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A white bowl of southern green beans and bacon on a gray background.
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4.85 from 19 votes

Instant Pot Southern Style Green Beans

It's hard to beat that cooked all day with smoky meat flavor of Southern Style green beans. They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and are ready in less than an hour.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Pressurizing/Release15 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: green bean recipes, instant pot southern green beans, instantpot green beans, instapot green beans, southern green beans
Cooking Method: Instant Pot
Servings: 6
Calories: 97kcal
Author: Kari

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 strips bacon diced (you can use more if you like)
  • ½ cup onion diced
  • 4 - 6 cloves garlic minced (garlic is one of those things that you measure with your heart - we like a lot. if you don't, use 3 -4.)
  • 1 cup chicken stock, chicken broth, or bone broth
  • 8 cups green beans frozen or fresh
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried minced onion
  • ½ teaspoon dried minced garlic
  • teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes add ¼ tsp if you like a little heat

Optional

  • 1 ham hock or smoked turkey leg
  • ½ cup diced cooked ham
  • 1 cup red potatoes cut into quarters (add extra broth if adding potatoes)

Instructions

  • If you are using fresh green beans, wash them, and snap off the ends. If you are using frozen green beans, rinse them, and drain off any excess water. Pick through the beans to remove any beans that don't look very good and remove any stems.
    8 cups green beans
  • Dice up your onion, garlic, and bacon and measure out your spices. Having everything ready to go makes this recipe even faster to prepare.
    4 strips bacon, ½ cup onion, 4 - 6 cloves garlic
  • Press the Saute button on your Instant Pot and begin heating it up.
  • After a few seconds, add the butter and let melt.
    1 tablespoon butter
  • Once the butter is melted, add the diced bacon and cook it until it is mostly browned but not 100% crispy.
    4 strips bacon
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, just a minute or two.
    ½ cup onion, 4 - 6 cloves garlic
  • Next, deglaze the Instant Pot by pouring in the chicken broth - it will sizzle and sputter. Using a wooden spoon or a hard spatula with an edge, scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot to get off any burnt bits of bacon.
    1 cup chicken stock, chicken broth, or bone broth
  • Now, add the green beans and all of the spices. Stir everything together.
    8 cups green beans, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried minced onion, ½ teaspoon dried minced garlic, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • If adding a ham hock, ham, or potatoes, add them now & submerge under the beans.
    1 ham hock or smoked turkey leg, ½ cup diced cooked ham, 1 cup red potatoes
  • Put the lid on your Instant Pot and close the vent, making sure the knob is pointed to "Sealing."
  • Switch the Instant Pot from the Saute function to Manual Mode, then set the Cooking Time to 20 minutes at High Pressure.
  • When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then do a Quick Release to release any remaining pressure.
  • Carefully open the lid, then let the contents cool and enjoy! I recommend serving the beans with a slotted spoon and leaving the excess liquid in the Instant Pot.

Video

Notes

How to Store Southern-Style Green Beans

If there are any leftover green beans, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them in the microwave or on the stove. I sometimes think they taste even better the next day.
These green beans will last in the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze them for a few months. If you are freezing beans, freeze them in their cooking juices for the best flavor when reheating them.

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure that you don't cook your garlic for very long when sauteing it - the bottom of the Instant Pot can get really hot, and burnt garlic tastes pretty awful.
  • Be sure to really deglaze your Instant Pot when adding the broth - let it hit all the bacon bits on the bottom, and use a spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the inner pot of the Instant Pot. This will prevent the dreaded burn notice.
  • Be sure to let these beans cool off before having a taste as they will be HOT.
  • If you like a little heat, you can increase the spices in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon of cayenne and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. (My husband didn't even notice the heat when I used these quantities. I could notice, and I liked it, but I reduced it for the provided recipe below because I know it would be too spicy for a lot of people.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 474mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1100IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 2mg