Name: Cranberry Bacon Green Beans
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 ounces green beans, I prefer Haricot Verts; 2 teaspoons butter; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 ounces cooked and crumbled uncured hickory bacon (about 10 oz. uncooked bacon); 1/4 cup dried cranberries; 2 ounces chopped walnuts; salt and pepper, to taste - if desired

Cranberry Bacon Green Beans make a unique Thanksgiving side dish. This easy green bean recipe is loaded with garlic, bacon, cranberries, and chopped walnuts.

photo of a bowl of cranberry green beans with walnuts on a dark wooden table

This blog post was part of a paid SocialMoms and Calphalon blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.

Creating Cranberry Bacon Green Beans Recipe

When my husband and I registered for wedding gifts back in the day choosing which pan set would best suit our needs was a big task. I don’t remember what pots and pans we ended up.

I do remember a plethora of different shapes and sizes. After a few years I realized many of those pans were rarely used, if at all.

Calphalon Your Set offers home cooks the ability to select the pots and pans piece by piece as they build their own custom set from the best of Calphalon.

Because Calphalon offers such a unique twist on classic pot and pan sets with their new customization options, they asked me to create a unique twist on green beans to be served at Thanksgiving.

What I Love About Cranberry Green Beans

My flavor inspiration: Cranberries, Green Beans, Bacon, Garlic, and Walnuts.

I love the challenge of tweaking old recipes into something new, or using a classic ingredient as inspiration for a new recipe. This is part of my creative process and occurs everyday that I am at work in my kitchen.

I opted to blanch my green beans and then sauté them in just enough butter and garlic. Then I mixed in just a bit of crumbled bacon for flavor.

For a little sweet and a little crunch I topped the green beans with dried cranberries and chopped walnuts.

Kitchen Tools Needed

You’ll need a few kitchen tools to prepare green beans with cranberries. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before beginning:

Measuring Cups and Spoons – to measure the ingredients in this easy recipe.
Cast Iron Pan – to cook the bacon (I like to make crumbled bacon in a cast iron pan).
Large Saucepan or Pot – to blanch the green beans.
Large Bowl – filled with ice water to plunge the green beans into after blanching.
Large Skillet – to sauté the green beans and garlic in.
Wooden Spoon – for stirring while sautéing.
Serving Platter or Bowl – to serve the cranberry green beans with walnuts.

What’s in this Green Beans Recipe?

This green bean recipe requires just a few ingredients to make. Here’s what you’ll need to add to your grocery list:

Fresh Green Beans or Haricot Verts
Butter and Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic
Bacon
Dried Cranberries
Chopped Walnuts
Salt and Black Pepper

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make cranberry bacon green beans, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

photo of green beans cooking in a stainless steel skillet for a recipe for cranberry green beans with walnuts

How to Make Cranberry Bacon Green Beans

a simple side dish!

This recipe is so easy to prepare! Here’s a quick overview of the process:

First, you’ll boil and blanch the green beans.
After that, plunge the green beans into ice water to stop the cooking process.
Then, sauté the garlic in the butter and olive oil.
Add the bacon and green beans and continue cooking until green beans reach desired tenderness.
Stir in the cranberries and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.

The above is simply a quick summary of how to make this green beans with bacon and cranberries. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

photo of cranberry green beans with walnuts cooking in a stainless steel pan

Make Ahead Tips

The green beans can be blanched a day or two ahead of time. Then, let them air dry before transferring them to an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The bacon can be cooked a day or two in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can make it up to a month in advance and store it in the freezer.

Cranberry Bacon Green Beans FAQs

Got questions about how to these green beans with bacon and cranberries? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

What can I substitute for dried cranberries?

You could try substituting dried cherries, currants, or golden raisins. I haven’t tested it, but those are my suggestions.

Can I use a different type of nut?

Sure! Pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, or pine nuts would be my suggestions for this recipe.

What can I substitute for the bacon?

I would use chopped pancetta or prosciutto in place of the bacon if you’re looking for an alternative, though you’re probably more likely to have bacon on hand than the other options.

Can I make this cranberry green bean recipe vegan?

Yes, simply replace the butter with additional olive oil and omit the bacon. You’ll likely need to add some extra salt to replace loss of flavor from those ingredients.

Will this recipe work with frozen green beans?

We prefer using fresh green beans to make this recipe, but you can certainly make it with frozen if you’d like. Here are my tips:

Skip the blanching step. Frozen green beans are already plenty soft to go straight to sautéing
Thaw and drain them completely first to remove as much excess moisture as possible.

Leftover Storage Instructions

Once the leftover green beans are cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container within 2 hours of serving and store in the refrigerator.

Try these Green Beans with Cranberries!

Next time you’re looking for a delicious recipe for cooked green beans, give these Cranberry Bacon Green Beans a try!

Did you love the unique flavor and pretty presentation? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought of this delicious green bean recipe.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of this green bean side dish!

More Green Bean Recipes

Enjoy summer green beans all year long by freezing them! This post explains How to Freeze Green Beans, how to blanch green beans for freezing, how to thaw frozen green beans, and more!

Garlic Bacon Sautéed Green Beans with Roasted Mushrooms make a great Thanksgiving side dish.

This Italian Sausage Soup with Orzo is a great clean out the fridge recipe! It’s packed with veggies, Italian sausage, orzo, and more!

This updated version of the classic Turkey Soup is loaded with vegetables, noodles, and plenty of flavor thanks to fresh thyme and parmesan!

Made with fresh green beans, minced shallot, and crumbled feta cheese, this Green Bean Pasta is quick and easy to assemble.

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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What are your tips for making a unique green bean recipe?

Cranberry Bacon Green Beans

Yield: serves 4 - 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Instead of cream and butter-laden green beans, I opted to blanch my green beans and then saute them in just enough butter and garlic. These sauteed green beans will be your new Thanksgiving favorite.

Ingredients

12 ounces green beans, I prefer Haricot Verts
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ounces cooked and crumbled uncured hickory bacon (about 10 oz. uncooked bacon)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 ounces chopped walnuts
salt and pepper, to taste - if desired

Instructions

Cooking the Bacon

Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces, then add the bacon to a cast iron skillet. Cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring periodically, on the stove top.
Alternatively, place the cast iron skillet in a 425 degree preheated oven and cook until crispy, stirring the bacon every 5 minutes or so.
Once the bacon is cooked through and crispy, remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside while you prepare the green beans.

TIP: For more information on making cooked bacon bits, check out my recipe for Homemade Bacon Bits.

Blanching the Green Beans

Prepare a large bowl with ice water. Set aside. In a 3 quart saucepan, bring water to a rolling boil.
Add the green beans and boil for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.
Remove and drain the beans and plunge into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and preserve the bright green color.
Remove the beans when cold and pat dry. Discard the water

Cooking the Cranberry Bacon Green Beans

In a sauté pan that is at least 3-quart in size, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat.
When melted and hot, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the green beans and sauté with the garlic and butter for about 2 - 3 minutes.
Toss the bacon into the green beans and continue to sauté until bacon is heated through and desired tenderness is reached for the green beans.

To Serve

Transfer the green beans to a serving dish and sprinkle with the walnuts and cranberries.
Serve immediately.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 220mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 6g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.