Looking for a fast and easy side dish? These Instant Pot Green Beans are the perfect, flavorful side dish to go along with almost any meal!
When you're looking for a side dish to complete holiday meals or an everyday weeknight dinner, you can't go wrong with a vegetable side dish.
My family is particularly fond of green veggies for side dishes. We love making Air Fryer Broccoli and Instant Pot Broccoli, Grilled Asparagus in Foil, and Green Beans with Bacon and Shallots.
When time is especially tight, we make these Instant Pot Green Beans.
Jump to:
🌟 Why you'll love this recipe
This simple side dish is a quick and easy recipe that goes so well with almost any main dish. It's my favorite way to cook green beans!
- Easy - The recipe is so easy to follow. I've got step-by-step photos below to help you out!
- Fast - While we love roasting green beans or sautéing them on the stove, using the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is so much faster. You get crispy, tender, perfectly cooked green beans in a fraction of the time.
- Nutritious - This is a healthy vegetable side dish full of Vitamin K, calcium, protein, and fiber.
- Delicious - These delicious green beans are great on their own with just the green beans and water, but sautéing them at the end in garlic and olive oil adds a burst of bright flavors without adding much fat or calories.
🛒 Ingredient notes
One of the best things about this easy side dish recipe: it only requires 4 ingredients that you probably already have in your home. These are easy to find in any grocery store.
- Green beans - Measure out about one pound of green beans and trim the ends.
- Water - You'll need a cup of water. It can be cold or lukewarm, you just need it to pressure cook the beans in the Instant Pot.
- Olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil or the best flavored olive oil you have. Sometimes I like to add citrus flavors by using a lemon-fused olive oil.
- Garlic - The recipe calls for two cloves of minced garlic, which adds so much flavor. You can use one clove more or one less if you wish.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
- Add a steamer basket to the pot of your Instant Pot. Pour in the cup water into the pot.
- Add the green beans to the pot.
3. Secure the electric pressure cooker lid with the pressure release valve in SEALING position. Select PRESSURE COOK on high pressure for "0" minutes. That's right: zero! See FAQ below for more explanation.
4. Once the pressure cooking is complete, carefully do a Quick Release. Once all pressure has been released and the knob has gone all the way down, carefully twist open the lid, transfer the cooked green beans to a plate and set aside. At this point, you could totally enjoy the green beans as is, but I think the next two steps add a TON of delicious extra flavor!
5. Add the olive oil to the pot and press SAUTE function. When the oil is heated up, add the garlic and sauté just for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
6. Add the green beans and sauté with the garlic for 1 more minute, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn and you don't end up with browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Then transfer the garlicky green beans to a plate and serve.
👩🏻🍳 Frequently Asked Questions
For delicate vegetables like green beans, they only need a little time in the electric pressure cooker to cook. All electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi take a few minutes to come to pressure. During this come to pressure time, the green beans actually cook. By the time the unit has come to full pressure, the green beans are cooked to a nice slightly crisp, filly cooked status, so they don't need anymore time in the Instant Pot.
You can add a splash (about ¼ cup) of white wine to the pot when sautéing the green beans and garlic. You can also add chopped thyme or rosemary. If you're a crispy bacon lover like my whole family is, you can sauté chopped bacon with the garlic, and make Instant Pot bacon green beans!
Allow the vegetables to cool completely to room temperature. Then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three or four days.
🍽 What to serve with green beans
These Instant Pot Green Beans are so good that I've eaten them on their own as the main dish with a side of garlic rice.
This is the perfect Thanksgiving dinner side dish with Thanksgiving Turkey, Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Rolls.
Enjoy this green bean side dish with other holiday meals like Instant Pot Sirloin Tip Roast or One Pan Garlic Rosemary Beef Roast.
It's also delicious with any of these main courses any night of the week:
- Pan Seared Sea Bass
- Beef Pad See Ew
- Lobster Pasta
- Chicken Minestrone Soup
- Stuffed Shells with Ground Beef
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This herbaceous side dish is delicious with a white wine that has similar herbal qualities. Try a Sauvignon Blanc, especially New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Or pair it with a Semillon or Pinot Gris.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Electric pressure cooker - You'll need a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or other brand electric pressure cooker.
- Steamer basket - A steamer basket that is specifically made for electric pressure cookers works best here. If you don't have one, you can also use
More Instant Pot recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Instant Pot Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
- 1 cup water
Optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Place a steamer pot into the Instant Pot. Pour the water into the pot.
- Add the green beans into the pot.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot with the pressure release valve in the Seal/Sealing position. Set the unit to Pressure Cook (or Manual), set the temperature to HIGH, and keep the time at 0 minutes.
- The Instant Pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure and that will be enough time to steam the green beans. When the unit beeps, move the pressure release valve over to the Vent/Venting position to do a Quick Release.
- At this point the green beans are ready to serve! But if you want to take the green beans up a notch, continue with one more quick yet super flavorful step.
Optional
- Drain out the water from the pot, then return the pot to the unit.
- Turn the unit to Sear/Sauté. Once the pot is heated up a bit, pour in the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the green beans and sauté together for 1 minute.
- Transfer garlicky green beans to a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
Leave a Reply