Southern Style Green Beans in the Instant Pot (or Slow Cooker)

These southern style Instant Pot pressure cooker green beans taste like they’ve simmered for hours. Tender, flavorful green beans cooked in the Instant Pot make a quick and easy side!

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Having spent the majority of my growing-up years in the south, I’ve eaten my fair share of green beans.  As a kid, I loved them so much that I would just pop open a can of green beans and eat them cold. 

Truthfully, they’re one of my favorite vegetables.

I attended a lot of church potlucks growing up, and green beans were always a part of these meals. 

There were usually multiple versions, all salty and delicious: Green bean casserole, fresh green beans sauteed with garlic and olive oil, and slow cooked southern style green beans. Yummmmm.

If you’re not familiar with what southern style beans are, they’re sort of like what you would expect to get at a good barbecue joint: Super tender beans cooked low and slow, usually with bacon or ham and onions and garlic.

Cooking Frozen Green Beans Southern Style

While I love southern style green beans, I typically don’t prepare them that way because of the time requirement.

That is, until I decided to try making them in the Instant Pot.  You all know how much I love this dear appliance.

So when I came across this recipe from Happy Belly Foodie, I knew I had to give it a try.  They seemed like the perfect side dish to accompany my pressure cooker chicken and dumplings, and my hunch was on point.  I might as well have been at Cracker Barrel! 🙂

I adapted the recipe a bit, using frozen green beans instead of fresh, because that’s what I had on hand, and they turned out great! 

Cook Time for Green Beans in the Electric Pressure Cooker

These southern style green beans only require a 25 minute cook time, which is much shorter than letting them “stew” for a few hours on the stove top or in a slow cooker. 

It’s worth noting that green beans actually cook in far less time than this (they really only need a few minutes to be cooked), but I cook them longer so they get really soft and the flavors meld together even more.

Because these pressure cooker green beans cook up so much more quickly than their stove top counterpart, they make an easy side dish for a weeknight meal.

Not only that, but you should consider these as a delightful side item to serve with your Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas dinner! 

Even better, since they cook in the Instant Pot, you can set it and forget it while you’re preparing the other items on your holiday menu.  How convenient, right?

Enjoy these, friends!

These are delicious served alongside my baked turkey and dumplings casserole!

How to Make Pressure Cooker Green Beans:

The process is actually about as simple as it gets.  Simply dump all of the ingredients into the insert pot of an Instant Pot.  I usually add a a little salt and pepper at this point, then add more if I need to after cooking is complete.

Twist the lid into place and select a 25 minute cook time at high pressure using the Manual/Pressure Cook setting.

Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure.  After the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.

If desired, remove the bacon strips.  Give everything a good stir and add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.

Notes and Variations for Cooking Green Beans in the Pressure Cooker:

• This recipe as written makes enough green beans for about 4 servings.  Feel free to double the recipe as long as you are using at least a 6-quart pressure cooker.  I have not tried doubling the recipe in a smaller pressure cooker, so just be sure you aren’t exceeding the maximum fill of your model if you’re planning to double the recipe in a smaller model.
• Frozen green beans are what I used (that’s what I most often have on hand), but feel free to substitute fresh green beans if you prefer or if you have them on hand.  I recommend keeping the cook time the same.
• If you want to save a couple minutes of prep time, you can use frozen diced onions or frozen pearl onions instead of taking the time to dice an onion yourself.
• Feel free to adjust the seasonings.  You can omit the garlic, substitute ham instead of bacon, use seasoned salt, garlic pepper, etc.
• Green beans actually cook in much less time in the pressure cooker (typically just a few minutes or less), but the extended cook time of 25 minutes is to allow the flavors to really meld together and for the beans to get good and soft, giving them that consistency of having simmered all day.
• Don’t have a pressure cooker?  These can be made in the slow cooker as well.  Add all ingredients, plus an extra cup of broth, to a small slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking.

Recommended Equipment for Making Pressure Cooker Green Beans:

• Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model and love it!) or another electric pressure cooker
• Chef’s knife

More Southern Style Pressure Cooker Holiday Recipes You’re Sure to Love:

• Quick and Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Scalloped Pineapple Dressing (Instant Pot or Oven)
• Holiday Cranberry Sauce in the Instant Pot