Creamy, cheesy green bean casserole from scratch! We make classic green bean casserole even better with fresh green beans, an easy mushroom cream sauce, and homemade crispy shallots.
Our homemade green bean casserole recipe will knock the socks off anything made with a can. We use fresh green beans for the best texture and flavor. I love the creamy, cheesy sauce made with mushrooms, milk, and cheese, making it much more delicious than canned soup. Then, to top it all off, we make a crispy fried shallot topping. It’s easy, and they keep for a week, probably more!
We serve this classic casserole as a Thanksgiving side dish, but love it throughout the holiday season. See our tips below for making in advance. For more Thanksgiving recipes, look at our best roast turkey recipe, these creamy mashed potatoes, and our easy herb stuffing.
Key Ingredients
- Green Beans: I love using fresh green beans for the best green bean casserole. Canned green beans become too mushy for me, and while frozen green beans will work in a pinch, frozen beans have less crunch. If you can’t access fresh beans, use thawed frozen green beans.
- Mushrooms, Garlic, and Shallots: Instead of canned mushroom soup, we make our creamy sauce with lots of fresh mushrooms, garlic, and shallots. I like white button or cremini mushrooms for this recipe.
- Butter, Flour, and Milk: The base of the creamy sauce is similar to the cheese sauce used for macaroni and cheese. Butter and flour cook together to form a roux, which helps thicken our sauce made of milk. I use whole milk, but reduced-fat milk is fine.
- White 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. If you want to leave out the wine, use broth (chicken or veggie) instead.
- Cheese: I love Gruyère, but if you have a hard time finding Gruyère or find it too expensive, swap the Gruyère for another melty cheese like white cheddar cheese. White cheddar is also an excellent option for a vegetarian green bean casserole.
- Crispy Shallots: For the crispy topping (a must if you ask me) try our crispy fried shallots recipe, or use your favorite store-bought crispy onions like French’s. If you’ve never made crispy shallots before, prepare yourself; you’ll find it hard to stop eating them! They are so delicious. We also add them to this easy green bean salad.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
Making green bean casserole from scratch is pretty simple, and I genuinely think it tastes better than making it from a can. You’ll start by blanching your green beans for 5 minutes in salted boiling water, which makes them bright green and crisp.
Next, you’ll make the homemade mushroom cream sauce. Thanks to a pound of mushrooms, garlic, and shallots, our sauce has so much flavor. We cut the mushrooms small by hand, but you can blitz them in a food processor if you want to reduce the prep time. Then, we cook everything in butter before adding wine, flour, and whisking in the milk. You can stop there but stir in shredded cheese to take this casserole over the top.
Toss in the blanched green beans, slide everything into a baking dish, and bake for 25 minutes until bubbly. Then, just before serving, add lots of homemade crispy shallots or store-bought crispy onions.
Creamy Green Bean Casserole
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Our homemade green bean casserole is made from scratch, starting with fresh green beans tossed in a creamy sauce. The sauce is super flavorful, thanks to mushrooms and melty cheese. Then, to take this casserole over the top, we add lots of homemade crispy shallots right before serving.
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds (680g) green beans, snipped and cut in half
1 pound (450g) crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
6 tablespoons (85g) butter
3 cloves garlic, minced, about 1 tablespoon minced
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine, see notes
2 tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (470ml) whole or reduced-fat milk
2 cups shredded (8oz or 225g) Gruyère cheese, see notes
1/2 teaspoon (3g) fine sea salt, or more to taste
Homemade fried shallots or store-bought fried onions
Directions
- Prepare Green Beans
1Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
- Make Mushroom Sauce
1Melt 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 heat if the vegetables begin to brown too quickly.
2Add white wine and cook, uncovered, until almost completely reduced.
3Stir in flour and cook until no longer lumpy.
4Gradually whisk in milk and bring to a simmer.
5Stir in cheese until melted and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt to taste, starting with 1/4 teaspoon.
- Bake Casserole
1Add cooked green beans to the sauce and toss until well coated. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.
2Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the green beans.
3Let the casserole rest for 5 to 10 minutes after baking. Top with crispy shallots just before serving (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.
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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!