These Southern Style Green Beans are sure to be a crowd-pleasing recipe! These can be made in the instant pot and take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Garlic and bacon smother these tender green beans in greasy delicious goodness!
Growing up in the south, I grew up eating most of my vegetables cooked with meat in them. Whether it was collard greens, cabbage, or green beans; you could bet there was some type of smoked meat or bacon added to the pot.
This was great for me once I started the keto diet because most of these recipes are naturally keto without any tweaking needed!
Southern-style green beans are no exception to that rule. This recipe is made with bacon which could probably serve as a mascot if keto had one!
Hands down, this is my favorite way to eat green beans. Southern and soul food style!
For this recipe, I used my Instant Pot. The Instant Pot makes this recipe full proof, as pressure cooking the grean beans leaves them soft and tender. You can make them on the stove as well, however, you'll need to cook them a little longer.
I recommend using fresh green beans, as they have the best flavor. Now don't let that scare you off! Trust me, even if you're just a beginner in the kitchen you can pull this off.
Fresh green beans are super easy to work with. You can find them in the produce section of your grocery store. I like to buy the ones in the bag.
How to Prepare fresh Green Beans
- Snap the ends off of the green beans using fingers. The green beans should just naturally snap, similar to snapping the ends off of asparagus. Some green beans come already snapped.
- Optional: Blanch the green beans. So I know most people don't like this step, but honestly, it's super simple. To blanch fresh grean beans, simply add them to a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then, drain the green beans and transfer them to a bowl of ice water for another 3 minutes. Drain them, and that's it!
Blanching the green beans locks in the natural flavor and color. It also cleans them, so if you decide not to blanch them just be sure to rinse them off before cooking.
Southern Style Green Beans Ingredients
- Fresh Green Beans
- Bacon
- Butter
- Garlic
- Chicken Broth
- Garlic and Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper
How to make southern style green beans in an Instant Pot
Start by snapping the ends off of the green beans, and blanching them (see above for blanching instructions). If you decide not to blanch the beans, then be sure to rinse them off prior to cooking.
Set the Instant Pot on the Saute option, and add the bacon. Allow to bacon to crisp up, and then add the butter and chopped garlic. Saute until the butter is melted, and the garlic becomes fragrant (about 2 - 3 minutes). Next, add the chicken broth and scrape up the brown bits in the pan.
Add the green beans, and mix so that the beans are coated with everything. Switch the Instant Pot to the pressure cook option, and set it for 20 minutes.
Replace the lid and turn the valve to the sealed position. Once the Instant Pot is done cooking the green beans, switch the valve on the lid to the release position. Once the steam is fully released, remove the lid and serve.
Check out these other tasty keto side dish recipes!
Oven Roasted Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan
15 Easy Keto Side Dishes That You Don’t Want to Miss
Southern Style Green Beans
Tender melt in your mouth southern style green beans.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, blanched or rinsed (see notes on preparing fresh green beans)
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to the saute function, and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it begins to crisp up.
- Add the garlic and butter to the Instant Pot with the bacon, and saute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the chicken broth, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the green beans, and stir everything so that the green beans are evenly coated.
- Switch the Instant Pot to the Pressure Cook setting at High Pressure. Set the cooking time for 20 minutes and secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Turn the valve on the lid to the sealed position.
- Once the Instant Pot is done cooking, switch the valve to the release position. Once the steam is released, remove the lid and serve.
Notes
To blanch fresh grean beans, simply add them to a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Then, drain the green beans and transfer them to a bowl of ice water for another 3 minutes. Drain them, and that's it!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 233mgCarbohydrates: 7gNet Carbohydrates: 4gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g
Kay is passionate about living a healthy low carb lifestyle. She loves low carb comfort foods that are also family-friendly!
Dana
Would I be able to double this recipe without overfilling my instant pot?? I think I have the 8 qt.
Yes, you would still have plenty of room!
Denise
I just made these tonight and, as promised, they were delicious! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!! This is going to be the only way I make green beans from now on. Take good care and be well.
Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed them. This is also my favorite way to make green beans!
Lindsey
Could I use frozen green beans straight from the freezer? If so, would I alter the recipe at all?
Yes, that would work. They just may take a little longer to come to pressure.