beans with bacon and onions–just never made them in the crockpot before. Thank you!
Stacey says
Who could forget that???
Jennifer says
I cooked these last night for a work lunch… I didnt have as much luck. They tasted like earth! What did I do wrong? I cooked them on low all night for 8 hours?
Stacey says
Like earth? Were they fresh green beans?
Laura says
If I use canned beans would I set my crock pot on high or low for 2 hours?
Stacey says
I think low for 2 hours should be enough for canned green beans.
Tonya Jumonville says
How do I do this recipe for 18 people?
Jo Ann Johnson says
Try adding a couple of diced potatoes too—yum
Stacey says
Yum!
Debbie says
I had unusually long beans so I went ahead and snapped or sliced many of them into smaller pieces. Will this be ok?
Do I need to make any adjustments now?
Stacey says
Nope, everything should work just fine. Enjoy!
Christine Ledford says
Could I use home canned green beans? I did about 30 qts this summer and normally just reheat them briefly on the stove top. I wonder if they’d be too mushed reheating in the slow cooker since they’ve already been processed. What do you think?
Stacey says
You could, I’d just cut the cook time was back to avoid them being overcooked.
Gino Tortelli says
When fresh beans aren’t available, I often use Blue Lake canned green beans. I place two cans in a smaller crock pot that I have along with a diced Vidalia onion and 6 slices of thick-sliced bacon cut into pieces. I let them cook all day with no problem. They come out firm with a great flavor. Everyone raves about them.
Stacey says
Awesome! Thanks for the great idea!!
Cherie Atkinson says
Do you cook your bacon first or add it to your slow cooker raw?
Ch says
No. Canned green beans are precooked and this would torture both you and that poor green bean. Just mix and warm up.
Michele says
Could you do this the night before then reheat for thanksgiving my mama always pan fried these thankyou
Stacey says
Absolutely!
Margi says
Growing up north with a German Aunt this is the way we always ate green beans except for the splash of vinegar prior to serving. Now that balsamic is so popular I always have different flavors so I try various ones instead of just apple cider vinegar. All time favorite is an orange balsamic. Try it and taste the wonderful difference this makes.
Stacey says
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing, Margi!
Bethany says
We are hosting our first Thanksgiving and I’m excited to try your recipe! If I wanted to make 4 lbs. of green beans, how much additional time would you recommend cooking them for? Thank you!
Stacey says
Hi Bethany! The cook time should be about the same. I don’t see any need for additional time. Y’all enjoy!
Alicia says
Can I use canned green beans?
Stacey says
You can, but the cook time won’t be as long. Maybe just an hour or two.
Kim says
Do the can beans need to be drained first?
Stacey says
Yep.
Jeff says
If I wanted to make 4lbs green beans should I use the portions for every other ingredient also?
Stacey says
I would double everything exactly.
Tara says
Do you cook the bacon before adding to the crockpot?
Stacey says
The bacon should be precooked bacon.
Alicia says
If I use 4 cans of green beans, do I still use 2 cans of chicken broth
Stacey says
I would, but 1 can would probably be enough.
DJ says
This recipe was excellent. I used 2 tsp of salt and 2 pounds of frozen green beans that I thawed by rinsing and draining. Thank you! This saved me so much effort and stove top space.
Stacey says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Will says
I made this with 1 variation. I used about 1/4 cup bacon and 2-3 Tbsp of butter. Still had the smokey bacon flavor and luxurious mouthfeel with the butter. None left and we started calling butter “Vitamin B”! Lol great recipe!
Stacey says
So glad they turned out great for you!
Debbie Morris says
Would frozen green beans work? If so, would you adjust the cooking time?
Stacey says
They would! I would imagine the time would be roughly the same.
John says
I’ve cooked my slow beans with ham hocks, for six to eight hrs.
Stacey says
Yum!
Debra M N says
Just in case a cook did not know that the real bacon pieces in the recipe, are pre cooked , I think you need to say cook them until done before adding to beans, unless you bought precooked.. I think it would be easy for a novice cook, or one living in a different country to think real bacon pieces were just packages of raw bacon. Otherwise very nice recipe.
Stacey says
Great point! Thanks for sharing!
Shirley says
Thank you for posting this comment! I would have put the raw bacon in the crockpot with my green beans. I’m looking up recipes because I don’t know how to do it, so by adding this piece of information you saved me!
Sallie Lawhorn says
Excellent recipe! I use Smoked Turkey in place of pork. Some family members have an allergy to pork. It causes boilS
Stacey says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Connie says
Could you sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top and does all that chicken broth stay in the crockpot when serving
Stacey says
Sure you could! Yep, I leave everything right in the slow cooker, but you’re welcome to strain the beans and put them in a serving bowl if you wish.
maretta mills says
I added a few hole fresh tomatoes with a little brown sugar.. Yummy !!!
Stacey says
Sounds great! Glad you enjoyed these!
Amanda says
I have made this two time now and getting ready to make again today. I love this recipe!! The beans turn out perfect!!
Stacey says
Awesome! So glad you’ve gotten some great use out of this one!
Jessye says
Question….I havent made these yet, but I am going to for this Thanksgiving. Iij like a tiny bite to my green beans. The cooking time…r the beans mushy? Just soft? Or really soft? If tjeybr soft like canned that’s a bit to soft to.me so I can shut the off and drain @ 40 50 min earlier.
Stacey says
These will be pretty soft, so I would certainly recommend a shorter cooking time.
Sheryl McBryde says
Made this recipe for a pot luck at work. It was a hit. Everyone asked for the recipe. Simple and had a good flavor. Will be adding this to our list of favorite dishes.
Stacey says
SO glad everyone enjoyed them!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Stephanie says
This recipe is great, I have made twice now. First time with fresh beans, second time with 2 16oz bags of frozen beans,I did not thaw them, just cooked on low about 4 hours, they were excellent! Not mushy at all.
Stacey says
Wonderful! So glad this one has worked well for you, Stephanie!
candice says
Did you still use the same amount of broth, or did you cut back since the frozen beans would have some liquid when they thaw? I have a big Costco size bag of beans I’m thinking of using for Christmas Eve
Melvin Burgess says
Can u use frozen green beans?
Stacey says
Yes! But you may need to adjust the cook time a little bit.
Wendy says
I made these for Thanksgiving this year and they were a hit with everyone. Everyone wants them again for Christmas dinner! I cant believe how easy and tasty they are.
Stacey says
Awesome!! I’m so glad they turned out great for you!
Haley Linaweaver says
I don’t know if your still replying to messages on here since some of them are from 2018 but I’m making this recipe for Christmas dinner and I cut the recipe in half and only used 1 pound of green beans and 1 c of chicken broth and I put it in my 2.5 qt crock pot. And all the liquid seems to be under the beans ? And the beans on top just looks dry like u just pulled them out of the bag.. of course it’s only been on low for maybe an hour. Is it supposed to look like that at first ?
Stacey says
Ha! Oh, yes! I reply to comments nearly every single day and it doesn’t matter how old the post is. That’s pretty normal. You are welcome to give them a stir, but as they cook the beans will also steam. So the top ones will cook too.
Haley Linaweaver says
I also added some garlic powder and butter
Stacey says
Yum!!
Amber says
Is there a reason the bacon has to be cooked first? Can I just put cut raw bacon in and let it cook with frozen green beans and onion?
Stacey says
You can do it that way. I prefer to get a little bit of the grease out of it first, so I cook it or used precooked bacon.
Rae says
Hi, wanted to make these but I only have beef broth. Do you think it would taste bad?
Stacey says
I’ve not tried it with beef broth, so I can’t say for sure. They’ll probably be fine.
Kim says
Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but was wondering if I added potatoes should I cook them a little before adding to crock pot?
Stacey says
If they are small enough, you could add them in raw and they would cook.
Tamria says
How would you cook these if you did it in a pot on the stove instead of crock pot? I need my crock pot for something else.
Stacey says
You could use the same ingredients and method and just cook them until they’re tender to your liking.
Desiree Kottenstette says
I made these for Christmas dinner. I filled the directions and they were perfect and gone!
Chris weber says
What size crock pot/slow cooker? Thank you ????
Stacey says
I typically use my 6-quart.
John B says
These are great but I love to add about a tablespoon of bacon drippings for extra flavor
Stacey says
I’d never be mad at some extra bacon flavor!
Christine @ myblissfulmess says
Oh man… Stacey you never cease to amaze me! These green beans are not only so easy, but I love that it’s done in the slow cooker, freeing me up to work on the rest of the meal. Using the real bacon pieces is another time saver and works VERY well in this recipe. The green beans come out tender and full of bacony goodness. The family very much enjoyed them and I think these are my new favorite green beans!
Stacey says
Thanks so much, Christine! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these!
Dee says
I’m from the north and this is the way all of my family, friends and in-laws make green beans. It’s the only way I know of. It always puzzles me as why people want to call certain foods southern?
Stacey says
There was a great thread on my FB page about this very thing just the other day.
Rachel Becker says
Do I need to cook the bacon before putting it in the crock pot with the green beans?
Stacey says
If you’re using the fully cooked real bacon pieces, there’s no need to cook it.
Mollie says
Could I do canned green beans and shorten the cooking time??
Stacey says
Absolutely!
Janet says
This sounds great, my only concern is the 3 teas. Salt with the bacon. Last Thanksgiving my beans were too salty and nasty. LOL Is this a very salty flavor?
Stacey says
If you’re worried, you can always scale it back and add more to taste. It’s always easier to add more.
Tacy Delgado says
Hey Stacey,
In our house we love the onion flavor but not always the texture. Do you think I could add the onion in big chunks to get flavor and then remove them prior to serving?
Stacey says
100%! That will work just fine!
Norm says
Semi-crunchy, partially cooked green beans are AWFUL! Thank you for providing a recipe (and slow cooker cooking times) for tender green beans. I cook soup from the stock of our Holiday turkeys and I love green beans in the soup. They take the longest time to cook, but who wants partially cooked green beans in your soup.
Take heed of this recipe for cooking times for green beans! They take a LONG time! I have not tried making this particular recipe, but I will! It looks delicious!
Stacey says
Ha! Thanks, Norm!