Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole is creamy, savory, and tastes just like the classic — made gluten free and more delicious from the addition of garlic-butter mushrooms, a homemade creamy mushroom sauce, and crispy shallot topping. No canned condensed soup needed for this re-imagined classic.
“Started making this a few years ago for Thanksgiving because my sister-in-law is gluten free – now I bring it every year, and every year it’s a hit! The homemade cream of mushroom soup is truly what puts it over the top. Thanks for a great recipe.”
My easy Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole was originally titled “omg Green Bean Casserole” because OMG, this holiday dinner staple is so good I nearly shed a tear after scraping up the last few bites!
While canned fried onions and cream of mushroom soup have a lock on traditional Green Bean Casserole – neither are typically gluten free. Problem solved with this re-imagined, gluten free Thanksgiving side dish recipe with major flavor thanks to…
- Crispy Shallots: thinly sliced shallot rings are pan fried then sprinkled on top of the casserole as a slightly more sophisticated swap for canned onion rings. They give each bite a craveable, caramelized-onion flavor and crunch, and are my favorite part of the dish.
- No Condensed Soups: true, there are gluten free condensed soups options at the grocery store nowadays, but to my knowledge none of them are gluten-free AND dairy-free, which is important to many, including my family. My homemade, Gluten-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup calls for fridge and pantry staples and can be easily made dairy free. It creates the most luscious mushroom sauce!
- Garlic-Butter Mushrooms: while I was GF’ing this recipe I figured I might as well improve upon it so I added sizzling, sauted garlic-butter mushrooms into the mix. Trust me when I tell you this is a MAJOR UPGRADE.
Ingredients Needed
- Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup: opening a can of soup sounds easier than making a batch from scratch, but this version takes less than 10 minutes to make.
- Mushrooms: the addition of sauteed garlic-butter mushrooms in this casserole really elevates the flavor. I use button mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms.
- Butter: for sauting the mushrooms. Use plant-based butter to make this green bean casserole dairy-free.
- Garlic: sizzles with the butter and mushrooms.
- Homemade Seasoned Salt: is an easy way to add lots of flavor, plus it’s made with 4 everyday ingredients.
- Green Beans: I prefer canned green beans in this recipe though you can use fresh green beans if you prefer. I’ll outline the method below.
- Shallots: thinly sliced shallots become audibly crispy after being briefly pan fried in extra virgin olive oil. Yes you CAN use a can of gluten free french fried onions instead, but the fried shallots are extra special if you can swing it!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: for shallow frying the shallot rings.
Canned vs Fresh Green Beans
While a fresh green bean side dish always has a place at the holiday dinner table, I actually prefer canned green beans for traditional green bean casserole. It’s hard to beat the texture, taste, and convenience.
That said, if you MUST use fresh green beans, you’ll need ~4 cups trimmed and chopped green beans. I recommend blanching them for 5 minutes in a large pot (meaning, boil them for 5 minutes then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process) before baking to ensure they cook all the way through. I personally dislike frozen green beans, and do not recommend them for this recipe.
Whether you have to eat gluten free or not, this easy Green Bean Casserole is not be missed this holiday season. I was not kidding when I talked about tearing up when the last bite was gone. Once you try my gluten-free green bean casserole recipe, you will NEVER make another!
Pair with Wild Rice Stuffing
GF Green Bean Casserole Overview
- Step 1: Saute the garlic-butter mushrooms.
- Step 2: Make the homemade Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup.
- Step 3: Combine the mushrooms and soup with canned green beans and seasonings in a casserole dish then bake until hot and bubbly.
- Step 5: Pan fry shallot rings then sprinkle on top of the casserole.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Saute the Garlic-Butter Mushrooms
Start by melting butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat then add sliced mushrooms.
Saute until the mushrooms release their liquid, the liquid cooks off, and the mushrooms turn golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic, season generously with homemade seasoned salt and pepper, then saute until the garlic is very fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.
My homemade seasoned salt adds a TON of flavor to this dish and is beyond easy to make – it’s just a mixture of salt, paprika, onion and garlic powders. I hardly ever use regular salt when cooking! You’ll love it.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients in a casserole dish.
Scoop the mushrooms into a medium-sized baking dish, like an 8×8″ or similar, then add canned green beans that have been drained, an extra shake of seasoned salt, plus a batch of Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Feel free to make the homemade soup several days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Step 3: Bake the casserole.
Use a spatula to fold everything together then bake in a 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Make the crispy shallot topping.
While the beans are cooking, wipe the skillet out with a wet paper towel or a dish cloth to remove any bits of garlic that might burn and turn bitter during the shallot frying process. Then, thinly slice shallots and separate them into rings.
Heat extra virgin olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat then, once the oil is hot, add half the shallots and fry until golden brown. I like to gently shake the skillet, and stir every now and again, to make sure they fry evenly.
Recipe Tip
Be sure to remove the shallot rings from the oil when they’re golden brown. Dark brown will taste burnt.
Scoop the fried shallots onto a paper towel lined plate to drain then sprinkle with salt. Fry/drain/salt the remaining shallots.
Sprinkle the fried shallots on top of the Green Bean Casserole then bake for 5 more minutes. Let the casserole cool for 10 minutes or so then scoop and serve.
Recipe Tip
Some of these fried shallots look soggy but I assure you that even the very light golden brown fried shallots are still crispy – YUM!
Can I Make the Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time?
This is a great dish to prep ahead of time up until the point of baking.
- 24-48 hours ahead of time: saute the mushrooms, make the Cream of Mushroom Soup, then stir together with the drained, canned green beans in the casserole dish. Cover then refrigerate for up to two days.
Uncover and let the baking dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking according to recipe instructions.
More Gluten Free Holiday Side Dishes
- Green Beans and Bacon
- Gluten Free Gravy
- Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing
- Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Best Ever Wild Rice Stuffing
- Gluten Free Stuffing
- Healthier Mashed Potatoes
- Party Potatoes Deluxe
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper, see notes
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2, 15 oz cans cut green beans, drained
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups sliced shallots, ~4 large shallots
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add prepared Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup to a medium sized baking dish then set aside. Layer a few paper towels on a large plate then set aside.
- Heat butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat then add mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms release their liquid, the liquid cooks off, and the mushrooms are golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper then add garlic and continue to saute until garlic is very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Scrape mushrooms into the baking dish with the prepared soup then add green beans and a bit more seasoned salt. Mix with a spatula to combine then bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Meanwhile, carefully wipe out the skillet with a wet paper towel to remove any bits of garlic that might remain in the bottom, as they will burn and turn bitter when pan-frying the shallots. Add extra virgin olive oil then heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half the shallots then fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Remove shallots to paper towel-lined plate to drain then sprinkle with salt. Fry/drain/salt remaining shallots.
- Top bubbling casserole with fried shallots then bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes then scoop onto plates and serve.
Notes
- Feel free to swap the homemade shallot rings for canned gluten free onion rings – bake according to package directions.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This has become my family’s go-to recipe for green bean casserole. We look forward to making it every Thanksgiving.
I’m so glad to hear it! I wistfully think about it often in the summer time. :D
Hi! Made this for Christmas, sadly none of us really cared for it. Couldn’t get passed the aluminum taste of the canned green beans. If we used frozen ones, would we just defrost them ahead of time and make sure there’s no extra water?
It also came out very soupy. I’ll admit I used canned soup, would that have made a difference?
Hi Carolyn! What brand of green beans did you use? That could affect the tinniness flavor of the green beans. I personally don’t care for the texture of frozen>thawed green beans so I wouldn’t recommend them for this dish. If they don’t bother you though, yep, you’re right on track, I would just make sure they’re very dry before baking. For the soup – that would definitely depend on the brand and it’s thickness. My homemade soup is on the thick side so it doesn’t come out watery.
Our thanksgiving plans were cancelled at the ladt minute this year, but it turned into a goid thing, I love thanksgiving food and cooking my way. I wanted green bean casserole, but no nasty canned soup since I found this recipe. Since it was so last minute I didn’t have time to make my own onions, but this recipes is so good, so much better. I need to make it more often now.
It sounds like, from reading the comments, canned green beans are the way to go. Too bad they looks so terrible. Have you ever made this with fresh green beans? Would I need to bake it longer?
I am wondering the same thing. I bought fresh green beans so I have to use those!
I’ve never tried using fresh green beans but I’d probably cook/steam them to your desired texture before baking.
Good Morning Kristin,
I love this recipe and served it last year at a holiday Thanksgiving gathering. This year no Holiday Thanksgiving gathering with friends but making this again. My family loved it. My only question is what size pan did you make this casserole in. Last year I made a huge pan . . . this year is different!!!!
Thanks,
Janice
My daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiacs and I am trying to plan thanksgiving dinner. This recipe looks delicious ?! Have you ever made it the day before? I’d like to get everything done ahead of time so I can enjoy the day too. Any advice? Thank you!
Good recipe
I made this for thanksgiving and it was delicious! i would even say better than the original green bean casserole dish!
I’m planning to make it again for Christmas :)
Green bean casserole is a family favorite and this recipe does not disappoint. It is so tasty. This grandma had the crazy idea of adding diced chicken to it for a complete gluten-free, dairy-free casserole. It was a huge hit. Mr. Picky Eater grandson said the only problem was I should have made two. One for him and one for everyone else!!! On the menu again for tomorrow night. Two this time. :-)
Made this and loved it. Shared it with my group. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is my 2nd Thanksgiving bringing this to the family get-together. My sister-in-law is gluten free, but everyone enjoys it. Thank you, Kristen!
Also, for those of you asking, I have made this ahead. I keep the green bean portion in the fridge overnight and even fry the shallots before I leave home – just bring them along and add at final bake ?
I also hope to make this casserole for Thanksgiving. Seems it is always busy in the kitchen that day. Can I make the fried shallots a few days ahead? Any other suggestions on making this casserole a day or so early
I now have a go-to recipe for green bean casserole; thanks, Kristin! This was way better than the original ( and no weird glop!!).
I’m so glad you loved it, Patrice! Thanks for your feedback!