Bacon Jam Green Beans

These Bacon Green Beans are smoky thanks to the bacon and sweet with a hint of of honey all made on the stovetop in a single skillet. They’re a family favorite side dish for the holidays that’s truly addicting (you won’t have any leftovers!).

When it comes to making green beans, they can be a little bland in flavor on their own, that’s why I developed this delicious recipe for Bacon Green Beans with a hint of honey and spice from the chili flakes. They’re quick to make in about 20 minutes and will be the most popular side dish on your table. Serve them with Cherry Glazed Ham or Crockpot Mashed Potatoes for the complete meal.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• 9 ingredient side dish recipe using pantry ingredients. You should have almost all of the ingredients already at home for these green beans with bacon. The only thing I need to purchase at the store are string beans and bacon.
• Easiest stovetop side dish. With just a skillet, you can whip up these addicting green beans while a main course cooks in the oven.
• Addicting vegetable recipe that the whole family will love. I’ve served these to all different large crowds and there are never any leftovers. Even the pickiest of eaters love them!

Ingredients

• Bacon: Adds nice smokiness, we don’t recommend thick cut here, you want your bacon thin and crispy when it cooks for great texture.
• Green Beans: Trim the green beans before boiling them.
• Yellow onion: Adds sweet vegetable flavor when caramelized in the bacon fat.
• Bourbon: Optional, but we love how much depth of flavor it provides.
• Dijon mustard: Adds a hint of tang in every bite and compliments the honey nicely.
• Worcestershire sauce: Gives great umami to the sauce.
• Honey: Just a little goes a long way to add a hint of sweetness.
• Red pepper flakes: For a kick of spice.
• Garlic: Infuses every bite with nice garlicky flavor.

How to Make Bacon Green Beans

Expert Tips

• Heavily salt the boiling water for the beans. This adds lots of flavor to them before you add them to the skillet.
• Don’t boil the beans for too long. We boil them first just to lightly soften them. They will continue to cook in the skillet with the bacon afterwards.
• Be sure to render the bacon fully until golden brown and crisp before adding the green beans. You’ll want to use all that delicious bacon fat as the cooking “oil” for the green beans.
• The bourbon is optional but highly recommended. It just adds a little hint of extra rich flavor that pairs wonderfully with the honey and bacon.
• Swap the honey with maple syrup. The syrup adds a bit of a different flavor profile but is still so delicious.
• Try a different veggie. This would also be delicious with carrots cut into 1-inch pieces.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water for a few minutes until warmed through.

These green beans with bacon don’t freeze well. We also don’t recommend preparing them in advance. They’re such a quick recipe, you can make them easily on a weeknight in no time!

FAQs

Can I use canned green beans?
We don’t recommend using canned since they are already very soft in texture and will break down in the skillet.

Can I add nuts to these green beans with bacon? 
Yes, this would be delicious with chopped walnuts or sliced almonds on top.

What can I use instead of honey for bacon green beans? 
You could also use maple syrup or even a tablespoon of brown sugar.

More Easy Side Dish Recipes

• Crockpot Mac and Cheese
• Loaded Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
• Bacon Deviled Eggs
• Cast Iron Shrimp Scampi

Bacon Jam Green Beans

These Bacon Green Beans are smoky thanks to the bacon and sweet with a hint of of honey all made on the stovetop in a single skillet. They're a family favorite side dish for the holidays that's truly addicting (you won't have any leftovers!).

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Video

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon
• 1 lb fresh green beans
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion
• 3 oz bourbon of choice
• 2 tbsp dijon
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• minced garlic

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Instructions

• Wash green beans and cut off tips.
• Add green beans to boiling heavily salted water for about 5 minutes.
• Remove green beans and immediately transfer to ice water to stop cooking.
• Cook bacon and remove but leave grease.
• Mix together glazze and set aside while bacon is cooking and green beans are boiling.
• Cook down onion for a few min. Add garlic and continue to cook on medium heat until fragrant.
• Add glaze and allow to cook down for about 5 min.
• Dry green beans and add to pan along with cooked bacon.
• Add salt to taste and black pepper.
• Turn heat to medium low and cook around 5 more min making sure all green beans are well coated in glaze. Enjoy!!

Notes

I have tried making these without boiling first and i dont think they are near as good.  I didn't like the texture as much and boiling in the heavily salted water adds a ton of flavor.

Storage:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water for a few minutes until warmed through.

These green beans with bacon don't freeze well. We also don't recommend preparing them in advance. They're such a quick recipe, you can make them easily on a weeknight in no time!