It’s difficult to imagine any holiday table without a Creamy Green Bean Casserole (from scratch) with a crunchy, crisp topping. Green Bean Casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish and this one is made entirely from scratch and uses a homemade cream of mushroom soup. P.S. It can be made 2 days ahead!
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There are a handful of sides that consistently show up at our holiday table and Green Beans are always on the menu! We love serving Green Bean Casserole with Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts all paired with a stunning Prime Rib Roast or Juicy Roast Turkey for the ultimate feast!
Homemade Green Bean Casserole:
This recipe is a staple at Thanksgiving dinner and the holiday itself. Everyone loves a classic green bean casserole and this one is made from fresh real ingredients: Green beans in a creamy mushroom sauce baked under a crisp bread crumb and cheese topping.
What is Green Bean Casserole?
This traditional green bean casserole is essentially a green bean gratin. It was invented in the US by Dorcas Reilly in 1955 who developed it with Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup. This green beans casserole is baked in a homemade cream of mushroom soup and there is nothing quite like homemade! The green beans are more vibrant and the sauce is so flavorful.
The Best Green Bean Casserole Topping:
Rather than using the deep-fried canned onion rings, this recipe has a crisp and flavorful parmesan garlic crust. The contrast of the creamy beans and the crunchy savory crumb topping is delicious.
Making a green bean casserole from scratch is really easy and so much better than canned beans cooked in canned cream of mushroom soup and topped with pre-made deep-fried onions. You will feel so good about serving this to the people you love!
How to Make Green Bean Casserole from Scratch:
Using fresh green beans makes the beans extra sweet, tender and vibrant. You can’t match that same texture or flavor with beans that come out of a can. To make green bean casserole with fresh green beans:
- Trim and blanch the beans for 5 minutes for firmer beans or 8 minutes if you prefer softer beans
- Make the mushroom sauce and combine with green beans
- Top with the Parmesan herb and garlic breadcrumbs
- Bake immediately or store in the fridge to bake on the day of the feast
Can You Make Green Bean Casserole Ahead?
During the busyness of the holidays, it’s wonderful to have some make-ahead recipes up your sleeve. You can make this green bean casserole recipe up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated until ready to bake. If baking at a later date, top with the Parmesan breadcrumb mixture immediately before baking to ensure a crisp topping.
If I could describe this green bean casserole, I would say it tastes just like the original but better. The homemade mushroom sauce still holds the same savory punch of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup but tastes more wholesome, and therefore infinitely more delicious.
Our Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes:
- Festive Red Cabbage Slaw
- Roasted Parmesan Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Brussels Sprouts in Alfredo Sauce
- Easy Stuffing Recipe
What are your go-to Thanksgiving side dishes? You can explore more of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes here.
Green Bean Casserole (from Scratch)
Ingredients
For the Green Bean Casserole
- 1 lb green beans, trimmed
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms, (cremini, baby bella, or white)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For the Parmesan Herb and Garlic Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder, (or 1 tsp garlic flakes)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 375˚F. Set a large pot with water over high heat and bring to a boil then add trimmed green beans. Cook/blanch them for 5 minutes for firmer beans or 8 minutes for softer beans. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, Place a large pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil, then add sliced mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until the mushroom liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are golden.
- Move mushrooms to one side of the pan and add chopped onion. Saute onions over low heat for a couple of minutes then stir them together with mushrooms and saute until onions are soft (6-8 min). Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer while stirring.
- Add 2 Tbsp flour and stir until the flour turns into a paste. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly until it smells slightly nutty, being careful not to burn the mixture.
- Add the 1/2 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce and cook over low until sauce has a creamy and gravy-like consistency (it thickens more as it bakes). Season with salt to taste.
- Add blanched green beans to the mushroom sauce and stir to combine then transfer to a 1.5 to 2 qt casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp dried parsley. Sprinkle over the green bean casserole. Bake uncovered at 375 F for 20 minutes then broil for 2-3 minutes until topping is golden.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
I have made this recipe twice now for Thanksgiving and a Christmas party. Everyone loved it! I think the mushroom gravy would go great with steak. It’s AMAZING! I tripled the recipe and cut back in a few items and it was delicious! Thank you.
Would like to have this for Christmas dinner. What size dish do you recommend? Looks delicious!
Hi Bonnie! Originally we used a 1.5qt oval dish but you can use an 8×8, a 9×9, or something equivalent. Just make sure it’s atleast 2” deep. It will even fill a 9×13 casserole but it would be a thinner layer.
I LOVE Green Bean Casserole!!! That being said I made this for Thanksgiving the mushroom and onions along with the heavy whipping cream cooked together good i did have to add a little chicken broth after the flour. After I added the flour the dish became a little dry. After it cooked for 20 minutes I tasted it and the green beans were still crunchy like I had just placed them in the baking dish. I had to cook it WAYYY longer then 20 minutes!!!! The directions should also tell you not to put the breadcrumb topping on until the dish is almost finish cooking. I put the bread crumbs on after I put the green beans into my baking dish and they burned!!! I was so upset there was no way to save the dish and I ended up throwing the hold thing in the trash. Such a waste
It sounds like the green beans were not blanched properly or the dish was too deep, taking longer to heat through. The breadcrumb burned due to the longer bake time, but if you’re baking it as per the time in the instructions (covered with foil, then uncovered) they won’t be burned. Also- if you’re using a convection/fan oven, it bakes faster so it can burn unless you adjust the baking temperature/time.
I do not like green beans & made this for Thanksgiving. WOW! It was so good. The only leftovers I ate were the green bean casserole & stuffing. Highly recommend.
I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday to take to my sister-in-law’s house. It was a total hit – everyone loved it. The only thing I changed was to double the ingredients – but I followed the instructions as written! The mushroom gravy was delicious – flavorful and rich.
Thank you for another great recipe!
You’re welcome, Patty! I’m so glad you loved this casserole and the gravy recipes!
It’s absolutely delicious. Be careful with that last step of broiling. The breadcrumbs burned for me. Next time I’ll skip it.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Steph! That steph should not burn it, be sure to watch it closely and don’t leave it so close to the top of the oven.
I’ve been making this green bean casserole for a few years now, and my husband’s family keeps requesting it for every Thanksgiving! It is very easy to make and tastes amazing! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving, Natasha!
Ps: apparently my SIL still thinks I make it with canned cream of mushroom soup 😅
I’m very happy to hear that this recipe is well requested and it’s always a huge hit! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too!
I just made this for the first time and baked it ahead of Thanksgiving to save time and oven space… then I realized you had a note about making ahead of time (face palm)! Anyhoo, do you know if it reheats in the oven well, after baking and refrigerating overnight? I’m hoping it doesn’t lose its crunch.
Hello! Yes, you can reheat it in the oven, just cover the casserole with foil then heat for about 20-30 minutes at 350º or until hot.
Awesome – thank you so much! Happy Thanksgiving!!
I couldn’t stop “taste testing” it while I was making it!!!!!!
I am making this for Thanksgiving. Should I use salted or unsalted broth
Hi Mel, I used regular chicken stock but you can use low sodium and add more salt to taste.
Do I used unsalted or salted chicken broth?
Hi Melina. I used salted but you can use unsalted if you prefer and adjust the salt to your liking.
Hi, I’m going to make this for Thanksgiving. Are the breadcrumbs plain or seasoned?
Hi Michele, they are plain and we add seasoning not them in the recipe. I hope you love the recipe. Happy thanksgiving!
My husband can’t have mushrooms. What else could I use for that extra flavor???
Hi Jenn! I’m not sure how it would turn out if you remove the mushrooms as I always make this with them. The mushrooms do impart a nice flavor and are difficult to replace flavor-wise, but you could omit the mushrooms, and the recipe will still work.
I plan to make this for Thanksgiving f this year but have a question: are you using fresh soft bread crumbs or the dry crumbs?
Hi Cynthia! We use dry breadcrumbs. I hope you love this dish!
This is the BEST! I make this recipe every year for thanksgiving 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you love it!
For a larger crowd, can I double this recipe and put it in a 9×13 or lasagna pan?
Hi there! One of our readers shared this comment “Double the recipe! This is so good but note that the serving size is 6. If you want a full casserole dish, you need to at least double of not triple the recipe. But it’s definitely amazing. So easy and much better than the canned stuff.” Hope that helps.
It tastes like green beans wrapped in a thick mushroom gravy. It’s heavy and tasty, but too overly seasoned with soy sauce and worchestershire sauce. Those flavors come out very strong and overpowering. If I had to make this again, I’d probably use only half the amount of soy sauce and worchestershire sauce. I have made over a dozen of Natasha’s recipes (and I have loved them all!!) but this green bean casserole might be the first recipe in need of adjustment. I do love the crunch from the crumb topping.
I have been following Natasha’s recipes for YEARS now, but this is my first time ever commenting. I just wanted to say that I have been making this recipe for a few years now, and my husband’s family keeps requesting it for thanksgiving, whether we host or bring dishes as guests. I have been making this bean casserole exactly how Natasha makes it, and never had a problem taste wise. I honestly think that some people are just more sensitive to certain flavors than others. For example, my taste buds overreact to cilantro, coriander, cinnamon, etc. I can’t enjoy foods that contain these spices. But I really enjoy soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. So I honestly think it’s okay to adjust the amount of spices/sauces based on your personal preference, and the recipe should still turn out amazing! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for sharing that with us, Margarita! I’m glad that you’ve always enjoyed this recipe!
What can I substitute for the heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese for dairy free recipe?
Hi Jo! I haven’t tested any alternatives. You should be able to find dairy-free heavy cream alternative at the store. If not, you may try full fat coconut cream. You could also use a vegan Parmesan cheese for this recipe in a one-to-one ratio.
Any suggestions for making the day before and refrigerating?
Hi Jenn! Yes, you can make it ahead. See the notes above, I provided instructions on this.
What size baking dish for recipe of 6 servings? Would the topping of traditional onions work.
Hi Judy! Originally we used a 1.5qt oval dish but you can use an 8×8, a 9×9, or something equivalent. Just make sure it’s atleast 2” deep. It will even fill a 9×13 casserole but it would be a thinner layer.
Yes- you can use fried onions as a topping too.