This Whole30 green bean casserole is just like the classic Thanksgiving dish: tender green beans in a rich cream of mushroom sauce, topped with fried onion straws. This Whole30 green bean casserole (also a paleo green bean casserole, of course!) is an absolute must for the Whole30 Thanksgiving table. And to be honest, this paleo green bean casserole tastes even better than the classic version!
What does your Thanksgiving plate look like? I feel like Thanksgiving plates are some sort of gluttonous, culinary DNA, different for everyone and perfectly representative of one’s personality. I’m still working on my theories distinguishing introversion and extroversion as evidenced by the application or avoidance of burnt marshmallows on one’s sweet potato casserole, but when I nail it, y’all will be the first to know.
But really, my plate is easy: dark meat or very tender breast and tons of gravy, stuffing and tons of gravy, cranberry sauce, and far more than my fair and proportionate share of the green bean casserole. Hey, I made this, and I’m gonna eat as much green bean casserole as I damn well please.
It’s strange to me that, given how much work I put into Thanksgiving every year, making every single thing from scratch, the one dish that comes from cans is one of my favorites. I don’t think I’m solo here, though: the canned green bean casserole is a national phenomenon, gracing every Thanksgiving table worth grazing (in my opinion, that is), the perfect blend of tender green beans and creamy, rich cream of mushroom soup, topped with sweet, crunchy onions.
I even remember coming home after a party one night in college and making a batch to eat with my friends. Green bean casserole after being way overserved around 2 a.m.? Yeah, that was me in college. The me-est thing I’ve ever done.
So this year, as part of my Whole30 Thanksgiving recipes series, complete with a brined herb butter turkey breast and gravy, Whole30 green bean casserole, Whole30 sweet potato casserole with pecan-date topping, and Whole30 cranberry sauce (with my Whole30-compliant paleo stuffing already up on the blog!), I had to make my own take on the Thanksgiving classic with no grains, no gluten, no dairy, and no sugar. And it. is. perfection.
I didn’t skimp on any of the elements, making a cream of mushroom soup and onion-petal style crunchy fried onions to top the whole thing. I used fresh green beans, but you can use frozen, too. Basically, it’s a Whole30 Thanksgiving recipes must.
The cream of mushroom soup is heady and rich, but the fried onions are problematic. The problem being you have to actually not eat them by the fistful before presenting the dish to the Whole30 Thanksgiving table. It’s a big problem, and one we’ll have to band together to truly conquer. Email me if you need a fried onion accountability buddy ?
Whole30 Green Bean Casserole (Paleo, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion halved and sliced into 1/2" slices
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 dash dash black pepper
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter if not on a Whole30 or want dairy-free
- 8 ounces mushrooms diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chicken broth substitute 1/4 cup white wine + 1/2 cup chicken broth if not on a Whole30
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 20 ounces green beans about 6-7 cups, fresh or frozen, trimmed
Instructions
- Make the cream of mushroom soup: In a large saucepan, melt ghee. Sauté mushrooms and onion for 5-10 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup chicken broth (or white wine if not on a Whole30) and bring to boil. Add in remaining 1/2 cup broth and salt and return to a boil. Boil for 3-5 minutes then sprinkle in arrowroot, whisking vigorously to combine. Continue cooking until reduced by about 1/3 or 1/2.
- Use an immersion blender (or transfer about 2/3 to a regular blender and blend 'til mostly smooth) to blend until mostly smooth. Add in coconut cream and whisk until smooth.
- Make the fried onions: In a shallow dish, add your egg. In a second dish, place your tapioca flour. In a third dish, combine your almond flour, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and black pepper and whisk to combine well.
- Dip onions into eggs, then shake off excess. Working in batches, add onions to tapioca flour and toss to lightly coat, shaking off excess. Then coat onions in almond flour mixture.
- Heat a skillet over medium to slightly medium-high heat and cover the bottom of the skillet with oil. Fry onions in batches for 2-3 minutes per side, being careful when turning so as not to disrupt any coating. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels, then sprinkle with a bit of salt.
- Make the Whole30 green bean casserole: Steam the green beans until bright green and crisp-tender. Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and stir in cream of mushroom soup and 1 cup of fried onions, stirring gently to combine. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes then remove from oven, top with remaining fried onions and bake another 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Jessica Flory says
OH MY FREAK. This was AMAZING!!! I’ve also made just the onion topping as onion rings. So flippin’ good!
Shannon says
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!!!! I have been making this for three years now. Thanksgiving snd Christmas. This is a must bring for my fiancé’s family! We didn’t tell anyone it was whole30 because we often get asked if we only eat “grass and sticks” which is annoying enough lol. Everyone ate double. When they found out it was whole30 they were SHOCKED. This recipe did take a little bit of time. But, now I have it down to a T. I make the soup the night before and the onions. I hate the fry smell, and I find that it’s just easier and gives me more time for other things on the day of the Holidays. Everyone should try this at least once. It may become the favorite staple of the holidays like it did with our families!!! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!
Oh yeah, just one more thing to brag. My gramma HATES coconut. She had no idea it was made with so much “coconut” based things. She is an amazing cook and baker, and she said it was the best green bean casserole she has ever had ☺️
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Thanks for the kind words! So glad you love it!
Emily says
Turned out great for Thanksgiving, thanks! Took too much time so ended up having to use store bought onions sadly, next year I’ll budget more time!
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
So glad you loved it!
Emily says
This recipe was a huge hit at my house last Thanksgiving! I bookmarked it for this year to make again 🙂
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
Megan says
Would you be able to use nutpods in place of the coconut cream?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Those’ll work!
Ursula says
What’s a good substitute for cream of mushroom soup in your green Bean casserole? I can’t have mushrooms
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Cream of chicken?
Jessica Evelsizer says
Is there a way to make this without eggs?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
You can try it with a flax egg, but I personally haven’t tried it sans eggs!
Jessica Evelsizer says
Any ideas on how to make the onions without eggs? Newly discovered egg allergy here and we LOVE this recipe. It is a MUST for our holidays
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
You can try it with a flax egg!
Hillary says
I made this and loved it! My whole family thought it was great. The cream of mushroom sauce and fried onions were incredibly delicious. It took a long time and used a lot of dishes, but it’s worth it. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper.
Cheryl Malik says
It’s definitely a labor of love in our family too! Not quite so easy as stirring a couple cream of mushroom soups together with canned green beans 😉 I am so glad you thought it was worth it! Thanks so much for coming back to tell me
Barbara says
Just made this–am eating a forkful as we speak! It’s excellent, though the coconut cream is a bit too strong for my taste–it smells very much like coconuts cream, and that peculiar taste kind of invades each bite. I also added 1/4 cup more chicken broth because it reduced IMMEDIATELY when I added the arrowroot powder and became a sticky glob, so the chicken broth helped thin it a little. Definitely recommend this, though please let me know if anyone discovers a better alternative for coconut cream!
Cheryl Malik says
I have definitely noticed some people are more sensitive to coconut cream in recipes than others! If you’re sensitive to the taste, a cashew cream would be a perfect substitution. I do about 1 cup cashews to 1 cup water and blend it in a high-speed blender until totally smooth. 🙂 Certain brands taste more “coconutty” I think too
George says
Where do you find cashew cream?
Cheryl Malik says
Try this: soak 1 cup raw cashews in warm water for 4 hours ( no need to change the water to keep it warm). Then, drain the cashews and add 1 cup water to a high-speed blender, blend until very very smooth
Jackie M says
Do you think this can be made day before? If so how woukd you do it?
Cheryl Malik says
I wouldn’t recommend making the whole thing ahead, but you could make the cream of mushroom soup ahead and steam the green beans. Then make the onions the day of, assemble, and bake!