How to make canned green beans taste better
If you love good green beans and crave that home-grown, slow cooked taste on your dinner table, you can actually get it from a canned green bean. Here’s every tip you need to make canned green beans taste better.
Tips for the best canned green beans
- Use a good beef bouillon like Better Than Bouillon. Certain brands of bouillon are very salty. Powdered ones are terrible. Please keep this in mind and start with half as much if you are afraid of over salting.
- Allow the beans to simmer until part of the liquid is cooked off then turn them off and let them sit on the stove at room temperature for a few hours. It’s fine to leave them there all day while you’re gone to work or you can put them in the fridge if that bothers you and do the second step when you get in.
- The final step is to bring them back to a low simmer and cook off the rest of the liquid and serve–that takes about 10 minutes or so.
- You can simmer some bacon or ham hock in with them if your bouillon isn’t too salty.
- Add bacon bits or sauteed onions at the end (optional).
To slow cook: Cook the beans on the stove as directed then transfer to a slow cooker to keep warm.
To make ahead: Cook half way and then cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Rewarm on the stove or in a slow cooker.
To freeze: These do not freeze.
How to make canned green beans taste better
Just because your beans come canned and from a grocery store doesn’t mean they can’t have that classic slow-cooked flavor you crave. Easy steps and no-fuss.
Ingredients
- 2 14.5 ounce cans green beans of your choice canned in water
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon base We tested with Better than Bouillon Beef base
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, empty in the cans of green beans with their water. Add the beef bouillon.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook until the water reduces by 3/4. Turn off heat and set beans aside on the stovetop or in the fridge for one to two hours or overnight is fine.
- When ready to eat, bring the beans back to a simmer on the stove top and cook to remove the remaining water. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Calories: 63kcal
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Oh yeah! This is the way to do it. Very tasty.
In the green beans. Better then bouillon there are different flavors will the season vegetable work or does it’s have to be the beef base ? Thank in advance
Hey Pat, I’ve not used anything other than the beef in these so I can’t be sure. You are welcome to try the vegetable one if you’d like. –Rachel
Seriously, SO good! Don’t skip the step where you cool them down. I pop it in the freezer if I don’t think to do them early enough. My kids loved them. We actually have to double the recipe for my family of five because we enjoy them so much!
Great to hear Ashley!
Hi Rachel. Can’t wait to try your canned Green Bean version. My husband loves them better than fresh, but I do prefer fresh. I do have one question for you. Your picture appears to have chopped onions included. Do you add them? Just wondering. I usually add onions and garlic too. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!
People ask me about that picture a lot! It’s just some cooked bacon for garnish for the photo. No onions. 🙂 Rachel
What did you add to your beans? Is that bacon?
That was just a few for the camera so it didn’t look like, well, a bowl of beans. LOL. They aren’t part of or necessary for this recipe. –Rachel
This recipe sounds really and I’m going to try it. Can I use chicken bouillon instead of beef?
Yes Jane you can! I have used both and like beef better, but chicken works fine. –Rachel
I have a question. Do you just add a teaspoon of the Better than Bouillon beef flavor to the liquid with the beans or do you add a cup of bouillon either homemade or made with BTB?
Hi Carol That’s a teaspoon of the paste in to the water. –Rachel
My new go-to canned bean recipe! My grandmother used to can half runners, so I never had to eat canned green beans. She passed away several years ago, and I have been missing her beans a lot, especially at the holidays. I found this recipe and made them for Christmas this year. While not identical, this recipe gives canned beans a similar consistency and texture to her home canned beans. Thank you!
I have to be honest and say I do not like green beans. When I make them for my family, I make another vegetable for myself. However, I tried this recipe, and I ate all my green beans and another helping as well. These are great! And if you don’t believe it, just try it. I use Better than Bouillion as well so I can’t say what using another type might be like, but I would be remiss if I didn’t say to try using that specific brand. Thank you for making my life easier and better!
Oh that’s great to hear SueEliza. I’m glad it’s helpful! –Rachel
I decided to try this recipe because I had canned green beans and really wanted them to taste better. They turned out ok, but to salty for me. So I drained the cans and added some of my homemade stock and continued with your instructions and they turned out wonderful. Thanks!
Bouillon is historically unpredictable with the sodium Margaret. That’s why homemade is always best or the one brand I recommend in the post. -Rachel