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Crockpot Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Fried Onions.
All homemade, no canned anything, and totally effortless! This cozy classic is made with fresh green beans and mushrooms slow-cooked in a creamy sauce—saving precious oven space and time. Topped with quick skillet-fried shallots (or onions) and crispy, garlicky crumbs, this casserole is a new holiday staple. Simple, comforting, and beyond delicious.
Can you believe this is my first ever green bean casserole? When it comes to Thanksgiving sides, my family likes to stick to the basics—mashed potatoes (always), lots of rolls, and salad. Everything else is optional!
I always include a sweet potato casserole and at least one vegetable dish, depending on the year’s menu. If my mom were cooking, she’d skip the extras altogether and just double up on the potatoes and desserts. We’ve honestly never had green bean casserole on our Thanksgiving table—not even once!
And for the longest time, I never felt inspired to make one either. The traditional version usually calls for canned soup, which isn’t really my thing. And with so many other yummy sides, I didn’t see the appeal.
But after chatting with friends and hearing how many love their Thanksgiving green bean casserole, I decided it was time to finally give it a try. And I’m so glad I did! This version is a little different—fresh, flavorful, and completely made from scratch. I tested it a bunch of times and even got feedback from friends and family. The final version is rich, creamy, crispy, and so comforting… everything you want in a Thanksgiving side, made easier in the crockpot!
Here are the details
Ingredients
- cream cheese
- heavy cream
- broth
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- fresh green beans – I use a pre-trimmed bag from the store (EASY)
- mushrooms
- salted butter
- shallots or onions – I love shallots
- panko
- corn flake crumbs
- smoked paprika
- cayenne pepper
Special Tools
For this casserole, you need a crockpot and a skillet. If you don’t own a crockpot, you can make this casserole on the stove by simmering the ingredients.
The Steps
Step 1: assemble the casserole
Add the cream cheese block to the bowl of your crockpot. Set the crockpot to high and let the cream cheese soften, then whisk until smooth and creamy. This quick step helps prevent any lumps in your sauce later on.
Now add all the remaining ingredients and give everything a gentle mix. You can cook on high if you’re short on time or go low and slow for a few hours. Either way works great!
Step 2: make the crispy topping
Next up—the topping! You can make this ahead of time or right before serving.
Instead of using store-bought fried onions (though they’ll totally work in a pinch), we’re making our own. Cook down thinly sliced shallots or onions until they’re caramelized and golden. Add butter and let it brown, then mix in the panko and crushed cornflakes. Season with smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. The mix turns so crispy, buttery, and flavorful—it makes the casserole!
Step 3: finishing
Once the beans are tender, give the casserole a good stir, then top with your crispy onions. You can serve straight from the crockpot (so easy for the holidays!) or transfer to a pretty serving dish and spoon the topping over just before serving.
Either way, make sure to serve these warm—they’re best when that sauce is creamy and the topping is still crunchy!
To Bake Instead
If you’d rather bake this casserole, follow the recipe as written but use a Dutch oven or a skillet. First, melt the cream cheese, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer everything on the stove over medium until the beans are tender, about 15 minutes. Then top with the crumbs and bake at 350°F for 15–20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Photo by Johnny Miller
Looking for other easy Thanksgiving sides?? Here are my favorites:
Cheesy Mashed Potato Casserole
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks
Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Savory Bacon Pecans
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Green Bean Casserole, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 332 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 3/4 - 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup broth
- 1 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- salt and black pepper
- 4 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed
- 2 cup sliced mushrooms
Crispy Fried Shallots
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 shallots or yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Panko
- 1 cup crushed cornflake crumbs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- 1. Drop the cream cheese into the bowl of your crockpot. Set it to high and let it warm, 5 minutes. Whisk the cream cheese until creamy. Add 1/2 cup of cream, the broth, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in the green beans and mushrooms. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. 2. Before serving, make the topping. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the shallots/onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add 4 more tablespoons of butter. Cook until the butter begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the panko, corn flakes, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Stir the green beans, adding additional cream, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Top with fried crumbs. Serve warm! Optional: You can transfer the green beans to a serving dish, then add the crumbs. Serve warm!
This post was originally published on November 13, 2025
Super easy to make, and they taste even better the next day once the flavors have really had time to soak in!
Hey Lauren,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
I made this for Christmas Eve 2025 and it was perfect. I did the stovetop/oven method and also used all dairy free ingredients (butter and heavy whipping cream). This was so easy to adapt and was enjoyed by all. Don’t skip the topping it makes this dish.
Hey Niki,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
Incredible! Huge hit for my family. I highly recommend cooking on the low temp, the sauce turned out perfectly creamy.
Hey Olivia,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Merry Christmas!🎄🎁
Delicious!
Thanks so much, Rachel! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed!
This green bean casserole turned out great! The slow cooker method worked perfectly for me.
The key to success was adding cornstarch at the end – it really helped thicken the sauce and made it beautifully creamy. For this batch, I used fried onion toppers to keep things simple and easy, which worked well. But next time, I’m definitely going to try the fried shallots and corn flakes topping instead – it sounds absolutely delicious!
Highly recommend this recipe!
Thanks so much, Amy! I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! I hope you had a great holiday!
I wouldn’t cook this on high— that’s probably why the sauce is breaking for some people. Different brands of crockpots may have different “high” temperatures and cream sauces can be finicky. I made sure I whisked the cream cheese and heavy cream very well at the beginning. I cooked it on low for just shy of four hours, no longer. I personally did not need to add more cream, but if you do, do not add cold cream directly from the fridge, let it warm to room temperature first. The consistency of the sauce was spot on for me.
I was worried I wouldn’t like this because classic green casserole is just something you don’t mess with, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would make this again for myself!
Hey Gina,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
I made this on Thanksgiving and it was a hit! For the ratings that aren’t good, I don’t think the dish was made properly. Personally, I found success cooking at a low and slow pace so that the sauce didn’t separate or curdle. When scooping into a separate serving dish, I didn’t add all the sauce because it does indeed thicken quickly, and I didn’t want everything to get lumpy. But there was plenty of sauce already coated on the green beans for it to have flavor. Add in the crispy shallot topping… chefs kiss! I will be making again next year.
Hey Kay,
Happy Sunday! Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!
Absolutely loved this recipe! Will be used on repeat at holidays meals from now on.
Hey Nichole,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! Have a great weekend!
Want to make sure I follow up to offset the negative reviews. Mine came out perfectly. I could see the sauce breaking issue, but once I gave it a good mix and plated it in a casserole dish, it came out perfectly fine. Everyone commented on how good the green beans were. I personally loved the crispy fried shallot topping!
Hey Cristina,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! Have a great weekend!
Delicious!! No canned ingredients! Everyone loved it. After the green beans were done in the crockpot I put them in a baking dish and put the topping on. Then cooked it about 15 minutes at 375°. That made the topping nice and crunchy.
Hey Shar,
Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you!
This recipe was a hit !!! Additional points for being a crockpot recipe and not having to use limited oven space!! I will make this one again and again. Perfect combo of creamy and crunchy!!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Holidays!
These were amazing and my family wants to add them to our regular Thanksgiving menu! I will say I had to stray from your instructions a good bit to get the sauce to be the right consistency. I had to soften the cream cheese for much longer than 5 mins in the crock pot before adding in the cream and broth. I think I let my cream cheese sit in the crock part for close to 35 mins before adding in the liquids and that really helped!
Hey Meghan,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Happy Holidays!
Sadly this just did not work
Hi Ali,
Very sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
Hi! Can I use the bag of French crunchy onions for the topping instead?
Hey Krystal,
Sure! That would also work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! Can I do this in the oven or instapot as opposed to a crockpot? Any tips for how long to bake? Also a little worried about the sauce breaking due to comments, so let me know if you have any tips. Thanks!
Hi Jenna,
So sorry, I have not tested this in the instant pot so I would not recommend that.
If you’d rather bake this casserole, follow the recipe as written but use a Dutch oven or a skillet. First, melt the cream cheese, then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer everything on the stove over medium until the beans are tender, about 15 minutes. Then top with the crumbs and bake at 350°F for 15–20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
Happy Thanksgiving!