Easy Instant Pot Green Beans are perfect for when you want a quick vegetable side! Dress them up with a pinch of crushed almonds for a simple yet delicious dish fancy enough for holiday gatherings yet easy enough for weeknight meals.
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Pin RecipeSimple and easy instant pot green beans are always in season! You can serve them with a holiday meal when you need a green vegetable, or all summer long if your garden is producing an abundance of green beans.
I love making Southern Green Beans but there’s something super nice about preparing vegetables simply and letting their natural flavors shine. All you need to make these are garlic, onion, a little olive oil, vegetable broth or water, and of course, an Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Green Beans Recipe
During the holidays I’m in the kitchen more than ever, whipping up all sorts of festive dishes. I love to cook, but it does take a lot of time! As a result, I love to incorporate quick, delicious side dish recipes so I can spend longer on other things like preparing homemade pumpkin pie!
And these Instant Pot green beans are a family favorite I turn to again and again. It takes 1 minute or less to cook the beans, and they turn out perfectly crisp-tender every time! They’re great alongside all sorts of main dishes from simple spaghetti to roast beef to ham, and you can even throw a handful of leftover beans into your favorite salad for extra texture and even more nutrients.
File this recipe in your “make often” recipe binder! I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do.
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Green Beans
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Garlic – Garlic helps to add flavor to the green beans. For the best results, use whole, fresh cloves, and mince them yourself.
- Yellow onion – You could also use shallots or a red onion.
- Olive oil – I use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe!
- Salt
- Green beans
- Vegetable broth – Or you can use water.
- Almonds – Crushed or finely chopped almonds, to garnish.
Variations
- Use chicken broth – For even more flavor, use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth or water.
- Add ham – Serve the green beans with pieces of chopped ham for a smokey flavor and a bit of protein.
- Stir in dried cranberries – I love to add a handful of dried cranberries to this dish!
How to Make Instant Pot Green Beans
- Sauté the aromatics: In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Then, stir in the garlic and the salt. Cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Prepare the green beans: Wash and trim the green beans.
- Add the broth to the Instant Pot: For a 6-quart Instant Pot, pour 1 cup of broth or water into the inner pot. For an 8-quart Instant Pot, pour 1 ½ cups of broth or water into the inner pot.
- Add the green beans: Place a steamer basket in the inner pot of the Instant Pot, and add the green beans to the steamer basket.
- Adjust the Instant Pot: Close the lid, and check that the venting knob is sealed.
- Cook: For crisper green beans, set the cooking time to 0 minutes on high pressure. For softer green beans, set the cooking time to 1 minute on high pressure.
- Vent: After the cooking time is finished, release the pressure. To do so, carefully switch the venting knob to the venting position, watching out for the release of the steam.
- Finish the dish: Remove the green beans from the Instant Pot, stir in the onion and garlic mixture, garnish with almonds, and serve.
Quick Tip
Use fresh green beans for the best results. When you bring your green beans home from the store make sure to discard any beans that look wilted or brown!
How to Store Instant Pot Green Beans
Place leftover Instant Pot green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the green beans in a microwave-safe dish, and heat in 30-second intervals until hot. Or you can warm leftovers on the stove. To do so, transfer the green beans in a skillet and warm them over medium-high heat until hot.
Serving Suggestions
Instant Pot green beans are a wonderful and simple side dish that goes well with so many options! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this recipe:
- With turkey. I highly recommend adding Instant Pot green beans to your Thanksgiving menu! Here’s everything you need to know about making the perfect roast turkey.
- Ham. Serve Instant Pot green beans with slices of Honey Baked Ham and a pile of buttery mashed potatoes (also made in the Instant Pot!).
- Other vegetables. Add classic holiday sides like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, or a corn casserole.
- Alongside a hearty main dish. From roasts to casseroles, Instant Pot green beans are always welcome! Make a Chicken Pot Pie Casserole or Chicken and Dumpling Casserole with a side of green beans.
FAQs
You can cook your green beans in chicken or vegetable broth to give them more flavor.
A flavorful variety of green beans is called Maxibel, but as long as your green beans are fresh they will give a good flavor.
Yes, green beans and string beans are the same. Green beans used to have fibrous “strings” running down the length of the pod that had to be removed bean by bean, giving them the name “string beans.”
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Instant Pot Green Beans
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 small yellow onion minced
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound green beans
- 1- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
- Crushed almonds for garnish
Instructions
- In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until softened, then stir in the garlic and the salt. Cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside.1 clove garlic, 1 small yellow onion, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt
- Wash and trim the green beans.1 pound green beans
- For a 6-quart Instant Pot, pour 1 cup of broth or water into the inner pot. For an 8-quart Instant Pot, pour 1 ½ cups of broth or water into the inner pot.1- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
- Place a steamer basket in the inner pot of the Instant Pot and add the green beans to the steamer basket.
- Close the lid and check that the venting knob is sealed.
- For crisper green beans, set the cooking time to 0 minutes on high pressure. For softer green beans, set the cooking time to 1 minute on high pressure.
- After the cooking time is finished, release the pressure. Carefully switch the venting knob to the venting position, watching out for the release of the steam.
- Remove the green beans from the Instant Pot, stir in the onion and garlic mixture, garnish with almonds, and serve.Crushed almonds
This looks Yummy! Did you add parmesan cheese & pepper flakes? I did not see it in the recipe But it looks like a good finish.
We added crushed almonds on top, but you could garnish with whatever you like! We hope you give it a try. 😊