This gluten free and vegan green bean casserole is made mostly from scratch – no canned goods here! Just delicious, flavorful, allergy friendly ingredients. There’s no reason to miss out on this classic dish – this version is free of dairy and wheat, but still tastes so good!
It can’t be Thanksgiving dinner unless there’s a green bean casserole on the table, right?
Green bean casserole is one of those side dishes that everyone seems to enjoy, and yet it’s very tricky to find a version that’s not only delicious, but also allergy friendly. The old-fashioned version contains cream of mushroom soup and canned french fried onions. Well, if you’re not comfortable with those packaged, processed items, then you’re probably not going to be making the traditional version.
This version is made pretty much from scratch, and the result is delicious. Good luck having enough homemade fried onions left to top your casserole with, because they are just too easy to eat.
Homemade fried onions, a creamy dairy free mushroom sauce, and lots of green beans make this a green bean casserole that everyone will love!
If you’re looking for more vegan Thanksgiving recipes, try this vegan cornbread casserole or this wild rice sweet potato stuffing.
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Ingredient Notes
- Non-Dairy Milk – You need non-dairy milk for soaking the onion slices. You can use any neutral tasting milk that works for your dietary needs.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I used Namaste Perfect Flour Blend for coating the onions before frying them. If you have a different blend that you prefer, you can try that. If you are not gluten free, feel free to use regular all-purpose flour.
- Onions – Sweet onions have the best flavor for making onion rings. If you have a brand of fried onions that works for you, feel free to skip making your own homemade fried onion rings.
- Oil – Canola oil or sunflower oil work very well for frying the onion rings.
- Green Beans – I used frozen green beans, but you could also use canned green beans or even fresh green beans if they are in season in your area.
- Mushrooms – White button mushrooms work well for the sauce, and they are easy to find in most stores.
Special Equipment
You will need a large skillet with higher sides to fry the onions. I recommend a skillet that is about 3 inches deep.
Step by Step Instructions
- Thinly slice the onions and place them in a bowl.
- Pour the non-dairy milk over the onions.
- Put the gluten free flour and salt in a bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once it reaches 375 degrees, you are ready to fry the onions. Dredge each onion ring in the gluten free flour before placing it in the pan of oil.
- Once the onions are golden brown and crisp, place them on paper towel lined plates to drain.
- Cook the finely chopped mushrooms and garlic in a different skillet.
- Add the non-dairy milk, broth, salt, pepper, and gluten free flour to the pan, and cook for a few minutes to thicken.
- Add the green beans to the skillet and cook until they are heated through.
- Pour the green bean mixture into a casserole dish, and place the fried onions on top.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- If you don’t have frozen green beans, canned or fresh will work well.
- You can use canned fried onions if you have a brand that works for your diet.
- If you’re serving a large crowd, you will want to double this recipe.
- If you’d like to do some prep work ahead of time, you could make the mushroom sauce the day before you assemble the casserole. Just store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Serving Suggestions
This is a wonderful addition to any holiday meal, and goes very well with dairy free mashed potatoes, gluten free gravy, easy stuffing, and creamed spinach.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should stay fresh for about 4 days.
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Recipe
Gluten Free and Vegan Green Bean Casserole.
Ingredients
For the onions:
- oil for frying – sunflower oil or organic canola oil work well the amount will depend on the size of your pan – you will need about an inch of oil in the pan to fry the onions
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 ½ cups non-dairy milk
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend approximately
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce and green beans:
- 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 large white mushrooms for about 1 cup finely chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup non-dairy milk of your choice
- 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 32 ounces frozen cut green beans
Instructions
- Peel and slice the onion very thin – the thinner the slices, the easier they will be to fry. Separate the onion into rings and place in a bowl and pour non-dairy milk over the top. Let sit for about five minutes.
- Place the gluten free flour blend and salt into a bowl and whisk together. Pour oil in a large skillet – the oil should be about an inch deep.
- Heat the oil over medium high heat until it reaches 375 degrees, or until it sizzles when you sprinkle a bit of flour in the pan.
- Take some of the onions and dredge them in the flour, then place in the hot oil. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may be able to do this in two batches. Don’t overcrowd the skillet, it will just take longer to fry them. Be patient, it may take a while to get them all golden and crisp.
- Once the onion rings are golden brown, remove them from the pan and let them drain on paper towel lined plates. Repeat until all the onion rings are fried.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Put the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Place the mushrooms in a large pot. Add the minced garlic and vegan buttery spread and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes.
- Once the mushrooms are cooked down, and the broth, milk, gluten free flour, salt, and pepper. Raise the heat to a simmer, and let it cook for a few minutes to thicken.
- Add the green beans, and cook until they are heated through, about 7 minutes. Stir often.
- Pour the green bean mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the french fried onions.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Kelsea Pelletier
This was delicious! I made a few minor moderations here and there but mostly stuck to the bones of this recipe and I will absolutely use it again! I finished baking the dish with just a few minutes of broil just to make sure the onion crisps were extra crispy. My friend who is not GF/Vegan very much enjoyed this recipe also. Thank you!
Jennifer Worley
I made this last year and everyone loved it. It was hard not to eat the onions when I was making it but I managed. Going to make this again tomorrow. TY!
Marissa Khosh
This green bean casserole really is delicious! Green bean casserole is one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods and this tastes very close to (if not the same as) the real thing. My sister-in-law is vegan and gluten free, so I make this for our Thanksgiving celebration, and not only does she love it, the whole family (who are not normally a fan of gluten free foods) loves it! This is a traditional part of our Thanksgiving now.
Darryl
Made this today on Thanksgiving! It was perfect and it was easy!
Katie
Delicious recipe!
sandra
can the “sauce/soup mixture” be made in advance and then reheated to help with the prep time
Kelly Roenicke
I haven’t tried that, but I think it would work. You may need to add more liquid when you are ready to add it to the casserole if it has thickened too much overnight.
Sandra
Thanks, I might try it out, if I do I’ll let you know how it works
Lindsey Hagopian
Hello! Did you try this out? I’m looking to make this for a Friendsgiving party I’m hosting and hoping to make some stuff ahead!
Sandra
NO I didn’t I’m sorry
Jenn
This looks so good! I cant wait to try it!