Please excuse me while I dive headfirst into THE BEST vegan green bean casserole.
Arguably my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Or, at least one I cannot live without on Thanksgiving Day.
For Day 2 of Thanksgiving Week we’re making the green bean casserole my family has requested I bring to Thanksgiving dinner for years. The one that, up until this very moment, they didn’t know was made without dairy. Surprise! Ya girl’s been making her green bean casserole with CASHEWS.
Moment of silence for the minds that were just blown.
My version of green bean casserole has all the things I love about the original, but better: fresh, still-tender green beans, the absolute creamiest mushroom sauce, and a mountain of crispy store-bought fried onions.
I’ve made my own fried onions when I realized at the last minute that I left the store-bought ones at home, and they were admittedly amazing. But…I just don’t think that thanksgiving day is the day to be heating up a pot of oil on the stove to fry onions. There’s already enough going on. Plus, I have zero issues with the store-bought ones. The ones at Trader Joe’s are our favorites!
Let’s make green bean casserole!!
what makes this dish special
First, the green beans. We’re using fresh green beans, instead of canned. Blanched for a few minutes before baking, they stay tender-crisp and bright green. If you don’t have access to fresh green beans this time of year, I’d opt for frozen instead. Just defrost them and add straight to the sauce!
Next, we make the creamy mushroom sauce. Instead of gloopy, flavorless canned cream of mushroom concentrate (typing that sentence just made me shudder), we’re making our own with fresh mushrooms. The secret ingredient? Cashews! Soaked in hot water, then blended up with broth, they make the silkiest, creamiest sauce ever. Plus, they act as a thickener, so we don’t have to use any flour or starch to achieve the perfect saucy texture.
Green beans and sauce get stirred together in a baking dish, topped generously with those delightfully crunchy store-bought onions, and baked until deeply golden and bubbling.
want to make it in advance?
Green bean casserole is one of my favorites to prep in advance. I just assemble and bake on Thanksgiving day.
The creamy mushroom sauce can be made, chilled, and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days before Thanksgiving. It fits perfectly in a 4-cup mason jar!
The green beans can be blanched, cooled, and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before Thanksgiving. You could prep both the sauce and the green beans on Tuesday, if you’d like. Combine both in your baking dish, then cover and store in the fridge. I just find it takes up significantly less fridge space to store them separately, so that’s the route I tend to take.
Either way, just be sure to keep the crispy onions in the pantry until you want to bake this; they’ll get soggy if you assemble the entire casserole in advance.
Not into the crispy onions?
I think this dish would be equally lovely with panko breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs in place of the onions. Toss either one in a little butter/oil and pile them high on top.
Essentially, whatever you might put on top of baked mac and cheese is very much welcome here.
If you need this to be gluten-free, just choose a gluten-free cracker you love instead!
I think you’re going to love this fresh, homemade take on green bean casserole! It’s super simple to make, easy to prep in advance of Thanksgiving Day, and is just one of those classic thanksgiving dishes that makes the meal feel complete.
Plus, it’s dairy-free and vegan friendly, so perhaps more people in your family will be able to enjoy it? Or feel free to not tell anyone and just serve them the best homemade green bean casserole, regardless of it’s vegan status.
Just be warned: you will be asked to make the green bean casserole every year once you introduce everyone to this homemade version!
Stay tuned this week for four more brand new Thanksgiving recipes, as well as the Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup on Sunday, November 22!
As always, if you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and tag me on Instagram so I can see all your Thanksgiving recipes in action!
The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 ounces fresh green beans ends trimmed
- 1 cup raw cashews plus hot water, to soak
- 4 ounces mushrooms cremini, shitake, baby bella, etc, all work
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves from 2 large sprigs
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahreneheit.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook green beans for 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until cool. Set aside.
- Place cashews in a heat safe bowl or glass measuring cup, and cover with very hot water. You can ladle out boiling water from the green beans for this, if you'd like, or just heat water separately in a kettle on the stove. Soaking the cashews will make them soft, and easier to blend.
- Remove and discard the stems from your mushrooms, and dice the mushrooms. Place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat and add mushrooms and olive oil. Sautee for about 5 minutes, until starting to brown.
- Season mushrooms with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.
- Drain the cashews, and place in the bowl of a high powered blender or food processor. Add broth, and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour cashew sauce into the pan with the mushrooms, and cook for another 5 minutes, until thick and creamy. Taste and add more salt, if needed (this should be slightly salty, as it will season the green beans as well).
- Place green beans in a large baking dish, top with sauce, and stir to combine. Top with crispy onions, and bake for 25 minutes, or until deeply golden.