Instant green beans (with bacon and gorgonzola)

These Instant Pot Green Beans are a great recipe that only requires the beans to cook for one minute under pressure. We loved the combination of bacon and gorgonzola served with green beans cooked in the Instant Pot, but see the tips in the post for making this on the stovetop if you prefer!

PIN Instant Pot Green Beans to try later!

Instant green beans is a great way to prepare green beans and these beans served with bacon and gorgonzola are a combination that is truly wow! And if you’re cooking a big holiday meal, making green beans in the Instant Pot can free up space in the oven or on the stove.

Of course you can tell from all the Green Bean Recipes on my site that I am a fan of green beans. I love them, and for years I grew green beans in my garden and had plenty of beans to use for recipe experiments. But this is my first time trying to cook green beans in the Instant Pot!

It took one failed experiment where the beans became too soft to make Kara and I realize that green beans only need green beans one minute of time cooking under pressure to come out perfectly tender and crispy. If you like your beans softer, simply set the Instant Pot for two minutes instead of one. And you can use a different cheese or a completely different topping on your green beans if you prefer, but I hope you try this recipe and discover how easy Instant Pot Green Beans can be!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is just a list of ingredients; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you want the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, which will take you directly to the full recipe with ingredient quantities.)

thick cut bacon
onion
green beans
salt and freshly ground black pepper
crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

What makes Instant Pot Green Beans so delicious?

This recipe has so much going for it, especially the technique of cooking the bacon in the Instant Pot and leaving some of the bacon fat to cook the onion and then season the green beans. And bacon and Gorgonzola is a fantastic flavor combination. The second time we tested this, I had some leftovers, which I devoured for breakfast the next day!

How Low in Carbs Are Instant Pot Green Beans?

These tasty green beans contain 7.7 net carbohydrates and almost 9 grams of protein!

Not a fan of Gorgonzola Cheese?

You can definitely skip the sharp Gorgonzola cheese and just use this recipe to make instant green beans and bacon if you prefer! Or use another type of cheese such as feta, cotija or goat cheese.

Can you use frozen green beans for this recipe?

I know someone will ask, but while I haven’t tried it yet, I wouldn’t use frozen green beans for this recipe. I think this is the perfect recipe for those delicious two-pound packages of green beans you get at Costco. I didn’t use French-style thin green beans, and if you have that, I can reduce the cooking time to zero minutes, with the beans only cooking when the Instant Pot comes under pressure.

Can you make these green beans without an Instant Pot?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe in a large pot on the stove:

You need to cook the bacon first and remove it, leaving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
Then fry the finely chopped onion in the bacon fat. using medium heat.
Microwave the green beans for 1-2 minutes while the onion cooks.
Add the green beans (and possibly another 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat, depending on your pan.
Cook the beans in the bacon fat for about 2-3 minutes, or until tender and crispy, or to your liking.
(You can check out the Green Beans with Lemon, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts recipe for an example of green beans cooked in a combination of microwave and stir-fry.)
When the beans are ready, place them on a platter and top with the crispy bacon and crumbled gorgonzola.

What size Instant Pot did I use?

I use one 6 liter instant pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot recipes. Check out my growing collection of Instant Pot recipes

How to make instant green beans (with bacon and gorgonzola):

(This is just a summary of the steps for the recipe; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you want the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, which will take you directly to the full recipe.)

Cut the bacon slices into short strips.
Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT and cook bacon until crispy.
While the bacon is cooking, chop the onion, chop the green beans and cut the beans into short pieces.
When the bacon is done, place it on paper towels.
Leave only 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the Instant Pot.
Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT and cook onion until just starting to brown.
Add green beans to Instant Pot with 3/4 cup chicken broth.
Lock the lid, making sure the lid is closed and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH, 1 MINUTE.
While the beans are cooking, crumble the Gorgonzola cheese.
When time passes, release the pressure quickly.
Remove the lid and season the beans with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Remove the beans and arrange them on a serving plate.
Sprinkle the beans with bacon and gorgonzola cheese.
Serve the Instant Pot Green Beans hot and enjoy!

More vegetables to cook in the Instant Pot:

Ingredients

6 slices of thick-cut bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 pounds fresh green beans (see notes)
3/4 cup chicken broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Instructions

Cut the thick-cut bacon slices crosswise into strips. (I like to separate them a bit with my fingers, but that’s not really necessary.

Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT and cook the bacon until quite crispy. (This may take 5-10 minutes, don’t rush.

While the bacon is cooking, chop a small onion until it is finely diced.

Clean the green beans and cut them into pieces of about 2 centimeters long

When the bacon is crispy and well browned, turn off Instant Pot and remove the bacon to paper towels to drain

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the Instant Pot

Set Instant Pot to SAUTE, HIGH HEAT and cook onion until just starting to brown

Add green beans to the Instant Pot with 3/4 cup of chicken broth

Lock the lid, making sure the lid is closed and set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH, 1 MINUTE

Crumble the Gorgonzola cheese while the beans cook if necessary

When the time is up, quickly release the pressure, being careful not to burn yourself from the hot steam

Remove the lid and season the beans with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and arrange on a serving plate

Sprinkle the beans with bacon and gorgonzola cheese

Serve hot

Every time we tested this, I gobbled up the leftovers, so even though the beans are best freshly made, I’d say they reheat quite well.

Comments

I do not recommend thin “French style” green beans for this recipe. If that’s all you have, I would set the Instant Pot to a zero minute cook time.

This recipe was created by Kalyn and Kara, with inspiration from a few other Instant Pot Green Bean recipes we found online.

Nutritional information

Yield

Quantity per serving

Calories 136Total fat 6.8gSaturated fat 2.9gUnsaturated fat 3.5gCholesterol 18mgSodium 509 mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 4.3gSugar 5.6gEgg white 8.8g

square image of instant green beans with bacon and gorgonzola on serving plate

Suggestions for a low-carb diet / low-glycemic diet / South Beach diet:
Instant Pot Green Beans are a good side dish for any low-carb or low-glycemic diet, and possibly for Keto if you’re not ultra strict. Green beans do contain some carbohydrates, but they also contain fiber. Bacon is not recommended for the original South Beach Diet, and with the thick cheese, this would be a personal choice for South Beach.

Find more recipes like this:
Use Green Bean Recipes or Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTokor on YouTube to see all the good recipes I share there.

Historical notes on this recipe:
Instant Pot Green Beans were first posted in 2022 and I’ve made them quite a few times since then. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2025.

Pinterest image of Instant Pot Green Beans (with Bacon and Gorgonzola)