Vegan Green Bean Casserole

My Vegan Green Bean Casserole has all of the classic flavors—crispy fried onions, creamy sauce, bright green beans—everything you remember from your Grandma’s Thanksgiving table.  This traditional dish is perfect for the holidays, but simple enough to throw together for a weeknight meal.  I first posted this recipe three years ago and it is still a favorite of mine.  I’ve now updated it with new pictures to show off what a delicious dish this is!

I am so excited for the Mad Men premier this Sunday!  It took me a while to get into this show—I watched part of an episode in the very beginning and wasn’t very excited about it—Irving went ahead and watched it without me and kept telling me that I would really like it and that I should try it again.  Then, about a year and a half ago my friend hosted a Mad Men Halloween party.  I spent time online looking for 1960’s era clothing ideas and had fun making a jello poke cake for the party. I can’t remember if it was vegan—this was 2 months before I made the switch—but it did use vegan jello. Oh, what’s a poke cake?  A poke cake is when you take the cake, poke holes all over the top of it, and then pour the liquid jello over it.  When you slice it open there are stripes of colors going through it.  So last year, while Irving was on a business trip I decided to give it a shot.  I watched entire seasons during each of Irving’s 1 week business trips.  And then I caught up—ahh—now I have to watch in real time!  I love the costumes, the 1960’s decor, the ad agency dynamics, and the idea of martinis in the middle of the day isn’t so bad either!  Reminds me a little of my old graphic design days.

Many of the classic foods from the 1960’s are heavy on milk and butter, but it’s not too hard to veganize them.  I got the idea to veganize green bean casserole this past Thanksgiving.  My sister in law (who’s vegetarian!!!) was making the classic green bean casserole with Cream of Mushroom soup.  I pulled out a few of the green beans and topped them with my mom’s onion gravy (that she had made with vegan butter just for me!), and topped it with a few of the crispy fried onions.  The combination of the crispy green beans, crunchy fried onions, and flavorful onion gravy was so delicious, and it really reminded me of the real thing.  I’ve made this a few times since then and it never lasts long!

BTW, can you believe that the fried onions are accidentally vegan?  Healthy, no, but technically vegan (if you really want to make them “less bad,” make your own!)!

Are you a fan of Mad Men?  Are you doing anything special for the premier?   VegNews has a whole list of veganized 1960’s Mad Men era dishes that would be perfect for a Mad Men party.  And definitely make these green beans—they are delicious, easy, and use only really basic ingredients!

I hope that this delicious casserole lands a place on your Thanksgiving menu this year!  If you make it, please take a picture and tag me on social media— @frieddandelions // #frieddandelions  —I love to see what you’re working on in the kitchen!

Print Recipe

Green Bean Casserole

My Vegan Green Bean Casserole has all of the classic flavors—crispy fried onions, creamy sauce, bright green beans—everything you remember from your Grandma's Thanksgiving table. This traditional dish is perfect for the holidays, but simple enough to throw together for a weeknight meal.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Casserole

Cuisine: American

Author: Sarah De la Cruz

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup flour sub 2 tablespoons of corn starch for a gluten free option
• 2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 bags frozen green beans 10 ounces each, no need to thaw
• 1 can French's fried onions 3 ounce size is plenty, but feel free to splurge with the 6 ounce can (for a gluten free option make your own, or sub gluten free bread crumbs for a crispy topping)

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a shallow pan.  Add onions and stir occasionally while the onions soften and turn translucent.  This takes a good 20 minutes, don’t rush it because it gives so much flavor!  Once onions are well cooked, add flour and stir well to cook flour, making a roux of sorts.  It will be a dry mixture.  Add salt and garlic powder.  Add water and let simmer for a few minutes and allow mixture to thicken, turning into a gravy.  Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Pour green beans into a square baking dish and add 1/2 cup of onions.  Add all of the gravy and stir well to combine (if you think it will be too full to stir, go ahead and mix in a large bowl and then transfer to a baking dish).  Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes, gravy mixture will be bubbly.  Top with remaining fried onions (1/2 - 1 cup) and cook for 5-10 minutes more.  Serve immediately!