My Southern style green beans are meltingly tender, butter, 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 on almost every Sunday supper, right after church. This recipe is pure Southern goodness that will take you back right 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, or my super easy air fryer green beans!
What I Love About This 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-cook flavor without the slow cooker
Southern Green Beans Ingredients
- Bacon: I use nitrite and nitrate-free bacon. It’s a little more expensive but I think it’s worth it for the health benefits.
- Green Beans: This recipe is best made with fresh green beans. Trim them and cut in half or in thirds depending on the length of the beans.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium broth so I can 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! 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!
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 in the fridge for 4 days.
- 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 these beans an hour before you need them, and they’ll be ready and waiting for you. Or you can always 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
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 my super quick and easy Bisquick biscuits!
More Really Delicious Vegetable Recipe!
- 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
- Southern Collard Greens
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Craving more delicious recipes?
I hope you’ll join our cooking family! Subscribe to Gonna Want Seconds and receive all our latest recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Absolutely free to you and we never share your email address.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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 saucepan 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 splash 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!
Ashley says
Made these with fresh green beans today. I’m a southern girl and grew up on simmered, mushy green beans and I love just them. I have a jar of bacon grease in the fridge and just tossed them in that instead of adding actual bacon. So so so good and exactly what I grew up on. Thank you for an easy way to bring back that nostalgia. My husband loved them, too!
Kathleen says
Way to go, Ashley! 😀 Glad to hear that you and your hubby loved it!
Harper says
So classic!
Patrick says
Awesome! Everyone love the green beans.
Kathleen says
Yay! Great to hear! Thank you 🙂
jessica says
Hi Kathleen! I’m so excited to try your recipe as I’ve been searching for a green bean recipe that resembles my grandmother’s green beans. I noticed in the recipe it says that it serves 4-6 people but in one of the comments, you shared with someone that it serves 8-10 people. Just wanted to clarify if you think that the recipe as it is written (i.e. 2 lbs of green beans, etc.) would serve 8-10 people. Thanks!
Kathleen says
Hey Jessica. You’re absolutely right, 2 pounds serves 8-10! Updating the servings now <3
Ash says
Omg just finished with fine 1m ago and they look lovely ! Thanks ! Pic looks just like yours!
Kathleen says
So happy to hear it, Ash!
Jaymie says
This recipe has been one of our favorite dishes to do lately. The bacon grease and chicken broth bring awesome flavor. It’s the perfect side with mashed potatoes. Thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
Jaymie, so happy to hear you like the green beans!
Karina Soto says
Is it ok to prep the green beans the day before Thanksgiving? The part where I have to trim and halve them?
Kathleen says
Hi Karina. Yes, absolutely. I’d store them in an airtight container 🙂
Lizla M Emerick says
I made this recipe over the weekend and everyone loved them. I’d say cooking time was about 45 min but the hour didn’t have any affect either. I kept them warm in the oven until served. Very easy recipe to follow. Thank you for sharing.
Kathleen says
Hi Lizla. You are so welcome! I’m really happy you found the instructions easy to follow and appreciate you telling me so. I really work on that! I want everyone to be successful when they try one of my recipes. <3
Diana says
I pressure can my garden green beans…has anyone tried? They are not mushy like store bought, but not crisp like fresh.
Tylo says
Anyone ever make these and then just heat them up? Want to make for thanksgiving but it is a 2 hour drive so they would need to be reheated.
Kathleen says
Tylo, I reheat these all the time. Obviously, after they’ve been cooked completely, then reheated, they get a bit softer. But there’s no flavor loss! You could always cook them 3/4’s of the way through, then finish them when you arrive at your destination. Hope that helps! Happy Thanksgiving <3
Tylo says
Anyone have any luck reheating these? Want to make them for thanksgiving but have a 2 hour drive. Would be much easier if I could make in the morning and just heat up when we get there!
Becky says
Exactly the recipe I’ve been looking for!! Made these for a crowd last night and they were a hit. The green beans of my youth! Thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
Oh, Becky, that makes my day!!! So happy they were a hit <3
Penny says
Do you ever add new potatoes?
Kathleen says
Hi Penny. I don’t because my Grandma didn’t. I know a lot of people love them that way! I bet its a delicious combo <3
Dorothy Burkitt says
My mom always added small whole potatoes. When the potatoes were done the beans were done.
Kathleen says
Thank you for sharing that Dorothy. I love that she used the potatoes as a kind of vegetable thermometer! <3
[email protected] says
have you ever cooked these and then frozen them? I need to make way ahead!
Kathleen says
Hi, no I haven’t. I think if I was to need to do so, I’d only partially cook them-maybe halfway through. The process of freezing them will break down the green beans. You don’t want them to get mushy. Then when you’re reheating them, plan a little extra time in case they need more simmering. Hope that helps. Let us know if you give it a try <3
SarAh says
How many people would you say this serves?
Kathleen Smith says
Hi Sarah. It will serve 8-10 🙂 Enjoy!
Candice says
Eeeek I forgot to snap my green beans in half. Don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem just maybe a little more time? What do you think?
Kathleen Smith says
Yes, I think you’re exactly right 🙂
jen says
hmmm…do you think I could follow the recipe through step 2, then put them in a slow cooker?
Kathleen Smith says
Hey Jen, I haven’t tried it but sounds like a smart idea! Lmk if you try it and how it works out!
Mike Connelly says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have never seen a printed recipe before now but I have been cooking green beans this way for nearly 50 years. I’m not even sure where I first experienced the taste and texture but it was probably in Louisiana where I spent summers as a child.
My wife and her family, all yankees, love pole beans cooked this way!
Kathleen says
I’m happy to hear that’s how you make your beans too! Thanks for sharing that, Mike 🙂
Joyce says
Can I do this with Brussel sprouts
Kathleen says
Hey Joyce, I’ve never tried this with Brussel sprouts. Sounds interesting!
Evangeline says
Thank you for the recipe, made this tonight and tastes really good!
By the way, I hardly see your page, the right side of your page has ads keeps popping up, and there’s no way to turn it off, clicked it once and opened a page for me.
Kathleen says
Hi Evangeline. I’m sorry those ads are popping up.They are not from this site. What I’ve been told by my tech people is that another site you visited planted a cookie. If you update your OS (operating system) the other site will not be able to exploit this glitch. I hope this helps. I hate that people are having that experience on my site!!!