Air fryer canned green beans is a delicious and simple side dish perfect for any meal. Add flavor and color to your plate with this frugal recipe.
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We really enjoy eating canned green beans. In fact, they may be our preferred version of these green veggies (don't tell that to our Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli).
While we normally cook them on the stovetop in The Best Canned Green Bean Recipe, I couldn't help but try putting them in the air fryer. The results are pretty awesome.
My air fryer gets a lot of action, and we've cooked everything from Frozen Mozzarella Sticks to an Air Fryer Club Sandwich, and even a pumpkin pie! So why not canned veggies? I've made Air Fryer Canned Corn and now green beans too.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy. This recipe uses basic seasonings to keep things nice and simple. Perfect for Making a Healthy Grocery List On a Budget.
- It's cheap! Canned vegetables are one of the cheapest forms of vegetables unless you pluck them from the garden yourself or get them free. Add in some basic and frugal pantry staples, and you're looking at a very affordable dish.
- No oven is needed. This recipe is perfect whether your oven is temporarily out of commission, looking for recipes to cook while you're out of the house and only keeping a few appliances handy, or you simply don't want to heat up the house.
🛒 Ingredients
Canned green beans- You will need a can of your favorite green beans. Any cut will work fine but French-cut green beans may cook faster and become crispy. If you have more cans of green beans on hand, try our Sausage Green Bean Potato Casserole.
Seasonings- Keep things simple with some basic pantry staple seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🥣 Recipe Add-Ins
Bacon. Feel free to add in some (already cooked) strips of bacon or some real pieces of bacon bits. This can really help to elevate the dish.
Melted butter. If desired, add 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter to the bowl when mixing everything together for a richer taste.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use store-brand cans. Generic green beans taste the same as name-brand but cost far less, especially when bought in multi-can value packs.
Stretch the dish. Add a drained can of potatoes, carrots, or mixed vegetables to bulk up the side without spending much more.
Buy on sale. Canned vegetables often drop to $0.50 or less during sales-stock up when prices are low since they store well for months.
Repurpose leftovers. Add leftover green beans to casseroles, stir-fries, ramen bowls, pasta dishes, or soups to avoid waste and make meals go further.
🥄 Instructions for Air Fryer Canned Green Beans
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Gently toss well to coat evenly.
Step 3: Place everything into the basket of your air fryer.
Step 4: Air fry at 365 degrees F for 8 minutes.
Serve warm. Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
Sodium Reduction:
- Check Labels: When aiming to lower sodium intake, check labels on canned green beans while shopping. Some brands have significantly higher sodium levels, especially "organic" options.
- Rinse Green Beans: To reduce sodium, drain and rinse the green beans with water. This helps remove excess sodium, mainly found in the liquid.
Handling Green Beans. Be Gentle. Take care when mixing green beans as they are prone to squishing. Regular-cut green beans are more forgiving than French-cut ones, but use whichever you prefer.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Keep leftover green beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. They taste best when eaten fresh.
Reheating:
- Microwave: Heat 1 serving on a microwave-safe plate for about 30 seconds.
- Stovetop: Reheat in a skillet over medium heat; add a small pat of butter to help rehydrate them.
Microwave is great for small portions, while the skillet works better for larger batches.
Make Ahead: Prep the green beans and seasonings in a baggie up to 2 days ahead. When ready, just dump them into the air fryer and cook.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
These Air Fryer Canned Green Beans pair beautifully with nearly any quick weeknight dinner. Serve them alongside baked chicken, pork chops, meatloaf, brats, or skillet meals. They also go well with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, rice bowls, or simple salads for an easy, affordable, veggie-packed plate.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Green beans are full of great vitamins and nutrients like vitamin K, calcium, potassium, fiber, and folic acid. Canned veggies can be just as healthy and nutritious as fresh or frozen veggies because canning helps to preserve these qualities.
You don't "have to" rinse your green beans, but I recommend doing it whenever a recipe specifically asks for it (like this one does). This helps to improve the flavor and helps the green beans to retain shape when cooked.
By adding flavors! If you simply reheat a can of green beans without adding anything to it, there's a good chance no one will want to eat it as-is. But, if we add salt, pepper, and a few more spices to it, we can really have a delicious dish everyone will enjoy.
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🐝 If you tried this Air Fryer Canned Green Beans, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Canned Green Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) green beans, drained and rinsed - ($1.28)
- ½ onion, sliced thinly - ($0.46)
- ¼ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder - ($0.02)
Instructions
- Mix. Add the green beans, onion, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to a large mixing bowl and gently toss until evenly coated.
- Air Fry. Transfer the mixture to the air fryer basket and spread into an even layer. Air fry at 365°F for 8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
- Serve. Serve warm.
Notes
- Sodium Control. Rinsing canned green beans removes much of the excess sodium from the packing liquid.
- Bean Choice. Regular-cut green beans hold up better than French-cut when tossing and air frying.
- Storage & Reheating. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet with a small amount of butter.
Nutritional Information
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