Green Bean Casserole
This vegan green bean casserole is a must-have on any holiday table. Juicy green beans are sautéed with onions, mushrooms, and garlic and then baked with a savory cashew cream and topped with crispy onions. This plant-based variation is an updated version of the classic while also being easy to make and using accessible ingredients. The final dish is some serious comfort food that I am certain you will enjoy.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
The ingredients for this vegan green bean casserole are simple and wholesome. Green beans, cremini mushrooms, onions, garlic, cashews, and some pantry-staple seasonings. What makes this version different is instead of blanching the green beans (or using canned), I like to sauté them with the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Then you transfer this to a baking dish and pour over a blended cashew cream that’s been seasoned perfectly. Of course, you will need a can of crispy onions to famously top the casserole.
PREPARING THE BASE AND COMBINING
The first step for this vegan green bean casserole is to sauté the onions and mushrooms to give them a head start. Then you add the garlic and green beans and cook them just a bit. You do not want to overcook the green beans to avoid them from becoming too mushy. They should be cooked until bright green and then you transfer the mixture to a baking dish and pour over the cashew cream.
TOPPING THE VEGAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
For the cashew cream for this vegan green bean casserole, you will need a high-speed blender. (If you only have a regular blender, I recommend soaking the cashews in boiling water for about 10 minutes to soften them.) Once they are blended with water and seasonings, you will be left with a creamy cashew cream that thickens up beautifully. This is directly poured over the sautéed mixture and baked. After the initial bake, you top with crispy onions and finish baking this vegan green bean casserole until golden and crispy on top.
SERVING THE VEGAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Now you are ready to serve! This vegan green bean casserole works beautifully with all of the other holiday classics and it is something that I make every holiday. I hope that you love it! If you try it out, please let me know what you think in the reviews below. Lastly, here are some FAQs to help you better make the recipe. Enjoy my friends and happy holidays!
Warmly,
Timothy
FAQs FOR THIS RECIPE:
Yes! You can follow the recipe all the way up until the baking part. Simply cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and keep in the fridge for a few days until ready to bake. (Do wait to add the crispy onions until after the initial bake is done.) You can also freeze the casserole, in which case you will want to add 5 to 10 more minutes to the bake time.
Yes, the base of this vegan green bean casserole is gluten free. All you will need to do is purchase gluten free crispy onions. These are available online or at your local Whole Foods. As for soy free, simply skip the tamari and use coconut aminos.
If you don’t love the texture of the traditional green bean casserole, simply pull back about 10 minutes of the bake time. This will keep the green beans a bit more crispy and fresh.
You can skip the mushrooms if they don’t do it for you. If so, I would add a small scoop of mellow white miso or a dab of vegetable boillon paste to offer some additional flavor.
This casserole serves about 6 people and could stretch to 8 if you have a full spread on the table.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, TRY THESE HOLIDAY DISHES:
Roasted Delicata Squash
White Truffle Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, bottoms removed and thinly sliced
- 12 ounces fresh, trimmed green beans, cut bite-sized
- 3 fat garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon tamari, or coconut aminos
- Black pepper, a few cracks
- 3 ounces crispy onions, or desired amount
Instructions
- Prepare the oven: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Set aside a 9” x 9” baking dish.
- Sauté the vegetables: Place a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes, mixing every so often, until the mixture is tender. Then add the green beans, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a high-speed blender, add the cashews, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powders, tamari (or coconut aminos), and black pepper. Blend for about 30 seconds, or until completely smooth, and pour over the green beans.
- Bake: Mix well and bake for 20-30 minutes (see notes). Remove from the oven and sprinkle the crispy onions over top. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Serve.
These green beans were the star of our vegan Thanksgiving table! I had my doubts as I poured the somewhat soupy cashew blend over the sauteed bean mixture before baking, but the end result was so very delicious and just the right consistency for a green bean casserole (how could I have doubted you?!?). One of my nonvegan guests commented how fresh this recipe tasted compared to the usual cream of mushroom soup version. Well, of course it’s fresh, made with all whole foods! Thanks for another outstanding recipe.
Oh my goodness, Lella, this made me smile so big! Thank you so much for letting me know. It makes me so happy to know that this casserole was enjoyed by vegans and nonvegans alike. Thank you!
Please bypass all of the shortcuts if you want the best!! This recipe marries flavors with texture!! Such a winner thank you Tim💯
Hi Ida! Thank you so much for letting me know. Have a beautiful day!
looks delicious
Thank you! Happy holidays!
This is the most delicious dish ever
Thank you so much! Very happy to hear.
Hi Timmy!
I have a guest coming who is allergic to cashews 😩all other nuts are fair game. What do you suggest? I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving. Thanks for all of your amazing work!!
Beck
Hey Beck! So you can actually use hemp hearts for this instead of cashews (preferably a batch that is all white or mostly white to keep the color nice)! It does give it a little bit of a grassy flavor but with all the other seasonings, I don’t think it should be too noticeable, but just a heads up. I think you could also used blanched almonds and that would be lovely, I just haven’t tried it. Enjoy!
To Beck and Timothy- a half cup of cashews is about 65-70 g, so I bet the same weight of almond flour would work really well for the cream sauce (I typically use cashew pieces because they are cheaper, and my measure is almost always 65 g). Almonds are somewhat denser than cashews, so almond flour would be easier to hydrate than blanched almonds to ensure a creamy result. I frequently use almond flour in dairy alternatives and have saved many recipes that call for the same.
Thank you for this great tip, Carolyn! Happy holidays!
This Looks amazing. !
Thank you so much! Happy cooking!