This vegan green bean casserole features green beans baked with homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup and fried onions. The recipe is entirely plant-based but it tastes authentic, and it can be made gluten-free and nut-free.
Vegan green bean casserole
I love green beans in recipes like garlic green beans, creamy chipotle green beans, and vegan tater tot casserole. They are just as delightful in this vegan version of a classic green bean casserole that I make every Thanksgiving.
This is a really simple recipe, with little hands-on time. To save time on an already busy day, I buy green beans that are already washed and trimmed, so all I need to do is cut them in half (I like them that way, but you can just leave them whole, as they usually are in green bean casseroles).
Green bean casserole was popularized for Thanksgiving by Campbell's Soups, as a way to market its cream of mushroom soup. For this vegan version you don't need to enrich Campbell's. Instead, make your own delicious vegan cream of mushroom soup with my reader-favorite recipe. I make a batch in advance for use in this casserole (it's also wonderful in my vegan hash brown casserole, which makes an awesome Thanksgiving Day breakfast).
What I love about this green bean casserole is how perfect the green beans cook up. They have just the right texture: a little toothsome yet perfectly tender. They're also incredibly flavorful, having soaked up all that cream of mushroom soup and golden onion-y goodness. Yum.
Recipe card
Vegan Green Bean Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups green beans (about 20 oz. Trim the beans and you can either leave them whole or halve them, as I do)
- 2 cups vegan cream of mushroom soup
- ½ cup nondairy milk (I use cashew milk, but you can use any)
- 1 tablespoon liquid aminos (or tamari or soy sauce, optional if you want to keep this soy-free)
- 1.5 cups fried onions
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil, lightly salt it, then add the green beans into the boiling water and set the timer for five minutes.
- At the end of five minutes, drain the beans immediately and rinse them in cold water.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the beans in a 2 quart baking dish. Add the cream of mushroom soup, milk, liquid aminos or soy sauce if using, half the onions, and salt and ground black pepper to taste. Mix well and press down on the beans slightly.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from the oven, mix well, then top with the remaining onions. Return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes or until the onions are a deeper golden.
- Remove and let stand at least 30 minutes so the juices thicken. Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Vegan green bean casserole FAQs
Very easily. Follow the instructions in the cream of mushroom soup recipe to make it gluten-free.
You can make this casserole ahead and refrigerate it for 3-5 days. If you do this, refrigerate right after you've baked for 25 minutes and before you add the remaining onions and put it back in the oven. An hour before serving, sprinkle on the onions and place in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until bubbling again.
You can freeze the casserole although I don't strongly recommend it if you want al dente beans and not soggy ones. Freezing alters the texture of the beans so they'll go softer on you. Your casserole will still be delicious, though. If you freeze, again, do it right after baking the casserole for the first 25 minutes. The night before you want to serve the casserole, place it in the refrigerator to thaw. An hour before serving, mix, sprinkle on the remaining onions, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling.
My top tips for a foolproof green bean casserole
- Blanch the beans -- put them in boiling water for a short time, then rinse them off quickly. This barely takes any hands-on time and will ensure the beans have great texture and are not uncooked nor mushy.
- Use a thicker nondairy milk, if possible, for more creaminess. I like cashew milk, which I make myself, but you can go with soy or even coconut milk.
- Mix some of the onions in your casserole before baking, and leave some of them out to add at the very end. That way your beans will have some onion deliciousness to soak in during baking, and you'll get great texture from the crunchy, golden onions on top.
- Remember to get your beans out of the oven toward the end of cooking, mix well (important!), then add the remaining onions to the top, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Valerie says
Excellent! My husband was craving green bean casserole and this was perfect!
AriB says
I've now made this twice and it is just so good. I'm not a fan of Thanksgiving foods but my family is. I've done two test runs now. I really like this casserole. I like to add baby Portobellos to the button mushrooms because I love a hearty mushroom and the taste is so smoky. Adding Sherry Cooking Wine also really blends the flavors well. We're also a lactose intolerant family and were struggling every year with this dish (some people in the fam love to eat a lot of casserole but the cheese kills everyone's stomach). Finding this recipe has helped A LOT. 🙂
Cecilia says
I have tried so many vegan green bean casseroles and this one is by far the best. It tastes exactly like the casserole I was used to growing up and my family loves it, even the ones who aren't vegan. Thanks for a fabulous recipe.
Lee says
This was so good and easy....it was better the next couple day. THANK YOU!!!!
Lee says
sorry should say EVEN better the next couple days...,.lol
Vaishali says
Awesome, so happy you tried, and liked, it! Thanks for letting me know.
vat says
looks yum!