Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole

Can you make green bean casserole in the crock pot? - Yes! Follow our tips for making Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole that tastes every bit as good as the traditional baked version, all while saving that oven space.

Is there anyone out there who doesn't love green bean casserole? Well, as I shared not too long ago in my Classic Green Bean Casserole post, indeed there is - my husband.

At least, he didn't used to like green bean casserole ... not until he tried my version, which won him over simply by switching out the type of green beans in it. I'm happy to say he's now a newly-minted green bean casserole fan.

He likes it so much, he's now even asking that green bean casserole be on our Easter dinner menu!

Knowing that many of us make this dish at times like Easter and Thanksgiving dinner when oven space is a hot commodity, or when large groups are getting together like at a church dinner potluck or family gathering ... we got to thinking about this dish and its preparation.

Follow our tips for making Crock Pot Green Bean Casserole that tastes every bit as good as the traditional baked version, all while saving that oven space.

Specifically, we asked ourselves, can you make green bean casserole in the crock pot?

Crock pots offer such convenience when feeding a crowd because you can generally make a pretty big batch of stuff. And they offer the convenience of not taking up oven space, too, for those special occasion meals when you have lots of stuff clamoring for oven time.

Intrigued by the idea of a slow cooker version of green bean casserole, my husband and I did a little research. We found lots of different recipes out there for crock pot green bean casserole, so we had at least an inkling that it was possible.

Our concern?

Lots of those crock pot green bean casserole recipes came with "warnings" of them turning out bland - a result we certainly did not want.

After a couple of tries or so, we indeed did land on a tasty result we're happy with.

So how do you make green bean casserole in the crock pot, especially without it turning out bland?

We have four tips we discovered during our tries for making this happen.

Tip #1: Add a chopped fresh onion

When making green bean casserole in the slow cooker, keep the ingredients essentially the same as the original baked version ... except, add in a finely chopped fresh onion.

To me, slow cookers tend to "steal" some of the flavor from dishes. Adding a chopped onion into the mix helped keep the casserole's flavor amped up.

Tip #2: Don't skip the French's Fried Onions

We all know these fried onions, right? When it comes to green bean casserole, they're pretty much a staple ingredient.

Traditionally, green bean casserole recipes call for some of these fried onions to be mixed into the casserole itself, and then for more to be sprinkled on top. However, many of the crock pot green bean casserole recipes we found omitted them altogether.

What did we learn in our recipe trials? - Do not omit the fried onions.

While they do indeed become quite mushy in the crock pot version of green bean casserole, French's Fried Onions are essential to the flavor of this dish. Without them? You got it - the casserole turns out on the bland side.

What did we learn in our recipe trials? - Do not omit the fried onions.

Tip #3: Sprinkle French's Fried Onions on the top right before serving

You know how with the traditional oven-baked version, you sprinkle the fried onions on top before baking?

Well, don't do that with the crock pot.

Even with just 30 seconds or so of time inside the closed crock pot, those beloved crispy onions turn to complete mush. And that's certainly not giving the casserole that nice little bit of crunch on top as intended.

Instead, sprinkle the fried onions on top of the finished casserole right before serving. That way, they retain their crunch as they're supposed to. They'll warm up from the heat of the piping hot casserole below them.

But what if you want the crispy fried onions to have the golden browned, crunchier result like in the baked version after baking?

My answer - Toast them.

I indeed wanted my fried onions to have more of the golden brown color and the crunchier texture like in the traditional baked green bean casserole. So I decided, much like you can do with coconut, to toast them in a skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Then I sprinkled them on the crock pot green bean casserole just before serving - and it worked perfectly.

Toasting the crispy fried onions is totally optional, but a nice effect if you're so inclined like me.

The texture of crock pot green bean casserole is a little softer and mushier than the baked version - but the flavor is spot-on!

Tip #4: Surprisingly, reduce the amount of black pepper

I don't at all profess to know why, but it seems like the crock pot somehow intensifies the taste of the black pepper.

To keep a nicely balanced flavor that's not overpowered by pepper, I reduced the amount of black pepper in the crock pot version by half. That seemed to do the trick!

So in response to our question, can you make green bean casserole in the crock pot? - The answer is a resounding "yes." Some care just needs to be taken to be sure the flavor doesn't turn out bland.

And we'll be up front, the texture of crock pot green bean casserole is a little softer and mushier than the baked version - but hey, the flavor is spot-on!

Thank you for stopping by . We'd love to have you back soon!

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Side Dishes

Yield: 10-12 servings

Author: Tracey |