Curried Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Despite never having tried it before I came to the US, I instantly fell in love with creamed green bean casserole. It was so homey and moreish, just divine for the winter season when the cold sets in. We cooked it the old-fashioned way at Thanksgiving, with canned mushroom soup, frozen green beans, and crispy French’s onions. It was so unbelievably comforting and it said everything about the season in one dish.

Why this recipe

Fast forward a few years, and being surrounded by loved ones who skip dairy in favor of a plant-based diet, it was time to make to make a traditional festive centerpiece that maintained a sumptuously decadent creaminess, but with even more warming flavor. Time to bring Grandma’s favorite festive casserole into the 21st century.

(1) Maintain the essence of traditional green bean casserole

Finger-licking creamy sauce boosted with curry and fresh aromatics, tender green beans, smooth white mushrooms, and crispy fried shallots. The dish stays true to and breaks with tradition at the same time.

(2) Extra rich sauce

Curry powder is fried with onion and garlic until fragrant, then simmered with coconut cream and white mushrooms with a splash of vegetable stock and soy sauce. It’s so good!

(3) Healthier

The dish is made with wholesome ingredients, is vegan, and can easily be adapted to gluten-free.

(4) Easy to make

I admit it requires a few more steps than the traditional way of assembling frozen beans and canned mushroom soup. But you’ll realize how easy it is to put it together following my recipe below.

Cooking notes

1. Easy cooking process

All you need to do is:

• Blanch the green beans very briefly on the stove top
• Cook the onion, garlic, and mushrooms
• Cook the curry powder to bring out the flavor
• Add the coconut cream, stock, salt, and soy sauce to make the sauce
• Mix in the green beans and bake until cooked through

That’s it!

2. What type of curry powder to use

I always keep two types of curry powder on hand for making generic curry dishes without calling for a special type of spice blend.

I love the mild Madras curry powder that has a bright yellow color, a hint of sweetness, and not too much spiciness. I use it to make our staples at home: easy lentil stew and Instant Pot beef stew.

I also have the S&B Japanese curry powder that’s designed to make Japnaese curry. It’s a well balanced curry powder that’s delicious to use in all types of recipes.

I used the Japanese curry powder in this dish. The Madras curry powder would work well too.

3. Fried shallots vs. fried onions

These two ingredients are interchangable, but I slightly prefer fried shallots because they’re crispier if eaten by themselves. They’re very cheap if you can get them at an Asian market. We keep a big jug at home and put them on everything, from breakfast oats to all sorts of noodles.

Replace them with fried onions if you can’t access fried shallots easily.

Afterthoughts

The day we made the casserole, my husband and I finished the whole thing in one sitting, even though the recipe serves eight! Now we cook it regularly for dinner, because it’s just so delicious. I promise you, your friends and family will be raving about that vegan curried green bean casserole for months after Thanksgiving Day.

More delicious vegan recipes

• Easy Chinese Cucumber Salad
• Chinese Cauliflower Stir Fry
• Vegan Thai Green Curry
• Vegan Pad Thai
• 5-Ingredient Coconut Noodle Soup

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

Curried Vegan Green Bean Casserole

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

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This curried green bean casserole is an easy homemade vegan Thanksgiving dish that has all the creaminess of traditional creamed beans, but with the bold taste of fresh wholesome ingredients and Indian-inspired aromatics. It tastes so good that I would serve it as a main dish for a light vegan dinner. {Vegan, Gluten-Free adaptable}

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) green beans , tough ends removed and then halved crosswise
• 3/4 cup fried shallots (or fried onions)

Mushroom Sauce

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion , minced
• 6 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/2 lb (225 g) white mushrooms , sliced
• 4 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 (19 oz. / 560 ml) can coconut cream (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce (or tamari or coconut amino for gluten-free)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

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Instructions

• Prepare an ice bath. Heat a large pot of water over medium-high heat to bring to a boil. Add the green beans. Let cook for 1 minute. Strain the green beans and transfer to the ice bath until completely cooled. Drain again and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet until hot. Add the yellow onion. Cook and stir until it becomes transparent and slightly yellow, 10 minutes or so.
• Add the garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute to release the fragrance.
• Add mushrooms and drizzle 1 tablespoon oil on top. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
• Use your spatula to move the veggies around the edge of the pan so the center is empty. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and add the curry powder on top. Stir and cook the curry powder for 20 seconds to release the fragrance. Then stir everything together.
• Add the coconut cream, vegetable stock, salt, soy sauce, and sugar. Cook and stir occasionally until it thickens, 10 minutes or so.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
• Once the mushroom cream is reduced to a thick sauce, turn off the heat. Add the green beans to the mushroom cream. Stir everything together, then transfer to a large baking dish (11” x 7” x 2”). Bake for 30 minutes, until the green beans are just cooked through and the sauce becomes very creamy.
• Transfer the baking dish onto the kitchen counter. Sprinkle a layer of fried shallots on top. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
• Serve hot or warm as a side dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 302kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.1g, Protein: 4.7g, Fat: 25.7g, Saturated Fat: 17.2g, Sodium: 647mg, Potassium: 524mg, Fiber: 6.1g, Sugar: 4.9g, Calcium: 65mg, Iron: 4mg

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Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.