Instant Pot Southern Style Green Beans and Bacon combine fresh green beans, smoky bacon, a little onion, and garlic. This pressure-cooked southern side is made in minutes and is so mouthwatering it'll surely be a staple at your table too.
Recently I had the opportunity to give a cooking class for the University of Florida Hillsborough County Extension Service in conjunction with AARP and their Foodie Fun Event. It was a fun event with about 30 people. We made Skillet Lemon Chicken and Potatoes, these Southern Style Instant Pot Green Beans, and a Butter Pecan Apple Dump Cake (Coming Soon).
We had a great conversation about pressure cooking and most of the attendees had not used an Instant Pot before. They loved the convenience of cooking all in one pot, being able to saute, and the safety features of the locking lid and the quick release capabilities.
I had not done any cooking in a pressure cooker Pre Instant Pot and they taught me some tips for using a stovetop pressure cooker, like to "quick release" or bringing the pressure down you just place the pot into cold water. I just love COOKING TIPS, so I will share a few more below in the post for IP Cooking.
They were the nicest group of people and we had so much fun cooking together. They loved participating, and being hands-on and I was thankful they got right in there and cooked with me. It was a fun day of food, fellowship, cooking, and laughter and I even shared my love for decor and setting a pretty table.
But in reality, I think eating was everyone's favorite part!
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What you need to make Southern Green Beans and Bacon
- Fresh Green Beans
- Thick-Sliced Bacon
- Onion
- Garlic
- Water or Chicken Broth or Stock
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Sauce (optional)
How to make Pressure-Cooked Southern Style Green Beans and Bacon
First Step. Set the Instant Pot to Saute. Let it get hot. This helps to keep the bacon from sticking.
Add bacon pieces and cook to render fat. I like to cook the bacon until it is a little crispy. I feel it adds a ton of flavor to the dish. (If you would like you may remove some of the fat if excessive)
Tips and Tricks
- To make a stainless steel pot non-stick, let it fully heat before adding any fat.
- Use thick-sliced bacon, so that it doesn’t disintegrate during cooking.
- Chop up (I use kitchen scissors and cut it right into the IP) the bacon before cooking, as it will cook faster.
- Scrape up browned bits in the bottom with a good spatula while bacon is cooking and once again when water or broth is added.
- Use regular, not flavored bacon, this gives the most authentic green bean flavor.
Second Step. Add diced onions and garlic. As they cook continue to use a Wooden Spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. It doesn't all come up at this point. Don't worry we will get them all up after the next step.
The onions will release water, which helps to deglaze the cooking pot. But you will need a little more for the cooking process and to finish off deglazing.
Third Step. Add water or broth and scrape the bottom to get brown bits off the bottom of the pot (This keeps the IP from burning). Adding the liquid allows you to get them all up. There is also so much flavor in those brown bits and you want all that flavor!
Fourth Step. Hit Cancel to turn off saute function. Add, green beans, salt, and pepper (we like lots of pepper 😉 ).
If you want a little extra kick, add some red pepper flakes or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
Fifth Step. Place lid on IP and turn to the locked position. Make Sure the valve is set to the closed position, if necessary on your pressure cooker. Set to manual high pressure for 5 minutes and cook green beans until tender. - See cooking times below for preferred doneness.
HOW LONG DO YOU COOK INSTANT POT GREEN BEANS?
- Firm Crunchy Texture – High Pressure 0 Minutes (Beans will steam while coming up to pressure)
- For a little Softer Bean but still Firm – High Pressure 2 minutes
- For Soft Bean but not mushy – High Pressure 5 Minutes (SOUTHERN STYLE)
Other Southern Recipes you may enjoy!
- Instant Pot Meatloaf and Potatoes
- Southern Fried Pork Chops
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Crock Pot Boiled Peanuts
- Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole
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Instant Pot Southern Style Green Beans and Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans, ends cut and snipped in half
- 3 to 4 slices thick cut bacon, bite size pieces
- 1 clove garlic, minced, (or to taste)
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- ¾ cup water or chicken broth
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- red pepper flakes or dashes of hot sauce, (to taste - optional)
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot (6 Quart) to saute and let the pot get hot. Cut bacon with kitchen scissors into bite sized pieces into Instant Pot. Cook until bacon is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add in onion and garlic and saute until translucent, scraping the bottom with wooden spoon, about 1 minute.
- Add in water or chicken broth and scrape cooked bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden or silicone coated spatula.
- Cancel the Saute function. Add in green beans, salt, and black pepper. (And Red Pepper or hot sauce if desired)
- Place lid on Instant Pot and set to lock position. Set to manual high pressure for 5 minutes. Once cooking is done immediately manual release. Stir and serve.
✱ Nikki's Tips
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Kelly says
Perfect!!!
Nikki Lee says
Thank you so much Kelly!
Leellyn Dennis says
Very good! The extras, like onion and pepper flakes just made these extra special. The whole family loved them, including the small grandkidos. Thank you, Nikki
Nikki Lee says
Thank you so much! I am so glad your family enjoyed them! My grandaughter loves these green beans too! That is pure joy!
Christa Best says
We added a second clove of garlic, based on personal preference.
Nikki Lee says
Thank you Christa! I can also never have too much garlic.
Christi says
Our Family’s style is to cook them on a slow simmer all day long. So I pressured them for 6 minutes and let them natural release.
They were perfect!
Thank you for the time saver!
Nikki Lee says
Love it Christi! We love them slow simmered at our house too. This takes all those hours of cooking and lets you have them in minutes! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know you tried it! Hope to have you join along and hear back from you soon!
Lynn Spencer says
Without a doubt, the South has mastered the cooking of green beans! YUM!
ChrisC says
This recipe is super easy and delicious. I didn't use bacon because I had a smoked turkey leg on hand and didn't want it to go to waste. I put in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sautéed the onion and garlic and then followed the recipe and put in the smoked turkey leg when I put in the beans. I cooked for 5 mins and then chopped meat off the turkey leg and stirred in the beans. My wife grew up on a farm and she says your recipe is spot on. Thank you for posting this awesome recipe. It brings back memories.
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you Chris! Using a turkey leg add a wonderful flavor to this dish as well! It's great to use up what we have at home. I love that this brings back some fond memories. Food has a way of doing that. We make so many memories around the kitchen table.
Melody Sledgister says
I just learned to make Southern green beans last year and do we love them! I found they are good made with frozen green beans, even canned--although fresh is best. I use fatback when cooking on the stove to get the authentic flavor, but having received an Instant Pot for Christmas, I just had to try your recipe. And were we impressed! The regular bacon, onion and chicken broth gave the frozen beans a delicious flavor. I used a single package of frozen because i didn't have time to cut up the fresh. I'm glad you warned me they would be soft--but oh, they were so delicious! No leftovers. I will try this recipe again with a pound of fresh beans. The next time I use frozen I might cut the time back to 4 minutes --maybe three minutes if I use the thin whole beans. But it'll defiinitely be worth the few minutes it takes to wash and cut up some fresh beans. This might be my Easter veggie! Yum!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you so much! Southern green beans are hard to be in flavor! I hope they do make their way to your Easter table.
Britnie says
If I wanted to double this recipe do I counsel the ingredients and time?
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Just the ingredients not the time.
Deb says
I want to make this for a church Christmas party so if I triple the recipe do I need to change how long I pressure cook the beans? Many recipes do not so just want to make sure. Thank you
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Deb, use the same amount of cook time!
Jennifer A Stewart says
Brooks loves green beans and I am happy to make them, even though he says mine are not as good as his grandma's so I was hesitant to try a new recipe but I am so glad that I did. He ate 99% of these and now I am sad that there are no leftovers!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Don't ya just love it when they say that 😉 ! I am glad he loved them! Now you have to teach him how to share LOL!
michele says
I was so nervous these would be complete mush in the instant pot... BOY WAS I WRONG! These were just the perfect texture.... Im going to make my green beans this way every time from now on!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
I know, I worried about that too when I first started using mine and testing it. I love them in the IP!
Deb Clark says
Totally my new favorite way to enjoy green beans - love incorporating all that tasty flavor. Thank you!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you Deb! They are one of my favs too!
Brandi Burgess says
I love my instant pot! I can't wait to try these southern style green beans and bacon in mine. Green beans is one of my family's favorite veggies! These look AMAZING!
Lisa Hitzeman says
These looks so delicious and the Instant Pot makes them so easy!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you! It does! I don't know what I did without my IP!
Michaela Kenkel says
I cannot get over how delicious these were! My new favorite way to eat green beans?
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you! It's hard to beat bacon in green beans right ;)!
Debi says
A great side dish for holiday dinners. I also love it because it doesn't take up space in the oven or on the stovetop. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
It does make a wonderful holiday side dish! I am always looking for ways to free up the oven too!
Cameron Morgan says
Great! Easy, very delicious. A nice addition to our Easter table ... would be terrific with Thanksgiving, Xmas, or just any roasted meat kind of dinner, too!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you Cameron! I am so happy you enjoyed this for Easter. It is a wonderful side for any meal!
Kristina Tetz says
I’ve been making an almost identical green bean recipe for years, the HARD way. Before my magical Instant Pot, I would have to cook the bacon and onion in a skillet and then transfer everything to my crockpot to finish cooking, many moons later. I was SO excited to stumble upon an instant pot conversion for my beloved green bean recipe! I made the today to go with Easter dinner, and they did not disappoint. They were tender, flavorful and delicious! The only changes I made was that I used frozen, thawed green beans, and I removed the bacon and set it aside after cooking, adding it back in just before serving so that it remained crispy. This recipe is a keeper, and is my new way for making this favorite recipe. I will NEVER go back to my old way. Quick, simple, easy & tasty!
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Thank you so much! I have to say I LOVE my IP too! Makes things so simple and quick. I am always working on new recipes for the Instant Pot, so I hope you stay around and keep cooking with me!
Cathy says
Can you use long frozen green beans? If so what kind of adjustment would I make?
Thank you for your time.
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
I have only tested with fresh green beans. I would try adding 1 minute to the cook time for frozen. It may change the texture of the results I get with fresh. If I give it a try I will let you know what I think. If you do, I would love to hear as well!
diane larpenteur says
Are you using 6 qt. ?
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Yes, I am using a 6 quart Instant Pot.
Linda says
If I want to cook small red potatoes with my green beans, would I add them and cook at the same time as the green beans?
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Linda, if the potatoes are small they should be good with that cook time or you can cut them in half or quarters. I hope you enjoy them!
Bernie says
This recipe looks great. What time adjustment do I have to make if I want to double or even triple this recipe? I have a 6 qt instant pot. Thank you.
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
TO adjust just double or triple everything. I have double it and it was delicious!
Karen says
Great tips for cooking beans in the pressure cooker. Thanks!
Anne Lawton says
I love green beans and bacon! Another insta-pot recipe to add to my list! Thanks for sharing.
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
A delicious southern dish made in a flash! That's why I love the IP!
Ellen says
These would make a great addition to Thanksgiving dinner.
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Yes, and this frees up the stove too!
Nicole says
I unfortunately don't have a IP (although it looks like something I may need to buy soon).... is there a way to use this recipe using your stove or crock pot??? This recipe looks amazing, I'd love to try it
[email protected] says
You absolutely can make these on the stove top! Although, I highly recommend you asking Santa for one this year 😉 (I love my IP)! Here is a link to a similar stovetop recipe. Southern Style Green Beans You can use the same ingredients as in the Instant Pot one, just follow the steps in your pot on the stove over medium high heat, put on the lid turn down to simmer and cook them on the stovetop for about an hour or so depending on your taste.
Carlee says
These look so good! I love southern style green beans and doing them in the instant pot makes it so easy!
[email protected] says
Thank you Carlee! I love them too and how the Instant Pot makes the quick and easy! <3
Sharon says
Can you make ahead of time?
Nikki - Soulfully Made says
Yes. You can make these ahead of time if needed and reheat.