Why we love this dairy free green bean casserole
I know it feels like Thanksgiving is a million months away still, but before you know it, we’ll all be scrambling to figure out what we’re contributing to our Thanksgiving dinners. It can be even harder if you’re 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 this classic side dish. Our family doesn’t love mushrooms, so I choose to leave them out, but if you wanted to add mushrooms to this dish, add some chopped mushrooms when you add 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
Ingredient notes:
- Green beans – I like to use fresh green beans for this, but if you want to use frozen, thaw whole beans and skip the blanching.
- All-purpose flour – This acts as a thickening agent. If you want to swap it, I recommend 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch. To make this completely gluten free, make sure you’re using GF onions and broth as well.
- Chicken stock – Feel free to swap this for vegetable broth if you want to make this recipe vegan.
- Dairy free milk – I normally use almond or oat milk for this, but any dairy free milk will work as long as it is unsweetened and plain (ie. don’t use vanilla other flavored options)
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Cast iron skillet: I love using a cast iron skillet for this recipe because it creates one less dirty pan, but 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.
- Make ahead: 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.
More dairy free Thanksgiving recipes
Green Bean Casserole
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 unsweetened dairy free milk, we usually use almond or oat
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups French fried onions
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and measure/chop all of your ingredients before you begin.
- Blanch the beans. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the green beans for about 4 minutes, until they’re bright green and just slightly tender. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and garlic with a good pinch of coarse salt. If you’re adding mushrooms, toss them in now too. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Make the sauce. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir until it soaks up the oil and forms a paste (that’s your roux). Slowly whisk in the broth, then the dairy free milk, making sure everything stays smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce come to a simmer and thicken—this should take about 5 minutes.
- Assemble the casserole. Stir in the blanched green beans and about 1/2 cup of the crispy fried onions. Mix everything until the beans are coated in the sauce.
- Bake it up. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions evenly on top. Bake, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.
- Cool slightly before serving. Let your casserole rest for at least 10 minutes before digging in. The sauce will thicken more as it sits.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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!