The Best Crack Green Beans

Name: Crack Green Beans
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 3 Cans green beans (14½ Ounce cans, drained); ¼ Cup brown sugar; ¼ Cup butter (unsalted); ¼ Cup soy sauce; ½ Teaspoon black pepper; 1 Teaspoon garlic powder; 6 Slices bacon

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If you’re looking for a side dish that steals the spotlight, you have to try these crack green beans! They’re loaded with crispy bacon, onions, and a homemade sauce that’s just downright addictive. Trust me, once you taste them, plain green beans will be a thing of the past! The combination of brown sugar and soy sauce gives them a sweet and savory flavor that’s simply irresistible. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just a cozy weeknight dinner, these green beans will have everyone at the table coming back for seconds—even those who usually shy away from veggies!

These crack green beans make a change from green bean casserole. They’re in a buttery, savory sauce and topped with crispy bacon.

Green bean fans might also like garlic green beans, maple bacon-wrapped green bean bundles, or green bean casserole.

A wooden spoon holds savory crack green beans with bacon over a white dish.

Why You’ll Love It

So delicious: Crack green beans are certainly well-named; they’re so tasty you won’t be able to stop eating them!
Easy to make: This is a simple recipe. You can even prepare it a day ahead if you like and bake it the following day.
Pairs with anything: Any type of meat, poultry or seafood would pair well with green beans in a sweet and savory sauce.

A plate of crack green beans mixed with pieces of bacon rests on a light-colored table, surrounded by a wooden spoon, white dish, and seasoning.

Crack Green Beans Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Green beans: Canned green beans are easier but you can use fresh green beans if you prefer.
Brown sugar: For sweetness.
Butter: For a rich flavor.
Garlic powder: Adds a garlicky taste.
Soy sauce: Adds a salty taste to contrast with the brown sugar.
Bacon: Crispy bacon crumbled on top makes this side dish truly sing!

Ingredients on a marble surface include a bowl of crack green beans, chopped bacon, butter, ground pepper, a measuring spoon of brown sugar, and a container of seasoning.

How to Make Crack Green Beans

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Cook the bacon: Cook bacon until crispy (I baked mine in the oven) and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Prepare the sauce: Mix the brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, and seasonings in a saucepan until the sugar melts.
Assemble the crack green beans recipe: Put the green beans in a greased baking dish, pour the sauce over the top and crumble the cooked bacon on top.
Bake it: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes and then serve hot.

A fork holding a bite of savory crack green beans with bacon hovers over a plate, perfectly stacked on two others. In the background, another dish brims with more of the delicious green bean and bacon mixture.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, ensure you’re using soy sauce that’s free from wheat flour.
Soy-free option: Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
Brown sugar: Sub honey or maple syrup.
Sugar-free version: Instead of brown sugar, use an equivalent amount of brown Swerve (you can grab some here!)
Green beans: You can use fresh beans if you want. You can blanch them for a few minutes first, to ensure they come out of the oven tender. Frozen green beans should also work.
Garlic powder: Sub a few fresh minced garlic cloves if you prefer (mix it into the sauce).
Bacon: You can substitute turkey bacon or omit this ingredient.
Spice them up: Add red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
Optional toppings: Almonds, pecans, cranberries, or fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary would be good.

A wooden spoon scoops up a savory mix of crack green beans, bacon, and diced tomatoes from a white dish.

Serving Suggestions

Appetizers: Start your meal with brie cranberry bites.
The main course: Crack green beans would be good with anything from holiday roasted chicken to pineapple glazed ham. Add garlic butter fondant potatoes too!
Desserts: Finish up with lemon shortbread cookies or strawberry cheesecake cookies.

A plate of crack green beans mixed with bacon pieces sits beside a striped napkin and a small side dish of butter.

How to Store Green Beans and Bacon

Store: Store leftover green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
Freeze: You can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or quickly reheat in the microwave until hot, although the bacon might lose some of its crunch if you do this.

Crack green beans baked with crispy bacon rest in a white dish on a cooling rack, accompanied by a wooden serving spoon.

Top Tips

Drain the beans: Drain all the liquid off the green beans, so the dish doesn’t end up watery.
Keep the bacon grease: I always keep mine – it’s perfect for sauteing potatoes or veggies!
Melted sugar: Ensure the brown sugar is melted before pouring the sauce over the beans.

A wooden spoon serves crack green beans with bacon in a white dish, while butter and a pepper grinder sit invitingly in the background.

Easy Crack Green Beans FAQs

Can I make crack green beans ahead?

Yes. Add the beans, sauce and bacon to the baking sheet and then, when cooled, cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to cook the crack green beans, bake them in the oven at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

How can I ensure the beans come out tender if I’m using fresh green beans?

Boil them in salted water for a few minutes before adding the drained green beans to the baking dish and adding the sauce and cooked crispy bacon. This gives them a head start on cooking and they should come out tender in the finished delicious side dish.

A plate of crack green beans mingled with small bacon pieces rests on stacked white dishes, a striped cloth and wooden pepper grinder artfully in the background.

The Best Crack Green Beans Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Crack Green Beans

By: Bella Bucchiotti

These crack green beans make a change from green bean casserole. They’re in a buttery, savory sauce and topped with crispy bacon.

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 40

Servings:

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Cook the bacon on a baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Add the green beans to the baking dish and set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, soy sauce, black pepper, and garlic powder over a medium heat. Cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour this sauce over the green beans and sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes and serve hot.

Notes

Nutrition

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

A white baking dish brimming with crack green beans is surrounded by a striped cloth, soy sauce, a pepper grinder, crispy bacon bits, and a wooden spoon on a marble surface.

These crack green beans are going to become your new favorite side dish! They’re so easy to make and the combination of tender green beans, crispy bacon and a sweet, salty and buttery sauce is just divine. This side dish pairs with all kinds of dishes from simple midweek meals to a holiday dinner and after one mouthful you’ll know why they’re called crack green beans!

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Bella Bucchiotti

Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.