Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Whether you’re looking for the perfect green bean casserole for your vegan Thanksgiving meal or you’re just a die-hard fan of casseroles, this recipe is a serious winner! This vegan green bean casserole comes from my book, The Friendly Vegan Cookbook, and was tried and tested many times in many kitchens by many people to get it just right. 

Made with two pounds of green beans (we call for fresh but frozen will work too), veggie broth, cashews (blended into a cream), mushrooms, onion, garlic, and crispy fried onions, this is a decadent dish that you’ll be so excited to dish onto your plate. It’s a great dish for dinner parties because you can prepare it in advance, store it in the fridge, and bake it just before you’re ready to enjoy it. It’s also great for vegan meal prep because it stores and reheats perfectly. In fact, I personally think it actually gets better and better each day. 

Making this vegan casserole relatively easy. You’ll steam the green beans, blend the broth, cashews, and spices into a cashew cream, and then turn to a pot on the stove to create a roux. This is the fun part, because when you pour your blended cashew cream mixture into the pot, it will start to thicken into a creamy decadent sauce. Mix the thickened cream mixture with your steamed green beans in a casserole dish, pop it in the oven, and get ready to dive in! 

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Author: Michelle Cehn and Toni Okamoto

5 from 9 votes

I know, green beans aren’t for everyone. But I personally love them—especially in green bean casseroles at Thanksgiving. In my eyes, the ultimate green bean casserole strikes a balance between too ­soft and too­ crisp green beans, with a nice amount of creamy filling.

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans
• 3 cups vegetable broth, or equivalent amount of vegetable bouillon and water, divided
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ cup vegan butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups button mushrooms, sliced or diced
• 4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups crispy fried onions, we use store-bought

Instructions

• To prepare the green beans, wash them, trim the stem ends, cut them in half, place them in a steamer basket, and steam for 7 minutes. Remove the green beans from the steamer, rinse them with ice­-cold water to preserve the green color, and set aside.
• In a high­-powered blender, combine 1 cup of the vegetable broth and the cashews and blend on high until smooth. Blend in the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, salt, and pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large pot over medium­ high heat, melt the vegan butter. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux. Continue to whisk the thickened roux constantly for 3 minutes. Add the broth and cashew mixture and whisk continuously for 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened (thickening will happen fast and suddenly, so be sure to turn off the heat just as the mixture gets thick enough).
• Spoon the green beans and the creamy mixture into a 9 × 13 ­inch baking dish and mix until well combined. Top with an even layer of fried onions and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 638mg | Potassium: 400mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 971IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword green bean casserole, green beans recipe, vegan casserole, vegan green bean casserole, vegan thanksgiving side dish recipe

Prefer Softer Green Beans?

I’ve been hosting vegan Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving gatherings for many years now, and every time we have at least two green bean casseroles made by different people. It’s been fun to see how different they can be, and also how people have vastly different preferences when it comes to their green beans. Some like ’em super-duper-soft, some like ’em bright green, firm, and crispy, and others like them somewhere in between.

This recipe makes a casserole with green beans that are still a bit crispy. If you want softer green beans in your casserole, simply steam them for longer! I’d love to hear your favorite way to enjoy green bean casseroles in the comments below. 

The Friendly Vegan Cookbook

This is a recipe from my book, The Friendly Vegan Cookbook, which is all about providing perfected recipes  for the most important staple meals to have in your arsenal. The book featured veganized recipes like: 

• Vegan Mashed Potatoes & Mushroom Gravy
• Pumpkin Chocolate Pie 
• Homemade Vegan Stuffing
• Warming Corn Chowder

…and so much more. 

Toni Okamoto and I wrote The Friendly Vegan Cookbook to empower our friends, family, and online communities in the kitchen. This book will make sure you have all the staple vegan recipes at your fingertips to feed your family, your friends, and of course, yourself. You can get a copy here! 

More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes to Try

• Sweet Winter Squash Bisque
• Glazed Seitan Turkey Loaf
• Candied Walnuts
• Vegan Turkey Guide

This vegan green bean casserole recipe is from The Friendly Vegan Cookbook by Michelle Cehn and Toni Okamoto. Photos by Zhoro Apostolov. This  easy vegan Thanksgiving recipe was published with permission from BenBella Books, 2020, all rights reserved. Please note that this article may contain affiliate links that support our work at World of Vegan.