Green bean casserole was a dish it took me a while to warm up to. I mean, it has mushrooms in it, people, MUSHROOMS. (P.S. I hate mushrooms, always and forever.) At Thanksgiving, I was always the first to dive into the mashed potatoes and gravy and the last to get at the stuffing and green bean casserole (stuffing is still iffy for me). After a while, I discovered that, um, this casserole has crispy fried onions on top and gets all bubbly and delicious, so let’s give it a try.
Needless to say, I ended up loving that crispy/bubbly combination, but didn’t so much love the condensed creepy mushroom soup that went into making it. Last year, I made a version of vegan green bean casserole from Fat-Free VeganĀ that satisfied my craving, but still, it had mushrooms, so I wasn’t totally sold. I love a good caramelized onion, so I knew I wanted it to be heavy on the caramelized onion and crispy onion, super low on the mushroom part.
After tinkering and trying to get at that crispy on the top, bubbly in the middle texture, I finally landed on this vegan green bean casserole compromise. The best thing about this casserole is that, just like its original counterpart, it’s a mix and bake kind of dish. Rather than dirtying two extra pans and waiting even longer for the casserole to be ready, just mix, bake, top, done! The filling becomes all bubbly and crispy on the edges, while the top is crunchy and beans get nice and cooked all the way through. At first, I thought I would want the green beans to stay crunchy, but it turns out I like them nice and overdone. You might think this is a crime against vegetables, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Tips on how to make this green bean casserole
This easy green bean casserole takes just 15 minutes to prepare. Because it’s such a simple dish, you want to buy all the right ingredients. To get the proper texture, I used fresh green beans instead of canned. The green beans still come out perfectly mushy, but the casserole holds together a little better and has a deeper flavor this way. The second key ingredient is smoked paprika. In a pinch, you can certainly use regular paprika, but smoked paprika adds an extra layer of flavor to this dish that’s totally unique and delicious.
And although the crispy onions on the top are technically optional, it’s Thanksgiving, so why wouldn’t you use them? Side note: I gave my dad a whole can of those crispy French fried onions as part of his birthday gift one year, because we used to have to buy two cans around Thanksgiving, one for him and one for the casserole. He doesn’t eat them straight out of the can anymore, but seeing that container always makes me think of him popping it open to swipe a couple handfuls of fried onions.
Also, as much as I LOVE all the side dishes for Thanksgiving, if dessert is more your speed, here’s a delicious list of vegan Thanksgiving dessert recipes!
Previously on Heart of a Baker
Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Oil Crust
Vegan Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Mushroom-Free Vegan Green Bean Casserole with Caramelized Onions
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vegan green bean casserole tastes like the dish you grew up eating, minus the mushrooms and dairy products. Perfect for when the family’s over!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- Ā 2 cans green beans (14.5 ounces each)
- 1 1/2 cups crispy french fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a medium casserole dish and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium highĀ heat. Add the onion and garlic, saute for 3-4 minutes, until onion starts to brown.
- Add the salt, pepper, dried thyme, paprika, and flour. Stir together until onions are coated with the flour mixture.
- Whisk in the broth, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and tahini. Turn heat down to medium low and allow to simmer until mixture is thickened about 2-3 minutes. While mixture is thickening, make sure to whiskĀ ever so often to prevent clumps from forming and the bottom from burning.
- After the mixture has thickened, transfer it to a large bowl and stir in the green beans and 3/4 cup of the crispy onions. Transfer the green bean mixture to the prepared casserole dish and top with remaining crispy onions.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
- Serve immediately. Stores in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- Make sure you don’t let your onion mixture get TOO thick. If it does, just add in an additional 1/4 cup broth and whisk until it loosens up a bit.
Keywords: vegan green bean casserole, thanksgiving, sides
Shannon Y-I-V says
As a fellow mushroom hater, this recipe makes me sooo happy. Plenty of savory flavor in there without any fungus! Haha.
The Frosted Vegan says
Haha, I love that!! Best comment ever.
Lynn Lovejoy says
Ohhh this looks SO yummy!!!
The Frosted Vegan says
Thank you Lynn! It’s all gone now, so it was a winner!
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
I love that this doesn’t have a creepy canned soup in it, but can I have my mushrooms on the side?
The Frosted Vegan says
Totally! I’ll let you have them..and mine! : )
Willow Bird Baking (@julieruble) says
I do legitimately love mushrooms, but this looks amazing even without!
The Frosted Vegan says
It is pretty amazing, even without the mushrooms! : )
Barry says
Gee…thanks for telling the world about my crispy onions addiction:) Glad I don’t do that anymore!
The Frosted Vegan says
You are welcome!! : )
Jan Thompson says
Was it all the pureed mushroom baby food we fed you that made you hate them? I wonder…..just kidding, dear! Looks like a great recipe and I’ll get your Dad to make it!
The Frosted Vegan says
I’m sure he will make it for you if you ask nicely! : )
glutenfreehappytummy says
this makes me excited thanksgiving!!
Sophie33 says
I made it & loved it so much, dear Abby! Hubby agreed with me! x
Levan @ MyWifeMakes.com says
I’m actually quite a fan of mushrooms – but you know, this dish looks awesome regardless! The colours are great and completely drool worthy. š Out of curiosity, have you tried mushrooms that grow in the Southeast Asian region? They taste a little different from those that grow in the temperate regions of the world.
Loving the blog! My wife and I post mostly vegan recipes ourselves so your creations are really right up our alley. Thanks for sharing your talents with the world! <3
The Frosted Vegan says
I haven’t, but now I need to! I really do want to like mushrooms, I just haven’t found a way that works for me yet! Thank you for your kind words, I so appreciate it! : )
thenomadicvegan says
Green bean casserole was never a thing in my family, but we do have something called “rice corn casserole” that is a fixture at every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It also calls for a can of Campbell’s condensed soup, so I used this recipe as the inspiration for veganizing it and it came out perfect! Thanks so much!!
The Frosted Vegan says
Hooray! This makes me so happy to hear! Hope you had a wonderful holiday : )
Miss Polkadot says
That’s such a great spin on the classic! Well, not a classic for me because I’ve never had actual green bean casserole growing up across the pond :). Plus, I’m a huge mushroom fiend BUT I don’t always have some around yet always crave comfort food. So I hope I’ll remember your recipe the next time I want it but have no mushrooms at hand. Caramelized onions … one of my addictions.
The Frosted Vegan says
Same here! You should try it out, it’s a favorite here! : )
Elyse says
Can I make this without nutritional yeast? I have a friend coming who can’t stomach it (though I LOVE it)
Heart of a Baker says
Yes, you can! I would increase the seasonings to keep it from being bland š
Awdur says
Could I use frozen green beans?
Awdur says
I made this, with a view additions:
1) I used frozen green beans.
2) To avoid the fried nature of the onions, I used 1 cup of gluten-free breadcrumbs. I also used gluten-free all-purpose flour.
It was a success!
Heart of a Baker says
Awesome, I’m so happy to hear!
Jenna says
I’ve made this the last 2 years for Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone loves it! Great recipe and everyone looks forward to it every year š
Jenna says
I use frozen green beans. I let them thaw though the night before
Rachel says
I don’t love almond milk–think coconut milk or oatmik would work?