This vegan green bean casserole is loaded with fresh green beans covered in a savory mushroom sauce and topped with crispy fried onions. This recipe can be made ahead for an easy holiday side dish. It is always a hit with the family and no one will guess it is vegan!
The holiday season can be stressful, but, your meals don't always have to be.
I created this vegan green bean casserole with that in mind and added make-ahead instructions. Now, you can easily prepare this side dish a day or two in advance. When you're ready, simply top with fried onions and heat per the recipe instructions.
So, complete your holiday meal with this vegan green bean casserole.
It's loaded with fresh green beans, vegan mushroom sauce, and crispy fried onions. This holiday classic dish will quickly disappear!
For the perfect Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter meal, pair this casserole alongside my vegan lentil loaf, pumpkin dinner rolls, and wild rice stuffing. And don't forget the pumpkin pie!
Ingredients
This vegan green bean casserole is made with these 10 easy-to-find ingredients.
Ingredients notes and substitutes
- Green Beans – For the best taste, use fresh green beans.
- Mushrooms – White mushrooms are what I chose for this recipe. Use any mushroom you like.
- French fried onions – For a traditional green bean casserole use store-bought fried onions. If you need to substitute, caramelized onions are a great option.
- Plant milk – Unsweetened plain almond milk is my go-to. You can use the same or what you have on hand, but I suggest sticking to unsweetened and unflavored.
- Nutritional yeast – This gives a slight cheese flavor to the sauce. If you don’t have any, no problem, simply leave it out. Or use vegan cheese shreds instead.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour for best results. To keep it gluten-free use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Oil – This recipe uses coconut oil for sauteeing, but you can use any neutral oil or even vegan butter.
Instructions
This vegan holiday recipe easily comes together and can be made ahead of time for a worry-free heat-up.
First, cook the green beans in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes to soften. Then follow the 8 simple steps below.
Step 1. Add the chopped mushrooms, minced garlic, and oil to a large pan or pot.
Step 2. Sauté until the mushrooms are tender.
Step 3. Add the flour to the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms are coated.
Step 4. Pour in the broth and milk and mix everything together. Stir until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
Step 5. Add the cooked green beans to the pan.
Step 6. Mix the green beans and sauce together.
Step 7. Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish.
If you are making this recipe ahead, cover it with foil and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready.
Step 8. Top with french fried onions and bake.
Tip: This casserole can be made and baked in the same dish if you use a cast iron pan. Skip transferring the mixture to a separate dish. Instead, top with the fried onions and bake in the cast iron pan.
Top with extra black pepper and serve immediately.
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FAQ's
Yes, this recipe can be made ahead. Follow the instructions until you get to topping it with fried onions. Leave off the fried onions, cover the dish with foil, and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, leave the dish covered and bake for 10-15 minutes to bring it to room temperature. Then carefully remove the cover, top with the fried onions, and bake per the instructions.
Yes. If fried onions aren’t your thing, or the store is all out, caramelized onions are a great replacement.
The results won’t be as good as fresh, but you can use frozen or canned beans. Be sure to thaw frozen green beans or drain the canned beans.
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Recipe
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
This vegan green bean casserole is loaded with fresh green beans, doused in vegan mushroom gravy, and topped with crispy fried onions. This holiday classic recipe will quickly disappear!
Ingredients
Green Beans
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped
- 1 (6 ounce) can of crispy french fried onions
Mushroom Sauce
- 1 (8 ounce) package of mushrooms, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tablespoons coconut oil for sautéing
- 1 and ½ cups plant milk, any kind unsweetened and unflavored
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon himalayan pink salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Green Beans
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While the water comes to a boil, prepare the green beans by trimming off the ends and cutting the beans into bite-sized pieces.
- Once the water is boiling, add the green beans. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes to cook and slightly soften the beans. You don't want them fully cooked, but they should be soft since they will only cook a little bit in the oven. Then, drain the water to keep them from cooking any further.
Mushroom Sauce
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, nutritional yeast, and salt.
- Sauté the mushrooms and garlic in a large, deep pan until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the mushrooms and mix to coat.
- Turn the heat to low and slowly stir in the broth and milk.
- Continue to stir until the sauce thickens to a gravy consistency, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the green beans to the pan and mix until coated in the sauce.
Tip: If your sauce is too thick, add more milk to achieve a gravy consistency. If your sauce isn’t thickening, whisk together 2 Tablespoons of non-dairy milk with 1 Tablespoons flour. Add half of the milk mixture at a time to thicken the sauce.
Baking the casserole
- Transfer the green beans and sauce mix to a 9x9-inch casserole dish.
- Evenly top the green bean casserole with french-fried onions.
- Bake at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes to warm the casserole and brown the crispy onions on top.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- For a one-pan dish, use a cast iron pan to saute the mushrooms and bake the casserole.
- To make this recipe ahead: Follow the instructions until you transfer the green beans and mushroom sauce to a casserole dish in step 1 of baking the casserole. Leave off the fried onions, cover the dish with foil, and store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, leave the dish covered and bake at 350ºF for 10-15 minutes to bring it to room temperature. Then carefully remove the cover, top with the fried onions, and bake per the instructions.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 215mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 4g
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
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