Lightened-Up Creamy Green Bean Casserole
Nov 11, 2015, Updated Nov 19, 2021
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Here’s my creamy, lighter vegan green bean casserole! This recipe keeps the fresh green beans and mushrooms and ditches the condensed soups and heavy cream. Instead, it’s tossed with a delicious, dairy-free gravy made with vegan butter and soy milk.
Looking for more easy Thanksgiving side dishes? Check out my recipes for roasted green beans and these sweet and spicy carrots with green beans, next.
This is my lighter, vegan spin on a classic green bean casserole. It’s an easy Thanksgiving side dish loaded with snappy fresh green beans, caramelized onions, and mushrooms, made rich and creamy WITHOUT condensed soup or heavy cream. Obviously, I had to keep the fried onion topping (it’s the best part, after all). For this casserole, I made homemade crispy onions that are baked, not fried.
Why I Love This Recipe
- A holiday favorite made lighter. Don’t get me wrong, I love a traditional, creamy green bean casserole drenched in mushroom gravy and loaded with deep-fried onions. I mean, it’s the holidays! But I love that this recipe keeps this favorite casserole creamy, without weighing it down.
- 100% vegan. In between the Christmas roast and Thanksgiving turkey, I, for one, am thankful for a meatless dish that breaks things up at the holiday table. I make this green bean casserole with vegan butter and a touch of soy milk rather than canned soup and cream. Nothing complicated, and it turns out delicious!
- Easy. The casserole ingredients come together easily on the stovetop, and then it’s a matter of adding them to a dish to bake! This vegan green bean casserole is make-ahead-friendly and leftovers store great in the fridge.
Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fresh green bean casserole, along with some tips and substitutions. Scroll to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with the full recipe details.
- Green Beans – I love making this casserole with fresh green beans. Wash and trim the ends off before you start. In a pinch, canned green beans will also work.
- Mushrooms – These can be white mushrooms, button mushrooms, portobello, or cremini mushrooms. Slice them up thin.
- Yellow Onion – Or another mild onion, like shallot, diced.
- Vegan Butter – My favorite is Earth Balance vegan butter. You can easily swap this out for regular butter if you’re not making a vegan green bean casserole.
- Garlic – Whole fresh cloves, minced.
- Soy Milk – My go-to is Silk Original Soy Milk, but you can use any non-dairy milk you prefer. You can also use regular milk or half-and-half for a non-vegan version.
- Spices – Ground nutmeg, salt, and pepper for seasoning.
- Fried Onions – I top this green bean casserole with homemade crispy fried onions. You’ll find store-bought fried onions in most supermarkets.
How to Make Vegan Green Bean Casserole
I love a Thanksgiving side dish that doesn’t take a ton of time or effort. I can prep this vegan green bean casserole and pop it into the oven in between whipping mashed potatoes and mixing up the apple stuffing.
Here are the steps to lighten up your typical green bean casserole.
- Prepare the green beans. Start by boiling your green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Rinse the cooked beans under cold water or place them in an ice bath to cool completely. Drain and then set the beans aside in a bowl.
- Sauté the veggies. While the beans are cooling, sauté the onions with vegan butter. Add in the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring every so often. Once the veggies have softened, add them to the bowl with the green beans.
- Make the sauce. Now, use the same skillet to cook off the flour in melted butter to create a roux. The flour should be a light brown color before you whisk in the soy milk. Simmer to thicken up the sauce, and then remove the pan from the heat. Season the cream to your liking with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remember to taste as you go!
- Put it all together. Give the cream sauce a final stir, pour it over the green beans and mushrooms, and toss to coat. Afterward, transfer everything to a lightly greased casserole dish.
- Bake! Bake the casserole at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes until the sauce is nice and bubbly. Allow the green bean casserole to stand a bit after removing it from the oven. Stir, and then top with a generous layer of french fried onions and serve!
Make-Ahead
Once all the ingredients are in the baking dish, don’t bake. Instead, cover your vegan green bean casserole with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until the following day. Leave off the fried onions until after the casserole is baked.
When you’re ready to bake, pop the premade casserole in a preheated oven and bake as directed. The baking time will be slightly longer if the baking dish is straight from the fridge. Then, top with the onions and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Boil the green beans al dente. Be careful to not overcook the beans, otherwise, they’ll become mushy!
- Use unsweetened soy milk. Or any unsweetened dairy alternative that doesn’t contain added flavorings like vanilla.
- Taste for seasoning. I recommend tasting the cream sauce and adjusting for seasoning BEFORE you add it to the green beans. Make sure you are satisfied with the taste.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan green bean casserole is a staple on our Thanksgiving table next to our roast turkey and gravy. It’s a classic for a reason! It pairs perfectly with all my favorite holiday side dishes, from oven-roasted vegetables to smashed Brussels sprouts and this easy sweet potato roast. Of course, we never skip the fixings like turkey stuffing and cranberry sauce, and a slice of pumpkin pie for dessert!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover vegan green bean casserole covered or airtight in the fridge, and reheat it within 3 days. I find that this vegan green bean casserole tastes even better the next day! By then, the beans have had all that time to soak up the creamy flavors.
- Reheat. Warm the casserole in the oven at 350ºF, or in the microwave until it’s hot throughout. I like to throw extra fried onions on top afterward, to get things nice and crispy again.
- Freeze. To freeze this fresh green bean casserole, make sure you’ve tightly wrapped the pan in plastic wrap or transfer the casserole to a freezer-safe container. An extra layer of foil will help to protect against freezer burn, and you can keep the casserole frozen for up to 4-6 months.
More Holiday Side Dishes
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Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green beans, , trimmed
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, , divided (I use Earth Balance)
- 1 yellow onion, , diced
- pinch salt
- 2 garlic cloves, , minced
- 16- ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1/4- cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups Silk Original Soymilk
- 1 teaspoon salt, , or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, , or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, , or to taste
- Homemade French "Fried" Onion Rings Recipe
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the beans. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a rapid boil. Add green beans to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, or to your desired tenderness. DON'T overcook, the beans will be mushy if you do. Rinse the beans under cold water until they're completely cooled, then drain thoroughly and place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Sauté the veggies. In the meantime, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Add onions to the skillet and season with a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Combine the veggies. Remove from heat and transfer the mushroom mixture to a large mixing bowl with the green beans. Set aside.
- Make a roux. In the same skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; continue to whisk for about 1 minute, or until the flour mixture turns light brown.
- Make the sauce. Slowly pour in the soy milk and continue to whisk and cook for 4 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; remove from heat. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Put it all together. Stir the sauce and pour it over the green beans and mushrooms; toss to combine and coat evenly. Transfer the green beans mixture to the previously prepared casserole dish.
- Bake. Bake the casserole for 30 to 35 minutes or until the sauce bubbles. Remove from oven and let stand for several minutes.
- Add the onion topping. Give it a good stir and sprinkle over crispy fried onions for serving.
Notes
- Nutritional information does not include the crispy onions topping.
- Store leftovers airtight in the fridge and reheat within 3 days.
- Freeze tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, or in a freezer-safe container for up to 4-6 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Green bean casserole is my favorite side dish, love that you lightened it up!
Thanks for your green bean casserole lightened! Sounds divine and plan to use this Thanksgiving. I have a gluten sensitive daughter and family gatherings can be difficult for her. One concern in looking at your recipe is the all purpose flour…. I would substitute corn starch as a thickening ingredient. Then use caramelized onions on the top.
Any other tip you may have?
Hi Amy! You’ve got this GF thing down to a “T”! 😀 Not sure what else I would add, but maybe using a GF Flour blend instead of the corn starch just to avoid that corn-starchy-taste? Just a personal preference, though, because I hate when I can taste that stuff. haha 😀
This recipe definitely looks just as good, if not better, than the original! Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to try this out! 🙂
LOVE this recipe! Green bean casserole is my favorite part (we don’t use the canned soup either). But the mushrooms and homemade crispy onions are amazing!
Um, those onions? Talk about the perfect topping for this delicious looking casserole!
This looks so good! Green Bean Casserole at the holidays is a must. I love the fact that this is fresh and not from a can. …and those onions… total fist bump!
Girl, fist bump is right! 🙂
Hahaha now after meeting you, I can totally vision you explaining your thought process… at the grocery store. Hilarious. And this casserole looks delish and I love that you substituted cream for Silk. Silk is pretty awesome in its versatility!