Crockpot Green Beans
Crockpot Green Beans are the perfect EASY side dish, made with fresh green beans coated with olive oil and seasoning, topped with butter and slow cooked in a savory broth until tender, then topped with crispy bacon!
Crockpot Green Beans is a simple side dish that requires only a handful of ingredients, and minimal prep time on a busy weeknight! You’ll need about 2 pounds fresh green beans for this recipe. I also use a 6-quart slow cooker for most of my recipes, you may need to adjust the recipe depending on what size you have.
This will be a new family favorite, and one of your go-to favorite side dishes for holiday meals, or even regular weeknight meals! Slow cooking helps free up oven space, dinner table space, and also makes keeping the food warm a lot easier during holiday meals.
I love easy side dish recipes for the holiday season, because they free up valuable oven space! For more ideas, check out these Instant Pot Green Beans, Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli, and Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic.
If you’re making this for a holiday, you’ll also love my Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole (made from scratch)!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Green Beans. I recommend using fresh green beans for this recipe, because they will hold up the best. You can also use canned or frozen, but they will end up much softer at the end.
You’ll need about 1 1/2 – 2 pounds fresh green beans for this recipe.
Olive oil. This adds some healthy fat, and also helps the spices stick to the green beans so they are evenly dispersed.
Butter. This adds a lot of flavor. You could technically leave the butter out and just stick with the olive oil, but if I’m making these for a holiday like Thanksgiving, I would definitely use the butter.
Spices. You can use whatever combination of spices you like here. I like to use some basic spices like onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. You can also add some red pepper flakes for heat.
Broth. You can use whichever broth or stock you have that matches the rest of your meal, just make sure it’s gluten free. Chicken stock or chicken broth, beef stock, and vegetable broth all work well for this recipe.
Bacon. Cook until crispy, and add this on top right before serving. The crispy savory salty notes go perfectly with green beans, and help add to the presentation of the dish, especially if you’re serving this for the holidays.
I use 3-4 slices of thick cut bacon, but you can add more or less depending on your personal preference.
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How to Make Crockpot Green Beans
- Add the spices and olive oil to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Then add the green beans and toss until coated.
- Pour the broth into the slow cooker, then add the green beans and top with the pieces of butter.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or on high for about 3-4 hours, until cooked through. They should be crisp-tender to a little softer.
- Transfer to a serving dish using a slotted spoon and top with bacon before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes, you can overcook green beans. They should still have a nice bright green color when they’re done cooking, with a tender texture and a slight crunch when you bite into them.
That being said, I think a lot of us were raised on the canned version, so we’re used to the really soft texture, and don’t mind it as much as we would with other overcooked vegetables. But you should definitely try cooking green beans the right way, and see what a difference it makes!
My favorite type of green bean to cook with is known as Haricots Verts (aka French Green Beans), or String Beans. They’re thin enough that they don’t take long to cook, and also less fibrous than the other types of green beans. This style also works well in the crock pot.
More Vegetable Side Dish Recipes
- Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks
- Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
- Creamed Peas and Potatoes
- Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Recipe Variations
- Use a pinch of cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or red chili flakes to make these spicy. Personally, I like to add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- This recipe goes great mixed with leftover ham pieces!
- You can also add back the bacon drippings for added flavor, mixing everything together before topping with the cooked bacon and serving. This would be ideal for a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I don’t usually add the bacon fat back for regular weeknight dinners.
- For more of a southern style comfort food, try adding 1/4 – 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes to the slow cooker.
- Add a small amount of brown sugar. Using just a small amount of sugar helps balance out the savory notes in this dish. Brown sugar also adds some deeper molasses notes, but you can also use a teaspoon granulated sugar.
Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!
Crockpot Green Beans
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker 6-7 quart
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth gluten free
- 4 pieces thick cut bacon, cooked, chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and all of the spices. Add the green beans to the bowl and toss everything together until evenly coated.
- Pour the broth into the slow cooker, then add the green beans on top. Place the butter in pieces on top of the green beans evenly.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or on high for about 3-4 hours, until green beans are cooked through. They should be soft but not soggy, and still have a slight crunch.
- When the green beans are just about done, cook the bacon until crispy and break into pieces. Remove green beans from the slow cooker using a slotted spoon and top with bacon before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to trim the green beans if they don’t come pre-trimmed already.
- If you use frozen green beans, you don’t have to defrost them first. But you may need to increase the cook time. Try to use a thinner cut, so they don’t have to cook that much longer.
Nutrition
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THIS WORKED EXACTLY AS WRITTEN, THANKS!