This ultra creamy Vegan Green Bean Casserole is a wholesome take on the classic but is so decadent that you’ll never guess it’s dairy and gluten free!
When I was a kiddo, I couldn’t care less about eating traditional condensed mushroom soup with MSG, soy protein, and vegetable oil as the third ingredient.
Thanksgiving was about eating three servings of Aunt Dee’s chocolate pecan pie, endless plates of grandma’s sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallows, and heaps on heaps of classic green bean casserole—french fried onions and all, baby! And guess what? It still is!
I may eat allllll the food (and then some) on Thanksgiving, but at least I’m eating real food. That’s what matters.
I may not have cared about the crap hiding in my food back then, but I sure as hell do now. The truth is that I’ve never really tackled Thanksgiving recipes here on the blog. I left it to the experts in years past. My parents always did most of the Thanksgiving cooking since I was always so busy with school and work. But now that I’m a big girl who’ll be hosting my own turkey day before I know it, I decided it was time to buckle down and conquer the casserole.
So let’s talk about this Healthy Vegan Green Bean Casserole. The secret is the cashews! Soaking them and then blending them with unsweetened almond milk creates this insanely thick and creamy addition that transforms the mushroom mixture into decadent heaven.
For the onion topping, I was inspired by Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole. The onions are tossed with whole grain breadcrumbs and flour and baked in the oven until nice and crispy. Not only are you using fresh onions as opposed to ones that have been in a can for God only knows how long, but there’s also no extra oil involved!
Winner winner chickpea dinner.
Casserole, conquered. I’m kind of sort of super duper proud of this Healthy Vegan Green Bean Casserole recipe. I hope you adore it as much as I do!
- Heaping ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes or overnight
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or water)
- 3 medium onions, divided
- 3 tbsp whole grain bread crumbs (sub certified GF bread crumbs if necessary)
- 3 tbsp flour (sub certified GF flour if necessary)
- 2¼ tsp salt (divided)
- 2 lbs frozen cut green beans
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-8oz packages sliced mushrooms, chopped
- Pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (sub tamari if necessary)
- ¼ cup dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes or overnight. (If you have a nutribullet or high speed blender, 10 minutes of soaking is fine.)
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 475F. Thinly slice two of the onions, setting aside the other onion for later. Combined sliced onions with bread crumbs, flour and ¾ tsp salt in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Be sure to separate each individual onion piece. Spread onions in an even layer on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lined with a Silipat. Spray once again with cooking spray. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Watch carefully to make sure they don't burn towards the end of cooking. Once onions are done, remove from oven and lower oven heat to 350F for casserole.
- Bring a large pot with two inches of water to a boil. Once boiling add green beans. Bring back to a boil (this may take a while) and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain and run cold water over green beans to stop cooking. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Chop remaining onion. Once hot, ad to pan and cook for about five minutes before adding garlic and mushrooms. Cook for another ten minutes, stirring often. Add nutmeg, soy sauce, white wine, 1½ tsp salt, and pepper. (It will taste salty, that's ok!). Simmer for about five minutes.
- Blend soaked cashews with almond milk in a blender or food processor (I used my nutribullet) until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Stir in cashew cream and ¼ of the baked onions. Stir in cooked green beans.
- Spread mixture into prepared dish. Top with remaining baked onions. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes (if onions are on the crispier side, you can cover with foil for first half of cooking.) Serve hot!
Disclosure: Whole Foods Market Upper Arlington gave me a gift card to purchase the items used in this recipe. I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting Hummusapien!
Green bean casserole was my favorite as a kid!y Mimi made the best ever. Yours look fabulous- I wonder if they’d know it was vegan and super healthy?
I really don’t think they’d be able to tell! The cashew cream makes it soooo creamy.
This is NOT gluten free!!! Contains soya sauce which has gluten! Sorry to comment under your pilots, but it wouldn’t let me post on my own.
Hi Nicci, I wrote “sub tamari if neccesary”–that was intended for those with gluten issues. I edited it to say “sub tamari for gluten-free.” Thanks for commenting, hope you enjoy it!
Hi Alexis,
In your post you wrote about Cream fo Mushroom, but I don’t see it in the recipe. Does the cashew sauce replace the Cream fo Mushroom? Thanks!
Hi there Christina! Thanks for that–just edited it out to remove confusion. You can find whole foods versions of the condensed soup in the natural section of the grocery store. My recipe uses fresh mushrooms and cashews for a homemade replacement 🙂
Hi Alexis!
If I use the whole foods condensed soup, what ingredients do I then leave out?
Thanks!!
actually, most soy sauce is gluten free. it is complicated but there is one a few japanese brands that contain gluten.
haven’t tried this recipe but i will this week! can imagine it is full of fibre!
Hope you love it!! Yes, it does have plenty of fiber 🙂
I just tried to make this, and the breading does not stick to the onions. It just fell off my onions, do you have suggestions for next time? Thanks!
Also it won’t let me put more stars?!?!?
There is a substitution in the recipe for the soy sauce.
You could try tamari or coconut aminos.
You and I were on the same wave length this year with the healthy green bean casserole! You used cashews and I used beans. We’re so smart. 🙂 Real food Thanksgiving for the win.
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How cool that you used beans! Yours will most definitely be the next version I try.
What kind of beans did you use to substitute the cashews? Although I’d love to see what the cashews taste like, I have to sub them out for someone.
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks for the recipe- sounds delish!!
I’m assuming the person used white beans, but you could also try pumpkin seeds if the person isn’t allergic to seeds!
This looks like MY kind of green bean casserole 🙂
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You’ll adore it, guaranteed!
GB casserole is my fav! I need to find a way to make it GF!
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables recently posted…Fit and Festive
Me too! Simply use gluten-free bread crumbs and soy sauce and you’re good to go on the gluten front!
YES green bean casserole. I used to hate it as a child (I was a weird child) but now it’s one of the foods I always get seconds on.
Erin @ The Almond Eater recently posted…Healthy Peppermint Frappuccino
You weird child, you! JK. Now you’ll be getting thirds 🙂
Ugh…you genie! I’m all about eating my weight in foods over the holidays and totally don’t care so long as it’s the healthy stuff. My family always did the mushroom soup green bean casserole, so I’m proposing we make your ninja version this year!
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My fam STILL does that darn version! I mean, who doesn’t?! But hey…there’s a new casserole in town!!
You’re a recipe genius!! Sharing this immediately with my Facebook group! In the spirit of good health for thanksgiving – THANK YOU!!
Aww you are the sweetest!! I knew you’d appreciate it 🙂
This looks incredible! Fab job tackling a super hard recipe to make healthy. Can’t wait for Turkey day!
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon recently posted…Simple Layered Apple Crisp
Thanks my dear!! It ended up being so much easier than I thought 🙂
I’m with you on the blah canned cream of mushroom soup. So gross! This dish however looks so good. I love that you used cashews as a substitute. They are so creamy and add a delicious texture to foods. I can’t wait to try this!
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious recently posted…Spicy Pumpkin Spaghetti Squash Pasta
Cashews are seriously so amazing. They continue to amaze me!
This sounds amazing, Alexis! Yay for vegan green bean casserole!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…Pumpkin Spice French Toast Sticks (Vegan)
Thanks girl! I have a strong feeling that you would LOVE this!
I love 365 too and I’m with you, scariest ingredients in that can and I’ve never been a fan!
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It’s so nice to be able to trust a brand without spending 10 minutes scanning the ingredients, right?!
oh wow this looks so good! I think my prayers have been answered! My Favorite thanksgiving dish!
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Enjoy my dear!
I’ve never been a fan of green bean casserole (the canned soup creeped me out) but this version sounds delicious. Cashews are so stinkin’ versatile.
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I swear you’ll totally be a fan of this one! It’s epic.
Absolutely cannot wait to try this! This is going on my must-make-for-Thanksgiving recipes list. Looks delicious! 🙂
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Thanks, Addie! I hope you and your family love it as much as I did!
Thanks for this recipe! I have to be at school until nine o’clock every day this week and definitely wasn’t going to leave my meals up to the cafeteria! Made this once and I’m set for dinner for the week! Awesome!!!
Totally! It’s been really helping me up my veggie intake at dinner time 🙂
What would you suggest for the best cashew and almond milk substitute? I have a milk and tree nut allergic child and was looking for a dairy-free green bean casserole when I came across your recipe – it looks delicious but since it seems like cashews are integral to the flavor I am hesitant to try a substitute. Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! You could definitely use water or rice milk instead of the almond milk. I’m not sure about a sub for cashews, since that’s what makes it so creamy and “normal” seeming. Maybe pureed cauliflower with nutritional yeast? Let me know how it goes!
Consider using sunflower seeds in place of the cashews,
Just made this and everyone loved it! It’s going on the Thanksgiving menu for sure. The only issue is opening a bottle of wine for only 1/4 cup, what are we going to do with the rest of the bottle …… ? 😉
Oookay … whyyy didn’t I pick up green beans at the store today? Will you believe I’ve never had green bean casserole before?! Before you stare at me in disbelief: hey. I’m German. We eat our green beans either as part of the traditional “Birnen, Bohnen und Speck” or plain as a side for potatoes and meat [or not in my case]. Or – because we’ve expaneded our horizons 😉 – in dishes from other cuisines but apparently not the American way? Too bad looking at this deliciousness. Cashew cream is the best and totally addictive. That’s all.
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Any way to make this soy-free?
I would just skip the soy sauce and season it with salt to taste!
I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce in all of my recipes. Virtually no difference..
I use the following:
Naked Coconuts Coconut Soy-free seasoning sauce; organic, GF, Raw
Also use Stickling’s Rice Bread crumbs; wheat & GF
Think WF carry both of these. Might try Amazon as well.
After cooking the onions in the oven on a cookie sheet, you later say to add onions to the heated and oiled skillet and add garlic, mushrooms. etc. simmer….
Then, it says to add the cashew cream mixture and ‘1/4 of the baked onions’.
If I’m adding the cream mixture to the skillet WITH the onions, how it is I’m adding 1/4 of the baked onions?
The recipe appears to say to bake them first and then put them in the heated skillet and then..add 1/4 of the baked onions..
This is clearly me: what am I missing?
Hi Allison! So the first two onions that you bake for the topping are separate from the onion listed later in the recipe. You bake the first two onions and mix 1/4 of those into the final mixture. The “one medium onion” listed later in the recipe is the one you sautee in the heated skillet before adding garlic. So you’re using three onions total. Does that make sense?
BEST GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE EVA!!!!! OUTSTANDING!
I liked it better without the nutmeg though :).
http://jility.wordpress.com/
Awwww so glad!!! Thanks, lady!
This was delicious! Although next time I’ll have to triple the cashew sauce (I’m not sure why but there wasn’t enough to hold it all together) and bake the onion straws for ten min less (they burned in my oven). Can’t wait to make it again!
Awesome! Thanks for the tips!
This recipe looks delicious! Do you think it would work well in a crock pot?
Hey Rebekah! I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure…but give it a go!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it for my Kind Thanksgiving this Year. Can this be made in advance and then baked the day of?
Hey there! I actually did this over the weekend. I made the sauce and cooked the green beans then kept them in separate containers in the fridge. Next day I baked the onions and combined everything per the recipe. Worked great! I didn’t want to combine the green beans and sauce ahead of time because I was worried it would soak up too much sauce. Enjoy!
Alexis recently posted…Healthy Stuffed Pear Crisp
This looks great. Can you clarify the cooking of the onions? Not sure about steps 6,7, 8 regarding them. Thanks!
I made a trial version of this to test it for Thanksgiving this year, which I am making kosher (cannot mix meat and milk). After baking the onions and tasting them, I decided to use the Trader Joe’s crispy onions because you just can’t get that same crunch and flavor unless you batter and fry them! However, the cashew sauce was a really nice substitute for the old cream of mushroom. You do miss a little creaminess that can only come from real cream, but the taste was delicious, and it was lighter and cleaner. On Thanksgiving this means more room in the tummy for everything else! Thank you for this recipe! It got thumbs up in the test round, and I’ll be serving it to our crowd!
Great call on using TJ’s onions! Baking them at home eliminates the “fried aspect” and there’s no oil, so it makes this recipe a lot healthier without sacrificing flavor. So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Angie!
Hate to criticize but this is NOT gluten free. So all of you looking for celiac friendly foods– I will need to modify it. Try sautéed onions/mushrooms with cauliflower simmered in almond milk and spices. Purée the soup and add to a slew of fresh green beans.
Make your own onion straws in advance coating with a little cornmeal mixed with gf flour and fried, then drained well. You can dry them overnight in a 170 degree oven with door ajar to add overall crunchiness.
Mix and bake at 350 for about 20 min to time it right as dinner is ready–
Hey there, BJ! Thanks for those suggestions. The recipe as written is gluten-free using wheat-free tamari, and certified GF oat flour. Enjoy!
Has anyone done this the night before and then baked the next day?
That’s what I’m doing with mine. The pre-baked casserole is INCREDIBLE, so I have high hopes for tomorrow.
Hey there! I actually did this over the weekend. I made the sauce and cooked the green beans then kept them in separate containers in the fridge. Next day I baked the onions and combined everything per the recipe. Worked great! I didn’t want to combine the green beans and sauce ahead of time because I was worried it would soak up too much sauce. Enjoy!
I’m wondering the same thing can this be made before hand and then baked day ofWe have 3 separate Thanksgiving to attend trying to make things as simple as possible!
Ps thanks for the wonderful recipe can’t wait to try it!
Hey Maggie! I actually did this over the weekend. I made the sauce and cooked the green beans then kept them in separate containers in the fridge. Next day I baked the onions and combined everything per the recipe. Worked great! I didn’t want to combine the green beans and sauce ahead of time because I was worried it would soak up too much sauce. Enjoy!
Alexis recently posted…Healthy Stuffed Pear Crisp
This was a hit!! Even the non-health conscious people!! Going in my recipe book!
Right?! That’s the ultimate compliment–when the non-health conscious carnivores gobble it up 🙂 Happy holidays!
This was seriously the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had! Loved the wine with the mushrooms and this was fairly easy to make.
OMG Natalie what an amazing comment! I’m so thrilled 🙂 XO
Everyone LOVED this green bean casserole!!! Love that I got them to eat a little vegan fare — 🙂
Wahoo!!! Love that, Jenni 🙂
As you ease into a new method of consuming, make issues easier on yourself by adapting some tried-and-true meals.
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I definitely am going to try this. Thanks for adding the GF notes. How many calories are in this dish?
Hey, Heather! You can import the recipe into MyFitnessPal’s recipe calculator for nutrition info 🙂
Can you just use cashew milk?
Hey there, Apryl! Nope because store-bought cashew mylk is way thinner. This version makes a super thick and creamy base for the sauce. You can however use water instead of almond milk to blend. Hope that helps!
ok, as i don’t have any cashews, i am using a jar of dolman carbonara, and sifted some chick pea flour over the top. to do the onions, i ilsliced them, and put them in a bag with some chick pea flour, some water, added some turmeric and peri peri seasoning spice. baked them with a bit of oil, on baking paper. quite yum! but next time i might do yoghurt instead of water, or egg on the onions, which i ate like onion rings and did not add to the casserole!!!!.
Love the chickpea flour addition along with turmeric! So glad your additions worked well 🙂
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I love this dish but when I went vegan I could no longer eat it. I have one question though, do I really need the wine? Can I simply leave it out or do I need a replacement?
Hey, Katie! The wine provides a really deep flavor. I actually used 1/3 cup last time I made it (bumped up the 1/4 cup). I haven’t t tried it without the wine so I can’t vouch for the flavor. I got Chardonnay for $3.79 at Trader Joe’s 🙂 Hope that helps!
If not using mushrooms, will this recipes still work?
Hi, Pat! No, unfortunately this won’t work without the mushrooms. They provide most of the flavor (basically a homemade substitute for canned condensed mushroom soup). If you’re not a mushroom fan I’d pass on this recipe. Hope that helps!
Can you make this- or part of it- ahead of time?
Hey, Erin! I actually did this over the weekend. I made the sauce and cooked the green beans then kept them in separate containers in the fridge. Next day I baked the onions and combined everything per the recipe. Worked great! I didn’t want to combine the green beans and sauce ahead of time because I was worried it would soak up too much sauce. Enjoy!
Wow! I made this for thanksgiving and my family loved it! I’ve never tried a cashew sauce aND I’m excited to use this again! Thank you so much for sharing!
Awesome! You’ll see cashews used in lots of my recipes 🙂 Try the Cream of Broccoli Soup!
This green bean casserole is so much better than the one I grew up eating! My vegan family loved it and I was proud to contribute a delicious dish to our Thanksgiving Dinner! Thank you!
This gives me so much joy! Happy holidays to you and your vegan family 🙂
Loved!!! Used red wine instead of white……….hey its the only thing we had at home, and my vegetable averse 2 year old even ate some. Winner recipe!! Thanks.
Amazing! Thanks so much for trying 🙂
This looks fantastic! I wonder if the leftovers keep well? Somebody had leftovers right? lol
I made this last night for a new year/Hanukkah dinner and it was a huge hit!! The only thing different I did was use fresh green beans and kept it in its long form. Also, I drained the mushrooms so it wouldn’t be mushy. So good!
How can we alter it for about allergy and keep it gluten free? Early planning for turkey day.
I made this and it was delicious!! Thank you for the recipe. My husband doesn’t like mushrooms so just
left them out. Will make again !! : )
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
I’m using your recipe to make my families spinach casserole. Love the gluten free and vegan aspects.
Need this ASAP! You know this prego girl has been daydreaming about Thanksgiving foods for WEEKS now.
Hahaha the baby needs some green bean casserole stat!
This looks so good! I remember loving this for the holidays and it always upsetting my tummy. Now I can make it without having that effect! yay! 🙂
Yum! Totally making this for Thanksgiving! Love the recipe insta-stories!
Best Ever!
My husband is going to be SO happy I found this recipe in time. Thanks!!
Yay! Enjoy!!
I’ve made this twice now and it’s so good. The whole family loves it and we literally inhale it! Thank you!!
I’ve heard so many people complain about green bean casserole here in the south. I personally love it and anything that can make it healthy I welcome with open arms! Looks awesome and I’m stoked to try it out.
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Made this recipe for my family’s thanksgiving dinner this year and it was a huge hit! We usually just make the typical Campbell’s soup recipe. I’m not even a mushroom fan but the sauce base was so delicious I’m going to modify it to turn it into an actual soup recipe! So happy to have a good recipe from scratch, especially one that is dairy and gluten free! Highly recommend. My only note is to keep a close eye on the onions, I managed to burn my first batch so the second time I cooked them on lower heat (however, my parents have a double oven that I’m not used to using, so I think the issue was mostly from the temperature not being accurate when you have both running at once.) Thanks so much for an amazing recipe!
Thanks for the stellar review, Danielle! You rock!!
How many cans of green beans did you end up using?