The Best Green Bean Casserole with Cream Cheese and Fried Onions Simply Made Eats

Name: The Best Green Bean Casserole with Cream Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, washed, dried, stems removed and each bean broken in half; 4 tablespoons salted butter; 4 white mushrooms, washed and dried, remove stems and dice the tops into smaller pieces; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tablespoons all purpose flour; 1 cup whole milk; 1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken stock (depends on thickness of roux, heat levels, etc); 4 ounces softened cream cheese; 1 cup cheddar cheese (4 ounces), grated from the block; 1 small to medium yellow onion (or use half a large onion); 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk; 2 teaspoons hot sauce; 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt, plus about 2 teaspoons for topping after frying; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 2 cups frying oil (Canola or Vegetable)

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Green Bean Casserole with Cream Cheese is the classic Thanksgiving side dish we all know and love, but with a few extra flavor bursts! We're making our own creamy roux, without the canned soup, and topping the dish with homemade fried onions. Get ready to watch everyone devour these veggies!

Green bean casserole topped with fried onions.

I'm one of those people who have certain expectations for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm always looking for fresh cranberry sauce, homemade yeast rolls and Green Bean Casserole. The problem is that a lot of green bean casseroles fall short on flavor.

Canned green beans or using cream of mushroom soup makes the taste bland or fake, so we're tossing both of those ingredients and making this from scratch.

For more of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, try these Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots, Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Casserole and White Cheddar Mac and Cheese.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Ingredients:
Substitutions and Variations:
How to Make Green Bean Casserole:
Expert Tips:
Recipe FAQs:
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Will Love:
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:

Big on Taste. There's so many textures in this recipe from the perfectly cooked green beans and creamy sauce to the crispy fried onion topping.
Easy to Follow Instructions. This green bean recipe has quite a few steps, but I'll walk you through each step so we get the most delicious results. I promise, it's worth it.
A Holiday Classic. A must have Thanksgiving side dish.
From Scratch. On the holidays when you have a full day off for cooking, it's fun to make dishes from scratch.
Prep it Ahead. If you're making this casserole for Thanksgiving or Christmas, prep it the day ahead, and keep the onions separate from the casserole until baking.

For another addicting green bean recipe, try these Green Beans with Brown Sugar.

Ingredients:

Note: Frying Oil Not Pictured (You Will Need 2 cups of Vegetable or Canola Oil.)

Green Beans: We're using fresh green beans for this recipe and blanching them before baking. They still have a tiny bit of crunch at serving, which I love.

A Classic Roux: Butter and Flour are used in this recipe to help thicken the creamy sauce.

Mushrooms & Garlic: For texture and extra flavors. I used white mushrooms for this recipe.

Milk, Cream Cheese and Cheddar Cheese: Adds flavor and creaminess to the roux. For the cheddar cheese I used Cabot aged white cheddar from Costco, and it was fantastic.

Chicken Stock: Thins out the roux into a creamier, less chunky texture.

Fried Onions: Sliced thinly, coated in buttermilk and dredged in flour, then fried and salted. This topping is what really makes this casserole special.

See the recipe card below for the full recipe ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations:

Not big on mushrooms? Leave them out.

Need it to be vegetarian? Sub out the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water.

Don't want to fry up onions? Use the store-bought French's Fried Onions, but heat them up before serving in a pan or in the oven. You could also experiment with air frying, but I have not tested it.

The Cheddar Cheese can be substituted with Monterey Jack or Havarti.

The Whole Milk can be swapped out for 2% milk, but I wouldn't suggest skim because of the low fat content.

Big on Cheesy Recipes? Try these Garlic Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Cheesy Stuffed Garlic Bread and Marry Me Chicken Tortellini.

How to Make Green Bean Casserole:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the green beans. Peel the skin from the onion and slice into skinny onion rings. Note: It's fine if some of them break apart a bit. You want them about ⅓ to ½ the width of a typical onion ring. Set aside.

Step 2: Add the green beans to the boiling water and allow them to cook for 4-5 minutes. While they are boiling, prepare a large bowl for the ice bath with 3 cups ice and 3 cups of cold water. After boiling, remove the green beans from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and add into the ice bath. After 5 minutes in the ice bath, remove the green beans from the water and place into a casserole dish. Note: The casserole dish I use is about 8x10. I prefer a smaller than 9x13 for this recipe, unless you're doubling it.

Step 3: Into a large deep skillet, over medium low heat, melt the butter. Add in mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Stir and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and stir to combine.

Step 4: Sprinkle in flour and stir into the mixture for about a minute, until it all looks wet.

Step 5: Slowly pour in milk and continuously stir with wooden spoon until no chunks of flour and butter remain. Turn heat to low. When it starts to thicken too much, use a bit of chicken stock to thin it out a bit. It should be creamy in texture and easy to stir without any really large lumps. (Note: It might not require all the chicken stock).

Step 6: Add the cream cheese to the milk mixture in small spoonfuls, so they melt easier. Once almost melted, add in ½ cup of cheddar cheese and stir. It should melt really quickly into the sauce.

Green bean casserole in dish topped with cheese.

Step 7: Pour the cream cheese mixture over the green beans in the casserole dish and toss to combine. Cover with remaining half cup of cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Step 8: Fry the Fried Onions: Get 2 medium sized bowls ready. In bowl 1: Combine buttermilk and hot sauce and whisk. Then add the onions right into the bowl and soak for a few minutes. In bowl 2: Combine flour with 1 teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.

Step 9: Work in about 4 batches and take the onions from the buttermilk and dunk into the flour mixture, coating every portion of each onion. Transfer to a cookie sheet and spread the onions out.

Step 10: Pour 2 cups of oil into a Dutch Oven and heat to 350 degrees. The best way to know the accurate temperature is with a candy thermometer. Work in 3 to 4 batches and fry the onions until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes each batch.

Homemade fried onions on paper towel lined plate.

Step 11: Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle about ½ teaspoon of salt over each batch. Repeat the batches until finished.

Step 12: Optional: Once the casserole is baked, broil on high for 3-4 minutes to get the cheese crispy on top. Then allow to cool out of the oven for about 5 minutes.

Step 13: Top the dish with the homemade fried onions.

Step 14: Serve and enjoy!

Expert Tips:

Shred the cheese from a block for the best melt. Don't use bagged pre-shredded cheese because they using anti-caking agents that don't melt well.
Don't cook the green beans for longer than 6 minutes or they might get on the mushy side.
The oil will drop in temperature once the onions are added, so it's really important to let it reach 350 degrees before adding them. Use a candy thermometer for the most proper reading.
If you decide to double the recipe for a larger crowd, you only need to double the ingredients for the casserole itself and serve in a 9x13 dish. You will have enough fried onions for topping the whole dish, unless you decide to separate into 2 casserole dishes (even then you will probably be fine and just put less on each dish).

If you're looking for a main course to pair with these Green Beans, try this Double Smoked Ham, Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast, or Oven Roasted Turkey Legs.

Recipe FAQs:

How to Make Green Bean Casserole without Canned Soup?

It's really simple and starts with butter and sautéed mushrooms. Next, we add flour to create a roux, which thickens the mixture, followed by milk, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. The flavors are fresh, creamy and delish!

Can I prep this ahead?

Absolutely! Prep the green bean casserole all the way until the baking portion, then wrap with plastic and store in the fridge overnight. Make the fried onions, allow them to cool completely and store in the fridge separately overnight. Bake the next day, and add the onions to the top for a minutes at the end of baking to warm them up. Don't broil with the onions or they will burn.

Storage:

Store the casserole in the fridge with plastic wrap for up to 2-3 days for the best freshness. To reheat, tent the casserole with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees or until hot.

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Will Love:

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