Quick Look: Easy Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole
- Ready In: 2-3 hours
- Serves: 16 – perfect for a holiday gathering!
- Main Ingredients: canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, french fried onions, & milk. (see Notes for a version with fresh green beans)
- Dietary Info: dairy-free friendly, gluten-free friendly, vegetarian, great for a crowd!
- Best For: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or another family gathering
- Origin: On holidays, oven space comes at a premium! Therefore, I continue to find other ways to cook some of our favorite main dishes and side dishes (like the BEST Grilled Turkey). After testing both canned and fresh green beans, I bring you a traditional green bean casserole made entirely in the slow cooker!
Share and summarize this recipe:
Your Holiday Table Needs these Crock Pot Green Beans
- No oven needed! Traditional green bean casserole cooks in the oven, but this version gives you that critical oven space back.
- Dump & Cook → toss everything in the slow cooker, let it cook, and keep on warm to serve.
- Perfect for entertaining a crowd – especially during the holidays!
- Versatile – options to swap the beans for fresh ones, make it dairy-free or gluten-free.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, & estimated nutritional information.
- Green Beans – this crock pot method was tested and approved with canned beans & fresh green beans. Use the one that works for you – both instructions are in the recipe card!
- Cream of Mushroom Soup – keep it traditional with cream of mushroom soup or swap it out for cream of celery, cream of chicken soup, or a dairy-free (or gluten-free) variety. And if you have the time, I have a dairy-free cream of mushroom soup to lighten things up!
- Milk – use what you have on hand – regular milk or any plant-based milk!
How To Make Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole
Step 1 – Put the beans, soup, milk and pepper in the crock pot with a 1/2 cup of french fried onions (reserve the rest for later).
Step 2 – Mix it all together and let it cook, covered, on high for 2-3 hours or until bubbly and warmed throughout.
Recipe Variations
Option to switch up the traditional flavor profile:
- Add crispy bacon, like our green bean casserole with bacon.
- Get cheesy with our cheesy green bean casserole.
- Change up the topping to crispy shallots!
Step 3 – The finished casserole was held on WARM for approximately 1 hour. Sprinkle the remaining french fried onions on top right before serving.
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
– Canned vs. Fresh Green Beans: canned green beans result in a softer casserole, while fresh green beans retain a firmer texture. During testing, we swapped the canned green beans for blanched fresh green beans (boiled for 2 minutes, cooled in an ice bath, and transferred to the crock pot). These beans need to cook for 90 minutes on high to become bubbly and fork-tender.
– French Onions: a fan-favorite of green bean casserole are the french fried onions on top that give it some added crunch! After multiple tests, we found it best to add the fried onions for topping RIGHT before serving. As soon as the lid goes on the slow cooker, they get soft fairly quickly. Option to add more as people help themselves.
Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole FAQs
Either will work here! This depends on if you want a more soft texture (canned) or firm texture (fresh). The recipe card below & my fresh green bean casserole include instructions for canned green beans and fresh green beans. Also, see the testing tips for more info.
Save the addition of the majority of the french fried onion topping until right before serving. Closing them in the slow cooker with the top on will soften them very quickly.
Yes, put all of the ingredients (except the remaining french onions for topping) in the crock pot, cover, and place in the fridge until the next day. This can be done in the crock pot insert or in another airtight container. When ready to heat, either transfer the mixture to the crock pot or place the insert right back in (a cold insert can be reheated). If the insert is cold, it will take closer to 3 hours to fully heat.
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Equipment
- Slow Cooker (6qt or larger)
Ingredients
- 4 cans french-cut style green beans, 14.5oz each (drained)
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 10oz each (sub dairy-free soup)
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk, sub regular milk
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 6 ounces french fried onions, divided (sub gluten-free)
Instructions
- Crock Pot: In the crock pot, add 4 cans french-cut style green beans, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (if using) and ½ cup of the french fried onions. Mix to combine.
- Cook: Secure the lid on top and cook on the HIGH setting for 2-3 hours. It should appear bubbly hot and be warmed throughout. Then switch the slow cooker to the WARM setting.
- Serve: Leave on the warm setting. When ready to serve, sprinkle the remaining french fried onions on top and enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten Free: use gluten-free french fried onions & gluten-free cream of mushroom soup.
- Dairy-Free: use a dairy-free soup and plant-based milk.
- Fried Onions: highly recommend adding these right before serving, otherwise they will get soggy pretty quick in the slow cooker.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: option to use any variety of store-bought cream of mushroom soup or make your own dairy free cream of mushroom soup.
- Fresh Green Bean Casserole: If you prefer to use fresh green beans, feel free to make our Fresh Green Bean Casserole from Scratch and transfer to a slow cooker instead of baking in the oven. Simply place the blanched green beans in the crock pot with the mushroom mixture, instead of putting them in a casserole dish. Cover the slow cooker and set it to the high setting for 90 minutes and then leave on the warm setting until ready to serve. Add the french fried onions on top right before serving.
- Storage: leftover green bean casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Bridget says
Love using this recipe and freeing up the space in the oven!
Mike says
Needed space in the oven this year and you recipe was spot on! Thanks TWS!
Erin says
Yay! Glad to hear this was a winner!
Jennifer says
I do plan on making these. Why are the canned beans in crock-pot 2-3 hours and par boiled just 1.5?
Erin says
Hi Jennifer – I think you are asking about the difference between the canned version and the “From Scratch” version in the notes? So, after testing we found that 2-3 hours for the canned green beans was enough time on high to get everything to the right temp and then we just keep warm in the slow cooker. The “from scratch” method is simply different because we are dealing with fresh green beans and generally speaking it seems most people don’t want fresh green beans to be the same texture as a canned green bean so, after testing, this was the method that worked best for us. Feel free to keep the fresh green beans in longer, depending upon what texture you are going for! Hope that helps!