This Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole recipe skips the canned soup in favor of a rich mushroom cream sauce thickened with cream cheese. You can use fresh or frozen green beans, and of course, it is topped with the best crispy gluten-free fried onions. This recipe is made without a roux or canned soup, making it the perfect balance of easy and flavorful.
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I'm a huge fan of all the classic Thanksgiving side dishes. And I have made them all GF as part of my Thanksgiving recipe series. This includes gluten free sweet potato casserole, GF stuffing, and my favorite cranberry sauce. Grab a slice of turkey and a gluten free crescent roll, let's get this party started.
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📖Why My Recipe Works
This gluten-free version is made entirely without flour, but don't worry, I didn't compromise that delicious, thick, and creamy texture. Instead, I combined techniques from my Madeira mushroom recipe and my gluten free potato soup.
- Grinding up dried mushrooms and using them in place of gluten-free flour not only thickens the sauce but also adds a rich flavor to the homemade mushroom sauce. This means we don't have to use any canned soup.
- Adding a little cream cheese creates a condensed soup-like texture that coats every green bean for the saucy casserole vibe you love.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Green Beans - I like to keep it super simple by using frozen green beans. Be sure to defrost, rinse, and pat them dry before adding them to the casserole. You can use cut, whole, or French-style haricot verts. If you'd rather use blanched fresh green beans, that's totally fine-it just takes a little extra prep work. Simply chop the green beans into smaller pieces, blanch them, drain them well, then pat them dry.
- Mushrooms - To make our homemade cream of mushroom soup, we're using a mix of fresh cremini mushrooms and dried mushrooms. Use any type of fresh mushrooms like baby bellas or cremini. For dried mushrooms, try porcini or a wild mix. This adds a delicious umami flavor to the creamy sauce.
- Broth - You can use chicken broth or keep this dish vegetarian with veggie broth.
- Cream Cheese - Just a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese helps to thicken the homemade cream sauce and gives it a richer flavor.
- Half-and-Half - You can also use a mix of heavy cream and whole milk if that's what you have on hand. Plain milk will make the sauce to thin.
- Butter - I recommend using unsalted butter so that you can add salt to taste after the sauce is done.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic adds a delicious savory flavor to the casserole.
- Worcestershire Sauce - The umami flavor of Worcestershire sauce ties in the flavor of the mushrooms perfectly. You can also use gluten-free soy sauce if you are trying to keep it vegetarian.
- Fried Onions- You can use store-bought or homemade crispy fried onions.
More Casserole Topping Ideas
Bread Crumb Topping: If you'd rather use bread crumbs, feel free to swap the French fried onions out for gluten-free bread crumbs (regular or Panko bread crumbs). Or check out my list of the best GF bread crumbs if you want to go the store-bought route.
Cheesy Green Bean Casserole: Try topping the casserole off with shredded cheddar cheese or ½ cheddar cheese and ½ breadcrumbs or fried onions.
⏲️How to Make Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole
Make the Mushroom Cream Sauce
Sauté mushrooms until tender before adding garlic-just 30-60 seconds is enough for flavor without burning. Then lower the heat, add half-and-half and broth, and simmer gently for a rich, creamy base.
Mushroom Powder
Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder, to grind the dried mushrooms into a fine powder. If you don't have a grinder, you can use a blender as well.
Thicken the Sauce
Sprinkle the dried mushroom powder over the mushroom mixture, stir well, then add in the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Be sure that everything is well combined, then simmer until the sauce is thickened. Add salt to taste.
Add Green Beans
Remove the mushroom cream sauce from the heat, then stir in the thawed green beans. Mix well.
Assemble and Bake
Grease the baking dish, spread in the green bean mixture, top evenly with fried onions, and bake until hot and golden brown.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Thaw and dry the green beans. If you put them into the casserole frozen, then they will water it down.
- Let the casserole rest after baking. Just 5-10 minutes of resting time gives the sauce time to set up and thicken again.
- Ovens vary, so start checking the casserole at 15 minutes and add more time only as needed for perfect doneness.
More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Recipes
🌡️Storing Leftovers
Leftover green bean casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure that you let it cool completely to room temperature before storing.
Keep in mind that the French fried onions will get less crispy as the casserole sits.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more FLAVORFUL recipes?
📖 Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole (No Flour)
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup half and half
- ⅓ cup chicken stock or vegetable broth
- ½ ounce dried mushrooms porcini or a wild mushroom mix
- 2 Tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or tamari
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds frozen green beans defrosted rinsed and drained/patted dry
- 2 cups Gluten-Free French Fried Onions homemade or storebought
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees.
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds.4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in the half and half and broth. Bring to a simmer.1 cup half and half, ⅓ cup chicken stock
- Grind the dried mushrooms into a fine powder using a spice grinder or coffee grinder. You can also use a blender. Sprinkle over the mushroom mixture and stir. Add the cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Simmer to thicken and then salt to taste.½ ounce dried mushrooms, 2 Tablespoons cream cheese, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Once thickened, remove the mushroom cream sauce from the heat. Stir in the green beans Spread in shallow, greased 9x13-inch baking dish and top with fried onions.2 pounds frozen green beans defrosted, 2 cups Gluten-Free French Fried Onions
- Bake casserole until bubbly, 15-25 minutes. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (regular or panko)
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 50/ 50 Cheese and Breadcrumbs
- Any of these gluten-free bread crumb substitutes
Equipment
- Spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar & pestle mini food processor, or mortar and pestle
Nutrition
Common Recipe Questions
Yes, you can use canned green beans but they may taste overcooked or soft after baking therefore, I don't recommend them. Frozen green beans are about the same price and much better in this recipe. If you choose to use canned green beans be aware of if they are salted and adjust the recipe accordingly.
No. Green bean casserole should be thicker and a little bit more stable than anything that could be described "soupy".
If your casserole does seem too soupy, then you can whip up a cornstarch slurry (3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water) and whisk that into the sauce to help thicken it. Start with a small amount, then add more only as needed!
To make this recipe vegetarian use tamari for the Worcestershire sauce and vegetable broth, not chicken broth.
MattS says
I couldn't find gluten-free condensed soup at my my grocer so this was a much better option. Easier than I thought it would be.
Jen Wooster says
Yes! From scratch doesn't have to mean difficult.