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Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans are tender, full of flavor, and incredibly easy…making them the perfect side dish for your favorite family dinner!
There’s a bit of a Green Bean Debate out there: namely, whether they should be cooked-to-death-until-they’re-so-tender-they’re-almost-mushy OR whether they’re best when they’re still bright green and just crisp-tender.
Personally, I like them both ways…I just consider them two totally different animals. Call it The North versus The South. Today, we’re focused below the Mason-Dixon line!
These are definitely the tender green beans that I mentioned above, but they are SO good…thanks to that bacon and onion that keeps them company as they simmer slowly in your pot.
How to cook Green Beans in the Slow Cooker:
I like to use my multi-purpose slow cooker, which allows me to sauté the bacon and onion right in the pot before switching it to the slow cooking mode. It saves me from washing an extra pan!
If you prefer to use a regular slow cooker for your green beans, that’s fine too — you’ll just need to cook the bacon and onion in a skillet before transferring it to the Crock Pot.
And if you happen to have a smaller 3-quart slow cooker, you can prepare a smaller batch of green beans to feed a family of 4. Just cut the ingredients in half and follow the same instructions!
I just know that you’re going to love how easy, simple, and incredibly delicious these veggies taste! They’re truly the perfect addition to just about any entree.
Cooking for a Smaller Family?
Use a small 3-quart slow cooker and cut the ingredients in half. The cooking instructions remain the same.
What to Do with Leftovers?
Leftovers can be added to salads, omelets, frittatas and even stir fries depending on how soft you like them.
These green beans will keep well in the fridge for around 3 days just make sure to keep them in a sealed container.
Serving Suggestions for Slow Cooker Green Beans
These green beans would be delicious alongside:
- Country Pride Pork Chops
- The Perfect Grilled Salmon
- Sheet Pan New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp
- Dump-and-Bake French Onion Chicken
Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion I used frozen diced onion as a shortcut
- 5 slices Canadian bacon diced (or you can use 5 slices of regular bacon, diced)
- 48 ounces frozen French-style green beans (see note below for fresh green beans) about 15 cups
- 1 tablespoon plus ÂĽ cup butter 5 tablespoons total
- ÂĽ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add bacon and onion to the skillet and sautee until onion is tender and bacon is starting to brown.
- Transfer bacon and onion to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add frozen green beans to the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ÂĽ cup melted butter, brown sugar, garlic salt, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over green beans.
- Toss to coat the green bean mixture with the sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or on HIGH for 1-2 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
I am SO ready for Thanksgiving and these green beans are calling my name!! These look too good, pinned!
Thanks so much for the pin, Jen! The green beans are delicious. 🙂
Oh, I’ve never thought about tossing my green beans in the crock pot. I’m definitely going to have to try this! Thanks for linking up at Show Me Saturday! Hope to see you there again this week.
Give it a try, Ginger. They’re great (and easy)!
I have seriously been thinking about the green beans I use to have when we lived in Texas and trying to figure out how to recreate them…. can’t wait to give these a try! Thanks for the recipe! Pinning!
I bet these are really similar, Justine! Enjoy! 🙂
I love finding sides you can make in the crockpot!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
I prefer them just barely warmed, but cooked with bacon and onions I could eat them well done. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
I do love tender green beans. I make these the same way but on the stove but I have never put soy sauce in mine. Definitely going to try it!
Cheers,
Stephanie
Thanks, Stephanie! This is such an easy version — you’ll love them! 🙂
These look amazing!! I am planning our Thanksgiving dinner menu and I think these will be perfect! Pinning now. 🙂
Awesome, Amy! Your guests will love them. 🙂
To double this recipe in a 5 quart slow cooker, would the time also increase to more than 6 hours? Like 8 hours maybe?
Hi, Jolene! I’m so glad that you left a comment here, because it reminded me to make these green beans again soon. It’s been too long. 🙂
I honestly don’t know if you’d need to adjust the cooking time for the larger slow cooker, since I’ve never tried it myself. I don’t THINK so — I would imagine that the time is roughly the same to cook the beans, but I would just give them a try. If they’re done earlier than you need them, you can always re-heat them or leave them on low. Different Crock Pots cook with different heat, too…so I often find that I just have to watch it the first time around to gauge the amount of time that’s right for my pot.
It’s hard to mess these green beans up, so I would stick them in there and just turn off the slow cooker when they reach the level of tenderness that you prefer. 🙂
Hi Blair:
I love reading about your boys!
How long would I cook them to get Bright Green and Tender Crisp?
Hi, Charlie! Thanks so much for reading along with us! 🙂
If you prefer your green beans crisp-tender and bright green, then I wouldn’t suggest the slow cooker. The Crock Pot is best for longer cook times when you want the veggies really soft. Instead, try blanching the beans in a pot of boiling water. You might have to work in batches if you have a lot of green beans because you don’t want the pot too crowded, but you should only need about 4-5 minutes in the boiling water to get medium-sized beans cooked to crisp tender. Hope that helps!
Thank you, Blair
Can can cut green beans be used instead of frozen French style?
Yes! Those should work well, too! 🙂
Love the sound of these with the added bacon and Worcestershire sauce, yum!
Thank you you. Recipe sounds great. I appreciate that it’s very well written.
I want to use your recipe for fresh green beans but should I add some extra liquid?
Hi, Becky! No, you shouldn’t need to add any liquid. You may need to increase the cooking time a bit, though. I find that the French cut green beans cook faster than whole, fresh green beans. Add about an hour on high, or a couple of hours on low, and you should be all set! 🙂
So good! It was exactly what I was looking for as a healthy substitute to green bean casserole over the holidays. Even my picky family enjoyed it. I modified it by taking out most of the butter and adding a cup if lower-sodium chicken broth.. Flavir was still great.
Thank you, Brie! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave me a note. Happy holidays!
So good! Even my picky family enjoyed it as a healthy alternative to green bean casserole. I modified it by easy minimal butter, and adding some reduced-sodium chicken broth. Turned out excellent. Even wrote it down to add to the family cookbook.
Hi Blair, These looks delicious. I do my Green Beans in the crock pot (I use canned green beans) I do add butter, salt and onion to mine (I also add just a bit of sugar to get rid of the grit/canned flavor lol). But I can’t wait to try this. I will let you know how they turn out. Thanks again for all the wonderful recipes you share with us. Have a wonderful and blessed day.
Thanks, Joann! I hope that you enjoy them! They’re a favorite around here. 🙂