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All the secrets to Crispy Bacon Wrapped Green Beans that stay crisp, bright green and don’t fall apart! Fresh green beans wrapped in smoky bacon and roasted with a buttery brown sugar glaze until the bacon is crisp and caramelized is an easy side dish is the vegetable dish that’s simple enough for a weeknight but special enough for the holidays.
These are the brown sugar bacon wrapped green beans for people who don’t want another green bean casserole and who are asking, How do I make my kids actually eat green beans? Grayson HATED them, until this recipe. 😉
Seriously, this is The green bean recipe for people who don’t think they like green beans. They might just be the first side dish to disappear from your table!
That’s right, our testing led to a few secrets that transformed this VIRAL side dish recipe! So, Yes, this is spectacular on Thanksgiving—but don’t save it for the holidays! Make them all year round.
I don’t even care about anything anymore because these are probably the only green beans I’ll ever make again…melt-in-your-mouth brown sugar bacon wrapped green beans. Hello green beans, you’re going to be delicious.
The easiest way to turn green beans into the side dish everyone fights over.
Here’s exactly how to get tender green beans and crispy bacon at the same time.
Before we decided on the final ingredient list I tested:
Version A
Raw bacon + blanched green beans
Version B
Par-cooked bacon + blanched green beans
Version C
Raw bacon + raw green beans
We had to determine:
- Which gives the crispiest bacon?
- Which bacon is best?
- Which green bean is best?
- Which gives the best green bean texture?
- Which requires the least work?
- How to hold together best?
- Which tastes best after sitting for 10–15 minutes?
The Worst Results?
Don’t even get me started on Version C. It’s a total waste of your time.
The Results?
Our Winner: Version A
I won’t take you through the exhausting process, but let me answer each question quickly.
- Which gives the crispiest bacon? Some sites claim you need to par-cook the bacon. Absolutely not true. Skip that step which means Version A not only is crispier but it requires less work.
- Which Bacon is Best? 100000% go with a thin bacon and never thick. It just will not crisp the same. It’s the secret tip that will make your green beans better than your neighbor’s.
- Which Green Bean is Best? Both long green beans (English Green Beans) and Haricot Verts (French Green Beans) work great, but I prefer the taste and texture of a Haricot Vert. However, do not even try to use canned or it will be mush.
- Which gives the best green bean texture? This is fascinating because I actually tried sautéing on a whim and truly, the best texture is a quick blanch in hot water until bright green then plunged immediately into ICE water. NOT just cold water.
- How to hold together best? The thin bacon, cut in half and wrapped tightly around DRIED green beans is the secret!
- Which tastes best after sitting for 10–15 minutes? The final result was even better because the beans started dry, then were buttered and seasoned with the BEST seasoning you should keep in your pantry- Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse!
Secret Tips for Crispy Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
If regular green beans feel a little too everyday for your holiday dinner, this is how you dress them up! Here are a few secrets that make these the green beans we can’t stop making!
- French Green Beans: Thin Green Beans with a little more flavor make the perfect bundles for bacon.
- Blanching: I know it can sound annoying, but it takes like 3 minutes to blanch green beans. And it makes them perfectly tender while not chewy or mushy.
- Dried Green Beans: Dry the green beans well before the butter bath to help the fats stick.
- Thin Bacon: Thin bacon holds to the back of the bundle the best and ends up crispier than thick.
- Brown Sugar: I mean, when is sweet, salty and smoky not good?
- Everyone gets a bundle: The true secret to happy guests is to make them feel like they got something special!
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need a handful of ingredients to turn fresh green beans into the most irresistible little holiday side dish! Here’s what you’ll need:
- French Green Beans: I love using the thin French-style green beans (haricots verts) because they’re tender and cook quickly. Fresh green beans are best for this recipe.
- Kinder’s Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning: Adds loads of savory, buttery flavor without needing a long list of seasonings.
- Fine Sea Salt: Enhances all the flavors.
- Black Pepper: Adds just a little warmth and balances the sweetness of the brown sugar.
- Butter: Coats the green beans and helps all that delicious seasoning stick.
- Bacon: Each strip gets wrapped around a bundle of green beans. I recommend regular-cut bacon rather than thick-cut so it has time to get crispy.
- Brown Sugar: The magic! Rolling the bacon in brown sugar creates a sweet, caramelized coating as the bundles bake.
- Parsley: An optional garnish for a pop of fresh flavor and color.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
- Blanch the Green Beans
- Season the Green Beans
- Make the Bacon Wrapped Bundles
- Bake Until Crispy
PRO TIP: Don’t skip the ice bath! It immediately stops the green beans from continuing to cook after blanching so they don’t end up mushy in the oven. Be sure to pat the beans completely dry too. Excess water keeps that seasoned butter from coating the green beans properly.
Can I Make Bacon Wrapped Green Beans Ahead of Time?
Yes! Blanch and dry the green beans, season them and assemble the bacon wrapped bundles. Place them in the prepared baking dish, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to bake. When you’re ready to serve, bake according to the recipe instructions.
What to Serve with Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
These bacon wrapped green beans are one of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, but they’re just as delicious with Christmas ham, prime rib or a Sunday roast.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 4-5 days.
The best way to reheat these is in the air fryer or oven so you can keep that bacon crispy.
I do not recommend freezing these. Green beans can change texture when they are frozen and thawed.
FAQs
For this recipe, yes. Blanching gives the green beans a head start so they become tender in the oven without having to overcook the bacon. The ice bath stops the cooking and helps preserve their bright green color.
Here’s how to blanch green beans:
1. Heat a pot to a boil.
2. Make an ice bath- big bowl, lots of ice and water
3. Season heavily with Kosher Salt
4. Drop in trimmed green beans for 2-3 minutes until bright green.
5. Quickly drain (or use a slotted spoon) and drop into the ice water.
I recommend fresh green beans for this recipe. Frozen green beans release more moisture as they cook and canned green beans are already very soft and can become mushy while the bacon cooks.
You must thoroughly dry the beans before the butter bath and then space things out well for baking.
Yes, either one works but I prefer the French green beans. I love how long and thin they are and how melt-in-your-mouth they get when they bake.
About 8-10 French green beans per bundle is perfect. You can adjust that slightly depending on the size of your beans.
Use regular-cut bacon rather than thick-cut bacon and don’t overcrowd the baking dish. Thick-cut bacon didn’t get crispy before starting to burn.
Yes. You can leave off the brown sugar for a completely savory bacon wrapped green bean bundle.
Don’t overcook them during blanching, and transfer them immediately to an ice bath. The cold water stops the cooking process and helps the green beans maintain that beautiful bright green color.
These green beans make a basic green bean side dish look like you put WAY more effort into your holiday dinner than you actually did. Forget fighting over who has to bring the green beans this year. You volunteer.
More Holiday Side Dishes:
Watch How These Green Bean Bundles are Made…
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