Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings:8 servings

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This homemade vegan green bean casserole has all of the nostalgic flavor of the traditional dish, but leveled-up and better! No canned soup needed, and no one will ever miss the dairy. See the Notes section (and post above) for helpful subs and tips.

Yield: one 13x9 inch casserole; for smaller groups, halve the recipe and bake in an 8- or 9-inch square dish.

Ingredients
US Customary | Metric

2 pounds fresh green beans - trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil - see Notes for oil-free
1 large yellow onion, chopped
12 ounces mushrooms, chopped - I like a blend of white and baby bella
2 Tablespoons vegan butter
5 cloves garlic, minced - minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, optional
⅓ cup all purpose flour
2¾ cups plain and unsweetened non-dairy milk - see Notes
1½ Tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, optional -
2 teaspoons fine sea salt - plus more for cooking the green beans
¼ teaspoon black pepper - or more to taste
5 ounces crispy fried onions - such as French's or store brand (check ingredients); see Notes for subs

Optional panko breadcrumb topping:

⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1 Tablespoon salt. Add the green beans and cook for 5 minutes. While they cook, fill a large bowl with ice water. Drain the green beans in a colander, rinse with cold water, and transfer to the ice bath. Let sit for until cold, about 1 minute. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Preheat a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat, and add the oil. Sauté the onion and mushrooms until the moisture releases from the mushrooms and evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the vegan butter, garlic and rosemary, and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Sprinkle in the flour, and stir well. Slowly pour in 1 cup of milk while stirring. It will quickly begin to thicken. Gradually add the rest of the milk while continuing to stir. Add the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes or until hot and creamy. Stir in ½ cup fried onions.
If the skillet is large enough to hold the green beans, add them and toss with the sauce. Otherwise, transfer the green beans to a 13x9 casserole dish (or comparable 3-quart dish), and pour the mushroom mixture evenly over top.
If including the optional panko, mix it with the oil and salt, and sprinkle evenly over the casserole.
Top with fried onions (use as much as you like!). Cover with foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 8–10 minutes or until the onions are golden brown and the sauce is bubbly. Keep an eye on it in the last 5 minutes so the onions don't burn. Serve hot.

Notes

Milk: Use a completely unsweetened,AND unflavored milk. I recommend a combination of almond and soy milk because they taste the most neutral in savory recipes. Watch out for unsweetened milks that have added flavors because these can come across as vanilla-ish and sweet.

Gluten free: Use rice flour or a gluten-free all-purpose blend to thicken the sauce. For the fried onions, go with a GF option like these or make your own with a recipe like this one. The two oil-free recipes linked below are also GF.

Oil-free: Skip the oil and butter and sauté the veggies in broth, or use my Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe. Also, use homemade baked onions or onion rings like:

Air Fryer French Fried Onions by That Girl Cooks Healthy
Crispy Un-Fried Onion Rings by Dreena Burton

Make-ahead:

Prep the sauce and green beans 1-2 days in advance and store separately. Reheat together on the stovetop as described in Step 5, then proceed with the recipe.

Or assemble the casserole the day before (without toppings), cover, and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, top with panko and fried onions, and bake. Add 10-15 minutes to the covered bake time.

Store leftover vegan green bean casserole in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition