Name: Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound green beans, trimmed and steamed (see note 1 for canned/fresh/frozen); 2 cups vegan cream of mushroom soup (see note 2); 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened original flavor non-dairy milk (any kind); 1 ⅓ cups vegan fried onions, divided (use gluten-free if needed) (see note 3 for substitutions); Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste; ¼ cup vegan shredded cheese, optional (see note 4)

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This delicious, creamy, and crunchy Vegan Green Bean Casserole is made with homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup, fresh green beans (see notes for canned), a pinch of vegan cheese, and crispy onions for the best vegan side dish perfect for any holiday meal.

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Hey Internet, I love this time of year, do you? Fall is my favorite season, and Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about the food! AND I am a foodie, in case ya didn’t know, hah.

I recently published my vegan cream of mushroom soup recipe and I knew what I had to do with the leftovers: I had to make vegan green bean casserole.

This is definitely one of my favorite sides because it’s creamy, there’s mushrooms, and it’s crunchy on top. I even add a little vegan cheese, though it’s not necessary if you find that to be disgraceful. I do think it’s worth trying though--so good.

And since my mushroom soup recipe includes sauteed onions and garlic, you don’t even need to do that for the casserole.

Whether to use fresh or canned green beans seems like a big argument, and not just within the vegan community. I think you could definitely go either route, though I personally prefer it with fresh green beans.

I am not even a green bean lover, and I think the fresh green beans provide a little more texture.

However, if you are team canned green beans, I provide instructions on how to do that with this recipe too.

This recipe is INSANELY easy, with only a handful of ingredients and less than 5 minutes active time (the rest of the recipe time is just time in the oven).

Which means you can spend your energy elsewhere. Whether you’re cooking a bunch of other stuff or whatever else you want to do, this recipe won’t have you slaving in the kitchen.

Enough yapping about the recipe though, let’s make it.

What You’ll Need

Fresh or canned green beans: If using fresh green beans, you’ll want to wash them, trim the ends, and steam them first. I like to steam till al dente (almost cooked) because they’ll cook a little more in the oven. You can microwave them which is easiest (just throw a little water in a microwave safe dish, cover with a damp paper towel and cook 3-4 minutes) or cook however you please. If using canned green beans, just drain before use. And if using frozen, I’d defrost and then treat them like canned. Remember that haricot vert are a little thinner so they may require less time in the oven.
Vegan cream of mushroom soup
Unsweetened non-dairy milk: Just a little non-dairy milk (any is fine, just get original flavor not vanilla or something) helps ensure this doesn’t get too thick to cook properly and helps coat the green beans.
Fried onions: Optional, but like… not. If you’re oil-free, slice up your onions and try air frying them, or you can skip if preferred. You could also try chopping up some almonds and pecans and using that as the topping.
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper: To season the green beans.
Optional--Vegan shredded cheese: Sprinkle a handful of vegan shredded cheddar-style or parmesan-style cheese on top before the fried onions--adds a delicious extra something-something. If oil-free, try my homemade nut-free vegan cheddar.

How to Make Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
Take your cooked fresh green beans, drained canned green beans, or defrosted frozen green beans and add them to a lightly greased (or lined with parchment paper) 8-inch square baking dish (a round dish will also work).
Season the green beans with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper and give a gentle stir.
Add 2 cups of the vegan cream of mushroom soup, ⅔ cup of the fried onions, and 2-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk and stir again gently.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven with oven mitts or potholders and sprinkle with vegan shredded cheese (if using) and then the additional ⅔ cup fried onions.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and onions are more golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oven and let sit in the dish for 10 minutes before serving.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I recommend reheating in the oven so the onions have a chance to crisp up again.

How to Customize This Recipe

If you’d prefer to make this dish more hearty and more of an entree than a side, I have a few ideas for doing so.

Add a protein like soy curls, tofu, beans, seitan, or tempeh. I definitely want to try this with my seitan chicken.
Add a starch--parboil some rice or make some al dente pasta and mix it with everything in this dish. You may want to use a larger baking dish.
Try adding my vegan bacon bits on top!
Don’t like mushrooms? Try my quick vegan gravy instead of the soup.
Or try vegan cream cheese.
Instead of the fried onions, chop up some pecans or almonds as the topping.
Top the casserole with vegan mashed potatoes instead of or in addition to the onions.

More Vegan Dishes for Your Holiday Table

What’s a side without a main? Or other sides? Or dessert?

Here’s some of my favorite vegan dishes for your holiday table.

Anything Else

As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too.

We had a lot of leftovers from testing this recipe a few times to make sure it was perfect for you, and it was I who inhaled the leftovers this time. This recipe has everything I love.

This vegan green bean casserole is:

Cheesy
Crunchy
Creamy
Savory
Luscious
Rich
Satisfying
And perfect for a holiday table or even a weeknight side since it’s pretty easy.

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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