This Green Beans and Bacon Recipe is filled with bacon, garlic, onions, brown sugar, and a splash of bourbon! Cooking green beans on the stovetop is a quick and easy way to make veggies for your meal, and they turn out perfectly in just 20 minutes. It’s the easiest green bean side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or another holiday!
What’s in this Bourbon Bacon Green Beans recipe?
This green beans recipe with bacon is my favorite for Thanksgiving! It’s so quick and easy to make in a skillet on the stovetop, and it’s just delicious.
- Green Beans: For the best flavor and a nice crisp bite, use fresh green beans for this recipe. Clean and trim the ends before cooking.
- Bacon: Chunky pieces of bacon add texture and delicious flavor.
- Onion: Use sweet yellow onion, diced.
- Garlic: Minced garlic adds savory, aromatic flavor. I used 1 clove, but you can add as much as you like.
- Bourbon: A few tablespoons of bourbon adds a splash of rich flavor, with a hint of sweet vanilla.
- Brown Sugar: This adds a deep, sweet flavor to the green beans. I recommend using dark brown sugar!
- Water: This helps to steam the green beans as they cook in the skillet.
- Spices: Use a little bit of salt and pepper to taste, and some red pepper flakes to add a little heat.
Pro Tip: Be sure to keep the bacon grease in the skillet after it finishes cooking because you’ll want to use it to cook the green beans, onion, and garlic!
Variations on Green Beans with Bacon
Cooking these bacon green beans in a skillet is so simple, and you can make a few quick swaps to make it work for you.
Add pre-cooked bacon crumbles at the end, instead of cooking your bacon at the start. You can use olive oil or butter instead of bacon grease. And chicken broth can be used instead of water to help steam the beans. You can also add caramelized onions for even more flavor–just sauté longer, or make them ahead of time.
If you’re looking for more add-in ideas, try adding feta crumbles or chopped and toasted nuts to serve.
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Yes. Start by cooking the bacon, then set it aside. Cook the green beans in the same skillet, and add the bacon back in at the end.
This skillet green beans recipe will take 20 minutes start to finish. The beans should take a total of about 15 minutes to cook. Add a few extra minutes if you want softer green beans.
The bourbon adds a rich, deep sweetness with hints of vanilla and caramel that really complements the green beans and bacon. You can use whiskey instead, or skip it entirely, but I highly recommend using it.
When cooking fresh green beans, you’ll want to start by washing and trimming them. Use a paring knife or Chef’s knife to cut off the stems/tough ends. To make it quick, grab a bundle of beans, line up the stems, and chop.
You’ll only need to cover the skillet of green beans for about 2 minutes of cook time, right after adding the water–this will help them steam and soften a little bit. Other than that, cook them uncovered.
Yes! I love using fresh green beans, but you can start with frozen. Thaw them ahead of time if you want it to cook fast. If cooking from frozen, you’ll just need to cook them longer.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover green beans and bacon in an airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet on the stove until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze skillet green beans in an airtight, freezer-safe container or resealable bag. They will taste best if eaten within 4 months. Thaw them overnight in the freezer before reheating, or reheat directly from frozen (though they will take longer to warm through).
Serving Suggestions (Green Beans for Thanksgiving!)
This green beans recipe is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and holidays! The mix of brown sugar, bacon, and bourbon create a cozy flavor that complements main dishes like honey baked ham, Thanksgiving turkey, beef tenderloin, and stuffed pork loin.
5-Star Review
“I just found this recipe tonight and made these beans – a HUGE hit! They were marvelous and so simple to make. I plan to make them for Thanksgiving this year. I used bacon bits as was too lazy to fry up bacon and it worked just fine. The crushed red pepper cut down the sweetness nicely and was a great melding.” – Dinny
Green Beans Recipe with Bacon
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Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon diced and cooked until crispy
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 pound green beans cleaned and ends trimmed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Cut bacon into ½” pieces, then place in 12-inch skillet and cook until crisp, but not burned. Remove from bacon grease (save grease) and set aside bacon to use as garnish.4 strips bacon
- Add onion to bacon grease and sauté until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook just until garlic blooms (softens and releases it’s oil) approximately 15-30 seconds.1 medium sweet yellow onion, 1 clove garlic
- Add green beans, black pepper, salt and red pepper flakes then cook until the beans begin to show brown spots, 6-8 minutes over medium heat.1 pound green beans, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- Add water, cover, and cook 2 minutes. Beans should still be bright green and crisp.¼ cup water
- Add bourbon and brown sugar and cook 4-5 minutes, uncovered, until beans are barely crisp. Stir often.3 tablespoons bourbon, 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- Taste the beans and add salt, if needed.
- Sprinkle beans with crisped bacon and serve.
- ENJOY!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Oh my goodness, so good. Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Will make again.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Tracy!
I just Found this recipe last night. We made this and it was incredible! We loved it so much we made another batch tonight !!
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing, Chris Ann
I have made these so much we can not get enough! However, do you think I could do this with Brussels sprouts? Thanks !
I haven’t tried it with that!
I just found this recipe tonight and made these beans – a HUGE hit! They were marvelous and so simple to make. I plan to make them for Thanksgiving this year. I used bacon bits as was too lazy to fry up bacon and it worked just fine. The crushed red pepper cut down the sweetness nicely and was a great melding.
That’s great! Thanks for stopping by.
We had these as a side to our prime rib Christmas dinner and they were sooo good! Def will be making these agajn!
Yay!! I’m so happy you loved them!
Instead of the fresh green beans (I know they are the best to use) can I use frozen and thaw them ahead of time? I have 2 different green bean side dishes for thanksgiving,but I’d like to be able to get the stuff now
You could use frozen and still do the mix ins you just wouldn’t need to cook as long as they would probably already be cooked. Just check the bag. But they’d still be tasty with the extra flavors! Hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
I want to If I add whiskey in place of bourbon the taste will be change???
How would you recommend reheating these for the best taste? I want to bring them to a Christmas party and would need to make ahead. Thanks.
It really insist me to taste!so yummm!
I love the flavors you incorporated in this recipe – these look positively delicious!
What can u use instead of bourbon?