Thanksgiving Green Bean Recipes

Green beans are a Thanksgiving staple, and while a traditional green bean casserole is always a favorite, there are plenty of other ways to serve them for the holidays. From Southern green beans with bacon to sweet and savory Crack Green Beans, buttery skillet recipes, and creamy casseroles, these recipes give you lots of options for your Thanksgiving menu.

I’ve made quite a few green bean recipes over the years, and one thing I’ve learned is that oven space matters on Thanksgiving. That’s why I’ve included stovetop sides, slow cooker options, and traditional baked casseroles, along with recipes using fresh, frozen, or canned green beans.

Which Green Bean Recipe Should You Make for Thanksgiving?

With so many dishes to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, I usually choose my green beans based on what else I’m cooking and how much oven space I have available.

• For a traditional Thanksgiving dinner: Go with a homemade green bean casserole or a classic casserole made with fresh green beans, cheddar cheese, and crispy fried onions.
• When oven space is limited: Slow cooker green bean casserole, Southern-style green beans, and Crack Green Beans are all made without the oven.
• For a lighter vegetable side: Garlic butter green beans, green beans almondine, and cold green bean salad are good options alongside heavier holiday casseroles.

Classic Green Bean Casseroles for Thanksgiving

Green bean casserole has been part of Thanksgiving dinner for generations, and it’s still one of the most popular ways to serve green beans for the holidays. These three versions give you different ways to make the traditional favorite.

Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

This homemade green bean casserole skips the canned cream of mushroom soup and makes its own sauce with butter, garlic, cream, and fresh mushrooms. Frozen French-style green beans are mixed into the creamy sauce and topped with crispy fried onions. You still get the familiar Thanksgiving casserole flavor, just with a homemade mushroom sauce.

Green Bean Casserole with Fresh Green Beans

If you prefer using fresh green beans, this casserole combines them with cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheddar cheese, and French fried onions. The cheddar adds extra flavor to the creamy sauce, and the crispy onion topping gives it that classic holiday casserole finish.

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

The Crockpot makes Thanksgiving cooking a little easier when the oven is already full. This green bean casserole uses frozen green beans, creamy soups, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings, with crispy fried onions added before serving. It cooks on low for about 5–6 hours and makes enough for approximately 12–14 servings.

Green Beans with Bacon and Savory Skillet Sides

Not every Thanksgiving green bean recipe needs a creamy sauce or a casserole dish. These stovetop recipes are easy to work into a holiday menu, especially when you’re trying to manage several dishes at once.

Crack Green Beans

These Crack Green Beans are sweet, savory, and loaded with bacon. Brown sugar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire give canned green beans a completely different flavor from traditional Southern green beans. Everything cooks in one skillet in about 25 minutes, which is a bonus when the Thanksgiving oven is already full.

Southern Style Green Beans with Bacon

Southern-style green beans are all about that savory bacon flavor. Fresh green beans cook in bacon grease and chicken broth until tender, then get tossed with the cooked bacon before serving. Unlike Crack Green Beans, these don’t have a sweet brown sugar sauce, making them a more traditional choice for a Southern Thanksgiving dinner.

Green Beans Almondine with Feta

Green beans almondine brings a little crunch to Thanksgiving dinner without making another casserole. Tender-crisp green beans are tossed with butter, garlic, sliced almonds, and crumbled feta cheese. The almonds add a nutty crunch, while the feta brings a salty finish that goes nicely with the buttery green beans.

Seasoned Green Beans with Garlic and Butter

These garlic butter green beans are ready in about 20 minutes and only need a handful of ingredients. Fresh green beans cook until tender-crisp, then get tossed with butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. They’re easy to make while the turkey rests, especially if you’ve already got several rich casseroles on the menu.

Fresh Green Bean Recipes and Other Holiday Favorites

These green bean side dishes offer a few different flavors and textures, including honey garlic green beans, a cold vegetable salad, and creamy green beans made on the stovetop.

Honey Garlic Green Beans

Honey garlic green beans have a sweet and savory sauce made with honey, garlic, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Fresh green beans are briefly boiled, then cooked over high heat until lightly blistered before being coated in the sauce. They have a little sweetness and heat, and the browned edges give them a different texture from boiled or slow-cooked green beans.

Cold Green Bean Salad with Feta

Cold green bean salad is a colorful option for Thanksgiving, especially if you want a vegetable side that can be made ahead. Fresh green beans are tossed with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, and red onion in an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. Since it’s served chilled, you can make it ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until dinner.

Cream Cheese Green Beans

Cream cheese makes these green beans rich and buttery without turning them into a baked casserole. Garlic and cream cheese coat the beans in a light, creamy sauce, and you can use either canned or frozen green beans. It’s an easy stovetop side when you want something creamy but don’t have time for another casserole.

Diced Green Beans with Garlic

These diced green beans are a little different because the beans are chopped into smaller pieces before cooking. They’re sautéed with garlic, onions, butter, and colorful bell peppers, giving the dish plenty of vegetable flavor without a heavy sauce. The smaller pieces also make them easy to spoon onto a Thanksgiving plate alongside turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.

If you’re still planning your Thanksgiving menu, browse my easy side dishes for more potatoes, casseroles, vegetables, and holiday favorites to serve alongside these green bean recipes.