Vegan Green Bean Casserole: A delicious classic side dish made in under 30 minutes! It’s creamy, healthy, savory, and so satisfying for the holidays.
Can you believe Thanksgiving is gone and passed already? I feel like this year was not only a hard one, but it sped by at the speed of light.
There’s one thing I’m not ready to give up yet though… and that’s those comfort food worthy recipes. You know exactly what I’m talking about – the most nostalgic of recipes that your grandma always makes extra special.
For me, that’s always going to be green bean casserole. Between the creamy sauce, the crunchy topping, and all the added veggies – it’s my favorite.
But today I thought to mix things up and try and make a Vegan and Gluten Free version. You’ll be able to whip this up just in time for Christmas and nobody will even know it’s vegan.
The single most important part of this recipe though, has to be the green beans. Which is exactly where I’m going to start here. How on earth do you pick the green beans?
Let’s talk about that, shall we?
How to Choose the BEST Green Beans
Simply put, fresh green beans are the perfect match for green bean casserole. Canned green beans are too mushy and frozen green beans tend to lose a lot of their best qualities.
Here’s a few tips for choosing the best green beans at the store:
- Make sure they’re very green in color. You don’t want any yellow or brown tints in your green beans! The more vibrant the color, the better the green beans.
- Check to be sure they snap! Bend the pod and wait until you hear that snapping sound. Ripe green beans will snap relatively easily. Check at least 1 in each batch you buy.
- Don’t choose any that are overly large or thick. These will become very stringy and tough – not great for your vegan green bean casserole!
Tip: Store your green beans in the crisper drawer in a sealed plastic bag to preserve moisture. Don’t worry about rinsing or snapping the ends off until you’re ready to cook them.
Preparing Vegan Green Bean Casserole Ahead of Time
What I love about this vegan gluten-free green bean casserole, is you can easily make it ahead of time! This is great for preparing it for small family get-togethers during the holidays.
To prepare this dish ahead of time, prepare it as instructed but stop just before topping the casserole with the crispy onions. Store in the fridge with a cover (foil will work just fine) for 24-48 hours.
When you’re ready, top it with the remaining crispy onions and bake!
Recommended Cooking Tools
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- Baking dish: A ceramic baking dish is a MUST for cooking casseroles and baked goods.
- Large pot: If you don’t have a dutch oven style pot, get one! They yield best results when cooking.
Vegan Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
- Green beans: Make sure to use fresh green beans that are rinsed, drained, and cut in half lengthwise.
- Olive oil: You’ll need just a bit of oil to cook the onions, garlic, and mushrooms!
- Sweet onion: Make sure your onion is finely chopped for this recipe.
- Garlic cloves: Mince up your garlic cloves first!
- Baby bella mushrooms: Mushrooms add so much delicious flavor to this dish, make sure they’re finely chopped!
- Salt & pepper: Just a bit of salt and pepper for some added taste.
- Flour: A bit of flour is used to thicken up the sauce in this recipe. If you’re opting for a gluten free dish as well as vegan, make sure to choose a gluten-free flour.
- Vegetable broth: A bit of broth to add some flavor to the vegetables!
- Almond milk: Almond milk is best with this dish to give it some creamy flavor. You can use another milk alternative, if preferred.
- Vegan crispy fried onions: Green bean casserole is best with crispy fried onions for that added texture and flavor!
How to Make Vegan Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole
- Preheat your oven to 375F and prepare an 8×8 baking dish with a light coat of cooking spray; set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 7 minutes; drain and set aside.
- While the green beans are boiling, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until tender.
- Add the salt, pepper, and flour and stir until the vegetables are fully coated. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth and milk, making sure to whisk constantly in order to incorporate. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the liquid is thick and bubbly. Add any additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Once the mixture is thick and bubbly, stir 1 cup of crispy fried onions and the cooked green beans.
- Pour the green beans and sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining crispy onions.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the casserole is lightly browned and bubbling.
How to Store Green Bean Casserole
Vegan green bean casserole is so good, leftovers might not even happen! But in the case you have some to save, store them in the fridge.
To store in the fridge, place it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-5 days.
When you’re ready to reheat, pop in the microwave in 30-second increments until it reaches your desired temperature.
Note: Due to the milk content, you will not want to freeze this casserole. Milk and milk alternatives do not thaw out the same. They will result in a different texture and taste that is rather unpleasant to consume.
More Green Bean Recipes:
Try These Other Side Dishes:
Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh green beans rinsed, drained and cut in half, lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ sweet onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups baby bella mushrooms finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 2 cups vegan crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 dish for baking with a light coating of cooking spray. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While the green beans are boiling, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender.
- Add the salt, pepper and flour and stir until the vegetables are coated. Cook for two more minutes.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth and milk, whisking constantly to incorporate. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid is thick and bubbly. You can add additional salt and pepper if desired at this time.
- Once the mixture is thick and bubbly, stir in 1 cup of the crispy fried onions and the cooked green beans.
- Pour the green beans and sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of crispy onions.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the casserole is lightly browned and bubbling on top.
Nutrition
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