Instant Pot Green Beans

This incredibly easy recipe for Instant Pot Green Beans results in fresh green beans that are steamed to crisp-tender perfection in minutes!

Serve Instant Pot Green Beans with a dab of butter or seasoned with fresh lemon zest and toasted almonds for a simple, yet delicious side dish that pairs perfectly with entrees such as Chicken Marsala, Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu, or New York Strip Roast.

While I love Green Beans Almondine and Green Bean Casserole, when I am looking for a simple recipe for fresh green beans, Instant Pot Green Beans is the recipe I turn to.

Steaming fresh green beans using an electric pressure cooker is the easiest way to prepare fresh green beans, And the results are perfection!

How To Steam Green Beans using the Instant Pot

While this is an incredibly simple recipe, if you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with How to Use an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.

Step One: Prepare Green Beans. Unless you purchased bagged green beans from the produce section that are already washed and trimmed, you will need to wash your green beans and trim off the ends before pressure-cooking them.

Step Two: Add Water to the Inner Pot. It is best to use cold tap water to ensure accurate cooking time. Use 1 cup for a 3 or 6-quart electric pressure cooker model, and 1-½ cups for an 8-quart model.

Step Three: Add Green Beans to the Inner Pot. The best tool to use for steaming green beans in the inner pot is a steamer basket. However, if you don't have one, just carefully place the green beans on a trivet. Don't set your beans in the water, as this will boil the beans, not steam them.

Step Four: Pressure Cook. To perfectly steam green beans in the Instant Pot, you only need to bring the pressure cooker to pressure. That means you want to set the cooking time to 0 minutes. If you desire softer green beans, set the cooking time to 1 minute.

Step Five: Release Pressure. This is one recipe that it is crucial to immediately release pressure after the cooking time has elapsed. In the case of this green bean recipe, release pressure as soon as pressure has been reached, as by the time the Instant Pot has reached pressure, the green beans will be perfectly crisp-tender and you want to immediately stop the cooking process.

Green Bean Seasoning Suggestions

You can opt to serve your steamed green beans in salads, with a simple pinch of salt and pepper, or dress them up a bit using one of the following options.

• Saute with butter. Remove the green beans from the inner pot. Drain the water and dry the inner pot. Return the inner pot to the Instant Pot. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter and turn on the saute function. Once the butter has melted, add in the green beans and saute with the butter until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
• Drizzle with olive oil. Toss the green beans with olive oil. Add crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and minced garlic as desired.
• Add fresh lemon. Toss the steamed green beans with kosher salt and the juice and zest of a fresh lemon for a simple, healthy side dish.
• Add parmesan cheese. Toss the green beans with butter or olive oil, then grate parmesan cheese over the green beans.
• Top with toasted nuts. Much like Green Beans Almondine, you can add butter and then top with toasted nuts, like almonds, walnuts, or pecans.

More Instant Pot Side Dishes

• Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
• Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
• Instant Pot Rice Pilaf
• Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
• Instant Pot Potato Salad

If you enjoyed this recipe for Instant Pot Green Beans, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.