Easy homemade Crock Pot Green Beans with bacon are one of our favorite side dish recipes. Made with fresh green beans, bacon, onion and a few seasonings in the slow cooker.
Fresh green beans tastes so much better than canned green beans. Plus green beans with bacon have so much flavor.
This southern old fashioned style green beans recipe uses just eight ingredients and can be done in four hours when you cook them in a slow cooker.
You can double up the ingredients to make them for a crowd.
This recipe was originally shared on December 6, 2013 but has been updated September 24, 2021 with new photos and info.
Crock Pot Green Beans for a crowd
This easy green beans recipe is a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It is easy to make enough to feed a crowd by doubling all the ingredients and cooking them in a larger slow cooker. If you need to you could use two 8 quart slow cookers if you don't have one big enough.
How to make Easy Crock Pot Green Beans
Crockpot greens beans are very easy to make. Prep the fresh green beans by washing them and trimming the ends. Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and let them simmer for about 4 hours.
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make delicious a delicious side dish of fresh green beans.
- fresh green beans
- onion
- bacon, a chunk of fat back (salt pork), a ham hock or a leftover ham bone with meat attached
- chicken broth or water
- garlic
- butter
- salt
- ground black pepper
Step by step directions
Prep: Wash the fresh green beans under running cold water, drain and trim the ends.
Step 1: Put the green beans into the bottom of a 8 quart slow cooker.
Step 2: Add the diced onion, diced bacon, minced garlic, salt and ground pepper to the crock pot.
Step 3: Pour the chicken broth in covering the green beans.
Step 4: Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook the fresh beans on high for 4 hours. Or on low for 6-8 hours or until the green beans are tender.
Step 5: Occasionally stir the green beans as they cook. Adjust the salt and pepper before serving if needed.
Step 6: Serve with your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. Fresh green beans are a great side dish any time of the year.
Recipe FAQS
One pound of fresh green beans will cook in four hours on high in the crock pot.
Yes, any vegetable can overcook in a slow cooker if it is cook for too long. Check the green beans at the recommended time. If they need to cook longer continue to cook them but check on them frequently.
Yes, you can substitute canned green beans for fresh green beans but keep in mind the canned have already been cooked. You will need to adjust the slow cooker time. Decrease the cooking time by half when using canned beans.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Green beans: Use the freshest green beans you can find for the tenderest beans.
- Use a slow cooker that is large enough to hold all of the ingredients plus have some extra space. I used an 8 quart crock pot to cook one pound of green beans. It was the perfect size for the amount of ingredients.
- Bacon: You can substitute ham hock, fat back, or a ham bone with meat attached for the bacon.
- Chicken broth: you can substitute water for the chicken broth if need be. You may need to adjust the salt and pepper if you use water. Broth give the best flavor.
More crock pot side dish recipes
Check out some of these other crock pot side dish recipes perfect for the holidays.
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Easy Crock Pot Green Beans with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 lbs fresh green beans rinsed and trimmed
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 8 ounces bacon, diced or a chunk of fat back, ham hock or leftover ham bone with meat attached
- 7 cups chicken broth or water (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Layer the green beans, diced onion, diced bacon, minced garlic, butter, salt and black pepper in a 8 quart slow cooker.
- Pour the chicken broth or water over the ingredients.
- With a spoon stir the ingredients to combine.
- Turn the crock pot on high. Place the lid on the crock pot.
- Slow cook the fresh green beans for 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. Or until the green beans are tender.
- Occasionally stir the green beans as they cook.
- Adjust the salt and pepper if needed before serving.
- Serve the green beans as a side dish with any meal.
