Homemade Green Bean Casserole (2024)

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This Homemade Green Bean Casserole is filled with fresh green beans, mushrooms, thick-cut bacon, fried onions (lots of these), and topped with a crispy bacon Panko topping! It's a holiday must-make and really special with all the fresh ingredients!

There is just no comparison to this Homemade Green Bean Casserole. I know that’s a confident statement to make as a food blogger but I actually really, really mean it!

Filled with fresh green beans, sliced mushrooms, chunks of crispy bacon, fried onions, and topped with a little extra crunchiness from the Panko breadcrumbs, smoky bacon and yes, even more fried onions. I mean, who could resist??

I think most of us grew up on French’s Green Bean Casserole, but once you have had my homemade recipe, there is no going back.

The buttermilk and parmesan cheese sauce that is dressed up with Ranch Dressing Mix is the perfect blend of creamy and herbaceous that coats the fresh green beans & mushrooms.

But, the one thing that I kept the same in this main-stay holiday recipe is the crave-able flavor of French’s Crispy Fried Onions!Because how could I not use those?!

I love mixing them in the casserole and also topping the green beans with more of them before it bakes. The “more isn’t always better” rule doesn’t apply here!

This Homemade Green Bean Casserole will 100% to take you back to your childhood memories except with plenty of fresh ingredients. It’s a holiday table must have. Mmmm, I’m so excited for all the holiday things!

If you’re building your menu and need more side dish ideas, how about my Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes (a classic), Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes (with Hot Honey), (veggie-packed!), or (heavenly)!

Reasons You Will Love My Homemade Green Bean Casserole:

• It’s super fresh! No cans of green beans and cream of mushroom soup.
• You can prep it the day before to make your holiday cooking just a bit easier!
• It’s always a hit and quite possibly the most important side dish on your holiday dinner table.
• What’s not to love about bacon and green beans?!

Ingredient Notes

For the ingredient measurements and entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where therecipe cardis located.

Let’s break it down:

• Fresh green beans: Just snap the ends off and then snap the beans in half for smaller bites. I love using the fresh green beans for a brighter color and more of a crisp-tender green bean.
• Unsalted butter: To control the flavors and the amount of salt, I like to use unsalted butter.
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour works wonderfully in a cream sauce when making the roux.
• Whole milk: Whole milk won’t be as creamy as heavy cream, but mixed with buttermilk it gives you the perfect, creamy texture to coat the green beans and mushrooms.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk is naturally lower in fat than heavy cream but still makes a velvety sauce.
• Grated parmesan cheese: Freshly grated from a block is what I recommend, and not the pre-shredded stuff for the best results.
• Ranch dressing mix: Ranch dressing mix is full of herbs for additional layers of herby flavor.
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon is the perfect flavor enhancer.
• Worcestershire: The savory, umami flavor of Worcestershire is one of my favorite flavor enhancers.
• Fresh thyme: Is the perfect herb balance of savory and sweet. In a pinch, you can use dried thyme.
• Mushrooms: I used the white button mushrooms, but you can use baby bella mushrooms for a deeper, earthier flavor.
• Garlic: mince the garlic to distribute the flavor evenly throughout the casserole.

Step by Step Directions

If you’re at all intimidated by the steps in making a green bean casserole, I’ve got a secret for you. If all you do is use fresh green beans, you’re already elevating the dish! Use 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup if you’d prefer instead of making the homemade sauce and buy pre-cooked bacon bits. (More on these variations can be found below). I know we’re all limited on time, especially during the holiday season, so I get it. I’m with you!

But if you want to stick to the real deal, here we go!

Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.

1. Cook the bacon, let it cool, and then chop it into tiny bits.
2. Blanch the green beans in boiling, salted water until they’re bright green.
3. Plunge them in ice water, drain then pat them dry.
4. Make the creamy parmesan sauce.
5. Saute the mushrooms and garlic.
6. Add the green beans, mushrooms, crispy fried onions and half of the bacon to cream sauce. Stir.
7. Transfer to a 9×13 pan.
8. Top with remaining bacon, some Panko breadcrumbs and crispy fried onions & bake.

Tips and Variations

• For a cheesy option, add one cup of freshly grated cheddar cheese to the green beans when stirring into the cream sauce.
• Not a fan of mushrooms? Just leave them out and increase the amount of green beans or add more fried onions.
• If you just don’t like the texture of mushrooms but still want to add them in, blitz them in the food processor into tiny pieces so you just have the nutty flavor of the mushrooms, but no chunky texture.
• After blanching the green beans pat them dry so the cream sauce perfectly coats the tender crisp green beans.
• If you don’t want to make the homemade cream sauce, use 2 (10.5 oz.) cans of cream of mushroom soup in its place.
• I love using the French’s crispy fried onions, but if you’re feeling fancy you can make your own fried onions or crispy fried shallots.

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