Creamy Keto Green Bean Casserole – A Low Carb Holiday Classic
Celebrate the holidays with creamy keto green bean casserole – Made without cream of mushroom soup, instead this easy low carb recipe uses luscious cream cheese for a rich and creamy casserole topped with pan fried crispy onions, melted cheddar cheese, with a crispy pork rind panko and parmesan topping. This simple low carb casserole can be made ahead with fresh or frozen green beans and is sure to be the star of your holiday table.
This delicious side dish has only 7g net carbs per serving! A keto friendly gluten free vegetable side for your holiday table.
This recipe is part of my keto holiday meal series.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost or effort to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.
Why You’ll Love Keto Green Bean Casserole
- Made from scratch with no cream of mushroom soup, or store bought fried onions.
- Cream cheese green bean casserole is creamy and rich on the inside, and cheesy and crispy on top.
- Instead of packaged fried onions, this healthy holiday side dish recipe uses pan fried crispy onions with a pork rind panko and parmesan topping.
- This holiday favourite side dish is completely keto friendly, low carb, and gluten free.
- Can be made ahead of time using either frozen or fresh green beans.
Table of Contents
What is Green Bean Casserole?
Green bean casserole is a classic American comfort food dish commonly served during holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas as a side for turkey, roast beef, or any of your festive favourites.
A traditional holiday side dish that usually features tender green beans in cream of mushroom soup, topped with crispy French’s fried onions and baked to perfection. Keto green bean casserole has all the indulgence of the original without the carbs. This is the best green bean casserole without cream of mushroom soup. Instead a mixture of heavy cream and cream cheese gives this festive side dish it’s signature creamy, indulgent texture without the need for starchy thickeners.
For the crispy topping, instead of French’s fried onions, this low carb version is topped with cheddar cheese pan fried crispy onions, crushed pork rinds, and grated Parmesan cheese. Baked until golden brown, this easy side dish is creamy and rich in the middle and crispy and golden on top.
Keto Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
This recipe uses many of the elements of a traditional green bean casserole but does away with many of the highly processed and high carb ingredients in place of equally delicious low carb replacements.
For this holiday side, you’ll need:
- fresh or frozen green beans
- heavy cream
- cream cheese
- mushrooms (optional)
- butter
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- soy sauce
- black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- cheddar cheese
- pan fried onions
- grated parmesan cheese
- crushed pork rinds (pork rind panko)
- salt
The Best Green Beans for Green Beans Casserole
For a keto green bean casserole, fresh green beans are your best bet. Their vibrant colour and crisp texture bring a burst of freshness to the dish. To prepare them, simply trim the ends and blanch them briefly in boiling water for a few minutes and drain before assembling your casserole. This extra step ensures your beans are tender yet crisp.
You can also use frozen green beans for this low carb casserole, like fresh green beans you should also blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until just fork tender and drain before assembling the casserole.
Canned green beans lack flavour and are too soggy for a delicious green bean casserole.
Variations To Try
One of the beauties of this keto green bean casserole is its adaptability. If you’re looking to switch things up, try one of these variations:
Keto Green Bean Casserole with Ground Beef – For a heartier twist, incorporate cooked ground beef into your casserole. The savory flavours of beef, combined with the creamy goodness of the casserole, create a truly satisfying dish. Simply brown the beef, season with salt and pepper, and layer it in your casserole dish with the green beans and cream cheese mixture. This variation can even be served as an easy low carb meal in itself thanks to the added protein.
Keto Green Bean Casserole with Chicken – For a protein packed spin on green bean casserole, try adding cooked chicken to the green beans before layering the casserole. Simply cook the chicken separately in a pan with butter, salt, and pepper and toss into the green beans along with the cream cheese before assembling and baking. This low carb high protein version is hearty enough to serve as a meal on its own.
Cream Cheese Green Bean Casserole with Bacon – Adding bacon to almost anything is a guaranteed hit and this green bean casserole is no exception. Crispy pan fried bacon can be layered into the casserole or used as a topping for an extra salty crunchy bite.
What to Serve with Green Bean Casserole
Green bean casserole is traditionally served as a part of a holiday feast. Commonly paired with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, this easy low carb casserole compliments roast turkey, prime rib, and makes a great side dish to bring to a holiday potluck.
Keto green bean casserole is so simple and delicious you will want to enjoy it year round as it pairs wonderfully with any of your favourite proteins, or low carb mains. This recipe pairs well with:
More Low Carb Holiday Sides You'll Love
How to Make Keto Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time
This easy casserole can be prepared in advance and baked when you need it to help avoid the holiday business of entertaining.
To Make Keto Green Bean Casserole up to 24 hours in advance:
- Prepare the recipe as directed up to the grated cheddar cheese and fried onion layer. Do not add the crushed pork rinds or parmesan cheese, either store these separately or wait until you are ready to bake to prepare these fresh.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours until ready to bake.
- Once ready to make, remove the casserole from the fridge and allow it to warm on the counter for 15-20 minutes, this can help prevent the dish from cracking in a hot oven.
- Bake at 375°F [190°C] for 20-25 minutes until the cheese melted and bubbly then add the crushed pork rinds, and parmesan cheese, bake again until crispy and golden brown.
Tips for Storing Leftovers
To store leftover casserole, allow leftovers too cool to room temperature, store tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can Cream Cheese Green Bean Casserole be frozen?
Although this recipe can be frozen for up to 2 months, it will change the creamy texture of the casserole as cream cheese becomes quite crumbly when frozen. The toppings will also become soggy after thawing, consider adding fresh pork rinds, and parmesan cheese to the thawed casserole before baking.
How to Reheat leftover Green Bean Casserole
To keep the creamy rich texture of the casserole while making sure the toppings are crispy, the best way to reheat this casserole is in a 375°F [190°C] oven for 10-12 minutes until warmed through and the toppings are crispy.
For extra crispy toppings, add freshly crushed pork rinds and parmesan to leftover green bean casserole before baking.
This recipe can also be reheated in the airfryer, be sure to lay down to parchment before adding the green beans to the fryer to warm and crisp.
While reheating in the microwave is possible, the toppings will be soggy and sometimes chewy.
Cooking Tips
- Blanch fresh or frozen green beans for a few minutes in boiling water until they are just fork tender but not soggy. Drain over a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. This ensures the green beans will be tender yet crispy in the casserole.
- Always drain the green beans well before adding to the casserole or it will end up runny and soggy.
- Crush the pork rinds right before adding them to the casserole and use the freshest pork rinds possible. Pork rinds go stale quickly once opened and become chewy or soggy instead of crispy and crunchy.
- Real Parmesan or coarsely grated Parmesan cheese will have the most flavour and texture on top of this recipe although dry prepared Parmesan can be used if necessary.
- For an extra crispy topping turn on the broiler for the last minute of cooking.
Keto Green Bean Casserole FAQs
Is Green Bean Casserole Healthy?
Green bean casserole is a nutritious low carb vegetable casserole. Traditional recipes often use processed mushroom soup and fried onions, which can add excess carbs and unhealthy fats. However, this keto-friendly casserole uses fresh and simple ingredients so you can enjoy the healthy benefits of green beans without compromising your dietary goals.
Traditional green bean casseroles can be relatively high in carbs and not keto friendly due to the use of mushroom soup and fried onions. This version uses a cream cheese base, fresh green beans, and a crispy pork rind parmesan topping so its completely keto friendly and gluten free with only xg net carbs.
If your casserole turns out runny or watery, it might be due to excess moisture from the green beans. Make sure to drain the green beans after blanching to remove any excess water
Absolutely, this keto green bean casserole can be made ahead of time. Assemble everything in the casserole dish except the crushed pork rinds and parmesan cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed on the recipe card and top with freshly crushed pork rinds and grated parmesan.
Recipe Card
Easy Keto Green Bean Casserole
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Equipment
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Skillet or Frying Pan
- Large Pot
- colander
- Oven safe baking dish or casserole dish 8x8, 11 x7, 2-3 liter, or 8-10 cups.
- rolling pin and freezer bag to crush pork rinds
- Food Processor optional to crush pork rinds
Ingredients
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 ½ pounds green beans fresh or frozen, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons butter salted
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms optional
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese cubed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- 3 oz cheddar cheese grated
- 1 oz pork rinds crushed
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F [190°C]. Grease an oven safe casserole dish (8 cup, 8x8 or similar) with oil or butter and set aside.
- Sauté sliced onions. Heat oil or butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Once hot add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes until the onion has browned and is starting to become crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.1 small onion
- Trim and blanch the green beans. Remove the tip and tail of the green beans. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and add the green beans. Cook for about 3 minutes until the beans turn bright green and are just fork tender but still crisp. Drain the beans over a colander and transfer to a bowl with cold water to stop the cooking. Once cool drain the green beans and set aside.1 ½ pounds green beans
- Sauté mushrooms and spices. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat until melted and bubbling. If using, add the sliced mushroom and sauté until browned and soft. Add the Italian seasoning, onion, powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to the pan and cook for 1 minute.3 tablespoons butter, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt
- Prepare the cream sauce. Add the heavy cream and cubed cream cheese to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce is smoothed hand thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.1 cup heavy cream, 4 oz cream cheese
- Coat blanched green beans in the cream sauce. Add the drained green beans to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Transfer to the greased casserole dish in an even layer.
- Bake the green beans. Top the green beans in the casserole dish with grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 375°F [190°C] for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has bubbled and starts to brown.3 oz cheddar cheese
- Add the crunchy topping. Crush the pork rinds using a food processor or by adding to a freezer bag and crushing with a rolling pin. Remove the casserole from the oven and add the pan fried onions, crushed pork rinds and parmesan cheese in an even layer. Return the casserole to the oven for 5-8 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy.1 oz pork rinds, 4 tablespoons Parmesan
- Cool and serve. Allow the casserole to cool for 5-8 minute before serving.
Notes
How to crush pork rinds for topping:
Freezer bag method - Add whole pork rinds to a large freezer bag and seal leaving a small 1" gap in the seal for air to escape. Crush the pork rinds in the bag with a rolling pin into a coarse crumb. Food processor method - Add the pork rinds to a food processor with the blade attachment and pulse into a coarse breadcrumb like consistency. Mushrooms: mushrooms are optional but can give this casserole a more traditional taste since this green bean casserole uses no cream of mushroom soup. Cheddar cheese: Any of your favourite cheeses can be used, in place of cheddar.Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated using the recipe calculator and verified database available from Cronometer. Although every reasonable effort is made to provide accurate information this estimate is provided as courteously and convenience only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Try the free recipe calculator at Cronometer
This holiday season, let keto green bean casserole become the star of your table. Whether you are looking for a low carb vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving, or a gluten free side for Christmas, this easy baked casserole will add a touch of tradition with a keto-friendly twist on a classic. With its velvety cream cheese and crispy pork rind and parmesan topping this carb-conscious approach is a welcome addition to your festive menu that will leave your loved ones craving more.
Enjoy!
