5 from 4 votes

These crack green beans are a vintage recipe that takes canned green beans to a whole new level. Flavors of bacon, brown sugar, onion, soy sauce, and a few other simple ingredients give this green bean recipe a taste that even non-green bean lovers will love. This is a recipe that makes canned green beans taste so much better!

Cooked green beans with bacon, in skillet.

Why are they called crack green beans?

Well, if you’ve seen certain recipes called “crack” it’s typically because the recipes are so good, that they’re addicting. I’ll be the first to say, that these green beans are addicting for sure. I ate them right out of the pan and they didn’t even make it dinnertime. Even my non-green bean-loving kiddo was eating right out of the skillet too.

Need some other vintage side dish recipes? You’ll also love this green bean casserole, or this macaroni and tomatoes recipe, this broccoli salad recipe, or this baked beans with ground beef recipe.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe are simple, and I wanted to use ingredients that you could keep on hand for those last-minute side dish needs or even a dish to take to a family gathering, holiday dinner, or potluck.

Here are some helpful notes about some of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

Green Beans – I prefer to use cut green beans instead of french-style green beans but you can use those if you prefer. With fresh green beans, more cook time may be required so they’ll soften more.
Bacon – Using thick-cut bacon is my favorite for texture reasons but you can use any thickness that you prefer. You may also want to keep in mind the flavor of the bacon that you use. Lower sodium, or sweeter bacon like “maple” bacon, could alter the flavor some as well.
Soy Sauce – I used less-sodium soy sauce (as you can see in the photo above) and you don’t have to use this but it’s the only type I had on hand when making this recipe for you.
Worcestershire Sauce – As with any recipe that uses Worcestershire sauce, I always recommend Lea and Perrines as it just has a much better flavor than the generic brands tend to have.

How to Make Crack Green Beans

Begin by cooking the diced bacon and diced onion in a skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crispy.

Bacon and onions sautéing in enameled cast iron pan.

Next, add the two cans of drained green beans, and the remaining ingredients.

Turn the burner to medium to low heat, and cook covered, for 20 minutes, stirring carefully, and once, halfway through. (At the 10 minute mark.)

Green beans and brown sugar in enameled cast iron pan.

Tip: You can cut back on the sugar, making it ¼ cup (instead of ½ cup) of brown sugar if you don't want the green beans that sweet.

Cooked crack green beans with bacon in enameled cast iron pan.

How to Serve this Green Beans Recipe

Serve this warm side dish alongside your favorite dinners like this country fried steak, these homemade chicken and dumplings, or these fried pork chops.

If taking to a gathering or potluck, keep these beans warm in a slow cooker (on “warm” or “low”) or in a dish inside of a warmer if possible.

More Bean Recipes: You’ll also love these bean recipes that are easy and they go great with so many dishes:

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