Classic Green Bean Casserole

Green Bean Casserole is a Thanksgiving staple at our house. It is creamy, crunchy, delicious, and so easy to make.

I would honestly make green bean casserole regularly if my husband would let me. In my humble opinion, this is the best green bean casserole recipe. It is hands down, my favorite Thanksgiving side dish and I don’t think a Thanksgiving meal would be complete without it.

I have tried so many homemade green bean casserole recipes, the best of the best green bean casserole “from scratch” recipes, but I still honestly just love my variation of the recipe from the back of the French’s Crispy Onions can the best! This recipe is referred to as the Classic Green Bean Casserole, Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole, or the Classic French’s Green Bean Casserole. 

In my opinion, this is the BEST Green Bean Casserole – to me, it tastes like being home for the holidays and time with family – if you could give that a taste. It is absolutely the ultimate comfort food and I can never get enough of it.

🥘 Ingredients Needed

• Cream of Mushroom Soup – I have tested this recipe using Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup as well as the store brand from Aldi and both versions came out great.
• Milk – Whole milk is best, but you honestly can use what you have in the house. The last time I made this, I used 2% milk and it came out great.
• Black Pepper – I like to use coarse ground black pepper for the pepperiest-flavor.
• Green Beans – Canned, fresh, or frozen green beans (I prefer to use French Cut canned green beans because they get really soft and absorb all the tasty flavors of the cream of mushroom, pepper, and milk. (For some of the older pictures in this post, I used fresh green beans from our garden that I had frozen over the summer. I still prefer the french cut in a can!) If you are using fresh green beans, be sure to blanch them and if you are using frozen, be sure to prepare them as directed – they may need to be steamed in the microwave before being added to the casserole. (We had SO many green beans in the garden!)

• Crispy Fried Onions – Honestly, green bean casserole is not green bean casserole unless it is green bean casserole with french fried onions. French’s brand is definitely the best – I’ve tested a few brands and if you want the crispiest onions, French’s is definitely the best. (One might even call this “French’s Green Bean Casserole!)

🍽 Equipment Needed

• A Baking Dish – I like to use the larger of this set from Staub, it is 10. 5×7. 5-inch but an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch square baking dish will work as well.
• A Spoon for Mixing

🥣 How to Make It

Here’s how to make green bean casserole. It’s seriously so easy. First, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Then mix the cream of mushroom with milk and pepper. (You can do this directly in a baking dish or in a large bowl. I like to just mix it all in the baking dish. When prepping for a holiday, the less dishes to wash, the better.) (Pictures 1 – 4)

Next, add green beans. (Picture 5) Then and ⅔ cup of the crispy onions and mix well. (Picture 6)

It really is so easy to make!

Bake for 30 minutes. (Picture 7)

Remove from the oven and stir really well. (Picture 8)

Then add a top layer using the remaining ⅔ cup of crispy onions and bake for 5 more minutes until the onions are slightly browned. I like to add extra crispy onions – we love them so much so we probably add about a full cup. (Some people might think this is too much so do what you know your family likes!) (Picture 9 – 10)

Serve immediately.

Fresh from the oven – look at how the soup gets all bubbly – it is so good!

Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. We like to eat Thanksgiving leftovers for days – cold turkey sandwiches are the best!)

🍱 Recipe Yield

This recipe will yield 6 – 8 servings depending on how much everyone eats. (I like about 3 servings for myself!)

🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating

Once cooled, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (It will probably last a full week, but the onions will get really soggy and the quality definitely won’t be as good.)

To reheat, I recommend putting a portion in a small baking dish (like the smaller dish in this set) and baking it in the oven for a few minutes at around 350°F. This will allow the crispy onions to get a little crispy again.

🍗 What can you serve with Green Bean Casserole?

Here are some of my other favorite Thanksgiving Recipes:

🥘 Looking for more green bean casserole recipes?

Here are some honorable Mentions for “Other Great Green Bean Casserole Recipes”:

• Paula Deen’s Green Bean Casserole
• Pioneer Woman’s Green Bean Casserole
• Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole
• Alton Brown’s Not Your Mama’s Green Bean Casserole
• Spend with Pennies Green Bean Casserole
• Vegan Green Bean Casserole (from the Minimalist Baker)
• Keto Green Bean Casserole (from the Low Carb Maven)
• Green Bean Casserole with Cheese
• Cream Cheese and Bacon Green Bean Casserole (from This is Not Diet Food)
• Southern Green Bean Casserole (from Southern Living)

Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!

This recipe was originally published on November 24, 2020, but has been updated with new images and more helpful tips!