Instant Pot Green Beans with Garlic

Name: Instant Pot Green Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lbs green beans (Use fresh green beans); ½ cup water (1 cup if you are using a steamer basket); 4 cloves garlic (medium-sized); 1 tsp pink salt; 1 tsp black pepper (adjust to taste); 1 Tbsp avocado oil; 1 Tbsp lemon juice

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This Instant Pot green beans recipe is an easy side to make for any meal. Made with fresh green beans, they can be served as a flavorful side dish to holiday dinners or can be used in meal prep recipes.

Green beans are a recent obsession for me. I hadn’t used them until I did a deep dive into their nutrition.

These strange-looking beans are actually a powerhouse of nutrition and one of the top good foods in the world! Now, I serve them frequently with my main dish.

They have definitely become one of my favorite side dish recipes. How often do you eat them?

Top view of green beans in a white serving dish placed on a brown cutting board — The best way to cook green beans in the Instant Pot!

🛒 Ingredients

Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the recipe card below.

Green Beans – Green beans have tons of fiber, Vitamin A, C and K, and Folate, among other nutrients. But, where they shine the most is their Silica content. Green beans are packed with silicon dioxide which is so important for hair and can help in the fight against Alzheimer’s! Choose green beans without brown spots. Source: Cleveland Clinic and Livestrong.

Avocado Oil – Although it’s optional in this pressure cooker green beans recipe, it adds good fats to this recipe. This helps absorb some of the essential nutrients in the green beans. Plus, it adds so much flavor to the green beans. Source: NHS.

Black Pepper – It’s a rich source of Antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Adding black pepper is a great way to help the absorption of nutrients in this fresh green bean recipe. Source: MedicineNet.

My Instant Pot is the (Affiliate Link) Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker.

🛒 Handy Tip: Ideally, the best green beans are from the farmer’s market and not the grocery stores. They tend to be fresher and cheaper.

🪜 Instructions

If you are using a food scale, see the ingredients’ precise amounts in the recipe card below.

Collage of 6 images that outline the steps needed to make this recipe. — Making green beans in the Instant Pot is a very hand-free way of cooking them.

Wash the green beans thoroughly and then strain them to remove any excess water.
Cut off both ends of the green beans. The ends can be composted or discarded.
If you have a (Affiliate Link) steamer basket, place the green beans in it. In the bottom of the pot, add 1 cup of water. If you don’t have a steamer rack, place the green beans directly in the inner pot and add ½ cup water.
Add the garlic (or garlic powder), black pepper, and salt on top of the green beans. Give it a good stir using a wooden spoon. Close the lid of the instant pot, making sure it’s in the sealing position.
Choose the steam option. Set the cooking time to 00:00 (zero) minutes and turn off the “keep warm” option. Make sure the pressure option says “High Pressure” NOT “low pressure”.
The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to steam these green beans at zero minutes of cooking time. After the Instant Pot beeps, it will take another 10 minutes before the float valve drops. Strain out any excess water and transfer the steamed green beans to a serving platter, drizzle the avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil), and serve.

🌿 Handy Tip: Green beans are low carb and the perfect side dish for any main meal. They can be served with American food, southern comfort food, Irish food, and even Chinese food!

⏱ Not waiting for the float valve to drop!

For best results, you should wait for the float valve to drop because the green beans are still pressure cooking inside. But, if you can’t wait, here is what you can do:

Place the Instant Pot in a venting position that is away from a living thing and walls. Use open space or place it near an open window.
Press the quick release button (or steam release knob) and let the hot steam come out of it. This steam is very hot so stay away from it.
Once the steam stops, the valve will drop. At that point, you can gently open the lid and continue with the rest of the recipe.

♨️ Handy Tip: If possible, let the natural release happen by itself instead of pressing the quick pressure release. This is because the Instant Pot is still cooking the green beans.

❓ Answering Common Questions

Angle view of green beans in a white serving dish placed on a brown cutting board — This vibrant green beans recipe is an easy holiday side dish.

How long does it take to cook green beans in an Instant Pot?

It’s a total of 30 minute cook time: 7 minutes to wash and cut off the ends, 10 minutes for them to cook at zero minutes using the steam option, and another 10 minutes for the valve to drop. The last 3 minutes are for draining the excess water and drizzling avocado oil. This cook time is for the 3 quart Instant Pot.

What ingredients can flavor green beans?

An easy way to enhance the flavor of the green bean sides is to add:
– Soy sauce
– Red pepper flakes
– White onion
– Serve them southern style by adding red potatoes or new potatoes
– Lemon juice
– Parmesan cheese

Why cook them in the Instant Pot instead of on the stove top or in the slow cooker?

Green beans are an effortless, quick, and easy side dish. The Instant Pot makes the cooking process a very hands-off method which I really like. I can leave it in there and do other things. In just 3o minutes, the IP churns out this tasty side dish while I am sending emails.

Can I make them crispy in the Instant Pot?

Yes, they can be crispy in the Instant Pot. Once cooked, turn on the saute function, add avocado oil, and cook them for 2 minutes. It’s a very healthy side dish to saute in the IP.

🧄 Garlic tip: This recipe uses extra garlic because that’s the way I like it. You can adjust the garlic to your taste.

🍽 How to serve these green beans?

Top of green beans in a white serving dish placed on a brown cutting board — These green beans are an effortless side dish.

They are a great addition to any holiday meal or dinner table. Serve them as a delicious side dish to roasted whole cauliflower or to air fryer tempeh. I love eating them by themselves at lunchtime too or as a side to Lentils.

Store leftovers in an airtight container and heat them just a single time. Constantly reheating them will remove their flavors and may make them rubbery.

Looking for another easy vegetable side dish? Check out my cheap Thanksgiving side dishes where you will find many vegan, vegetarian sides.

Love easy recipes using green beans? They taste really good when sauteed with asparagus or mix them with mushrooms.

♨️ Reheating Tip: These green beans can be reheated in the Instant Pot by choosing the keep warm option. They should take about 10 minutes.

🥣 Try these Instant Pot recipes

Top view of 2 individual covered dish casserole containers filled with the chunky potato soup.

This Instant Pot Chunky Potato soup is so easy to make! Just a few ingredients and you will have a very soul-warming potato soup ready to make you feel better!

Close up and 45° angle view of a black braiser pan filled with vegan fried rice.

Make a hearty rice recipe in the Instant Pot! This quick fried rice is made with vegetables like green beans, carrots, and peas.

Closeup view of a white plate filled with cooked green peas and a serving spoon with lemon rounds on top of the plate.

Frozen peas are so easy to cook in the Instant Pot. They are ready in minutes and remain plump and juicy. You will fall in love with peas all over again when you make them this way.

💌 Sharing is caring

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