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Crockpot Green Bean Casserole is perfect for the holidays – that same classic flavor you love, but you can free up some space in the oven for other holiday favorites!
My mama used to be in charge of Thanksgiving and I always wondered how she did it. She has a single oven and yet, she managed to feed all of us a big ol’ holiday meal.
Sure, we’d all pitch in and bring a few dishes too, but still. How do you cook a big giant turkey plus all the fixings with just one oven? Moms are magic.
These days, Thanksgiving is at my house and I’m the host. Luckily, I have a double oven, so things are a bit easier. (I use the crockpot to make crockpot ham too and that helps!)
I still have to be careful on timing and get creative, which is where this slow cooker green bean casserole comes into play.
It has all the classic flavors you love (with a homemade cream of mushroom soup!!), but it cooks in the crockpot! Talk about a life saver when your oven is full of turkey and baked mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole and cheesy hashbrown casserole…Okay, it sounds like we have a potato problem in this house. Haha!
Oh, and if you have oven space and love bacon – try our green bean casserole with bacon next time!
Ingredient Notes:
Cream of Mushroom – You’re going to need fresh diced mushrooms for the homemade cream of mushroom soup. We use white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms in this recipe. You’ll also need butter, flour, milk, and chicken broth.
Green Beans – French cut or regular cut green beans from the freezer section are what you’ll need.
What Readers are Saying!
“This recipe was phenomenal! Made it for Thanksgiving and the whole family loved it and had seconds!” – Chrissy S.
How to Make Green Bean Casserole:
Cream of Mushroom: First up, we’re skipping the cans of cream soup. I’m all about convenience foods and shortcuts, but not on Thanksgiving. Let’s make this guy from scratch and marvel in the deliciousness.
First up, you’ll want to melt some butter in a skillet and then toss in your mushrooms. Things are about to smell real good. Sauté those mushrooms and then sprinkle in some flour and stir to coat the mushrooms.
Stir in some chicken broth and milk and you’ve got a perfect swap for cream of mushroom soup! Genius, right?
Combine: Now, add your frozen French cut green beans to your slow cooker and dump that homemade cream of mushroom soup right on top, along with some grated cheddar and fried onions!
Am I the only who could eat those little fried onions like potato chips? They’re addicting!
SUBSTITIONS!
Not everyone enjoys the little fried onions as much as I do. Lucky for you, there are lots of good crunchy alternatives you could try:
- Crushed Ritz crackers add buttery goodness. Crumble them on after the dish has cooked.
- Panko bread crumbs are always popular! Sprinkle on after cooking.
- Thinly sliced almonds will also add that perfect crunchy texture. You can stir these in during cooking or after, if you like it extra crunchy.
Slow Cook: Cover your crockpot and cook on high for about 3 hours or low for about 6 hours. You just want everything hot and creamy when it comes out of the slow cooker. Sprinkle on some extra fried onions before serving!
That’s it! Your homemade green bean casserole is ready to go!
Isn’t this just the easiest recipe for green bean casserole ever? So simple, but man, it’s a total hit!
FAQs:
Yes, you can store this casserole for about 3 to 5 days. Leftover green bean casserole tastes just as good when it’s been reheated, though you’ll lose the crunch of the fried onions.
To make this crockpot green bean casserole in advance, combine everything and place in a covered dish in the fridge. Add to the crockpot the day of serving and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours. Sprinkle with extra fried onions just before serving.
More Thanksgiving Favorites:
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Pumpkin Crunch Cake
- Keto Pumpkin Pie
Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces diced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 32 ounces frozen green beans
- 1 cup grated cheddar
- 6 ounces French’s fried onions
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat and melt.
- Once butter has melted, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and stir to coat.
- Stir in the chicken broth, milk, and salt, cooking over medium heat and stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the frozen green beans to a 5-6 quart slow cooker and top with the mushroom mixture.
- Add the grated cheddar and half of the fried onions. Stir well to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until cheese is melted and mixture is hot and bubbly.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Sprinkle with remaining fried onions before serving.
Toni says
This is one of my side dishes for Thanksgiving, about how many people will this recipe feed. Having corn for the other veg,
Karly says
It should serve around 8-10.
Not typically a fan of GB Casserole says
My favorite dish this thanksgiving!!
Karly says
Oh, love to hear that! Hope you had a fabulous holiday!
Ashley says
I cannot wait to make this recipe! Love the fact that there is no canned soup too! I just have one question (that you may have already answered..Sorry!) If I wanted to use fresh green beans and not frozen or canned, would I need to change the cook time or precook the green beans at all? Thank you for your help and providing amazing recipes!
Karly says
Hi Ashley! I haven’t tried this with fresh green beans, but I would recommend boiling or steaming them first to at least partially cook them. 🙂
Chrissy Seals says
This recipe was phenomenal! Made it for thanksgiving and the whole family loved it and had seconds!
Karly says
So glad to hear that! 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful holiday!
Deborah says
Help!  Can’t get my cream of mushroom soup to thicken! Â
Karly says
Turn up the heat a bit and it should thicken right up. 🙂
Bonita says
I found a recipe on line for crockpot  dressing that also makes the turkey cook faster and the house smells like heaven…This sounds crazy but a dear sweet Italian woman told me to cover my whole turkey in Mayonnaise just before I put in the oven (have done this for over 30 years) & it’s moist & delicious… Happy Thanksgiving…Bonita
Vicki Davey says
I’d love to see your recipe for crock pot dressing!
Laura says
I grew up eating Green Bean Casserole every single Thanksgiving, and TBH, have not made it myself once. Â But I do like the idea of making my own cream of mushroom, so easy, thanks for the inspiration! Â It might just make the menu this year!