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If you’re looking for a vegan version of your favorite casserole, this Vegan Green Bean Casserole recipe is it! It’s filled with green beans and mushrooms, then coated in a creamy, garlic cauliflower sauce and topped with crispy onions.Â
Ohhhh boy oh boy, this vegan green bean casserole is out of this world! No seriously, it’s going to rock your Thanksgiving because it’s made with the most delicious cauliflower sauce. After all, Thanksgiving is a time to be with family, and just as importantly, a time to stuff our faces with mass amounts of food.
Are we team Halloween or Thanksgiving? Honestly, if I could take on pass on Halloween every year and fast forward to Thanksgiving I would. I know that makes me 0% fun, but it’s true.
Thanksgiving means spending time with family and friends, and typically taking time off of work. Oh, and enjoying some of my favorite recipes that I usually only eat once per year, like my vegan mushroom gravy and vegan sweet potato pie.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s made with a creamy cauliflower sauce, which is the BEST way to squeeze in more veggies
- It’s topped with homemade crispy onions
- This recipe is vegan and can easily be made gluten free, so everyone can enjoy it!
Ingredient notes:
A full ingredient list is in the recipe card below; this is simply to provide further clarification and substitution options should you need them.
- Green beans – save yourself the agony and buy pre-trimmed green beans (trust me!)
- Cauliflower – fresh or frozen; cook it ahead of time so it’s ready to go
- Mushrooms – baby bella, white or cremini
- Breadcrumbs – can use gluten free breadcrumbs to keep this entire recipe gluten free
- Cornstarch – or arrowroot
- Almond milk – any dairy free milk will work; I tend to opt for almond or oat
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook the green beans in a pot over the stovetop. Once they’re cooked, set them aside, but while they’re cooking you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Sauté the onions. While the beans are cooking, you’ll cook the onions in a large skillet with the butter for 3 minutes or so, then add the breadcrumbs and sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes. Use a large spoon to remove the onions and set aside; we’re going to continue using that same skillet.
Step 3: Cook the mushrooms. Add olive oil and mushrooms to that same skillet. Cook the mushrooms for approximately 8 minutes or until they’re soft.
Step 4: Make the sauce. While the mushrooms are cooking, make the cauliflower sauce. Add cooked cauliflower, garlic, milk, and salt to a blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Add black pepper to taste.
Step 5: Combine. Pour the cauliflower sauce into the skillet with the mushrooms, then add the vegetable broth, additional milk, and cornstarch and stir over medium-low heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Then, add the cooked green beans and stir until they’re coated in the sauce.
Last, pour the entire green bean mixture into a casserole dish, then top it off with the onions and bake it for 25-30 minutes. If you want the onions to be super crispy, you can broil the casserole for 5 minutes, which should do the trick!
Tips + FAQs
- This is a smaller-sized casserole recipe; the whole dish serves approximately 6 people. If you want to 1.5 or double the recipe, simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card, and use a larger (9×13) casserole dish.
- Want the onions to be extra crispy? After the casserole is done baking, switch the oven to BROIL and broil everything for 5 minutes.
How does this recipe differ from traditional green bean casserole?
Traditional: canned green beans, canned cream of mushroom soup (super salty!), fried onions (typically store-bought), and some recipes use cheese as well
Vegan: fresh green beans, cauliflower sauce and fresh mushrooms, homemade cooked onions
More Thanksgiving recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
for the crispy onions:
- 2 yellow onions sliced
- 1/4 cup dairy free butter
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs can use gluten free
for the cauliflower sauce:
- 2 cups cooked cauliflower
- 1/2 cup almond milk or any kind of milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
for the casserole:
- 24 oz. green beans fresh or frozen
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup almond milk or any kind of milk
- 3 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
Instructions
- Preheat oven 375°.
- Cook green beans in a pot over stovetop; once cooked, set aside.
- While beans are cooking, make the crispy onions: heat butter over medium heat in a large, deep skillet and add the onions. Sauté onions for 3 minutes or until they start to soften, then add the breadcrumbs, reduce heat to medium-low and cook onions for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions and set aside. Use a paper towel to wipe out skillet (it does't have to be perfectly clean). Then, in that same skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cook mushrooms until they're soft, 5-8 minutes.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, make the cauliflower sauce.
- To make the sauce: place cooked cauliflower, milk garlic, and salt in a blender and pulse until smooth; add pepper to taste.
- Pour cauliflower sauce into skillet with mushrooms; stir in the broth, 1/4 cup almond milk and cornstarch and stir on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens. At this point, pour cooked green beans into skillet and mix everything together so that beans are coated with the sauce and mushrooms.
- Grease a casserole dish (I used a 2.5 quart dish) with nonstick spray then pour the beans into the dish. Sprinkle onions overtop and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- If you want the onions extra crispy, turn broiler on high and broil for 3-5 minutes before removing dish from the oven. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in November 2015. It was updated with new text and photos in November 2020.
