This green beans and potatoes dish is an easy southern recipe perfect for winter canned green beans or fresh green beans right out of the garden. Super easy crockpot recipe that makes a full meal or a great side dish for a winter dinner or summer cookouts!
Crockpot Green Beans and Potatoes
If you’re looking for the southern potatoes and green beans recipe, this is it. This is the version that I remember my mom making and having at all my family gatherings growing up with big slabs of homemade cornbread!
We use can green beans and potatoes (fresh), but you can also use fresh green beans for this crockpot recipe.
Can you put raw potatoes in a slow cooker?
Yes! With this southern green beans and potatoes recipe (or any crock pot recipe), you just peel and chop your fresh potatoes and add them to the cooker. Layer them in the bottom with the liquid covering them because the potatoes will take longer to cook than the other items.
What can I add to green beans for flavor?
If you want to add more flavor to any easy crockpot green beans recipe, try:
- Chicken broth
- Beef broth
- Vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Onion
- Chili powder
- Red pepper flakes
- Cumin
- Chopped bell pepper
Do you cut green beans before cooking?
If you are using fresh green beans, you will want to snap off the ends (or trim the ends) and then pull any string that is along the edge. (If it has a string or not will depend on the type of green beans you’re using.) You can then cut them into bite-sized pieces or leave them long for cooking.
OK!
Let’s get to how to make fresh green beans, potatoes and bacon!

How To Make Green Beans and Potatoes in Slow Cooker
We make our green beans & potatoes and bacon crockpot recipe with bacon or chopped up ham. (Sometimes, if we’ve made a ham, I throw the ham bone in there, too.)
However, if you want to make it a vegetarian dish, you can leave the meat out and switch out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and it will be tasty, too!
TIP: We use the southern Allen’s green beans (those big flat Italian green beans) because they really are the best with potatoes!
Do you have to use a crockpot? Nope! (I just do it because it makes it a super simple recipe.) The stovetop green beans recipe and oven potatoes and green beans recipe are both after this slow cooker recipe.
We like to serve dish this with a big hunk of homemade cornbread with butter!
Southern Green Beans and Potatoes

We love Allen's green beans (if you can find them), but any canned or fresh green beans will work! I use a slotted spoon to drain off the liquid when serving, but some people like it served with the liquid it was cooked in, so try it out!
Ingredients
- 4-6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed*
- 2 - 14.5 ounce cans canned green beans, undrained
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cubed potatoes into the crockpot.
- Spoon in minced garlic and stir.
- Add canned green beans (with liquid) and uncooked bacon. Stir to combine.
- Pour chicken broth over mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover with lid and cook on high for 3 hours.
Notes
*The amount of potatoes will depend on how big your crockpot is.
This is a really easy recipe to play around with, including doubling the recipe for larger crowds. If you don't have bacon, you can also add cooked ham pieces or even a ham bone from a cooked ham.
If you're using fresh green beans, use around 2 pounds with the ends trimmed and increase chicken broth to 3 cups.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 690mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is estimated. Changes to the recipe and use of different brands may cause changes to the nutritional information to vary slightly from the ones provided here.
How do you make ham, potatoes and green beans on the stove?
Southern slow cooker green beans and potatoes can easily be made on the stovetop, too. Place all ingredients in a large pot or dutch oven. If needed, add additional water until potatoes and beans are covered. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with fork.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Southwest Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken in Crockpot
How do you cook green beans and potatoes in oven?
While crockpot ham, green beans and potatoes are super easy in the slow cooker, you can also make ham potatoes and green beans in the oven recipe. Instead of canned green beans, use fresh green beans with the ends trimmed. Toss peeled and cubed potatoes in olive oil, salt, and herbs, and bake on a baking pan at 425°F for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
The flavor is different than the southern green beans recipe in the crockpot, but these roasted potatoes and green beans are good, too.
RECIPES BASED ON CHILDREN’S BOOKS
I think this is a fun recipe to pair up with children’s books about gardening, especially if you have picky eaters who might not want to try/eat green beans or potatoes.
Helping them understand where the green beans and potatoes come from might make them more willing to try this recipe!