Super Simple Crock Pot Green Beans

These Crock Pot Green Beans with bacon and onions are easy to make for a crowd. A work pitch-in, family reunion or holiday dinner is not complete without this iconic side dish.

Cooking green beans in the crock pot is simple! Just mix canned green beans with some simple ingredients and let them slowly cook. The result is a a classic side dish everyone will love.

Crock Pot Green Beans Recipe

Green beans fixed with bacon and onions are a staple on menus across the Midwest. You can go to any café or restaurant serving “homestyle” dishes and find green beans on the menu.  We serve these as a holiday side dish every Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. We highly recommend you add these slow cooker canned green beans to your next holiday menu.

While fresh green beans are always great to use, sometimes we just don’t have the time (nor the energy) to prep a huge pan of green beans when we are looking to feed a crowd. Cracking open a few cans of green beans is definitely a time saver. If you are looking for a recipe using fresh green beans and bacon, here is our old-fashioned green beans with bacon and onion recipe.

With a few simple ingredients, your canned green beans will be flavorful.  You won’t believe how great the house smells while these are cooking.

Plus, this is a great recipe to save oven space for those other casseroles.

Some of our other favorite side dishes for family gatherings include Skillet Macaroni and Cheese, Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole, Crock Pot Calico Beans and Old-Fashioned Pea Salad.

Recipe FAQs

• This recipe is a canned crockpot green beans recipe. Nothing more simple than that!
• Using canned green beans for this slow cooker green bean recipe ensures that the texture of the green beans is perfect. My kids prefer recipes with canned green beans over cooking down fresh ones any day of the week.
• The only prep you have with this dish is cutting up the bacon into good-size chunks and frying it in a skillet on the stove or in an electric skillet. Cook the bacon until it is just browned but not extra crispy.
• Be sure to keep that bacon grease and add it to the slow cooker insert with the green beans and the rest of the ingredients.
• If your family is like ours, we have some folks who are not big fans of onions. It’s more of a texture issue, than a taste issue. Leaving the onion in large quarters allows the green beans to absorb the onion flavor but you can pull them out so your onion haters don’t see them.
• You can modify this crock pot green bean recipe with bacon and onions to make as little or as much as you want depending on the crowd you are feeding.
• Looking for a green bean recipe with ham instead of bacon? Try our Slow Cooker French-Style Green Beans with Ham recipe.
• Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry and kitchen items.

How can I make my canned green beans taste better?

It’s easy to enhance canned green beans with a few simple ingredients. Check your pantry or refrigerator for any of these ingredients to make your canned green beans be the star of your meal.

• Onion, dried minced onion or onion powder
• Garlic, garlic powder or garlic salt
• Chicken bouillon, chicken base, or Better than Bouillon
• Bacon and/or bacon grease
• Salt pork
• Ham or ham hocks
• Butter
• Worcestershire sauce
• Smoked sausage
• Brown sugar
• Chicken Broth
• Red pepper flakes
• Soy Sauce

How To Make Slow Cooker Green Beans

Step By Step Instructions

1. Partially cook bacon in a skillet on the stove.
2. Add bacon, bacon grease, drained green beans, chicken bouillon, garlic and onion to a Crock Pot insert; stir well.
3. Cover with lid, and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.
4. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

For the full recipe on how to make canned green beans in the crock pot, see below.

Equipment

Check out the kitchen utensils and pantry staples needed for this recipe. I highly recommend a crock pot with a locking lid to prevent spills while you’re in the car on the way to your holiday gathering, and an insulated carrying bag for your crock pot to keep the food warm.

How many chicken bouillon cubes equals 1 Tablespoon?

If your recipe calls for chicken bouillon by the teaspoon or Tablespoon, you may be confused by those little cubes of chicken bouillon in your cabinet. Each bouillon cube equals 1 teaspoon; therefore, if your recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon, you should use 3 bouillon cubes.

Can you use canned green beans in crock pot?

Yes, I make a huge batch of amazing green beans in the crock pot for every holiday. Plus, if you add ingredients such as onions and bacon, every one will think they are fresh green beans.

Should you drain canned green beans before cooking?

No, I hardly ever drain canned green beans because the juices are full of flavor. There’s no reason to start over. Keep those juices!

What goes with green beans?

These old-fashioned green beans would taste great served with almost any entrée. Here are seven ideas to pair with slow cooker green beans.

• Instant Pot Cranberry Glazed Ham
• Crock Pot Turkey Breast
• Fancy Baked Pork Chops 
• Classic Beef Brisket
• Oven Pulled Pork
• Crock Pot Pork Roast and Gravy
• Oven Baked Chicken Legs

Old Fashioned Holiday Side Dishes

Pennsylvania Dutch Green Beans

Crock Pot Baked Beans with Bacon

German Style Red Cabbage