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What I love about vegan green bean casserole
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 SUBSTITUTIONS
Not sure where to get started with dairy free swaps? I’m here to help! Subscribe now to receive my free guide to dairy free substitutes.
More dairy free Thanksgiving basics: vegan scalloped potatoes / dairy free pumpkin pie / homemade stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
This is the easiest, dairy free green bean casserole and you’ll only dirty one pan making it. Make it vegan with vegetable broth.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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. Add chopped onions and continue to sauté until onions become translucent.
- 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 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 84
- Sugar: 3.7 g
- Sodium: 267.1 mg
- Fat: 4.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.6 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0.5 mg
Keywords: dairy free, vegan, easy, from scratch, fresh
Last Updated on November 19, 2021 by Melissa Belanger
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!
A must-try recipe! This is delicious and truly better than traditional green bean casserole. It tastes indulgent and doesn’t make you feel like you’re missing out. This is the only green bean casserole you should serve for Thanksgiving, not simply a DF/GF alternative. Also, you can make it ahead in the skillet, stick it in the fridge, then throw it in the oven when you need to. The ingredient list is mainly items you already have, too! So little fuss!
★★★★★
Can I use frozen green beans? And if so would I just put them in the recipe without doing anything to them first? Thank you
Absolutely! Just skip the blanching step. If you aren’t going to thaw them, I would maybe add an additional tablespoon of flour for thickening.
Hi – I made your green bean casserole before it is great.! Do you think it would be ok to use unsweetened Oat milk instead of almond milk?
Thanks
★★★★★
Yes! As long as you use unsweetened it will work just fine!
Is this enough to make in a 9×13 or would I need to double the recipe? Thanks!
Yes. 9×13 holds about the same as a 12-inch skillet. You shouldn’t need to double the recipe.
I haven’t made this yet but I’m very excited to try it for our Thanksgiving meal. We have chicken egg and dairy allergies in our home. Would goat milk(fresh) substitute well?
★★★★
If that’s safe for you, then you can definitely use it!
My only comment would be to please put the list of ingredients closer to the top of the page. Pet-peeve having to scroll all the way to the bottom for the ingredients & recipe
★★★★★
There is a jump to recipe button at the top so that you don’t have to scroll, but I’m glad you like the recipe. Thank you for the review!
Hi! I can’t wait to try this, my daughter is dairy free due to her baby breastfeeding and she was most sad about missing the green bean casserole! Can you prep it all the night before and then bake it the next day? Thanks!
I have frozen trader joe string beans and I enjoy the idea of cooking in cast iiron pan. Please advice what is best way of cooking . I also have to bring to thanksgiving dinner and want it to last with crispyness. Appreciate your advice!
How much onion powder is to be used?
It calls for chopped onion but doesn’t say where to add it. And says to add onion powder but that’s not listed on the ingredients!
Thanks.
Firstly, the recipe is delicious. However there are three errors in this recipe. The onions are completely omitted from the directions, there is an ingredient in the directions that aren’t in the ingredient list (onion powder), and the directions don’t say anything about the fried onions. It just says “onions”. I’m not sure how any recipe developer or food blogger can allow this to happen.
Also, this website is infested with advertisements it’s nearly impossible to read any part of the recipe or directions.
I don’t ever take the time to review recipes but I had to with this one. This was the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had! And you couldn’t even tell a difference that it was dairy free. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
★★★★★
I made this dairy-free green bean casserole recipe for Christmas dinner. It was absolutely delicious! I will never use a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup again—-this recipe is SO much better. I doubled the recipe for a 9x 13 glass baking dish. Used 4 cans of green beans (drained) and definitely use unsweetened almond milk. Don’t use vanilla flavored almond milk!
Delicious! Although I added 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
★★★★★
You mentioned onion powder in the instructions but it’s not listed under ingredients… how much onion powder?
I’m excited to come across this recipe and will try it! Note, instructions are not clear which onions when (chopped vs fried) and the onion powder is not mentioned in ingredients but is called for later. I’m guessing the chopped onion you sauté and the fried ones are step 5?
Sorry about that, there is not any onion powder in the recipe. I updated it now so you should be able to follow along now. You are right, chopped are for sautéing and the fried onions are for the topping.Thanks for letting me know!
This looks like a perfect DF option for Thanksgiving! I see onion powder mentioned in the directions, but I don’t see it in the ingredients list. Do I add both for this dish? Thanks in advance!
Sorry about that, I updated it accordingly for you. You are not going to use onion powder for this recipe!
When I tell you my family is obsessed with this recipe I mean it. I am dairy-free and only a few of my other family members are but I made this last year without telling people it was dairy-free and people LOVED it. Ever since last Thanksgiving and Christmas when I made the dish, it’s now mandatory that I make it from now on. I found this website when I searched up dairy-free green bean casserole and I have been using this website for so many other dishes since and they have always been big hits at gatherings!
★★★★★
I absolutely love green bean casserole, but I can’t do the cream and have a major dislike of mushrooms….then this recipe enters my life and changes everything for the better! It came out perfect. I substituted cornstarch for the flour, and nixed the garlic – and it was a hit. I’m so grateful! Now I can make this all the time. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Making this recipe for Christmas . Wondering if I can make ahead and freeze ?
Yes you can. I would wait to put the topping on until you are heating to serve.