Instant Pot Green Beans with Garlic & Lemon

These perfectly steamed Instant Pot Green Beans have a fresh, crunchy texture, and are so easy to make! Saute with butter and garlic, drizzle on some lemon juice, and they make a delicious side dish for any meal.

With just 5 ingredients, these green beans are easy to make yet bring such a delicious combination of flavors. This is one of our favorite Instant Pot side dishes.

We prefer them with a slight crunch, which is why I steam the beans in the instant pot for the least possible time. This is similar to parboiling green beans.

Then sauté them with some butter (or olive oil for vegan) and garlic to get the amazing garlicky flavor. And the drizzle of lemon juice at the end enhances the freshness of the beans.

Jump to:

• Why Green Beans?
• How to Steam Green Beans in the Pressure Cooker?
• Do I have to use a Steamer Basket? Or can I steam directly in the Instant Pot steel insert?
• How to Season?
• Sautéed Green beans with Butter & Garlic
• Tips for Perfect Instant Pot Steamed Green Beans

Why Green Beans?

First off, green beans (often also called string beans) are available year-round, making them super reliable for when I don’t know what veggie to cook. They are available freshly picked at farmer’s markets during the summer months though, so this is an especially great recipe for this season!

Green beans contain numerous vitamins and minerals, including high amounts of folate. This means green beans are very important to include in all vegetarian diets and the diets of pregnant women.

You will love my Air Fryer Asian Green Beans and Indian Green Beans Stir Fry recipe.

How to Steam Green Beans in the Pressure Cooker?

I like to steam the green beans using the trivet or a steamer basket. Just add water to the instant pot steel insert, place the trivet, and then spread the green beans on the trivet.

Close the lid, and put the vent in the sealing position.

How long to steam?

Set the Instant Pot to steam mode for “0 minutes” on high pressure. The “0” here is not a typo. Instant Pot allows you to steam for 0 minutes. This means that the green beans will be cooked in the time it takes for the instant pot to come to pressure. I use this same method for broccoli and cauliflower, and it works like a charm.

When the instant pot beeps, quick release the pressure manually. Carefully remove the trivet with green beans from the pot and empty out the water. You can use silicone mitts while removing the trivet.

The green beans are cooked to a crunchy texture in this time.

If you like softer beans, cook on steam mode for 1-2 minutes.

You can season and enjoy the green beans as is, or you can saute them with butter and garlic, as detailed below.

Do I have to use a Steamer Basket? Or can I steam directly in the Instant Pot steel insert?

Green beans can be steamed directly in the instant pot with no trivet or steamer basket. If steaming directly in the pot, I would suggest only adding 1/4 cup of water.

How to Season?

• Salt & pepper go especially well with just-picked green beans to bring out the fresh flavors
• See the recipe card below to learn how to saute green beans in garlic and butter. You can use olive oil instead to make them vegan
• Grate some parmesan cheese on top. This works especially well if you are serving the green beans as a side to pasta or lasagna
• Drizzle some lemon juice on top for tangy summer flavors.

Sautéed Green beans with Butter & Garlic

After the green beans are steamed, empty the water in the instant pot steel insert.

Please the insert back in the instant pot and heat it on saute mode. Add the butter and let it melt.

Then add the minced garlic and saute for a few seconds until it turns golden brown.

Now add the steamed green beans and saute for a couple of minutes while stirring frequently.

Season with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of the lemon juice, and enjoy!

Tips for Perfect Instant Pot Steamed Green Beans

• Use fresh green beans if available.
• Only set to 0 minutes. If you like your green beans softer, do 1 minute.
• You can use these green beans in any recipe which requires parboiled green beans too.
• Even if you double the recipe, the cooking time remains the same.

If you want to learn how to cook other veggies in the Instant Pot, check out my methods for cooking Broccoli, Carrots, and Beets. I also love to steam veggies together in batches to make healthy, Homemade Baby Food!

Happy cooking, enjoy!