The classic Thanksgiving side dish gets a milk free makeover in this dairy free green bean casserole, mushroom are optional. Makes 8 servings.
I know it feels like Thanksgiving is a million months away still, but before you know it, it the trees will have lost their leaves and we’ll all be scrambling to figure out what we’re contributing to our Thanksgiving dinners.
It can be even harder if you’re living dairy free, but this green bean skillet casserole is the dish you should make. It’s the best way to make sure you aren’t going to leave hungry – or sick – and, you won’t have to miss out on a classic Thanksgiving dish. Plus, it has vegetables, so that makes it healthy, right?
Personally, I have never been a big fan of mushrooms, so I choose to leave them out, but if you wanted to add mushrooms to this dish, you could sauté some chopped mushrooms with the onion.
This would not only give you more volume for your dish, it would add even more flavor (flavor that I don’t really care for, but flavor all the same). So mushrooms or no mushrooms. It’s your decision.
More classic holiday side dishes: healthy sweet potato casserole / homemade stuffing / pineapple stuffing / vegan scalloped potatoes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this green bean casserole:
Using a skillet for this dairy free green bean casserole is also a totally optional thing. If you want to transfer the green beans and sauce to a casserole dish before baking, go for it. I think this would be especially helpful if you’re bring the casserole somewhere, because cast iron skillets can get quite heavy. If you’re making it at home though, this is the cast iron is way to go. You only dirty one pan, and that can be a game changer if you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Nobody likes dishes, right?
How do you make green bean casserole with fresh green beans?
Mise en place. Get everything ready first so you aren’t scrambling later. Chop one onion and minced some garlic. Trim the ends from your green beans and cut them into 2- or 3-inch pieces. Measure your liquids, your flour and your crispy onions.
Stovetop prep. Heat a large oven-proof skillet to medium high. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic with a pinch of coarse salt. If you want to put chopped mushrooms in your green bean casserole, add them now (about 1 cup). Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and translucent.
Make the sauce. Add the flour and stir until it absorbs all the excess oil. Then, slowly whisk in the liquids, one at a time, until everything is nice and smooth.
Add the green beans and stir to coat them evenly in the creamy sauce. Top it all with crispy, french-fried onions, and transfer to the oven. Bake, uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes. Give your casserole time to cool before serving, about 10 minutes.
Make ahead tips for dairy free green bean casserole
If you want to make your green bean casserole ahead of time, prepare everything except the crispy onions. Cover the casserole and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Let it come to it’s almost room temperature, top with onions and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
Ingredient Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten free: Use 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch instead of the all-purpose flour, gluten free broth and gluten free french fried onions.
- Vegan: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Nut free: Use coconut or hemp milk instead of the almond milk.
10 EASY DAIRY FREE SUBSTITUTES
Not sure where to get started with dairy free substitutes? My easy cheat sheet will guide you through it and show you some great examples of how to use them.
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More dairy free Thanksgiving basics: vegan scalloped potatoes / dairy free pumpkin pie / homemade stuffing
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This is the easiest, dairy free green bean casserole and you’ll only dirty one pan making it. Make it vegan with vegetable broth.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch green beans for about 4 minutes, or until bright green and slightly tender. Drain.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in flour until a roux has formed. Slowly add broth, whisking into the roux until smooth. Add almond milk and continue to whisk. Add onion powder, salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and allow it to thicken, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Stir in green beans and 1/2 cup onions until evenly coated in sauce. Top casserole with remaining onions and bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions have browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Keywords: dairy free, vegan, easy, from scratch, fresh
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I made this for dinner last night and my husband told me it was the best green bean casserole I had ever made. This one’s a keeper! So glad I stumbled across your blog. My daughter has a dairy/soy allergy and I breastfeed so that means I pretty much do to.
★★★★
That’s awesome! I’m so glad to hear it, and I’m glad you found my blog, too. Let me know if there are any recipes you’d like to see in the future!
In the past I had not been a big green bean casserole fan but I am now because this is amazing! Whether you want dairy in your casserole or not I would highly recommend serving this recipe.
★★★★★
I am about to make this right now, and I’m choosing this recipe because friends of ours can’t have any yeast or gluten, so this wil be a hit! I’m also trying to find recipes for mushroom meatloaf, vegan style of course! These are wonderful comfort foods for the winter months and I know my husband is just going to love them! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome!! I hope you love it!
Is it okay to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk or do you think the vanilla would cook through and be sweet.
There’s nothing better than a green bean casserole that uses real ingredients! This is perfect for Thanksgiving or any time at all!
★★★★★
This is what I’m talking about! SO GOOD!
★★★★★
I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m so glad I found your blog. This is my first holiday season going through completely dairy free, and I knew I was going to agonize over not having my grandmas green bean cassarole. I’m sending this to her right away!
★★★★★
Yes! That’s perfect! I’m so glad you found me too 🙂 Feel free to send me an email if you need help with anything or what to request a recipe!
Will it make a big difference if it is not cooked in a skillet? I don’t have one and am concerned that it won’t cone out the same. Thank you!
No not really. It’s just one less pan to clean. You can use any oven-proof skillet or even use the pan you blanched the green beans in and transfer everything to a baking dish before topping it with the fried onions.
You forgot to add onion to ingredients and instructions. Only noticed bc I watched your video.
Would rice milk work just as well? We also have a nut allergy in the family…
I think so! I’m not that familiar with rice milk since we don’t use it, but I think it might be a little thinner than almond milk. If that’s the case you may want to add an additional tablespoon of flour to make up for it being a bit thinner. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
I just made this recipe for our Thanksgiving potluck at our church and it tasted great!
★★★★★
You forgot to add onions to the ingredients and instructions ? thankfully we are doing our thanksgiving 2 days late so I’m able to make a last minute trip to the grocery store. I suggest updating this so no one else goes through this.
Hello, Is it OK to use 2 cans of cut green beans?? And is 2 cans enough for your recipe?? Thanks for responding! Dr. Sue
2 cans should work!