Our favorite green bean casserole recipe is made completely from scratch with fresh green beans, a creamy mushroom sauce, and crispy onions.
This is truly the best green bean casserole I’ve made. It’s made from scratch with simple, fresh ingredients. It’s surprisingly easy to make, and tastes so much richer than anything from a can. You can prepare the sauce and fried shallots ahead of time, then assemble and bake for a stress-free holiday side.
The fresh green beans, creamy mushroom cheese sauce, and crispy shallot topping make this green bean casserole recipe a standout at Thanksgiving and beyond. Once you try this homemade version, you’ll see why we think it’s the best.
Key Ingredients
- Green Beans: I love fresh green beans. They keep their crunch and bright color after baking. If you can’t find fresh green beans, thawed frozen green beans are the next best option. I’m not a fan of canned beans, as they tend to turn mushy in the casserole.
- Mushrooms, Garlic, and Shallots: Instead of canned soup, this recipe uses a homemade creamy mushroom sauce made with plenty of fresh mushrooms, garlic, and shallots. White button or cremini mushrooms work beautifully.
- Butter, Flour, and Milk: The base of the sauce is a simple roux, just like when making cheese sauce for mac and cheese. Butter and flour cook together to thicken milk into a silky, creamy base. Whole milk makes the creamiest sauce, but reduced-fat milk also works well.
- White Wine: A splash of dry white wine adds a bit more flavor. We like crisp options like Pinot Grigio, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, or unoaked Chardonnay. If you prefer to skip the wine, replace it with chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Cheese: Gruyère is our favorite for its nutty flavor, but white cheddar is a fantastic and more affordable substitute. White cheddar also makes this a vegetarian green bean casserole.
- Crispy Shallots: No casserole is complete without a crispy topping. Our homemade fried shallots are irresistible, but store-bought crispy onions (like French’s) work too. They’re so good, you’ll want to make extra. We even toss them into our fresh green bean salad.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
Tip 1: Blanch the green beans. Since we are starting with fresh green beans, you’ll begin by blanching them. This easy step won’t fully cook your beans, but it does make them bright green for the casserole.
To blanch green beans for green bean casserole, add the beans to boiling salted water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, then rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the casserole.
Tip 2: Make the mushroom cream sauce. Instead of canned soup, this casserole gets its flavor from a homemade mushroom cream sauce. Finely chop the mushrooms by hand, or pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped.
Cook the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in butter, then stir in wine and flour to make a roux. Slowly whisk in milk until the sauce is creamy and smooth. You can stop there, but for extra flavor, stir in shredded cheese.
Tip 3: Finish in the oven. When you’re ready to assemble, combine the sauce and blanched green beans in a baking dish, and bake until bubbly (about 25 minutes).
Tip 4: Top with crispy onions or shallots. Just before serving, add lots of homemade crispy shallots or store-bought crispy onions. If you want to make your own, you can make them up to a week in advance. Here’s our guide to making fried shallots at home.
Tip 5: Making ahead. Since we usually make green bean casserole during the holiday season, there’s a good chance your oven is at capacity (thanks to that roast turkey!). So here’s how to prep this green bean casserole in advance:
- 1 week ahead: Fry the crispy shallots and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Up to 3 days ahead: Blanch the green beans, make the mushroom sauce, and assemble the casserole. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, bake straight from the fridge, adding 2-3 extra minutes. Top with crispy onions or shallots right before serving.
More Thanksgiving Dishes
- The Best Roast Turkey We’ve Made + My Favorite Turkey Brine
- Garlic Herb Roasted Turkey Breast
- Mashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Stuffing or Easy Herb Stuffing
- From Scratch Turkey Gravy (with pan drippings) or Easy Gravy (without pan drippings)
- Parmesan Roasted Delicata Squash
- Or see all of our Thanksgiving Recipes!
Green Bean Casserole
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Our green bean casserole is made completely from scratch with fresh green beans, a creamy mushroom and cheese sauce, and topped with crispy fried shallots. It’s rich, flavorful, and the perfect holiday side dish.
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds fresh green beans, snipped and cut in half (680g)
1 pound crimini mushrooms, finely chopped (450g)
6 tablespoons butter (85g)
3 cloves garlic, minced, about 1 tablespoon minced
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
½ cup dry white wine, see notes (120ml)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (16g)
2 cups whole milk or reduced-fat milk (470ml)
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese, see notes (8oz or 225g)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
Homemade fried shallots or store-bought fried onions
Directions
1Prepare the oven and dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and set aside a large casserole dish.
2Blanch the beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool completely (or add to an ice bath). Set aside.
3Cook the mushrooms: Melt the butter in the pot used to cook the green beans over medium heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, and shallots. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat if they begin to brown too quickly.
4Make creamy sauce: Add white wine and cook, uncovered, until almost completely reduced. Stir in the flour and cook until the mixture is no longer lumpy. Then, gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer. When thickened, stir in the optional cheese until smooth. Season with salt to taste, starting with ¼ teaspoon.
5Bake: Add the cooked green beans to the sauce and toss until they are well-coated. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the green beans.
6Serve: Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes after baking. Then, when ready to serve, top with crispy shallots (adding them too soon can cause the shallots to steam and turn soggy).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: This lasts stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat, slide it into a 350°F oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. For a smaller portion, use the microwave (1 to 2 minutes should do the trick). The crispy shallots will lose their crispiness, so add more once reheated.
- Make ahead tips: Blanch green beans and toss with the homemade sauce. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Add 2 to 5 minutes to bake time when cooking from chilled. We do not recommend freezing green bean casserole.
- Wine: Choose a dry white wine you enjoy. We typically look for a dry, crisp white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, and unoaked Chardonnay.
- Wine substitute: Use vegetable broth or chicken broth.
- Gruyère cheese: We love the flavor and melt factor of Gruyère but sometimes find it expensive. It’s not vegetarian-friendly due to animal rennet, so to save on cost or to make this casserole vegetarian-friendly, substitute the Gruyère for your favorite white cheddar.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
This was the hit at Thanksgiving! I would use 1/2 the amount of butter next time – there was just too much sauce. But it could be because I made it ahead of time. The crispy shallots were the bomb, as well as the cooking oil used for salads. Thanks!
Ok seriously amazing. That rich mushroom flavor, the white wine. Delicious without the cheese, I added only half the amount of gruyere and still amazing. This is the green bean recipe for keeps. Cook those mushrooms until just about all the liquids cooked out! Thank you!
Made this last night to have with dinner. It was delicious. We all enjoyed it. Thank you.
That’s amazing Isabel! So happy you gave our recipe a try!