Air Fryer Green Beans with Bacon

If you’re looking for a side dish that’s flavorful, crispy, and ready in minutes, these Air Fryer Green Beans with Bacon are about to become your new go-to.

Side dishes are one of my favorite things to use the air fryer for. Whether it be Lemon Butter Broccoli or Mediterranean Vegetables the air fryer is great for making quick and easy sides that are packed with flavor.

How To Serve

For this recipe, fresh green beans are drizzled in melted butter and air fried with onion and bacon until tender and crispy It’s a great veggie side dish that will turn any meal into something special. Goes great with pork, chicken or steak and even works well for a holiday meal. Ready in just 20 minutes, they are perfect for a weeknight meal. Try them with Southern Fried Pork Chops or Southern Baked Chicken.

What You Will Love About This Recipe

• Just a handful of ingredients. All you need are green beans, onion, bacon, oil, butter and a few seasonings.
• Low Carb. Trying to cut your carbs? This is a low carb side dish that will go with just about anything.
• Quick and Easy. Only takes about 5 minutes to prep and then 8 to 12 minutes in the air fryer. Perfect for busy weeknights.
• Crispy and Flavorful. I love that the air fryer gets veggies a little crispy. Cooking the green beans with bacon adds lots of smoky, salty flavor to them.

How To Make Air Fryer Green Beans and Bacon

(More detailed instructions in recipe card below.)

• Prep the ingredients. Wash the green beans and trim the ends off. If they are long, you may want to cut them in half.
• Mix ingredients together. Toss the green beans with olive oil and melted butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
  
• Add to air fryer. Spread the green beans out in the air fryer basket and sprinkle onion and bacon on top.
  
• Air fry for 8 to 12 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• The onion needs to be finely diced or it will not get soft enough.
• For a little heat, add some cayenne pepper.
• For extra flavor, sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese just before serving.
• For best results, do not crowd the air fryer basket. Cook in batches if necessary. You need room for the air to circulate around the green beans so they get crispy.
• Use the air fryer cooking time as an estimate. The time will be at the shorter end if you like your green beans to still have some crispness and on the longer end if you want them totally soft.

Can Frozen Green Beans Be Used?

Yes! Frozen green beans can be used for this recipe. You need to thaw them first. Just add a few minutes to the air frying time. They will not get as crispy as fresh green beans because they contain more water.

Storage

Leftovers will keep for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat in the air fryer.

More Air Fryer Side Dishes

• Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Carrot Fries
• Air Fryer Soy Glazed Eggplant
• Air Fryer Garlic Rosemary Mushrooms