Slow Cooker Green Beans
Tender green beans, perfect seasoning and crunchy bacon pieces bring all the flavor to these Slow Cooker Green Beans! You’ll love how easy this recipe is!
AN EASY VEGGIE SIDE DISH
Slow Cooker Green Beans might just be the side dish you need for your next meal! Cooking your delicious green beans in a slow cooker infuses them with so much flavor. Plus, it’s a really easy recipe to make – just set it and forget it! Perfect for any day of the week or for the holidays!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We really jazz these green beans up with flavor in this recipe. We use onion, bacon, garlic, salt, pepper, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, and even crushed red pepper flakes. Additionally, you can also add leftover ham for more flavor.
Sure can! Green beans are safe to go right in the crock pot and do not need to be precooked. Just make sure you rinse them good before adding to the slow cooker.
I know it can sound unappetizing to cook the bacon with the beans because it can get a little soggy, but cooking it with it means that the beans will get all that bacon flavor. But this is why I use half for cooking and the other half for topping. We get the flavor AND the crunchiness.
For additional flavor, you can try delicious seasonings like creole, blackening, lemon pepper, or BBQ. If using a pre-made spice mix, reduce the amount of seasoned salt as these blends already contain a significant amount of salt.
Nope! if you want to use fresh green beans or frozen green beans, you sure can! Feel free to use what you have on hand. If using fresh beans, you will want to add some more stock to help with moisture and keep an eye on cooking time as it may take a bit longer. You’d probably need a pound or more to get the equivalent of what we have here.
You bet. The chili flakes don’t add too much heat, but if you want more of a kick, add more chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or chipotle powder. If you want even more heat, try adding some hot sauce to your individual portion.
Leftovers should be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can freeze them if stored appropriately for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- bacon– I prefer to cook it up fresh for this recipe instead of using store-bought bacon pieces. You are going to get so much more flavor from the fresh cooked bacon (plus we need some of that yummy bacon grease for the onions!)
- onion– I like to use a small sweet onion for this flavor combo
- garlic – I always prefer fresh garlic but you can use the jarred stuff here if you prefer.
- green beans– don’t drain the green beans.
- chicken stock– make sure to grab unsalted stock since we are adding seasoned salt and salted butter.
- salted butter– this adds a richness to the beans, but can be left out if needed.
- seasoned salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder – these are my personal favorite seasonings to use in this recipe but you use what you love even if it is just salt and pepper. 3
- crushed red chili flakes – this helps bring just a tiny kick of heat and is an optional ingredient.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER GREEN BEANS
Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook it until crispy in a large skillet over medium heat. Take the crispy bacon out and place it on a paper-towel-lined plate. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the skillet. Add the onions and cook until softened, 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the green beans, half of the bacon, the cooked onions and garlic, chicken stock, butter, seasoned salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili flakes to the body of a 6-8 quart slow cooker. Stir everything together. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with some of the leftover crispy bacon on top.
Cover and turn the slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours or high 3-5 hours. Stir every hour or so if you can.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Slow Cooker Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 small sweet onion, small-diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 (14.5 ounce) cans cut green beans, undrained
- 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter, cut into slices
- 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into small pieces and cook it until crispy in a large skillet over medium heat. Take the crispy bacon out and place it on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Reserve 4 Tablespoons of the bacon grease in the skillet. Add the onions and cook until softened, 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Add the green beans, half of the bacon, the cooked onions and garlic, chicken stock, butter, seasoned salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili flakes to the body of a 6-8 quart slow cooker. Stir everything together
- Cover and turn the slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours or high 3-5 hours. Stir every hour or so if you are able.
- Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with some of the leftover crispy bacon on top.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- If you want, you can keep all the bacon to the side and serve it with each portion. Since you add bacon to the slow cooker, it will become soggy. I know this may not be appealing to everyone, so this would be a good alternative. However, cooking with the bacon in the slow cooker adds more flavor overall.
- The butter adds a touch of richness to the green beans but you can leave it out if you want.
- There isn’t much spice from the chili flakes, if you want more of a kick, add more chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or chipotle powder. It is also very good adding hot sauce on top of your portion of green beans.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Can you water bath or pressure cook these wonderful green beans? Some open a can, barely heats them through, and calls it good. When they open a can of mine, they will fall in love with green beans. Thanks
Can you use fresh green beans in this recipe?
I talk about that above in the FAQ section 🙂
Hi! This recipe looks really good! I was wondering though, would fresh green beans work in this recipe? if so, would there be any changes to cook time? Thanks!
Hi Valerie! I answer all of that up in the FAQ section (frequently asked questions) 🙂
Hi,thanks for the recipe.Did you put the lid on the slo cooker when you were doing the green beans.Please let me know.
Hi Ronald, yes you do. Sorry for any confusion 🙂
Wow all recipes so good. Thank you for shareing. Carolann hi brandie. Nice to meet you