Updated 3/24/25
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My Southern-style green beans are meltingly tender, buttery, and deliciously smoky! These are vegetables your whole family will ask for. I predict they’ll quickly become a favorite in your house and in your regular dinner rotation!
If you’re from the South, I can almost bet your grandma made green beans just like these. My grandma used to serve these almost every Sunday supper, right after church. This recipe is pure Southern goodness that, with one taste, will take you back to your grandma’s kitchen!
If you love green beans, you’ll love my sweet and smoky Arkansas green beans, roasted green beans, green bean casserole, and my super-easy air fryer green beans!
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THESE SOUTHERN-STYLE GREEN BEANS
Is there anything more wonderful than a green thing that your kids don’t scoff at? Dinner~winner in my book!
- Kids love these!
- BACON
- Easy to make
- Slow-cooked flavor without the slow cooker
SOUTHERN GREEN BEANS INGREDIENTS
- Bacon: I use nitrite—and nitrate-free bacon. It’s a little more expensive, but the health benefits make it worth it.
- Green Beans: This recipe is best made with fresh green string beans. Trim them and cut them in half or in thirds, depending on their length.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium broth to control the salt in the overall dish.
- Salt + Black Pepper: The perfect simple seasoning to finish off these beans!
TIPS
- Dry: After rinsing the beans, it’s very important to dry them! If you have excess water when you add the beans to the hot bacon grease, you risk painful splattering. Avoid the danger by drying your beans with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels! Please!!
- Onion: Try this recipe with a bit of onion! Chop up 1/2 cup of yellow onion and sauté it in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, with the heat on medium-low, before adding the green beans.
- Fresh is Best: Use fresh green beans! You know that I love using convenience foods when the time is right, but this is NOT one of those times. You need the structural integrity of fresh beans to stand up to the long cooking time. Frozen or canned beans would just disintegrate!
- Save Your Bacon Grease: This ingredient adds extra flavor without any extra work. I use it in a lot of my Southern recipes.
- Ham Hock: If you happen to have a ham hock on hand, throw it into the Dutch oven with the green beans.
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
The tools to make this country-style green beans recipe are very straightforward:
- A colander, for draining your beans.
- A clean kitchen towel.
- A large pan.
- A spoon.
STORING + FREEZING + MAKE-AHEAD
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? These Southern-style green beans with bacon will last for 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
- Can You Freeze This? Yes! This makes a great freezer meal to have on hand when you need a quick, delicious side dish. Portion out your green beans and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. The lack of dairy or other more perishable ingredients gives these southern green beans a long shelf life.
- To thaw, simply pop your containers in the microwave and hit the “thaw” setting!
- Make-Ahead Tips: Since these beans have to simmer for at least an hour, they come with make-ahead built right in! Just start them an hour before you need them, and they’ll be ready and waiting for you. You can also make them ahead of time and store them overnight! Just reheat and serve.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety, check out this link.
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOUTHERN-STYLE GREEN BEANS
I love serving these Southern-style green beans with bacon grease with just about anything! But they’re awesome with more Southern classics. Try my smothered chicken, crockpot pork chops smothered in mushroom onion gravy, chicken lazone, blackened chicken, jambalaya, or my baked mac and cheese.
My grandma always had biscuits on the table for every Sunday dinner! Try our super quick and easy Bisquick biscuits, cheddar biscuits, Cathead biscuits, butter swim biscuits, or 7-Up biscuits!
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES!
- Broccoli Salad
- Sautéed Asparagus
- Roasted Broccoli
- Simple Roasted Peppers
- Roasted Garlic Asparagus With Feta
- Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Carrot Salad
- Fajita Veggies
- Fried Cabbage And Bacon
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Creamed Peas
- Green Beans With Bacon
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Southern Style Green Beans
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
- 2 pounds fresh green beans ends trimmed and snaped in half
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse beans in a colander, then wrap up in a clean dish towel to dry.
- Cook bacon pieces (4 slices) in a large Dutch oven or pot until crisp. Add green beans (2 pounds) to the pan and continue to cook on medium heat, tossing beans well to coat in bacon dripping, until beans turn bright green about 3 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth (2 cups), then the salt (1/2 teaspoon) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer on low, covered with the lid cracked just a bit, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Adjust seasoning. Remove to serving platter with a slotted spoon. Top with a sprinkle or so of the cooking liquid and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Dry: After rinsing the beans, it’s VERY important to dry them! When you add the beans to the hot bacon grease, you risk reactions like this one if you have excess water. Avoid the danger by drying your beans with a clean kitchen towel! Please!!
- Onion: Try this recipe with a bit of onion! Chop up 1/2 cup of yellow onion and sauté it in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes, with the heat on medium-low, before adding the green beans.
- Fresh is Best: Use fresh green beans! You know that I love using convenience foods when the time is right, but this is NOT one of those times. You need the structural integrity of fresh beans to stand up to the long cooking time. Frozen or canned beans would just disintegrate!
Super easy and flavorful. This is the way yo cook green bean! So much better than canned.
Thanks for sharing.
Hey, Mark! I agree! We’re glad you liked this. Thank you so much for your positive feedback and 5-star rating!
These were the best fresh green beans I’ve ever fixed. They were just like the ones I remember my grandma made. She passed before I was old enough to learn her method. Thank you for the recipe.
Hey, Esther. I’m glad you found it here. Thank you too!
Can I prepare the green receipe the day before and just reheat it. Thank you
Hey, Janet. Yes, just reheat and serve. Enjoy!
My husband loved this recipe and it is definitely a keeper. It is a treat!
Can I put potatoes in this too?
Hi, Bailey. I think that’ll do well. I also have sausage potato green bean casserole, here’s the link.
I’m in my 70’s and have cooked green beans this way since I learned how watching my mother when I was about 6 years old sitting on the counter while she cooked. She learned as a young girl from her mother as well. Bacon and onion have always been part of how they been cooked. I’ve also added mushrooms on occasion for a bit of a different taste. Not always, just occasionally. BTW, not that it matters, I’m a male person. Thanks Kathleen for putting your recipe out there. It’s definitely a good one to have. Simple and delicious.
Jerry, I love to hear that this recipe is like you Mothers!!! That makes my day. I try to capture all of my Grandmas and other family members recipes here, so if you didn’t happen to get the written recipe from your family, you have a place to find it! Happy cooking my friend!
Perfect! My Southern wife loves them. They take her back home. Served with pan seared pork tenderloin and roasted potatoes. A hit!!
Wow, that’s super amazing, Joe! I’m so happy it was a hit and you paired it perfectly! 🙂
You can also use beef flavored broth
Agreed! 🙂
THANK YOU! My family will usually not eat green beans but there wasn’t one left! Followed recipe exactly. So easy and so good!
OMG, that’s so great! I’m glad they like this. Thanks for the review 🙂
Thank you I give this one a 10
So happy you enjoy these beans, Barbara! My Grandma would truly be proud!! <3
This is the only recipes I use for green beans! Absolutely love it!
Yaaay! Thank you so much, Kim! 🙂
I have always made my green beans like this – but added 1 tablespoon of garlic powder to them. Yum!!!!!!! Only way to make them in CA too.
Hi, Kathi! Yes to garlic powder! Thank you 🙂
Can you remove the bacon after cooking and add it to the finished dish so it stays crisp? thx!!
Hi, Caitlin! Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you!
This is a family favorite. I use whatever broth I have on hand or bullion cubes in a pinch. I also sauté diced onions in the bacon grease.
Hi, Angie! That’s perfect 🙂
Thank you for your positive review!
I bought fresh green beans for the first time and wasn’t sure how to make them. Your recipe took me right back to my folks house where my Mom made green beans just like these! Thank you so much for a recipe that is easy to follow and brings back sweet memories of many days gone by!
Oh, Shari, you’ve made my day! I love when my recipes remind you of Mama’s cooking. I’ve got lots down-home recipes so I hope you find many more you like!!
I grew up on fresh green beans and my mom made the BEST! This is now my go to recipe every time I serve green beans. Absolutely LOVE it!
I’m so happy to hear that, Kimberly! So glad you loved these green beans <3