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Zesty lemon Instant Pot green beans are the perfect easy side dish! They take just 10 minutes and are almost totally hands off. This is one of our favorite ways to cook beans, and it also leaves room on the stovetop and oven for cooking the main dish!
It’s hard to find great side dishes: right? To us, the perfect side dish should be delicious, easy to make, and come together quickly. Because in all honesty, we want to spend most of our time and energy cooking up the main dish!
So let us introduce the best easy side dish: Instant Pot green beans! They’re super and the zesty lemon flavor makes them a crowd pleaser. Alex and I love making this when we need space on the stovetop and oven for cooking the main dish, since the beans steam over in the pressure cooker!
Want to cook them on the stovetop? Head to Lemon Steamed Green Beans.
How to make Instant Pot green beans: tutorial
These Instant Pot green beans are crisp-tender, bright green and just the right amount of zesty lemon. They’re the perfect side to complement any meal: they can work with just about anything.
The other fun thing about these beans? The cook time is just 1 minute! While it takes about 5 minutes for the Instant Pot to preheat, you can still make these steamed green beans in about 10 minutes.
Step 1: Trim the green beans. Snapping the ends off green beans can take quite a while: here’s our quick method for how to trim green beans that will shave off valuable minutes in the kitchen.
Step 2: Add the beans to the Instant Pot with ½ cup water. Pressure cook on high for 1 minute.
Step 3: Do a quick release (see details in the recipe below). Drain and in a bowl, mix with lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt and plenty of fresh ground pepper.
What kind of Instant Pot to use?
All pressure cooker brands vary! We use this Instant Pot 6 Qt Pressure Cooker, so our Instant Pot recipes are customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. We also can’t speak to other brands and types of pressure cookers. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so use it at your own risk!
Ways to serve green beans
Yes, these Instant Pot green beans are pretty much the perfect side dish recipe, because you can serve them with just about anything. They work with salmon recipes or chicken recipes, as dinner party ideas or with weeknight dinners. If you need an easy side, this recipe has got your back! It’s also vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free, so it fits many diets. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to serve them with:
- Meatless mains like Eggplant Parmesan, Vegetarian Meatloaf, Manicotti, Veggie Bake, Baked Tofu, Marinated Tempeh, or Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese.
- Salmon like Baked Salmon, Miso Salmon, Lemon Salmon, Tuscan Salmon and Grilled Salmon
- Seafood like Baked Fish, Sauteed Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp, or Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Chicken like Pan Seared Chicken Breast, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Chicken Nuggets, Lemon Garlic Chicken, and Chicken Piccata.
Dietary notes
This Instant Pot green beans recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Frequently asked questions
Cooking green beans in an Instant Pot is faster and easier than traditional methods like boiling or steaming. It preserves the vibrant green color and nutrients, and you can even cook them from frozen.
For green beans, it’s recommended to do a quick pressure release to prevent overcooking and maintain their bright green color.
Yes, you can! Try adding garlic, butter, lemon juice, or herbs like dill or thyme to the pot for extra flavor. Bacon is also a popular addition for a smoky, savory twist. However, we find it’s easiest to add the seasonings after cooking.
The key to avoiding mushy green beans is to not overcook them. Stick to the recommended cooking times, and always do a quick pressure release. Also, avoid frozen green beans: they become mushy.
Instant Pot Green Beans with Lemon
Zesty lemon Instant Pot green beans are the perfect easy side dish! They take just 10 minutes and are almost totally hands off.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim the green beans. Add them to the Instant Pot with ½ cup water. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Place the pressure release handle (vent) in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on high pressure for 1 minute: Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time of 0 minutes. Note that it takes about 5 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure. (Avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Quick release: Once the timer beeps, vent the remaining steam from the Instant Pot by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. Open the pressure cooker lid.
- Carefully remove the beans to a bowl and drain of all water. Toss with the remaining ingredients, using plenty of black pepper. Garnish with the lemon zest.
Notes
*You can easily scale this recipe by 2 or 3 to feed a crowd: it still fits in the Instant Pot and the cook time is the same.
