What’s Thanksgiving without a homemade Green Bean Casserole?…a pretty sad turkey day if you ask me! That creamy mushroom sauce, tender green beans, and fried onion topping are a match made in heaven. But while I’m all for a good kitchen shortcut, I’m not a fan of casseroles made with canned soup. So, I’ve created a from-scratch version that’s just as easy (even for a novice cook!) and even more delicious. Although, I did make an exception for those crispy fried onions. They’re still my fave. ;)
What Is Green Bean Casserole?
Green bean casserole is a classic American side dish often served during Thanksgiving. It’s a seriously budget-friendly recipe made from green beans in a creamy sauce and topped with French-fried onions. But did you know it actually made its debut all the way back in the 1950s after being created by an employee at Campbell’s Soup Company?! However, there are many variations nowadays, and my from-scratch version skips the canned soup and uses simple, everyday pantry staples for an EVEN tastier result!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy green bean casserole recipe (with no canned condensed soup):
- Mushrooms: I use fresh mushrooms to infuse the creamy, gravy-like sauce with flavor. Baby Bellas are my favorite mushrooms to use in this recipe, but button mushrooms are just as good.
- Garlic Cloves & Garlic Powder: I double-dose the sauce in this recipe with fresh garlic and garlic powder! It tastes so good, not overpowering or too strong at all.
- Flour & Salted Butter: I make a roux with equal parts butter and flour. A roux is a thickening agent used as the base for many sauces and gravies. It’s important to cook it long enough so there’s no “raw” flour taste left.
- Vegetable Broth & Whole Milk: I almost always use Better Than Bouillon to make broth because it’s already well flavored and salted. Mixing it with milk also adds just the right amount of creaminess to the casserole.
- Cream Cheese: Makes the sauce extra creamy and decadent.
- Green Beans: I use frozen green beans for convenience, but you can use fresh if you prefer. If using fresh, I suggest steaming them first to make sure they cook through properly. I prefer French-cut green beans because I like how they combine with the sauce, so you get a nice bean-to-sauce ratio in every bite.
- Fried Onions: I can’t get enough of these crispy little bites! So, I mix them into the casserole filling AND sprinkle them on top for that crispy finish.
- Salt & Pepper: A little salt and pepper always helps make the flavors POP.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the mushrooms and minced garlic.
Can I Use Canned Green Beans?
For a really stellar green bean casserole, I suggest using either fresh or frozen green beans. Canned green beans tend to be too mushy, and their flavors are a bit muddy. I highly recommend steering away from the canned green beans just this once, but hey, it’s your kitchen and your preference! Just note the texture of the finished casserole won’t be nearly as nice if made with canned green beans.
The Secret to a Good Green Bean Casserole
Nope, it isn’t canned soup (sorry, Campbell’s). It’s CREAM CHEESE. I know this might seem unconventional, but this is one of those times you’ve got to trust me.
The cream cheese adds the most amazing creaminess and makes the sauce extra rich. It also helps to stabilize the casserole for baking so the sauce doesn’t separate or curdle. But if you’re still a little skeptical, just check out all the 5-star reviews from happy readers below! This secret ingredient is definitely not a secret anymore. ;)
Variations to Try
The classic version of this casserole is great, but if you want to make it a little more fancy, here are some fun toppings or add-ins I think you’ll love:
- Bacon crumbles (mixed in or sprinkled on top)
- Cheddar cheese or Parmesan (for topping or mixing into the sauce)
- Buttered breadcrumbs or crushed potato chips (in place of the fried onion topping)
Make it Ahead!
You can prepare this creamy green bean casserole one day ahead of time (minus the onion topping), cover it in plastic or foil, and refrigerate it. I’d add the fried onion topping the next day and bake as directed, slightly extending the baking time to account for the casserole being cold.
Why it’s a great recipe for new cooks
Green Bean Casserole is an absolute staple of the holidays. If you’re attending a family function or potluck, you will be the star of the show when you show up carrying this dish! It was one of the first recipes that I mastered for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s truly simple to make from scratch, and I never regret doing so.
Green Bean Casserole
Servings 6 (about ¾ cup each)Ingredients
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.89)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided ($0.02)
- 4 Tbsp salted butter ($0.50)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ($0.04)
- 1 cup vegetable broth ($0.17)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.48)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 4 oz. cream cheese ($0.87)
- 24 oz. frozen French-cut green beans* ($3.38)
- 1 cup crispy fried onions, divided ($1.16)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Roughly chop the mushrooms into small pieces. Mince the garlic.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms until soft, then add the minced garlic and continue to sauté until the liquid in the skillet evaporates.
- Add the butter and flour to the skillet. Stir to melt the butter and allow the butter and flour to create a paste that coats the bottom of the skillet. Continue to stir and cook over medium for one to two minutes, or until the flour begins to turn golden on the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the vegetable broth, milk, and garlic powder to the skillet. Whisk to combine and dissolve any browned flour off of the bottom of the skillet. Allow the liquid to come up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken.
- Add the cream cheese to the skillet and whisk over medium heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the sauce.
- Add the frozen green beans to the sauce and stir to combine. Continue to heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the green beans have heated through and the sauce comes up to a gentle simmer. Let the green beans simmer for a few minutes. Give them a taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I added about ½ tsp salt and another ⅛ tsp pepper).
- Stir ¼ cup of crispy fried onions into the green bean mixture. Pour the green beans into a 2-quart casserole dish and top with the remaining ¾ cup crispy fried onions.
- Bake the casserole for 20-25 minutes, or until the fried onions have turned deep golden brown and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Green Bean Casserole – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Wash 8oz. button mushrooms and roughly chop them into small pieces. Mince two cloves of garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and swirl to coat the skillet. Pour in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet and sauté until the mushrooms become soft. Add the minced garlic and continue to sautè until all of the moisture in the skillet evaporates.
Add 4 Tbsp salted butter and ¼ cup all-purpose flour to the skillet. Continue to sauté the mushrooms with the butter and flour until the flour begins to coat the bottom of the skillet and turn golden brown. This toasts the flour and prevents that floury flavor.
Whisk 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 cup whole milk, and ⅛ tsp garlic powder into the skillet, making sure to dissolve all of the flour off the bottom of the skillet as you whisk. Allow the liquid to come up to a simmer while whisking, at which point it will thicken.
Cut 4 oz. cream cheese into chunks, add it to the sauce, and whisk until it has fully melted in.
Add 24oz. French-cut frozen green beans. Stir the green beans into the sauce and allow them to heat through and the sauce comes up to a gentle simmer. Allow them to simmer for 2-3 minutes. At this point, you want to taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper (I added about ½ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper).
Stir ¼ cup of crispy fried onions into the skillet.
Transfer the green beans and sauce to a 2-quart casserole dish and top with ¾ cup of crispy fried onions.
Bake the casserole in the preheated 350ºF oven for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through and the fried onions have become golden brown.
Once you try this from-scratch green bean casserole with cream cheese, you’ll never go back to the canned soup version again!
My dad doesn’t like cream cheese. Can I leave it out?
You will have a much thinner sauce. And you will need to replace it with a different product, like greek yogurt. I have not made these replacements and don’t now how they will affect the outcome. XOXO -Monti
This is by far the best recipe I’ve used I made it for thanksgiving 5 years ago and now I’m expected to make it every year. I use Bella mushrooms like the flavor better. My family thanks you.
This has been my go-to green bean casserole dish since you first published it about 5 years ago. I’ve made it with both fresh and frozen beans–and even used it for zucchini casserole, subbing cheese for fried onions in the topping. Sometimes I even make my own fried onion strings–thin slice 1 or 2 onions, soak in milk then dip in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a bit of powdered chipotle) and deep fry in a 2 qt saucepan with a cup or so of oil until golden. It’s probably cheaper to buy them canned, but the fresh taste SO GOOD. I freeze them if there’s no family around to gobble them up as soon as they leave the pan. The onion flavored oil can be valuable in stir fries, etc–refrigerate and store up to a couple of weeks.
This is my go-to recipe for not just green bean casserole, but the cream base for anytime I want to create a from scratch sauce that blows cream of mushroom out of the water. I’ve used it to make cheesy potatoes, chicken and broccoli casserole, basically anything that calls for a can of cream of mushroom soup. It’s so delicious. I also use fresh green beans instead of frozen, and it turns out great too. LOVE this recipe!
This is phenomenal & the best recipe for green bean casserole ever!
“Serving: 1 serving” is not helpful when dieting and keeping track of intake. What is the serving size? 3 T., 1 Cup, 2 liters, 3/4 ton pickup truck? Serving may vary by user. Please be specific!!!!
Hello James,
If the recipe is 6 servings, then 1 sixth of it is one serving. I would just eyeball a sixth, but you could weigh it all and then calculate how many grams a portion would be. Hope this answer helps you. If you are dieting, then 3/4 ton pickup truck is not the way to go. Just take a little less than you would normally, and you should be fine.
Delicious! My first attempt at green bean casserole too. I used 2% milk and neufchatel cheese instead of full-fat cream cheese, and it was still wonderfully creamy.
The flavor was perfect, but I made a few subs that didn’t end up working. I made as is without mushrooms and 28 oz of fresh green beans. I used almond milk, which stayed creamy at first, but became watery after baking. Also, I should have blanched the green beans for a min before using them in the dish, they were a tad too crunchy. So learn from my mistakes!
If I double the recipe, how much should I increase the cooking time? I love this recipe but it usually doesn’t make enough for a big crowd.
Unfortunately that’s hard to estimate without testing. It might depend largely on the size and shape of your casserole dish.
We are amushroom-free household. Is there anything we could use as a substitute for the mushrooms?
You wouldn’t need to substitute them with anything, you can just leave them out and have a plain green bean casserole. :)
This is so good! Canned soup recipes tend to upset mine and my sister’s stomachs, so when I got the email with this recipe last year, the family decided to try it out for Christmas. It is FABULOUS! even better, there were no stomach aches! It’s a family holiday staple now. This is so much better than the canned green beans and can of creamed soup we grew up with!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! I made this the night before the only thing I didn’t do was place the field onions on top until I popped the dish into the oven. I was concerned because it seemed that no one had made this dish day before and was skeptical about how the consistency would be…. well I just want all to know that it came out just fine. I placed into microwave to warm up for like 4 minutes, then added the fried onions on top and then placed in oven to co to us to warm through and brown on top. It and out so creamy and perfect! So just to let you all know that you can definitely make this dish ahead of time 😅☺️
Thank you for sharing the results for making it a day ahead! I’m sure that will help a lot of people next year! :)
Does this travel well? Can it be assembled in the morning and cooked later in the day?
I’ve never tried to assemble this one ahead of time, so I’m not sure if you’d get any water seepage from the beans or separation with the sauce.
How can you make this in a slow cooker?
No, unfortunately this will not work in a slow cooker.
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! I used fresh green beans and heavy whipping cream and came out perfect! The sauce is way better than the canned soup. Also substituted button mushrooms for baby bella mushrooms and it gave it the exact flavor I was looking for. Definitely making this again!
Is this something I can make a day ahead of time and heat up (obv without the onions) to save time and stove space?
Well, there will always be some texture and appearance changes when you reheat something that was cooked previously, especially things with vegetables like this since they do tend to seep a little water with time. I’ve not tried reheating this entire dish together, I’ve only microwaved single servings as leftovers, so I’m not sure how well it would do.