A delicious low carb side dish that’s ready in minutes, these Instant Pot Green Beans and Ham are quick to make and super tender like Southern style green beans.
I’ve always known Southern style green beans to be the kind that are cooked until very soft and tender, as opposed to the crispier green beans that some people prefer. I don’t like squeakers so I much rather eat Southern green beans, and the Instant Pot pressure cooker does a great job of cooking the beans to the right amount of tenderness in mere minutes. The soft green beans coupled with delicious bites of ham and onion make a comforting side dish to any dinner.
How To Cook Green Beans In The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker:
The Instant Pot or any pressure cooker excels at making dishes that should be soft and tender — think soups and stews — but nothing crispy. That’s why it’s ideal for making tender Southern style green beans that would otherwise take much longer using traditional methods. In the past, I’ve made stovetop garlic green beans but they don’t end up anywhere near as tender in the same amount of time.
It only takes 4 minutes to cook fresh green beans in a pressure cooker. For frozen green beans, it’ll take about 5 minutes.
These green beans are cooked with ham, but you can substitute with diced bacon. I prefer bacon to be crispy so I consider it a shame to pressure cook bacon, but you can use it if you don’t like ham.
I’ve used a variety of cooked ham for this dish, including sliced smoked ham and ham steaks. Mr. Savory Tooth and I prefer the taste and texture of sliced ham, and it’s also faster to cut into small pieces.
I recommend using a steamer basket because the green beans will exude liquid as they cook, and the basket makes it easier to strain out the liquid. However, it’s not absolutely necessary and the recipe includes instructions for those of you cooking without a steamer basket. You’ll just have extra work at the end straining out the excess liquid.
I’ve tested this recipe in a 6 quart Instant Pot. It should also work well for other sizes, but you might have to adjust the amount of water added so that the pot can come to pressure.
The recipe yields 4 servings as a side dish or 2 servings as dinner portions.
Instant Pot Green Beans And Ham
A delicious low carb side dish that's ready in minutes, these Instant Pot Green Beans and Ham are quick to make and super tender like Southern style green beans.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed and cut in half
- 8 ounces sliced ham diced
- 1 cup diced red onions (about half an onion)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
Recommended Method Using Steamer Basket:
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Pour about 1/4 cup water into the pressure cooker pot. Fit a steamer basket inside.
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Add all ingredients to the steamer basket. Stir to mix them.
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Secure and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. As soon as it’s done, manually release pressure by carefully turning the release knob to its venting position.
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Uncover and stir. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve while hot.
Alternate Method Without Steamer Basket:
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Select the sauté mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. When it has reached temperature, add garlic, onions, and 2 tablespoons butter. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
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Add ham and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Turn off the sauté mode. Scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
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Add green beans, 1/4 cup water, salt, and pepper. Stir together.
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Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. As soon as it’s done, manually release pressure by carefully turning the release knob to its venting position.
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Uncover and stir. Thoroughly strain to remove the liquid. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve while hot.
Nutrition Notes
This recipe yields 6.5 g net carbs per serving.
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 130 | |
| Total Fat 4g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 30mg | 10% |
| Sodium 980mg | 41% |
| Potassium 20mg | 1% |
| Total Carb 10g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.5g | 14% |
| Sugars 4g | |
| Protein 14g |
Green beans were excellent, but a little too peppery. I would reduce the amount of pepper next time.
Thanks for the feedback, Joyce!
These green beans look delicious, I can’t wait to try them!
This is WAY easier than any other method of cooking green beans!