Green bean casserole is one of those side dishes everyone looks for on the table.
A classic green bean casserole is one of the most loved side dishes for holidays and family dinners. With tender green beans, creamy sauce, and a crispy topping, this comforting recipe never goes out of style.
This version strikes the perfect balance of flavor and texture while remaining simple to prepare. Whether you’re making it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a weeknight dinner, this green bean casserole can be assembled ahead and baked just before serving for easy entertaining.
Fresh green beans bake in a silky, flavorful sauce and finish with a crispy layer of fried onions and buttery breadcrumbs for perfect texture in every bite. The recipe is easy to customize, too. Use the white bread listed in the recipe or try an “everything” bagel or gluten-free bread for a fun twist. For a little extra crunch, add slivered almonds or water chestnuts to make this side dish shine on any holiday table.
Why You’ll Love This Green Bean Casserole
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Fresh, homemade flavor. A rich, creamy sauce made from scratch gives it that “real food” taste the canned version can’t match.
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Easy make-ahead option. You can prep it a day ahead or freeze it weeks in advance — perfect for stress-free holiday cooking.
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Beautiful texture. Tender green beans, creamy sauce, and a crisp, golden topping make every bite satisfying.
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Simple ingredients, big payoff. No fancy techniques — just everyday ingredients that come together into something special.
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Crowd-pleasing and customizable. Great for both traditionalists and guests who love a fresher, more flavorful twist.
The first time I made this freezer-friendly Green Bean Casserole, I was honestly skeptical. The freezer can sometimes dull flavors, and I worried the mushrooms and green beans might turn rubbery or lose their freshness. But the original recipe proved me wrong! It skips the usual step of blanching the beans, allowing them to cook right in the oven to perfect tenderness without turning that dreaded grey-green color. And the real genius? Tossing the beans in a light coating of cornstarch. This simple step thickens the natural juices released during baking, creating a silky, creamy sauce that stays flavorful and perfectly textured every time.
How to make Classic Green Bean Casserole-
Cut the beans and sliced the mushrooms, pulse the bread with some melted butter and salt. Then combine with fried onions. Set aside.
For the creamy sauce, mushrooms are sautéed, then garlic, thyme, salt and pepper get added. Dust mushrooms with flour and then wine, broth, and cream are added. Cook a few minutes to thicken.
The cut green beans get dusted with corn starch.
Then the mushroom cream sauce is poured on top of the beans in a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Do not stir in the gravy yet.
The green bean mixture bakes for about 45 minutes covered in foil, then the foil is removed, mixture is stirred and if adding optional sliced chestnuts, they’re incorporated in this step.
Once the ingredients have been stirred…
The fried onions/bread mixure gets sprinkled over the top and the casserole goes back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until the beans are tender to your liking.
This Green Bean Casserole is a step up from the norm and it’s so great because it can be prepared almost completely and frozen for up to two months before baking to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can green bean casserole be made ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the casserole up to a day in advance and refrigerate. Add the crispy topping just before baking.
Can you use fresh green beans instead of canned?
Absolutely. Blanch fresh green beans before using to ensure they stay tender in the casserole.
How do you keep green bean casserole from getting watery?
Drain beans thoroughly and avoid overbaking. A properly thickened sauce helps maintain the right texture.
How long does green bean casserole last in the fridge?
Stored in an airtight container, it keeps well for 3–4 days.
Can green bean casserole be frozen?
Yes, but for best texture, freeze without the topping and add it fresh when reheating.
I use the Green Bean Casserole recipe from America’s Test Kitchen as my testing recipe. ATK’s recipe is a great start but after decreasing the amount of green beans by a bit, and making the mushroom gravy less thick before baking, the casserole came out much more creamy and more smooth.
If you liked this recipe for your holiday table, be sure to check out my easy recipe for Turkey Breast in the Slow Cooker, as well as Mashed Potato and Cauliflower in the Instant Pot. A colorful and favorite Thanksgiving appetizer is this Cranberry and Pomegranate Relish.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- 2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ ounces fried onions one package or 1.5 cups from a can
For the Casserole:
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine or cooking wine
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces. French green beans work well.
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
Optional:
- ½ cup slivered almonds or ½ cup sliced water chestnuts, roughly chopped.
Instructions
Make the Topping:
- Pulse bread, butter and salt in a food processor until coarsely ground, about 10 pulses. Combine the bread mixture and fried onions in a bowl, transfer to a large zip-lock freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. If making the casserole to cook the same day as prep, place the topping in refrigerator until needed.2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread,, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter,, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 ½ ounces fried onions
Make the Casserole:
- Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and dried thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, broth and cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 ounces white button mushrooms,, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 6 garlic cloves,, ½ teaspoons dried thyme, 3 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour, ½ cup white wine or cooking wine, 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- Toss cut green beans with cornstarch in a large bowl and transfer to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour the warm mushroom mixture evenly over the beans (do not mix).1 ½ pounds green beans,, 3 tbsp cornstarch
To Cook and Serve the Same Day This Recipe is Prepared:
- Once the mushroom cream sauce has been poured over the beans, (do not mix in) cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350F degree oven for about 50 minutes, baking until the beans are crisp-tender. Remove foil, stir the beans and sauce thoroughly, add almonds or water chestnuts, if using. Sprinkle the fried onion mixture over top and bake uncovered an additional 15 minutes. Taste one of the beans and if it's too crisp for your liking, place foil over top again and bake additional 5-10 minutes.
To Freeze casserole and cook from frozen:
- Once mushroom cream sauce has been poured over beans (not mixed in), allow to come to room temperature. Cover with plastic AND aluminum foil and freeze for up to two months.
- Remove the casserole from the freezer and take away the plastic from the baking dish and replace the foil. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the beans are tender, about 60 minutes, stirring the beans thoroughly and adding almonds or water chestnuts, if using, after about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and spread the topping mixture over the beans. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.½ cup slivered almonds or ½ cup sliced water chestnuts, roughly chopped.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Cremini mushrooms or any favorite fresh mushroom may be substituted for the white button mushrooms.
- Adding about 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese to the topping is another great way to add great flavor.
- Nutrition information is an estimate, especially if you change up the ingredients and quantities.
Recipe adapted from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010.
I accidently mixed it before baking will it still be ok??
Hi Nikki, It will be fine. Merry Christmas! 🙂
I’m worried about putting this frozen dish in a hot oven. will it explode?
Hi Marcy, The time the dish sits on the counter while the oven is pre-heating will bring the pan temperature close enough to room temperature to be able to put in the hot oven. But I’ve also taken a Pyrex dish straight from the freezer to the oven bwfore with no problem.
I noticed you mentioned using gluten free bread before. Have you replaced the flour with gluten free flour befor?
Hi Danielle, I would substitute the flour with cornstarch. I’ll go in and add this information to the recipe. Thanks for the heads up.
If I m make it on Tuesday for Thursday, should I just keep it in the fridge
if i’m taking this to someones house, should I cook it ahead of time or just cook the whole thing there?
Hi Marcy, You could cook it at your house and see if they’ll let you place the casserole in their oven just to re-heat when you get there. And if you’re making it today, I’d just place it in the fridge. Let me know if you have other questions!
I already put it in the freezer. I’ll now place it in my fridge. My issue is I’m driving two hours. Should I cook it an hour, take it to my dinner, place topping on there and bake until heated through?
It should be absolutely fine to bake for one hour, then at your destination, add the onions and bake again just until bubbly, maybe 20 more minutes. 🙂
Hi,
I just finished making this casserole but I forgot and mixed the sauce and green beans. I’m going to go ahead and outbid in the freezer when it cools. What adverse effect have I created by mixing it up?
It looks and tastes great. Thank you for the recipe
So I had to drop by and thank you for posting this AMAZING recipe. My husband and I are overseas (greetings from Japan!), and we hosted Thanksgiving for a handful of single Airmen he supervises since we’re all away from our families. Not only was this my first time ever hosting Thanksgiving, but we had a full house that night! I’m talking 12 full grown, hungry men! I was determined to give these boys a good, home cooked meal for the holiday, especially since for most of them, this was their first time away from home. I was in the Air Force myself for 4 years, and I knew how lonely it could be around this time of year.
I made this the day before using frozen green beans coated in the cornstarch, and it worked out amazing. I also simply stored it in the refrigerator rather than the freezer, and it cooked up perfectly. Not watery nor rubbery at all! Let me tell you, while prepping that sauce, I nearly hit the floor when I tasted it. Ohhh my, this was way better than the canned-everything version that I always had, and the extra bit of effort it took to pull this together was so well worth it. I will NEVER go back.
At dinnertime, one of the boys, a southerner like myself, was so excited to see green bean casserole on the table. I had never seen so many people rave about this dish, but it was the first thing I ran out of! So for that, thank you. This recipe helped make this Thanksgiving special for a handful of servicemen. 😉
April, First and most importantly, a huge thank you to you, your husband and each one of those 12 young men for your service and sacrifice for our country. What you’ve given up for us can never be repaid. Second, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that you chose my recipe to serve at this extra-special Thanksgiving and then took the time to let me know what it meant to these men. You have made my Christmas and your note is the best comment I have received on my blog, ever. How lucky those airmen were to have you to help make a first Thanksgiving away from home seem more like “home”. I’m so glad you all liked it. My family and I would love to reach out to these guys during Christmas away from home. If you feel comfortable, would you contact me through my email with an address and their names so we could send Christmas cards to them? Again, thanks for making my holiday season all the more special and I hope to hear from you at gooddinnermom@gmail.com. God bless you all and keep you safe. Sally 🙂
Hi, if I make this the same day do I partially cook the green beans before putting the casserole together and do I still use the cornstarch?
Hi Michelle, Yes, every step will be the same except the cooking time. Enjoy, you will love it! Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you. Looking forward to it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Can this be thawed to save on cooking time? If so, what would you recommend for cooking time and temp?
Hi Giana, This casserole could be thawed overnight in the refrigerator and then I’d follow the directions at the bottom of the printable for making the day of baking. Essentially, bake covered for 60 minutes at 350F degrees, then an additional 10 minutes uncovered.
Thanks, Sally! Excited to try it.
Thank you for this great recipe! I am planning on making this today and freezing for next week. One question, what kind of wine would you suggest? Thanks again!
Ally, I just made this again last week and used a Riesling. It was fabulous! I usually just use what I have but I do will say that the casserole made with the Riesling was the best ever. Don’t know if it’s because of the wine or if I was just really craving it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and thanks for making my recipe. 🙂
Awesome! I love Riesling. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I’m totally excited to make this. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. 🙂
My pleasure and Riesling is one of my favorites, too. 😉
Could you use the frozen whole green beans instead of fresh ones?
Ginger, I haven’t used frozen in this recipe but I think they would work just fine. If you do use the frozen (so much less work!), let me know how they turn out.
I know it’s sacrilege . But could you use frozen green beans and coat with the cornstarch frozen?
Hi Susan, I think cooking is all about experimentation. So go for it! Vegetables that are frozen are done so at the peak of freshness. Plus, that will cut a lot of time off your prep work. Great idea, actually.
So, if I do the freeze over-night version and cook the beans, do you still coat them with cornstarch?
Tracy, if you are going to freeze it, whether you precook the beans or not, I would still coat them with cornstarch. The cornstarch is meant to help with the moisture that will collect during freezing.
This sounds delicious. I am thinking of making it the day before and not freezing it. Do you think that @400 I would cook it about 40 minutes? Thank you so much for the recipe.
Hi Deb, If you don’t freeze it beforehand, I would boil the beans for about 4-5 minutes so they are cooked to tender but not too raw-crunchy when you cook it the day of. This will not make the beans too soft, I promise. If you make it the day before, you still can freeze it just overnight (if you have the room). This really is a great recipe and I think everyone will be happy with it. Thanks for trying it!
Deb, I just realize I didn’t answer your question. Yes, I think 40 minutes at 400 degrees would work great.
This was INCREDIBLE! I had never made (or even eaten) this because, well…..yuck, canned green beans and cream-of-something soup? And the fact that you can make this ahead and freeze it for busy holiday kitchens?!!!! WIN WIN WIN! Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Sharon, I’m glad you found my recipe since we are of the same mind of the “usual” canned beans and (love this) cream of “something” soup, lol. And thanks for taking the time to tell me about it! 🙂
I seriously cannot believe that you can freeze a green bean casserole! I am hosting Thanksgiving this year and so excited to get a jump start on it with this recipe already. Awesome!