Learn how to make creamy green bean casserole completely from scratch with fresh vegetables and a homemade gravy sauce. Thickened with flour and a little butter, there’s no canned cream-of soups required. Out of all the Thanksgiving side dish recipes, this is our family’s #1 favorite, and the non-negotiable on the holiday table every year.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and additional success tips.
Thanksgiving turkey and green bean casserole go hand-in-hand. This vegetable dish has always been a beloved favorite, but ever since I began making it this way, it’s requested at nearly EVERY holiday… and not just in November!
You haven’t had green bean casserole until you’ve had green bean casserole from scratch.
One reader, Sandie, commented: “Amazingly delicious—I never serve beans because they aren’t my favourite, but now they are!!! I followed the recipe as written and it all turned out beautifully! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Katie, commented: “Yum!! Best GBC I’ve ever made. I decided to skip the homemade fried onions part and just went with the store-bought, but I followed the rest of the recipe. Your recipes were the stars of our Thanksgiving meal. ★★★★★”
This Is Green Bean Casserole From Scratch
- No cans of condensed soup
- Use fresh green beans
- Real, homemade gravy
- Homemade “fried” onions
Not only are you preparing the homemade gravy, you’re also making the “fried” onions (pictured above). Of course, this is an extra step and completely worth it if you have the time. However, with a crowd to entertain, Thanksgiving pies to bake, and a million dishes to wash, I’m here to let you know that a carton of French’s crispy fried onions taste just as fabulous! (Pictured below.)
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
“Fry” the Onions: Coat sliced onions in some flour, then beaten egg + milk, and then a mixture of salt, pepper, and Panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch. Bake. Again, you can skip these and/or use a container of store-bought crispy fried onions.
The onions are golden brown and crunchy, the perfect texture contrast to the creamy sauce!
Here’s everything you need for the rest of the casserole. You’ll appreciate it’s a simple gravy sauce without any fancy herbs, spices, or specialty ingredients. Basic, everyday ingredients can produce outstanding results.
Blanch the green beans: Rinse fresh green beans, trim them, halve them, and then blanch them. Fresh green beans give the most wonderful flavor and texture; they aren’t soggy like canned green beans.
Make the gravy sauce: Melt butter with chopped mushrooms on medium-high heat in a large oven-safe skillet. Add a little salt and pepper, then some garlic. Next, add some flour to soak up all the moisture that the mushrooms have released in the cooking process. Add chicken broth and half-and-half, and cook to thicken the sauce.
Yes, absolutely. While the sliced mushrooms add wonderful flavor and some texture to the creamy gravy, I understand they are not everyone’s favorite! You can simply leave them out, with no other changes to the recipe. Or you can replace with 1 thinly sliced bell pepper. Some readers have even used 1/2 cup of sliced water chestnuts.
You can use heavy cream instead of the half-and-half for a much richer sauce if you prefer. In a pinch, you can use whole milk. But half-and-half is the preferred choice for the best results.
Stir it all together: Add some of your breaded onions and all of the green beans, then give it a good stir.
Bake: Top with the rest of the onions and bake for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges. I always appreciate a short bake time, especially on Thanksgiving!
If you’re not using an oven-safe skillet, transfer the green beans and gravy mixture to a medium casserole dish or baking pan that holds about 2–3 quarts. Top with the onions, and then follow the same baking instructions.
How Do I Make It With Store-Bought Crispy Fried Onions?
If you’d like to skip the homemade “fried” crispy onions, you can absolutely replace with store-bought. Stir about 1/2 cup of the crispy onions into the gravy/green beans, then top the casserole with about 1 cup of them. The baking instructions remain the same. Also, here I’m using a casserole dish:
How to Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time
Prepare everything as directed, except turn the oven off after the onions are done. After the sauce is finished and the casserole is assembled, set aside and allow to cool. Cover tightly, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (204°C) until bubbly. You can also prepare the casserole, including topping with onions, then freeze for up to 3 months before baking. Thaw in the refrigerator, and then bake as directed.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
If you’re looking for Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts, I have you covered!
- The Great Pumpkin Pie (reader favorite!)
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Homemade Biscuits
- Cranberry Sauce
- Cornbread
- Sausage & Herb Stuffing & Cornbread Stuffing
- Pecan Pie
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Apple Pie
For even more Thanksgiving recipe inspiration, see all my favorite Thanksgiving pie recipes and my complete list of 40+ Thanksgiving side dishes.
Print
Creamy Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make creamy green bean casserole completely from scratch with fresh vegetables and a homemade gravy sauce. Thickened with flour and a little butter, there’s no canned cream-of soups required. For make-ahead option and freezing instructions, see recipe Note.
Ingredients
Baked “Fried” Onions
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 cup (62g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (45g) panko breadcrumbs*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
Green Bean Casserole
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed, ends trimmed, and halved
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (180ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) half-and-half*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- For the onions: (While the onions bake, you can blanch the green beans—step 4.) Thinly slice the onion, and separate the slices. Pour flour in one small bowl, panko + salt + pepper into a medium bowl, and whisk the egg and milk together in another small bowl. To bread the onion slices, you’ll want to use one hand for dry and one hand for wet. It helps things move a little quicker and easier. First, dip a few slices into the flour. Then into the egg mixture. And finally, give them a nice dunk into the panko and coat them well. Place onto baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the onions. Bake onions until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Flip them twice during this time. Set them aside.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400°F (204°C).
- Blanch the green beans: Bring a gallon of water and 1 Tablespoon of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the green beans and boil for 5 minutes. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set near the sink. Drain the beans and immediately transfer them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again, and set aside.
- For the casserole: Over medium-high heat, melt the butter in a large 10- to 12-inch ovenproof skillet. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to release some moisture—about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir until combined. The flour will soak up all the moisture. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Stirring occasionally, cook until the mixture is thick—about 10 minutes or maybe more if you prefer a thicker sauce.
- Remove from heat and add about a quarter of the onions, and all of the green beans. Give it a good stir, combining the sauce and beans. (If you’re not using an oven-safe skillet, or want to bake this in a casserole dish, transfer mushroom/gravy mixture to a greased 2–3-quart casserole dish.) Top with remaining onions and bake until bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
- Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat as desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare everything as directed, except turn oven off after the onions are done. After the sauce is finished and the casserole is assembled, set aside and allow to cool. Cover tightly, either in the skillet or after carefully transferring to another dish. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (204°C) until bubbly. You can also prepare the casserole, including topping with onions, then freeze for up to 3 months before baking. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bake as directed.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | 10- to 12-inch Oven-Safe Skillet
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb found in all major grocery stores or anywhere breadcrumbs are sold. It gives the onions a heartier crunch.
- Can I skip the onions? If you’re not into the onion topping, feel free to skip it and instead sprinkle the top of the casserole with 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs before baking.
- Can I use French’s crispy fried onions instead? Yes, absolutely! Stir 1/2 cup into the gravy mixture when you add the green beans in step 6. Then top with 1 cup before baking.
- Mushrooms: Feel free to leave out the mushrooms or replace with thinly sliced bell pepper.
- Half-and-Half: I tested this recipe with varying amounts of half-and-half—this amount does the trick. You can use heavy cream instead of the half-and-half for a richer sauce if you prefer. You can use whole milk if absolutely needed, but skip nondairy or lower-fat milks. The ideal option for a creamy, rich gravy is half-and-half.
- If you’re not using an oven-safe skillet: If you’re not using an oven-safe skillet, transfer the green beans and gravy mixture to a greased casserole dish that holds about 2–3 quarts before baking.
- Want to double the recipe to feed a larger crowd? It’s easy! Simply double the ingredients. Then in step 6, remove the skillet from heat and pour the bean/gravy mixture into a large 9×13-inch (or similar size) casserole dish. Top with onions, then bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.
Adapted from Alton Brown—he likes to add fresh ground nutmeg, but I wasn’t really a fan. Feel free to add some, though!
Reader Comments and Reviews
I’m traveling with this dish to a family Thanksgiving and was told there would be little to no room in the oven due to other sides. I’m bringing it in a crockpot so it will be enjoyed warm/hot. Should I bake the dish completely at home and then transfer to the crockpot for serving only or could I bake it in the crockpot?
Hi Shelley, we haven’t tried making this recipe completely in a slow cooker, so we’d recommend trying the other option of baking it completely and then warming again in a slow cooker.
I thought crockpot inserts were ovenproof, so couldn’t you use the crockpot insert as your baking dish (instead of the 9×13″) then after cooking it in the oven put the crockpot insert back into the crockpot heating element and keep it warm? Maybe crack open the lid a bit to avoid condensation turning things soggy though.
I am about to try this recipe. I made something similar 5 years ago and lost the recipe. I always look on your website because I absolutely love your recipes and every time they come out exactly as expected or better! Huge fan. Keep up the hard work. You saved a picky, high standards ex cook and baker. Mush love
Hello! I have made this recipe MANY times. Delicious!! A family member has requested no mushrooms this year. Question, do I still add the flour to the creamy mixture? Thanks so much! Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi Jen, Yes you can leave out the mushrooms without making any other changes to the recipe. So happy you enjoyed this one!
This is so good! I made this gluten free and dairy free, except for the butter because that’s just not what I’m willing to forgo. I doubled the recipe and I used GF flour and Gf Panko, cashew milk for the half and half and added 1tbsp each of Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce (use 1 1/2 tsp each for a single recipe). SO good!!
I accidentally bought frozen green beans for some reason thinking it was frozen beans and everything else was fresh….do you think it would be okay to substitute ?
Not a problem at all. Just thaw them first.
Want to try this. I have pounds of frozen green beans from last year’s garden. They were blanched before freezing. Do you think I could just thaw them and skip the blanching, or would you recommend that I cook them a little too before mixing up? Thanks!
Hi Susie! We haven’t tested it this way, but if you’ve already your beans we don’t see why you would need to blanch them again – let us know if you give it a try 🙂
Your green bean casserole sounds so good! Can French style green beans be used?
Absolutely!
Hi Sally,
I made this recipe last Thanksgiving and loved it. My family has requested it again, but I am currently dairy free due to breastfeeding a baby with a milk allergy. I feel fine substituting Earth Balance for the butter as I know that typically holds up well, but I’m a bit worried about the milk and half-and-half substitutions. Do you think almond milk will work? Or do you have another dairy free suggestion?
Thanks!
Hi Alicia, we haven’t tried an all-dairy version of this recipe, but if experimenting we’d start with almond milk or oat milk. It may not be as creamy, but let us know how it turns out for you!
do you think beef stock/broth could be used in place of veggie or chicken?
Hi Kelsey, that should work just fine!
Loved this recipe!! I prefer my green beans to be a little softer so I blanched them longer but this recipe was so easy and super delicious.
Good bean/mushroom casserole, but the directions lead to never separating the onion slices into rings, yet the photo clearly shows bits of onions, not slices. I followed the directions and had several problems: (1) places where flour caked on but egg did not adhere, thus crumbs didn’t either, yielding unattractive white spots on some slices, and the taste was sort of meh – needed more salt and pepper, I thought, too late. I did several rings separately (they just came apart in the dipping sequence), and they were much better than the whole rings which were still moist inside – the taste was ok, but it didn’t meet the expectations of “crispy” except at the edges. Fortunately, I had some of the store-bought French fried onion rings, so used them and put aside the baked slices.
I loved this recipe. The only tweak I made was to throw a little Madeira into the sauce, because, why not?
Loved this … so good! Used 3/4 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup whole milk instead of half-and-half. Instead of blanching the beans, I microwave-steamed them on high for about 5 minutes and then shocked in ice water.
Wonderful recipe for the holidays! The breadcrumbs on the onions didn’t stick as well as I hoped so I decreased the baking time to avoid burning. Otherwise, perfect as is!
What type of mushrooms are best in this?
Hi Bill, We enjoy button mushrooms here but you can use any variety you like!
I made this recipe and Love it!! I hate the soup recipe and never eat it. The only difference I made was to add about half a cup of toasted hazelnuts. They are the bomb, and made a wonderful recipe just a little bit better, I think. I was so happy to find this recipe — it leaves the typical soup and canned onions in the dust!!
Can I bake the casserole at 350 instead?? (It needs to be in oven same time as stuffing.) For how long would you recommend? Thanks!!
Hi Cara– absolutely. The bake time will have to be extended. Bake until bubbly around the edges– might be closer to 20 minutes.
Green bean casserole is my favorite Thanksgiving side, but I hate using canned soup. Thanks for the recipe!
I have alot left over can I freeze it and put a new topping on when I reheat it. Next question, a couple said it was too rich, I used heavy cream, can I cut this richness now with something?
Hi Darlene! I recommend sticking with the recipe and using half-and-half the next time you try it– heavy cream is very thick. You can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months. Feel free to warm on the stove in a skillet and add a little milk to thin it out.
BEST green bean casserole EVER!!! My family LOVED this recipe. I did have to cut down the bake time of the onions otherwise they would have burned. This will now be my go to recipe for casserole. Thank you Sally!
Made it! Loved it! This is only my 2nd or 3rd time making one of your savory recipes, and I have to say you are an authority in both sweet and savory. Thank you for all you do!
My family was so impressed with this from-scratch recipe for Thanksgiving today Delicious.
Also made your apple pie bars with homemade salted caramel sauce and LORD it was good. So good that people were putting the caramel sauce on their pumpkin pie slice too
Thank you for all of your no-fail recipes You’re the best!
It’s perfect. I am about to make it the second year in a row! Although, I skip the mushrooms much to the despair of my family, haha. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Sally!
Love this recipe. Do you know if I could try using cream of mushroom soup instead of the mushrooms and half and half? Thanks!!
Hi Erin! I haven’t tried that substitution with this recipe before, but you can try it if you’d like. Let me know how it turns out.
Can I use plain yogurt in place of half-and-half?
I don’t recommend that substitution. You need liquid.
Another Thanksgiving and I turn to this recipe yet again. This is such a wonderful treat and everyone goes crazy for it. Thanks for the recipe!
What should I do if I do not have an oven proof skillet?
Hi Hannah, After step 5 simply mix the green beans, onions, and sauce in a casserole dish and bake in that. Enjoy!
Hi I’m going to make this with regular French’s fried onion, I want to prepare this the night before. Should I still mix in 1/4 of the onions into the mix and put the remaining on top and pop it in the refrigerator until the next day or would the fried onions get soggy and gross?
Hi Stephanie! No need to mix some of the French’s onions into the casserole. I recommend putting the onions on top right before baking (not the night before).