Slow Cooker Green Beans

Slow cooker green beans simmer low and slow with bacon, onion, and a touch of brown sugar until they’re tender enough to cut with a fork. The Crock Pot does all the work here, which means one less pot on the stove when you’re cooking for a crowd!

Before You Get Started

There’s a long-running debate about green beans: cooked until they’re falling-apart tender, or bright green and just barely crisp. I like them both ways, but they’re two totally different animals, and this recipe lands firmly below the Mason-Dixon line! 

A few things to know before you start:

• Use frozen green beans: They go into the slow cooker straight from the freezer, and the moisture they release becomes the braising liquid.
• Expect very tender beans: The slow cooker is built for soft, Southern-style beans. If you want them bright green and crisp, blanch or sauté them instead.
• Season at the very end: Bacon, garlic salt, and soy sauce all bring salt. Taste first, then adjust.

Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Green Beans

The kind of bean you start with changes the liquid and the timing, so here’s what to know before you fill the pot.

• Frozen (what this recipe uses): 48 ounces, whole or French cut, added straight from the bag. No thawing, no extra liquid.
• Fresh: About 3 pounds, trimmed. Fresh beans don’t carry surface moisture, so add ½ cup of chicken broth or water with the sauce and expect a similar cook time.
• Canned: Drain well and cut the cook time to 1 to 2 hours on LOW, just to heat through. A pinch of extra brown sugar helps offset the canned flavor.

How to Make Slow Cooker Green Beans

The only real work here happens in a skillet in the first five minutes. After that, the slow cooker takes over.

Step 1: Cook the Bacon and Onion

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced bacon and onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent and the bacon is just starting to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan before you take it off the heat. That’s concentrated flavor, and it goes into the slow cooker with everything else!

⇢ Use one pot if you can. If you have a multi-purpose slow cooker with a sauté function, cook the bacon and onion right in the insert and skip the skillet entirely.

Step 2: Add the Beans and Drippings

Transfer the bacon, onion, and every bit of the drippings to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the frozen green beans right on top, straight from the bag.

You don’t need to add more liquid: It looks dry at this stage, and it should. The beans will release plenty of moisture as they thaw and cook.

Step 3: Whisk the Sauce and Pour It Over

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup of melted butter, brown sugar, garlic salt, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour it over the beans and toss until everything is coated.

The soy sauce and Worcestershire add savory depth without tasting like either one, and the brown sugar balances the salt from the bacon. It’s the reason these taste like they simmered on someone’s stove all afternoon.

⇢ Want a little heat? A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a few cracks of black pepper in the sauce gives the beans a gentle kick.

Step 4: Cover and Cook Low and Slow

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, stirring once or twice along the way so the beans on top don’t dry out.

You’ll know they’re ready when they’re deeply tender and easy to cut with the side of a fork, and when the liquid in the bottom of the pot has turned into a savory, bacon-flavored broth. These are not meant to have any snap left in them.

⇢ Cooking for a smaller family? Use a 3-quart slow cooker and cut every ingredient in half. The cook time stays the same.

⇢ Want a lighter version? One reader cut the butter way back and added a cup of reduced-sodium chicken broth in its place, and said the flavor still came through.

Step 5: Taste, Season, and Serve

Give the beans a taste before they leave the pot. Depending on your bacon and how salty your garlic salt is, they may need nothing at all, or they may want a pinch of kosher salt and some black pepper.

If they taste a little flat, it’s almost never more salt they need. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar wakes everything up, and a handful of chopped parsley or thyme on top adds freshness against all that richness.

⇢ Swap the bacon for something smokier: A ham hock, smoked turkey wing, or a few pork neck bones tucked in at the start gives the beans an even deeper Southern flavor.

What to Serve Alongside

The best reason to make green beans in a slow cooker is that your oven is doing something else. That’s true on a Tuesday with a roast chicken in there, and it’s especially true on a holiday, when oven space is the scarcest thing in the kitchen. 

Pick a main that needs the oven, and let the beans take care of themselves on the counter.

Add cornbread or a pan of biscuits and you’ve got a full Southern plate with almost no active cooking on your part!

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

Make ahead: These are better on day two, once the beans have had time to soak up the broth. Make them a day early and reheat gently before serving.

Hold and transport: Once they’re done, switch the slow cooker to WARM and they’ll hold for up to 2 hours without turning to mush. If you’re carrying them somewhere, transport them hot in the insert with the lid on and plug the cooker back in on WARM when you arrive.

Store: Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Store them in their broth, not drained, so they don’t dry out.

Freeze: Cool completely, then freeze in the broth for up to 3 months. The texture softens further, so these are best used in soups or stirred into a casserole after freezing rather than served on their own.

Reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over low heat, or microwave individual portions for 30 to 60 seconds. Add a splash of broth if they look dry. Leftovers are also good chopped into an omelet or a frittata.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you overcook green beans in a slow cooker?

You can, though it takes some doing. Past about 8 hours on LOW the beans start breaking apart and losing their shape, and canned beans get there much faster. If you need to be gone longer than that, either start them on LOW later in the day or let the cooker switch over to WARM once they reach the tenderness you like. 

Different slow cookers run at different temperatures, so it’s worth watching the first batch to see how yours behaves.

Can I skip cooking the bacon and onion first?

You can put everything in raw, but the beans won’t taste the same. Rendering the bacon and softening the onion in a skillet builds the flavor base that makes this dish work, and raw bacon in a slow cooker turns rubbery rather than crisp. 

If you want to save the step, use a multi-purpose slow cooker and do it right in the insert, or cook the bacon and onion a day ahead and refrigerate them until you’re ready. 

Can I double the recipe?

Yes, as long as your slow cooker can hold it. You’ll want a 7-quart or larger cooker for a double batch, and the pot should never be more than about two-thirds full. The cook time stays roughly the same, since the beans are cooking by time and temperature rather than by volume, but stir once or twice more so the beans on top get down into the liquid. 

What kind of green beans work best?

Frozen whole or French cut green beans are the easiest and what this recipe is written for. Fresh beans are wonderful in season and just need a little added broth and a bit more time. Canned beans work in a pinch, but cut the cook time way back since they’re already cooked through.

More Easy Slow Cooker Sides

• Ranch Style Beans
• Cowboy Baked Beans
• Crockpot Mac and Cheese
• Crock Pot Applesauce
• Ratatouille (Oven or Crock Pot)