This vegan green bean casserole is perfect for your plant-based holidays. Even your non-vegan friends and family will love this version. It's made with homemade mushroom cream sauce for a flavor that is out of this world! Made in 30 minutes!
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This vegan green bean casserole has all the flavors of the traditional holiday side dish with none of the animal products. It is made with fresh green beans, homemade mushroom sauce, and crispy fried onions.
The mushroom sauce cooks up in minutes and tastes so much better than those condensed varieties of cream of mushroom soup. Even your non-vegan friends will appreciate the amazing taste of this casserole.
Like the traditional recipe, this vegan green bean casserole pairs so well with other holiday flavors. It’s delicious with wild rice stuffed acorn squash, cauliflower mashed potatoes and stuffing with apples and sage.
Even the pickiest eaters at your table will enjoy this vegan holiday casserole.
Ingredients & Substitutions
You don’t need much to make this green bean casserole! You should be able to find all these ingredients easily at your local store. Note, crispy fried onions are often only carried during the holiday season so if you can't find them at the store, you can always pick some up online. (<<affiliate link)
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- Green Beans - Look for bright fresh green beans with no brown spots. I do not recommend using frozen green beans.
- Olive Oil - You could also use non-dairy vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- All-Purpose Flour - For a gluten-free option, use 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend.
- Non-Dairy Milk - Make sure to use unflavored and unsweetened milk. I recommend either soy or cashew milk but any type will do.
- Vegan Parmesan - I HIGHLY recommend Violife parmesan. It is creamy, melty, and tastes exactly how I remember parmesan to taste. Look for it at Whole Foods or your natural health food store. If you don’t have access to Violife, you can make your own parmesan or substitute nutritional yeast.
- Crispy Fried Onions - Most fried onions are vegan but it's always a good idea to check. I recommend this brand.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One - Prep the Beans
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. As the oven heats, rinse the green beans under cool water. Use a sharp knife to trim off the ends and cut them in half.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and then add the beans. Boil for 5 minutes before straining the beans through a colander. Quickly transfer the green beans to an ice bath to stop them from cooking further and set the beans aside.
Step Two - Prepare the Mushroom Sauce
In a 10” oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have begun to release their juices. As they cook, stir them occasionally.
Stir in the flour and cook for an additional minute. Once the mushrooms are fully coated, add the vegetable stock and non-dairy milk.
Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Finally, stir in vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Step Three - Add the Green Beans
Stir in the green beans until they are fully incorporated. Top with crispy onions. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the sauce underneath starts to boil up.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool 5 minutes before serving.
Serving And Storing
Serving - Vegan green bean casserole is best served hot from the oven. Serve it with vegan meatloaf, cauliflower mashed potatoes, and Thanksgiving stuffing.
Storing - Store leftovers in an airtight container. It should keep in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days.
Reheating - Reheat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until warmed through. Alternatively, you can reheat in the oven. Bake the casserole at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- To avoid mushy beans, make sure to not overcook them when boiling. Boiling the beans for only 5 minutes and immediately transfer them to a water bath. They will continue to cook in the oven.
- Keep a close eye on the casserole towards the end. The fried onions can burn easily if left in for too long.
- Allow the casserole to rest for a few minutes before serving. This gives the sauce time to thicken up a bit.
Frequently Asked Questions
The way the recipe is written, no. However, you can replace the flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour and find a gluten free variety of fried onions. This is the brand I recommend. (<<affiliate link) Or use almond silvers instead.
Not typically. Cream of mushroom soup is made with milk and cream. For this recipe, I make my own vegan mushroom cream sauce which tastes better than the condensed soup used in most green bean casseroles. However, if you want to save on time, you can use a vegan cream of mushroom soup instead. (<<affiliate link)
You certainly can if you really want to. When you make the cream sauce, mix the flour into the oil without mushrooms and it should create a thick and creamy sauce.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Skinny Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Perfect Vegan Apple Pie
- Vegan Mac & Cheese Casserole
- Classic Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Best-Ever Vegan Cornbread
For more Thanksgiving recipes, check out my Vegan Thanksgiving Menu planning guide. You'll find a complete vegan Thanksgiving + shopping list and meal prep ideas!
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans, wash and trimmed
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 ½ cups crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Rinse the green beans in cold water. Trim off the ends and cut in half. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add green beans and boil them for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately strain the green beans through a colander. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the green beans from continuing to cook. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have begun to release their juices. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional minute.
- Add vegetable stock and non-dairy milk. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Stir in the green beans until they are fully incorporated. Top with crispy onions and bake for 12-15 minutes until the sauce underneath starts to boil up. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- To avoid mushy beans, make sure to not overcook them when boiling. Boiling the beans for only 5 minutes and immediately transfer them to a water bath. They will continue to cook in the oven.
- Keep a close eye on the casserole towards the end. The fried onions can burn easily if left in for too long.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
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