This is the Green Bean Casserole you know and love, but SO MUCH BETTER!
With a homemade mushroom-and-thyme cream sauce and crisp fresh green beans, this homemade fresh green bean casserole (without cream soup!) is what EVERY Thanksgiving needs. It’s vegetarian as-is, but easily made vegan and dairy-free with a couple of simple swaps. Perfect for feeding a mixed-diet crowd!
Table of Contents
- What’s In Classic Green Bean Casserole?
- About This Tested & Perfected Recipe
- Fresh Green Been Casserole Ingredients
- Adaptations & Variations
- How to Make Green Bean Casserole
- Tips for Success
- How to Store Green Bean Casserole
- Make-Ahead Notes
- More Holiday Sides
What’s In Classic Green Bean Casserole?
Classic green bean casserole – the kind mom and grandma used to make – likely consisted of canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and a hefty sprinkling of crunchy fried onions.
It was delicious! But this homemade version of green bean casserole is SO much better. Sure, I’m biased, but I truly think you’ll agree!
About This Tested & Perfected Recipe
I worked on this Fresh Green Bean Casserole recipe for three years, testing it every November until I felt it was perfect enough to share. If it finds its way to your Thanksgiving table this year, I’d be honored! And I hope you and your family love it as much as we do.
We start out with butter or a good quality vegan butter (Miyokos is my faaaave these days). Diced onions, earthy mushrooms, and thyme cook down into a deliciously scented situation, then a pour of dry sherry adds a punch of savory goodness.
Flour is stirred in, and then veggie broth and milk – along with a touch of soy sauce for another hit of flavor (it’s a weird ingredient, but trust me!)
The sauce thickens and bubbles and is absolutely perfect for coating the fresh green beans.
The crispy fried onions are where the homemade situation stops (sorry) – they’re straight from a grocery store container. I think they’re amazing just the way they are, but you can totally go with homemade if you’re feeling industrious.
I like the looks of this recipe here for homemade French fried onions (it does call for buttermilk but if you’re making a vegan version of this casserole, you can make it vegan by making your own buttermilk with your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk + vinegar).
Fresh Green Been Casserole Ingredients
- Fresh green beans – Select firm (not shriveled) fresh green beans. You’ll want one and a half pounds of fresh beans, with the ends trimmed off and the beans cut into 3-4 inch pieces.
- Butter – Use your favorite unsalted butter or vegan butter.
- Onion – I like to use plain ol’ yellow onion, but red or white will work, too.
- Mushrooms – I really like how cremini mushrooms look and taste in this healthy green bean casserole, but you can swap in white button mushrooms if you prefer. It’ll work either way.
- Thyme – I like to use dried thyme in this green bean casserole because fresh thyme is sometimes harder to come by in later fall. But if you have fresh, just use about a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves.
- Salt & pepper
- Sherry – You’ll want a dry sherry. It pairs so well with the mushrooms and thyme and really highlights those savory flavors. Note that if you use cooking sherry instead of dry sherry, cooking sherry already has a lot of salt added in. So I’d leave the salt out then taste the sauce and add any if necessary.
- Vegetable broth – Grab your favorite store bought brand or go homemade! I love to save my vegetable scraps and make veggie broth from scratch.
- Milk – Use 2% or whole dairy milk, or a plant-based milk like unsweetened oat milk or almond milk.
- Soy sauce – I know it seems like a weird ingredient for Green Bean Casserole! But it adds a nice little touch of umami flavor that REALLY works here. Think of it as your secret ingredient!
- Crispy fried onions – Use your favorite store-bought brand.
Adaptations & Variations
- Dairy-Free & Vegan Green Bean Casserole: If you’re a green bean casserole lover but have to shy away because of the dairy situation, it’s your lucky day! Just use vegan butter and almond milk or another unsweetened plant-based milk (oat milk is also great).
- No-Mushroom Green Bean Casserole: Not a fan of mushrooms? No problem! Just leave them out, or if you want to add some more veggies and flavor, you can sauté a bit of celery and even some diced carrots with the onion instead.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole
First, you’ll want to blanch your green beans. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a couple of generous pinches of salt, then add the beans and boil for about 5 minutes.
If you’re making the casserole right away, you can strain the beans into a colander and set aside. But if the beans are going to be sitting for a while or you’re prepping for a make-ahead situation, dunk the beans into an ice bath first. Fill a large bowl full of cold water and add a handful of ice cubes. Transfer beans to the bowl and let sit for a minute or two until cold. Drain water. Your fresh green beans are ready to be casserolified (that should totally be a word)!
Make your sauce, then toss the cooked green beans in the sauce.
Then, you’ll transfer the beans and sauce to a casserole dish, top generously with crispy onions, cover with foil, and bake.
THEN! You’ll remove the foil and bake for a bit more. Gotta get those onions nice and perfectly crispy.
Tips for Success
- JUST blanch the green beans – don’t overcook them. You don’t want soggy, overcooked beans in your casserole.
- Remove the foil for the last few minutes of cooking. This will help the onion topping get nice and perfectly crispy.
How to Store Green Bean Casserole
Cover the leftover cooled casserole with foil or plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave in 30 second increments or in the oven until completely warmed through.
Make-Ahead Notes
Looking to make green bean casserole ahead of the big day? Smart! Here are my tips for make-ahead success:
- You can assemble this casserole up to 3 days ahead of time. Prepare it up to the point of pouring the beans and cream sauce into your casserole dish, but do NOT top with the French fried onions, because they’ll get soggy if they hang out on the casserole in the fridge. Then, tightly cover the casserole and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. When it’s time to bake it, pull it out of the fridge, top with fried onions, and bake as directed.
- When prepping ahead, shock your green beans. After cooking your beans, dunk them into an ice bath (just fill a large bowl full of cold water and add a handful of ice cubes). Transfer your cooked beans to the bowl of water and let sit in there for a minute or two until cold. This stops the cooking so that the beans won’t be overcooked in your casserole. Then just drain the water and your fresh green beans are ready to go.
More Holiday Sides
- Easy Green Beans Almondine
- Buttery Herb Stuffing
- Lemon Garlic Kale Salad
- Vegetarian Onion Gravy
- Mushroom Gravy
- Herbed Wild Rice Quinoa Stuffing
- Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
- Fluffy Dinner Rolls
Fresh Green Bean Casserole (Without Cream Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 pounds fresh green beans (about 6 cups, trimmed and cut into 3-4 inch pieces)
- 4 + 1 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced small (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, diced small (about 2 cups / I go with a 1/2-inch dice or smaller)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 and 1/2 cups crispy fried onions*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook the green beans
- Set a large pot 1/2 full of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add a couple of generous pinches of salt and then the trimmed and cut green beans. Return to a boil and cook until tender, 5 minutes for beans with a bit of a bite, 6 minutes for beans that are more cooked. If you're cooking the casserole right away, you can strain the beans into a colander and set aside. If the beans are going to be sitting for a while and/or you're prepping for a make-ahead situation, dunk the beans into an ice bath first to stop them from overcooking. Fill a large bowl full of cold water and add a handful of ice cubes. Transfer beans to the bowl and let sit for a minute or two until cold. Drain water.
Make the sauce
- Set a large saute pan or a stock pot over medium-low heat. Add 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the vegan butter. When melted, add the onion, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and mushrooms are tender and much of the liquid from the mushrooms has cooked off, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sherry and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, about 1 minute.
- Add the flour and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. If the flour begins to really stick to the bottom of the pan, add a splash of the vegetable broth to help loosen it and keep it from burning.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth and then the almond milk and soy sauce, stirring constantly, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened and bubbling. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Assemble the casserole
- Stir the green beans into the sauce, tossing until coated. Taste green bean mixture and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Pour the green bean and sauce mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle crispy onions evenly over the top. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegan butter then drizzle over the top of the onions.
Bake the casserole
- Cover with foil and bake until bubbling, 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the crispy onions are toasty and golden, about 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and serve!
Notes
Vegan & Dairy Free Option
Just two easy changes make this recipe completely vegan and dairy-free.- Swap the butter for vegan butter. I love Miyokos unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Swap the milk for an unsweetened plant-based milk. I like unsweetened almond milk or oat milk for this recipe.
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real recipes. No A.I. here! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
This vegan green bean casserole tastes just like the traditional version. I took this to our family thanksgiving dinner and received lots of compliments!
I’m so happy it was a hit! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for posting such a lovely recipe! I am eating it right now and I’m very impressed. Absolutely my favorite green bean casserole recipe of all time. Such a simple recipe but so delicious!