Cook up a batch of southern green beans in a skillet in just minutes. This keto-friendly recipe uses bacon, onion, and garlic and only has 4g net carbs!

Article Index

Ingredients Needed For Southern Green Beans
How To Make Southern Green Beans With Bacon
Frequently Asked Questions About Southern Green Beans
Other Green Bean Recipes To Try
Recipe

Southern foods are the epitome of comfort foods, and few things are as comforting as bacon. I love finding new recipes that use bacon. It adds the perfect amount of saltiness, crunch, smokiness, and a touch of natural sweetness too!

This southern green beans recipe is perfect all year long. It isn't seasonal and it goes with just about any dish that you can think of. It's a family favorite because you can easily adapt it to feed a crowd or just two people.

This is about to become one of your favorite keto-friendly side dish recipes of all time!

Ingredients Needed For Southern Green Beans

It might feel like a delicacy, but this southern-style recipe uses ingredients that are super easy to find. I'll share all the exact amounts in the printable recipe card, but first, I want to share some tips about what I used.

Green Beans

I used fresh green beans for this meal. They are easy to prepare - just snap the ends off and then cut them in half.

If you want to save yourself time, use frozen green beans. Just let them thaw and get rid of as much water as you can before adding them to the frying pan.

Chicken Broth

Any kind of chicken broth will be perfect in this recipe. If you want it to have a bolder taste, use chicken stock.

You can also use low-sodium chicken broth if you are trying use watch how much salt you consume.

Butter

The type of butter isn't very important. If you use salted butter, just use less salt in the recipe.

Garlic

For the best flavor, use fresh garlic cloves! If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use garlic powder, but it won't have the same taste.

Onion

To save yourself time, use frozen diced onion instead of fresh.

If you want to chop your own onions, use white or yellow. Red onions will have a lot more flavor but might overpower the rest of the recipe.

Bacon

To keep this recipe keto-friendly, always use sugar-free bacon. Don't use maple-cured bacon.

Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.

Quick Tips:

Make the bacon first. If you want to save time in food-prep, make your bacon ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Reserve a little bit of bacon grease. If you make your bacon ahead of time, save some of the bacon grease. This is what gives the green beans their signature taste.
Add salt to the broth. This will help tenderize the green beans faster.
If you want to lower the number of carbs even further, leave out the onions.

How To Make Southern Green Beans With Bacon

Every single step, along with the tips and ingredients, is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I have some extra information along with some step-by-step photos.

Saute The Garlic And Onion

First, fry the bacon and reserve some of the grease. Then, sauté the garlic and onions in the bacon grease. After they caramelize (which only takes a few minutes), remove it and set it aside.

Boil the Green Beans In The Chicken Broth

This is the step that takes the longest! Boil the green beans in the chicken broth for about 45 minutes. If you are using frozen green beans, it will only take about 10 minutes.

initial recipe steps for southern green beans

Add The Bacon and Butter

When the green beans are completely cooked, drain the chicken broth. Then, add the green beans, bacon, and some butter back into the skillet. Cook everything up until they are nice and hot.

adding in bacon and butter to green beans

What To Serve With Southern Green Beans Recipe

The best thing about these southern-style green beans is that they taste amazing with keto-friendly fried chicken and keto cauliflower mac and cheese.

Another family-friendly comfort food main dish that goes perfectly with these green beans is keto meatloaf. Or, for a quicker option, make some coconut flour chicken tenders!

Frequently Asked Questions About Southern Green Beans

Before we get to the recipe card, here are a few questions people often ask about how to make this keto-friendly side dish.

Are green beans keto-friendly?

Green beans might not be the vegetable with the lowest number of carbs, but they do fit in with a keto-friendly diet. One cup of green beans has 6g net carbs.

How do you make it taste spicy?

A popular way to make southern green beans taste spicier is to add cajun seasoning. You could also add some cayenne pepper, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or a splash of hot sauce.

How do you store leftover green beans?

The best way to store leftover green beans is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Tip: The bacon might not be as crispy, so reheat it in a skillet.

How long will fresh green beans last?

If you buy fresh green beans, they will stay nice and crisp for up to 7 days.

Can you make them in the crockpot?

Yes, you can make this recipe in the crockpot! Just make the bacon ahead of time and add it to the green beans 10 minutes before you serve them.

If you make them in the crockpot, the green beans will be extra-soft and infused with flavor.

tall image of southern style green bean in serving dish

Add some southern flair to your dinner table with this meal-time favorite. These southern green beans are a popular recipe that you'll have memorized in no time at all.

Other Green Bean Recipes To Try

If you enjoyed these southern green beans, check out these low-carb side dish ideas next. They are some of our favorites!

Green Bean Fries is a crispy snack that is fun to dunk in keto-friendly sauces.
Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms are super easy and ready in mere minutes.
Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole is low in carbs and tastes like your favorite holiday side dish.
Green Beans Almondine looks stunning on your dinner table and has a delightful crunch.
Roasted Jicama With Green Beans has an unmistakable flavor that you'll want to make again.

Recipe

Southern Style Green Beans

5 from 6 votes

Cook up a batch of southern green beans in a skillet in just minutes. This keto-friendly recipe uses bacon, onion, and garlic and only has 4g net carbs!

Prep Time:15

Cook Time:1

Total Time:1 15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free

Print Pin Review Recipe Save Recipe

Servings: 6

Calories: 111

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound green beans ends removed and cut into pieces
▢ ½ medium onion chopped
▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
▢ 3 slices bacon chopped
▢ 2 cups chicken broth
▢ 2 tablespoons butter
▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the chopped bacon into a saucepan over medium heat on the stove and cook until done to your liking. Remove, and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Remove most of the excess bacon grease from the saucepan but leave a bit in the bottom.
Add the onion to the saucepan and cook until they become tender. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds longer. Remove, and set aside.
Place the beans and chicken broth into the saucepan and bring to a light boil. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour. If needed, you can add water when the liquid runs low during the cooking process.
Drain the beans, add the butter, onions, garlic and bacon back into the saucepan, and stir to combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Notes

Adding salt to the broth helps tenderize the green beans faster and will add seasoning to them.

To reduce carbs, you can omit or reduce the amount of onion in the recipe.

If you want to save yourself time, use frozen green beans. Just let them thaw and get rid of as much water as you can before adding them to the frying pan.

Make the bacon first. If you want to save time in food-prep, make your bacon ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Reserve a little bit of bacon grease. If you make your bacon ahead of time, save some of the bacon grease. This is what gives the green beans their signature taste.

FROM READER COMMENT:

For authentic Southern Green Beans use a Crockpot or Instant Pot.

For a Crock Pot, cook your bacon first, and then add ALL the ingredients into the Crockpot and cook on high for at least 1 ½ hours (whether or not you used fresh green beans or canned green beans). You want the flavor of the bacon to cook through the beans. Hickory Smoked bacon is even better. Look for bacon without nitrites preservatives, which these days, is getting easier to find. BE SURE to check on your bean if you Crockpot them, every 30 minutes or so, to ensure there is adequate fluid levels and give them a stir. If fluid level drops below the bean pods, add water to bring it back up. You do NOT have to use chicken broth to bring the fluid level back up. Instant Pot/Pressure cookers don’t have this problem to worry about cause they are relatively seal, so the water doesn’t escape as readily.

If you use a Ham Hock, don’t salt until after the cooking is done and you taste it, because country hams are salted to preserve them and the salt from the ham will cook into the beans. If you use a country ham hock, increase cooking time to 2 ½ hours in a crock pot/slow cooker. The nutritional value shouldn’t deviate significantly by substituting a Ham Hock for bacon in this recipe.

Using an Instant Pot/pressure cooker, you can usually get away with 45 minutes in cook time on high pressure (12 lbs. if you use traditional pressure cooker). Again, the goal is to get the flavor through the beans. Pre-canned beans don’t need as long to cook, because the bean pod (green bean) is already cooked, so all your doing is to trying to get the flavor through the bean. Fresh picked green beans take longer to cook, if you are looking for real ‘Southern Green Bean’. The pod should be relatively soft when chewed, not crisp/crunchy or ‘squeaky’, for southern green beans.

Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart

Nutrition

Additional Info

Net Carbs: 4 g | % Carbs: 16 % | % Protein: 12 % | % Fat: 72 % | SmartPoints: 5

Values

Array
(
    [calories] => 111
    [carbohydrates] => 6
    [protein] => 3
    [fat] => 8
    [saturated_fat] => 4
    [trans_fat] => 1
    [cholesterol] => 17
    [sodium] => 398
    [potassium] => 260
    [fiber] => 2
    [sugar] => 3
    [vitamin_a] => 644
    [vitamin_c] => 16
    [calcium] => 37
    [iron] => 1
)

Notes on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

Copyright

© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.

Comments

Jennifer Fisher

May 23, 2021 at 8:43 am

Love this one . . it makes me feel so nostalgic for my southern great-grand mother who used to always ALWAYS fix this dish for Sunday dinner.

yang

May 21, 2021 at 11:23 pm

This is really easy and delicious!

Lori

May 19, 2021 at 7:54 pm

Don’t make the bacon too crispy. You want it to be cooked but still a little soft for the full effect! I have also made this using canned green beans. You don’t have to cook them first. Just heat and serve.

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  May 20, 2021 at 10:29 am
  
  Thanks for the added tips!
  
Donny

May 19, 2021 at 6:58 pm

Love southern green beans! This is perfect. Thanks!

tina

May 17, 2021 at 10:31 am

The bacon makes this dish super tasty!

Betsy Pedersen

May 17, 2021 at 10:25 am

Could you do this in an Instant Pot ?

- Lisa MarcAurele
  
  May 17, 2021 at 11:04 am
  
  Absolutely! I would use the sauté setting first and then you can pressure cook on a soup or stew setting (which is the closest to a simmer) for about 5 minutes. You could try a low pressure as well. You might want to do a natural pressure release after. Using the Instant Pot would likely retain most of the liquid, though, so you could reduce the broth to about 1 cup (or the amount required for your size pot).

5 from 6 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Southern Green Beans With Bacon