Can You Freeze Green Bean Casserole? (Make Ahead)
Freezing green bean casserole is super helpful with the holiday season. You can make a classic green bean casserole ahead of time, then freeze it for when you need it.
You will love this post if you’re trying to prep your side dishes ahead of the holiday busyness.
You’ll also love this post if you want to learn the best way to freeze leftover green bean casserole! Yep! In this post you’ll learn how to freeze the casserole before you serve it, and after.
Freezing Green Bean Casserole
First, let’s chat about the classic holiday side dish everyone loves!
No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a heaping portion of the best green bean casserole recipe.
Whether you make yours with canned green beans, frozen green beans, or fresh green beans this casserole dish is a classic side dish for a reason.
What’s in green bean casserole?
Green Beans — Yep! This recipe was developed when convenience foods were all the rage. Campbell’s Soup Company tasked Dorca Reilly with making a recipe that incorporated the two most popular canned goods on the shelf: canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup. Aren’t we thankful for her?!
Cream of Mushroom Soup — the original recipe calls for a can of the good stuff to create a creamy mushroom sauce mixed with green beans. In my recipe for The Best Green Bean Casserole Recipe, I use Cream of Onion soup! It’s a fresh take on an old favorite.
If you’re wanting to make homemade green bean casserole you can make your own homemade mushroom cream sauce and create a fresh green bean casserole that will wow your whole family!
Crispy Fried Onions — the boxed version is what we’re after! French fried onions, there is nothing like them! I use these crispy onions in a lot of recipes!
Non-Traditional Add-ins: Some people add cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese to their green bean mixture. I’ve never had that, but it does not sound bad! Other people add in a few dashes of soy sauce or chicken broth. This perks up the favorite side dish for potluck dinners and makes it feel like a fresh and exciting addition to any holiday table!
Making Green Bean Casserole
Now, you’ll mix up your casserole ingredients according to whatever recipe you’re using.
Each recipe has simple ingredients, so use the best ones you can find, or have access to.
Since green beans can be delicate my Pro Tip for you is to mix up your cream soup sauce before adding in your tender green beans. It’s an extra step that makes all the difference in this classic recipe that’s a family favorite.
Once you have your creamy mixture all ready to go, you’ll add in your green beans. Make sure your green beans are cooked and you’re not using raw green beans!
Once everything is mixed up well, you’ll plop it into a casserole dish.
Now, if you’re wanting to freeze this casserole for a future holiday meal, stop here. I’ve got a complete guide to freezing and thawing with different methods below!
Freezing Green Bean Casserole
There are a few ways to go about freezing your green bean casserole. I’ll walk you through all of them, and you choose which option works best for you!
Freezing in a Casserole Dish
Smooth out the top of the casserole in a freezer-safe baking dish. Before adding the French-fried onions, cover the top tightly in plastic wrap. Then, I like to wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil and label the top. “Green Bean Casserole: bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes. Add onions.”
When you’re a couple of days away from baking your casserole let it thaw in the fridge, still tightly covered. Remove the casserole dish from the fridge an hour before you want to bake so the chill comes off the dish, and then bake according to the recipe card.
Freezing in a Freezer Bag
If you’re traveling during the holiday season, but you wanted to make the casserole ahead of time, this has become my go-to method! After I’ve mixed up the casserole, I’ll plop the green bean mixture into a freezer-safe zip-top bag that’s been labeled “Green Bean Casserole: bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes. Add onions.” Smooth out the bag so it’s flat, and place it in your freezer.
Remove this bag the day before you want to bake it and thaw it in your fridge, or take it with you in your cooler on the go! You’ll then just squeeze the mixture out into a baking dish wherever you get to, and top it with the onions and bake according to the recipe you’re using.
Freezing PreMade Green Bean Casserole
You’ve eaten your Thanksgiving dinner, and you still have a bunch of the classic dishes left over. Here’s the freezing process for this version:
Spoon your leftover casserole into either an aluminum foil pan or a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Just mix all the crispy topping in with the creamy casserole. You can also use an airtight container!
Label this bag or pan as “Green Bean Casserole: bake at 350˚ for 35 minutes.”
For this version, I love using aluminum foil pans. Not only can I put this entire thing directly in the oven, but I can also place the frozen casserole into the oven.
If I am reheating a frozen casserole, I’ll start with a cold oven, place the frozen pan inside the oven on a baking tray, and then turn the oven to 350˚.
This will allow the gentle preheating of the oven to thaw your casserole, and bake the dish from the inside out. Rather than just putting it into a hot oven and hoping for the best.
This method will take about an hour or longer depending on the size of your casserole dish.
Shelf Life of Frozen Green Bean Casserole
It’s best to use a frozen green bean casserole within 3 months.
This great recipe is best served with cranberry sauce, Grandma’s Roasted Turkey and all the other Thanksgiving menu favorites you and your family love!
In closing, you can freeze green bean casserole easily! This is super helpful when you are wanting to make the holiday side dishes ahead of time, so you can save time during the busy week of Thanksgiving.
If you make this recipe in mid-September, you’ll be able to pull it out the week of Thanksgiving and not even think about it! Woo hoo!!
Save this to your favorite Thanksgiving Menu Board on Pinterest!
