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Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Side Dishes

Slow Cooker Green Beans

Sep 17, 2024 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · 15 Comments

66 shares
  • 28
Diet: Gluten Free / Low Carb
Jump to Recipe
Slow Cooker Green Beans with a text title overlay.

If you are looking for a really simple side dish, that will be the perfect addition to any roast dinner, then give these Slow Cooker Green Beans a try. Green beans cooked with shallots, garlic and bacon in the slow cooker are a side dish that the whole family will love.

A bowl of green beans mixed with chopped bacon and sliced mushrooms.

We love using our slow cooker to cook side dishes, as it saves room in the oven and on the stove. Whilst green beans aren't usually complicated or time consuming to make, this slow cooker version means they take on the flavour of the shallots, garlic and bacon for a side dish with a difference.

Think green beans are boring? Think again! You can easily double the batch as long as your slow cooker is big enough for everything.

This is a must for the Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving table. Looking for some other roast dinner favourites to serve these with? Why not try our Honey Roast Duck, Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli or Garlic Spring Greens. It's also great for a BBQ side dish.

If you want your green beans in a hurry, try our Air Fryer Green Beans.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • How to Slow Cook Green Beans - Step by Step
  • Slow Cooker Green Beans Serving Suggestions
  • Extra Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Slow Cooker Side Dish Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Feedback

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed for this recipe laid out with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Green beans - The star of the slow cooker green beans recipe. Always use fresh green beans, not canned, as they will go too mushy. You can save yourself some time by buying them already trimmed. We keep them as long green beans, but you can cut them in half if you prefer. You can use frozen green beans, but they will take an hour or so longer.
  • Stock - We used chicken stock (chicken broth) for extra flavour. Try to use the best quality chicken stock that you can, as you will honestly taste the difference, even though you will be draining the beans from the stock before serving. Use low salt stock if you are making this for younger children. You can also use vegetable stock or make your own chicken stock.
  • Bacon - This adds so much flavor to the green beans in the slow cooker. Use smoked slices of bacon for extra flavour. If you want to make this a vegetarian side, then you can leave it out. If you leave these out, then don't worry about cooking the shallots and garlic first, and you can just dump everything in the slow cooker and leave it.
  • Shallots - These are a nice base to the crock pot green beans. We diced them, so you hardly know they are there. You can use a finely diced white onion instead, but we like the sweetness that comes with use shallots.
  • Garlic - Garlic and green beans are a perfect match. Fresh is always best, but you can use the ready crushed lazy garlic if you prefer.
  • Mushrooms - This might seem a bit of a random one, but we find that it really packs out the dish and gives it some extra texture. You can leave it out if you prefer.

More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.

How to Slow Cook Green Beans - Step by Step

Chopped bacon cooking in a pan.
  1. Step 1: Chop up the bacon and add it to a frying pan with oil. Gently cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp.
Chopped mushrooms and shallots added to the pan.
  1. Step 2: Add the shallots, mushrooms and garlic to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes more.
A slow cooker pot with green beans in it.
  1. Step 3: Add the green beans to the slow cooker.
The cooked bacon mix added to the slow cooker.
  1. Step 4: Add the bacon mix on top and pour the stock in. Cook on high for 3 hours. You still want a little tenderness to the beans, and they shouldn't be mushy.

Slow Cooker Green Beans Serving Suggestions

These slow cooker green beans are a must with any roast dinner. Here are some of our favourite roast dinner sides and mains that go perfectly with it:

  • Easy Roast Potatoes
  • Perfect Roast Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Roast Beef
  • Easy Cauliflower Cheese
  • Slow Cooker Red Cabbage
  • The BEST Creamy Mashed Potatoes
  • Mustard and Honey Roasted Parsnips
  • Vegetable Mash

Extra Tips

  • How long you cook the bacon for really is a preference thing. Some people like their bacon really crispy, in which case cook it for a couple of minutes longer.
  • The bacon softens a little when cooking, so you can save some of the crispy bacon to sprinkle on top before serving.
  • Try to make sure all the green beans are pointing the same direction in the slow cooker, rather than overlapping diagonally. This will help them cook evenly.
  • You can make this a more filling side dish by adding diced potatoes and cooking them all together. They might need cooking a little longer, but the beans will be fine with longer in the slow cooker.
  • Always use fresh green beans, not canned.
  • You can make this a vegan side dish by leaving out the bacon and using vegetable stock (vegetable broth).
  • Add some extra flavour to the finished dish with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or some butter and black pepper.
Cooked green beans with chopped bacon and mushrooms on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you put raw green beans in the slow cooker?

Yes, we recommend only adding raw green beans to the slow cooker, and there is no need to pre-cook them.

How do you cook green beans without losing their colour?

Slow cooking green beans them does tend to make them lose some of their colour, so they won't be as vibrant. If you were boiling them, you would put them in an ice bath right after, however this wouldn't work with this recipe as they would loose all the flavour they were cooked in.

Can you add potatoes to slow cooker green beans?

Yes, if you want to make this more of a filling side dish, then you can add cubed potatoes and they will cook at the same time as the green beans. They might need a little bit longer, if they are still a little hard when you test them with a knife. However, the green beans will be fine to cook for a little longer.

How to store leftovers

You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up up to 3 days. You can reheat it on the stove in a little butter.

More Slow Cooker Side Dish Recipes

  • A bowl of Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes with sprigs of rosemary on top.
    Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
  • A plate of slow cooker baked beans on toast.
    Slow Cooker Baked Beans
  • A bowl of slow cooker red cabbage topped with two crossed cinnamon sticks.
    Slow Cooker Red Cabbage
  • A bowl of slow cooker rice topped with chopped herbs.
    How To Cook Slow Cooker Rice

If you’ve tried these crockpot green beans, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe

Slow cooker green beans in a bowl with a spoon.

Slow Cooker Green Beans

By: Dannii Martin
Slow Cooker Green Beans - a simple side dish that the whole family will love. Try this recipe with shallots, garlic and bacon for flavourful greens.
A circular logo saying GF.
Gluten Free
The words low carb in a white circle.
Low Carb
5 from 18 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 3 hours hrs
Total: 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 111kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a cow's head.
Meat

Ingredients

  • 500 g (4.5 cups) Green beans - trimmed
  • 3 rasher Bacon
  • 1 teaspoon Olive oil
  • 2 Garlic clove - crushed
  • 80 g (0.75 cups) Button mushrooms - sliced
  • 3 Shallots - diced
  • 350 ml (1.5 cups) Chicken stock

Instructions

  • Chop up 3 rasher Bacon and add it to a frying pan with 1 teaspoon Olive oil. Gently cook for 4-5 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp.
  • Add 3 Shallots, 80 g Button mushrooms and 2 Garlic clove to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes more.
  • Add 500 g Green beans to the slow cooker.
  • Add the bacon mix on top.
  • Pour in 350 ml Chicken stock and cook on high for 3 hours.

Recipe Tips

  • How long you cook the bacon for really is a preference thing. Some people like their bacon really crispy, in which case cook it for a couple of minutes longer.
  • The bacon softens a little when cooking, so you can save some of the crispy bacon to sprinkle on top before serving.
  • You can make this a more filling side dish by adding diced potatoes and cooking them all together. They might need cooking a little longer, but the beans will be fine with longer in the slow cooker.
  • Always use fresh green beans, not canned.
  • You can make this a vegan side dish by leaving out the bacon and using vegetable stock.
  • Add some extra flavour to the finished dish with a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 8mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.

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Comments

  1. Jessica Formicola says

    December 07, 2020 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    Anything I can make in the slow cooker, I'm taking advantage of! These green beans look great and I can't wait to try them!

    Reply
  2. Angela says

    December 07, 2020 at 6:36 pm

    5 stars
    Bacon and mushrooms are great flavors to accompany green beans. I never thought to cook them in the crock pot. A great space saver.

    Reply
  3. Sarah James says

    December 07, 2020 at 6:36 pm

    5 stars
    I love the idea of cooking beans in the slow cooker so they take on the flavour of the shallots, garlic and bacon, delicious. Looking forward to trying your recipe at Christmas, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  4. Erika says

    December 07, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    5 stars
    These green beans are so delicious and love the bacon! Perfect in the slow cooker.

    Reply
  5. Diana Reis says

    December 07, 2020 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    The bacon makes them extra yummy! Love that I can use the slow cooker. I'm always excited about any set and forget dish.

    Reply
  6. Jen says

    December 07, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    5 stars
    The addition of bacon is always a winning idea and a sure fire way for my family to happily eat their veggies at dinner. Well done!

    Reply
  7. Ana F says

    December 07, 2020 at 2:04 pm

    5 stars
    The combination of green beans with shallots and bacon is perfect! They turned out delicious and everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  8. Katie Crenshaw says

    December 07, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    5 stars
    So much comfort and flavor in this dish!! It is so tasty and makes a great side dish for any meal!

    Reply
  9. Maria says

    December 07, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    5 stars
    That looks really tasty!

    Reply
  10. Gina says

    December 07, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    Love the savory flavors that the bacon, mushrooms and shallots bring to this dish! Such a delicious side we all love!

    Reply
  11. Nart at Cooking with Nart says

    December 07, 2020 at 1:36 am

    5 stars
    Such an easy yet delicious dish to cook. I usually just used garlic and stir-fry mine but this time I tried your recipe with the shallots too and wow they really add something to the dish!

    Reply
  12. sarah johnson says

    December 06, 2020 at 10:06 pm

    5 stars
    So simple yet so full of flavour! Wonder recipe Dannii. ☺️

    Reply
    • Andrea Metlika says

      December 07, 2020 at 12:42 am

      5 stars
      These are definitely not your average green beans. These look amazing! A perfect side dish.

      Reply
  13. Anjali says

    December 06, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is the best green beans side dish I've had in a while! We added it to our Thanksgiving menu a couple weeks ago and it was a hit!

    Reply
  14. Toni says

    December 06, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    5 stars
    This is such a fantastic and easy side dish. Anything I can put in the slow cooker is a favorite. I think we'll be enjoying this often this winter!

    Reply
5 from 18 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.

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