Vegan Green Bean Casserole

This vegan green bean casserole is a holiday classic. Tender green beans mixed with a creamy mushroom sauce and crispy fried onions and baked to perfection. 

A green bean casserole is a classic side dish at every special occasion. It’s perfectly at home as a Thanksgiving side alongside some vegan sweet potato casserole or alongside your vegan scalloped potatoes at Easter or Christmas.

Or you can just make it on a regular Thursday night! It’s so good, it doesn’t need to be reserved for special occasions only. 

It’s also ideal to make ahead of time, so it’s perfect for when you need to plan ahead. 

How To Make Vegan Green Bean Casserole

• So your first step (not pictured) is to cook your green beans. The best way to cook them is to flash boil them so they are tender but still al dente. You don’t want them too soft because they still have to bake in the oven. So bring a pot of water to the boil and then add in the green beans and flash boil them for 3 minutes. Then drain the green beans and add to a mixing bowl. Set aside. 
• Now for your mushroom soup! Add some olive oil and crushed garlic to a frying pan along with sliced cremini mushrooms (also called baby bella’s or portobellini) and some soy sauce and sauté until the mushrooms are softened. Add in some coconut milk and heat with the mushrooms until it reaches a simmer. 
• Then thicken it by making a slurry with some cornstarch and water – mix cornstarch and cold water into a paste – add it to the soup and stir vigorously until thickened. Let it cook a few more minutes for the cornstarch to cook off. 
• Then you just want to add your mushroom soup in with your green beans in the mixing bowl along with a 1/3 cup of crispy fried onions and mix in. 

• Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and add more crispy fried onions to the top of the dish and then return to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes until the onions are deliciously browned on top. 
• Let the dish cool on a wire cooling rack for a few minutes and then serve. 

Should I use Fresh or Frozen Green Beans?

We used frozen green beans and it worked wonderfully well. However, it will also work perfectly with fresh green beans, so it really just depends on what is easiest to get. 

The method will remain exactly the same whether you use fresh or frozen green beans. 

Crispy Fried Onions

Crispy fried onions are also called French fried onions and they come in a bag, pre-made. You can get them on Amazon (search ‘crispy fried onions’ or French fried onions’). I was able to get them at my local supermarket. The key thing is that we don’t make these from scratch, that would make this recipe a whole lot more complicated.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions:

Coconut Milk: We used canned full fat coconut milk (which is unsweetened) and this is really divine in the mushroom soup and creates a really rich creamy result. We took inspiration from our vegan cream of mushroom soup for this part. 

However, if you have an issue with coconut then you can definitely substitute a different non-dairy milk that heats well such as soy or almond milk. However the result will not be as rich. 

Cornstarch: We used cornstarch for thickening the soup, but you could substitute all purpose flour or a gluten free all purpose flour blend if you have an issue with cornstarch. If you do substitute flour for cornstarch then you would use 2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour to replace the 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. 

Soy Sauce: We use soy sauce in the mushroom soup but you could switch it for Tamari if you prefer. 

Gluten-Free: You can make this dish gluten-free if you use cornstarch (as we did) or a gluten-free all purpose flour blend if not using cornstarch, along with using tamari or a gluten free soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. You will also need to make sure your crispy fried onions are gluten-free. 

How To Make Ahead or Store Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Make Ahead: This is a perfect dish to make ahead. Just make it up to the point that you put the green bean, mushroom soup and crispy fried onion mix into the 9×13 dish.

Instead of placing it into the oven at this point as you would usually do, just let it cool, cover and refrigerate. And then when you are ready to bake it the next day, place the dish into the oven and bake as normal with an extra 5 minutes of bake time to account for the coldness of the dish going in. Then bring it out and add the extra crispy fried onions as usual and bake for the last 5 minutes. 

Store: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for around 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until warmed through. 

More Delicious Vegan Side Dishes

1. Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
2. Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
3. Vegan Mashed Potatoes
4. Vegan Gravy
5. Vegan Cornbread
6. Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Alison Andrews
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 10

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Description

This vegan green bean casserole is a holiday classic. Tender green beans mixed with a creamy mushroom sauce and crispy fried onions and baked to perfection.

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Ingredients

• 2 and 1/2 pounds Frozen Green Beans (about 9 cups/1.1kg)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
• 8 oz Cremini Mushrooms (Sliced)*
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce*
• 1 14oz (400ml) Can Coconut Milk*
• 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 6oz (170g) Crispy Fried Onions

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Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and then add in the green beans and flash boil them for 3 minutes. Then drain the green beans and add to a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
3. Add the olive oil and crushed garlic to a frying pan along with the sliced cremini mushrooms and soy sauce and sauté until the mushrooms are softened. Add the coconut milk and heat with the mushrooms until it reaches a simmer.
4. Mix the cornstarch with a little cold water into a paste and add it to the soup stirring vigorously and keep stirring for a few more minutes until the soup is thickened.
5. Pour your mushroom soup in with your green beans in the mixing bowl and add in a 1/3 cup of crispy fried onions. Mix in.
6. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove it from the oven and add the remaining crispy fried onions to the top of the dish and then return to the oven to bake for a further 5 minutes until the onions are browned on top. Remove from the oven and let the dish cool on a wire cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.

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Notes

*Cremini mushrooms are also called baby bella or portobellini mushrooms.

*You can also use fresh green beans if you prefer. The method will remain the same.

*You can switch soy sauce for Tamari if you prefer.

*The coconut milk should be full fat canned unsweetened coconut milk. If you have a coconut allergy you can switch for a different non-dairy milk that heats well like soy or almond but it will be much less rich.

*Make Ahead: Prepare the casserole up to the point that you put the green bean, mushroom soup and crispy fried onion mix into the 9×13 dish (step 6) but then instead of placing it into the oven at this point as you would usually do, just let it cool, cover the dish and refrigerate. When you are ready to bake it the next day, place the dish into the oven and bake as normal with an extra 5 minutes of bake time to account for the coldness of the dish going in. Then bring it out and add the extra crispy fried onions as usual and bake for the last 5 minutes.

*Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

• Category: Side, Savory
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Vegan

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 10)
• Calories: 236
• Sugar: 3.5g
• Sodium: 247mg
• Fat: 17g
• Saturated Fat: 9.5g
• Carbohydrates: 18.3g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 3.9g

Keywords: vegan green bean casserole