The Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe (Fresh Green Beans)
Upgrade your classic green bean casserole with this delicious recipe using fresh green beans, homemade sauce, and a crunchy onion topping. Perfect for Thanksgiving (or any gathering)!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This green bean casserole, with a homemade mushroom sauce, is so much better than the versions you probably grew up eating. This from-scratch recipe is sure to impress your guests.
Confession: I’ve never liked green bean casserole. With all the stunning dishes on our Thanksgiving table, canned green beans in condensed soup just wasn’t worth the tummy space.
That all ended with this recipe.
My in-laws like green bean casserole, and so I wanted to find something to impress them. I prefer fresh green beans, and I knew we loved Barbara’s homemade mushroom sauce in her cookbook’s Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy recipe.
This recipe has gotten rave reviews from everyone who tried it—even my pickiest child. It is absolutely delicious and SO worth the little bit of extra effort.
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Frequently Asked Questions about Making Fresh Green Bean Casserole
This casserole uses a lot of easy-to-find ingredients. I wanted to cover a few common questions about this recipe to help you when you give it a try.
What kind of green beans should I use in this recipe?
We made this casserole specifically for FRENCH green beans, which are thinner (about the width of a #2 pencil) and cook more quickly than regular green beans.
These beans are also a little more expensive, but the better flavor and even size is worth it for us.
Sometimes you’ll see these labeled Haricots Verts, which is just French for “green beans.”
What kind of mushrooms should I use in this recipe?
We liked the milder flavor of the white button mushrooms. Plus, at our grocery store we can buy them pre-sliced, which makes them even quicker for us to dice.
However, if you really love mushroom flavor, you can substitute for more mature cremini mushrooms (aka Baby Bella mushrooms).
Do I need to cook fresh green beans before you make the casserole?
Cooking the beans before you put them in your casserole sauce makes a big difference in their final texture. If you like your beans to have a little bite, we found a 1 minute cook time left them firm but still tasty. If you like them to be soft, 2 minutes was perfect for our green beans.
What are the best toppings for green bean casserole?
Crispy fried onions are traditional; however, I like to have a little bit of topping in each bite. I also like my topping to be crispy, so I combined the traditional fried onions with panko bread crumbs for the best combo of flavor and texture.
How do I know if my green bean casserole is done?
This is when I like to use my instant-read thermometer! Pull your casserole from the oven when the center reaches a temperature of 160°F.
Easier Thanksgiving Recipes
Make your Thanksgiving dinner prep quicker and easier by using some of our Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes. These recipes have the classic flavors of traditional Thanksgiving favorites, but you can have them on the table in much less time.
Here are some of our most popular Thanksgiving recipes:
- Turkey Breast and Gravy: This pressure cooker turkey breast is the remedy to dried-out oven-roasted white meat on your holiday table.
- Make-ahead Turkey Gravy: If you know you’re going to have a gravy-loving crowd, make it ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about running out!
- Mashed Potatoes: If you only make one dish in your pressure cooker, let it be this one!
- Bread Stuffing: Crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, this Instant Pot stuffing is “baked” in the pressure cooker and crisped up right before serving.
- Cornbread Dressing: A sweet and savory Thanksgiving side dish made with crisp apples, crunchy celery, and fresh herbs.
- Sweet Potato Casserole: Buttery and creamy, this recipe features classic spices and a crunchy pecan topping.
- Jellied Cranberry Sauce: We love to make this instead of serving the canned version—homemade is SO much better tasting.
- Pumpkin Pie: Features the classic pumpkin pie filling in a crumbly Pecan Sandies cookie crust. Best of all, you can make it ahead of Thanksgiving day.
- Sweet Potato Pie: This simple pie has a rich, sweet filling with an easy no-bake crust. Best of all, you can make it ahead of Thanksgiving day. This is another great make-ahead recipe.
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Homemade Fresh Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
Topping
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups canned crispy fried onions about 6 ounces
Beans and Sauce
- 2 pounds fresh green beans French style, ends trimmed, and halved
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 pound white button mushrooms stems trimmed, wiped clean, and broken into ½-inch pieces
- 3 medium cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare the Topping*: If desired, pulse the French fried onions in a mini food processor or blender until the mixture is chopped into small pieces. In a large bowl, stir the French fried onions, panko, salt, and pepper until the mixture is evenly combined. Mix in the softened butter until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Cook the Beans: Put a steamer basket in the bottom of the pressure cooking pot and add 1 cup water. Add the green beans to the basket. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 1 minute cook time for crisp-tender beans or 2 minutes for softer beans.
- While the beans are cooking, prepare the ice water bath. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Set aside.
- When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the steamer basket from the pressure cooking pot and immediately transfer the beans into ice water to stop the cooking. Spread the beans on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
- Make the Sauce: (You can make this on the stovetop over medium heat or with the pressure cooker.) Wipe out the cooking pot and select Saute to preheat the pot. Melt 1 tablespoon butter, then add the mushrooms (if using), garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
- If using mushrooms, cook until mushrooms release moisture and then that liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
- If not using the mushrooms, saute the garlic for 1 minute.
- Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. When melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly until smooth. Slowly add the heavy cream, reduce heat to Normal (Level 3), and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Top and Bake: Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In the pressure cooking pot or large bowl, combine the steamed green beans and mushrooms, if using, with the homemade cream sauce and stir until evenly coated. Pour the beans into an even layer in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with the prepared topping and bake until the top is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Watch closely because it browns quickly. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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