A quick and easy way to make a tasty side dish is to steam fresh green beans in your Instant Pot.
The Ninja Foodi is an incredibly versatile kitchen appliance that can tackle almost any cooking task with ease. One of its handy functions is steaming, which allows you to quickly cook vegetables like green beans to crisp-tender perfection. But exactly how long should you steam green beans in the Ninja Foodi to get ideal results? In this article, I’ll provide a complete guide to perfectly steamed green beans using your Foodi.
Benefits of Steaming Green Beans
Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for preserving the nutrients in green beans while still yielding tender, bright green results. It cooks the beans gently using hot steam, avoiding nutrient loss that can happen when boiling in water.
Steaming also brings out the vibrant green color of the beans, and preserves the satisfying snap when you bite into them. The process lightly cooks without making the beans mushy.
Cooking green beans in the Ninja Foodi using the steam function makes this super easy with no need to boil a pot of water on the stove. The Foodi can quickly steam vegetables in minutes using a minimum amount of water.
How to Steam Green Beans in the Ninja Foodi
Steaming green beans in the Foodi is simple:
- Prep 1 pound fresh green beans by washing and trimming the ends. Leave whole.
- Toss beans with 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Add 1 cup water to pot.
- Place green beans in stainless steel basket or silicone steamer basket accessory.
- Secure lid, with pressure release valve open.
- Select Steam function and set time for 4 minutes.
- When done, open lid carefully. Use tongs to remove hot basket.
- Transfer beans to serving dish and enjoy!
The essential steps are adding a small amount of water to the pot, placing the beans in a perforated basket, selecting the Steam function, and setting a short cook time.
What is the Best Time for Steaming Green Beans?
When steaming green beans in the Ninja Foodi, a cook time of 4 minutes is perfect. This yields tender, brightly colored beans with a satisfying crunch.
Definitely resist any temptation to pressure cook the green beans, as the high pressure environment and longer cook time will lead to mushy, overcooked results
For reference, when steaming green beans on the stovetop, it typically takes 6-8 minutes until tender but still crisp. The Foodi’s steam function shaves off a couple minutes.
After 4 minutes in the Foodi, pierce a few beans with a fork to check doneness. They should be hot and bright green, with just a hint of resistance when bitten.
Tips for Perfect Results
Follow these tips for flawless steamed green beans using your Ninja Foodi:
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Use fresh green beans, not frozen ones for ideal texture.
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Wash and trim ends before steaming. Leave whole.
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Toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.
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Use a stainless steel basket or silicone steamer for best results.
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Always vent the pressure release valve when steaming.
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Don’t overfill the basket. Leave room for steam circulation.
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Use tongs to remove basket when done. Condensation collects on lid.
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Check doneness after 4 minutes. Adjust time if needed.
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Shock in ice bath to stop cooking if leaving in basket after.
Flavor Variations
The beauty of steaming green beans is it cooks them gently to highlight their fresh, bright flavor. But you can also add spices, herbs, or other ingredients to complement that fresh green bean taste:
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Lemon Pepper – toss with lemon zest and coarse black pepper before steaming.
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Garlic Parmesan – add minced garlic and grated parmesan after steaming.
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Almondine – sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.
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Dill & Chive – garnish with fresh chopped dill and chive.
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Summer Herbs – use basil, oregano, thyme for Italian flair.
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Cajun Kick – sprinkle with Cajun seasoning post-steaming.
Let your imagination run wild and enjoy your perfectly steamed green beans plain or seasoned to suit your taste.
Storing Leftover Steamed Green Beans
One of the bonuses of steaming green beans in the Ninja Foodi is that you can prepare a batch for the week ahead.
To store leftover steamed green beans:
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Portion into airtight containers or resealable plastic bags.
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Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
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Reheat gently before serving if desired.
The quick steam leaves beans with a higher water content, so proper storage is important for preserving texture and flavor. Properly stored beans can be enjoyed in salads, stir fries, and more throughout the week.
More Ways to Use Your Ninja Foodi
While steaming green beans is just one example, the Ninja Foodi truly excels at cooking all kinds of vegetables quickly and deliciously. Try using these other functions for meal prepping tasty veggies:
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Air Fry – Get crispy roasted veggies with little to no oil needed.
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Bake/Roast – Dry heat concentrates natural sweetness in vegetables.
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Broil – High heat caramelizes and chars veggies for rich flavor.
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Dehydrate – Remove moisture for crunchy veggie chips without fat.
Don’t limit yourself to just green beans! The Ninja Foodi can handle any vegetable you want to cook using the method that best highlights its flavor and texture.
Tips for Perfect Instant Pot Steamed Green Beans
- Wash and dry the green beans, and then cut out any that are soft, discolored, or otherwise not up to par.
- Cut off the tough, woody ends of the stems.
- If you want slightly firmer green beans, cooking them for 0 minutes will do.
- If you prefer more tender beans, cook for 1 minute.
- Plenty of extra beans can be made to feed a lot of people.
- If your recipe calls for parboiled beans, this is the best way to do it.
Learn how to steam fresh green beans in the Instant Pot for an incredibly simple and versatile veggie side dish.
Instant Pot Steamed Green Beans are succulent and fresh and cook faster than you can boil water.
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I love green beans in a can just as much as anyone else, but fresh green beans from the garden are much better.
I love going out to my garden in the summer to pick a handful of fresh green beans. It’s nice to get some fresh air during the day, and I can quickly and healthily steam them in my Instant Pot for lunch.
Instant Pot steamed green beans are really easy to make, thanks to an Instant Pot steamer basket.
It’s faster to use the Instant Pot than to boil water on the stove, even if you add more green beans. The beans cook perfectly while the pressure builds up.
So Instant Pot green beans are great for lunch, and they’re also great for dinner with your favorite dishes because they are crisp-tender and bright green.
That’s all these green beans need: a little butter or olive oil, salt, and pepper. But there are more ways to season them below.
If you love fresh green beans, you will love these easy Instant Pot steamed green beans.
More Instant Pot Green Bean Recipes To Try:
NINJA FOODi steaming GREEN BEANS
FAQ
How do I steam green beans in my Ninja Foodi?
Is the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker supposed to steam?
How do I cook green beans in a Ninja Foodi?
To cook green beans in a Ninja Foodi, first rinse and trim the ends. Then, place the broth in the bottom of the cooker. Add the green beans and dot the butter on top. Close the lid and set to High Pressure cook for 1 minute. Hit start to cook. When the time is up, hit cancel and carefully open the lid.
How long do you cook dried beans in a ninja foodi?
All you will need to do is place the dried beans into the pot of the Ninja Foodi along with 6 cups of water and any seasonings you want to add to your beans. At that point, it’s time to pressure cook for 25 minutes if they are dried beans, without soaking. Once the timer goes up, let them naturally release (do nothing) for 10 minutes.
How do you cook Ninja foodi beans in a pressure cooker?
Make a batch of Easy Ninja Foodi Beans, that are no-soak too! Place the beans, garlic, and onion, along with seasonings in the pot of the Ninja Foodi. Add 6 cups of water. Secure the pressure cooker lid to the Ninja Foodi and set the nozzle to SEAL. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, if beans have been soaked, cook for 3 minutes.
Can you air fry green beans in a Ninja Foodi?
You can prepare green beans in a Ninja Foodi or Air Fryer. ‘Ninja Foodi or Air Fryer Garlic Butter Green Beans’ is one of the simplest and delicious ways to cook green beans. With summer on the horizon, you have a quick and easy side for those summer cookouts or busy weeknights. Garlic butter green beans are incredibly savory. Toss them in your Ninja Foodi or Air Fryer and watch them come to life.