Vegan Broccoli Casserole
Warm, creamy, and cheesy, this Vegan Broccoli Casserole is amazingly delicious and perfect for dinner or taking to social functions.
This broccoli casserole with rice was inspired by a recipe I came across from Susan Voisin with Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen. Since I have my own Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce, I used it and tweaked a few of the spices to make this delicious, broccoli rice recipe that keeps the whole family happy.
We love this vegan casserole because it’s…
- Perfect for family gatherings
- Easy to make a day ahead
- Can even be made in a crockpot
- Vegetable-Packed
- Super filling
- Crowd-pleasing
- Simply delicious
Both my husband and I come from big families that get together for lunch after church on Sundays. Everyone brings a couple of dishes, and we enjoy time eating, laughing, and playing with the kids and grandkids. Casseroles are perfect for those kinds of days!
Broccoli casserole ingredients
Made with onions, garlic, broccoli, red bell pepper, celery, chickpeas, brown rice, and spices, and no-cheese sauce, this recipe has a punch of antioxidants and phytonutrients.
How to make vegan broccoli casserole
This healthy broccoli casserole takes just a little bit of time to prepare and is well worth the effort.
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
Making vegan cheese sauce
Personally, I think the magic ingredient is my Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce because it adds such a nutty, cheesy, creamy texture and taste. Not only is it combined with the actual ingredients, but it’s also drizzled over the top before baking.
You will want to make this cheese sauce first thing. It’s really easy to make and even freezes well. I usually already have some on hand in my freezer which shortens the steps to making any of my recipes that require cheese such as nachos, hash brown casserole, and scalloped potatoes.
Making this terrific cheese sauce is as simple as boiling a pot of potatoes, onions, and carrots, adding them to a blender with cashews (or white beans), and spices, and blending it until smooth.
I have a Vitamix blender and so don’t take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn’t jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30-minutes before adding to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy.
This recipe makes a little more sauce than you actually need for the casserole, so you’ll have some leftover to try with other recipes.
Once the cheese sauce is complete, set it to the side.
Making the broccoli casserole
Begin by fully cooking the brown rice and, if you aren’t using already cooked canned chickpeas, you will need to cook the beans as well.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with parchment paper. If making in a crockpot, select low heat.
Dice the veggies that you’re going to need for this recipe.
I am often asked which knives I use personally, and I have to say that it is Victorinox. They are the same company that makes Swiss Army Knives and the quality is excellent.
In a medium-sized saucepan, saute the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and celery in veggie broth. Cook until slightly tender, approximately 3 minutes.
Add the broccoli florets and cook for another 3 minutes.
Stir in cooked chickpeas, brown rice, 2 cups of cheese sauce, almonds (if using), and spices. Save the remaining 1 cup of cheese sauce for topping.
Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish, pressing in with a spoon to fill the pan. Drizzle the remaining 1 cup of cheese sauce over the top. I like to sprinkle a little more smoked paprika on top.
Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. If making in a slow cooker, set to low and allow to cook for approximately 1-1/2 hours.
Once completely cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. Serve warm and enjoy!
Vegan casseroles
Vegan casseroles just make things easier! I can put this casserole together a day ahead and just pop it in the oven Sunday morning without all of the fuss, rushing around, and clean up. It makes the day more enjoyable, and unhurried time with family is precious!
If preferred, it can even be cooking in a crockpot. That way you can leave and go to church or do errands and come back to a fully cooked dish ready to eat.
*Originally published November 29, 2017.
Tips for making this recipe
- Make ahead- Assemble this vegan broccoli casserole ahead of time and refrigerate for baking later. I love to do this on Saturdays because it makes Sunday lunch after church a breeze to pull together.
- Cheese sauce- Use any leftover cheese sauce on baked potatoes, steamed veggies, pizza, and anything else you can think of.
- Storage- Cheese sauce keeps in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 7+ days.
Other great broccoli recipes include:
- Vegan Quiche Casserole
- Vegan Cheddar Broccoli Soup
- Tempeh Broccoli Saute
- Broccoli Salad
- Healthy Vegan Casseroles
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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Vegan Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
Casserole
- 4 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 3-4 tablespoons veggie broth
- 1 cup chickpeas cooked
- 3 cups brown rice cooked
- 3 cups Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce (recipe below)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dry steak seasoning
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds optional
- salt & pepper to taste
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup potatoes peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup carrots diced
- 1/4 cup onions diced
- 1 cup broth from veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews or 1/2 cup white beans
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch paprika
- 1/2 pinch cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
Casserole
- Make the Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce first using directions below.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper. If making in a crockpot, select low heat.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, saute onion, garlic, red bell pepper, and celery in veggie broth. Cook until slightly tender, approximately 3 minutes.
- Add the broccoli florets and cook another 3 minutes.
- Stir in chickpeas, brown rice, 2 cups of the cheese sauce, almonds (if using), and spices. Save the remaining 1 cup of cheese sauce for topping.
- Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
- Pour mixture into a prepared baking dish, pressing in with a spoon to fill the pan. Drizzle the remaining 1 cup of cheese sauce over the top. I like to sprinkle a little more smoked paprika on top. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. If making in a slow cooker, set to low and allow to cook for approximately 1-1/2 hours.
- Once completely cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
- In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
- Now, it's ready to use in this casserole or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. It makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Tips for making this recipe
- Make ahead- Assemble this vegan broccoli casserole ahead of time and refrigerate for baking later. I love to do this on Saturdays because it makes Sunday lunch after church a breeze to pull together.
- Cheese sauce- Use any leftover cheese sauce on baked potatoes, steamed veggies, pizza, and anything else you can think of.
- Storage- Cheese sauce keeps in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 7+ days.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Hi Terri i to stumbled upon your recipe boy am i glad i did, could not stop eating it the grand kids also loved it. I will keep this recipeThanks so much
Hi Carol- I’m so glad you stumbled your way to my site, and I LOVE that your grandchildren love the casserole recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know!
I have been making this casserole about once a month for the past year. It is by far my favorite vegan recipe that I have found! It is filling, healthy and most of all it is 10 star delicious!!! Thank you for so many great recipes Terri!!
Hi Judy- I LOVE this so much! Thank you for the great feedback and for letting me know how much this casserole has meant to you.
Hi,
We were confused on the rice. Do we cook 3 cups of raw rice to make the recipe? Or do we cook enough raw rice to yield 3 cups of cooked rice?
Same with the chick peas. I bought a can, so do I just measure out 1 cup of the chickpeas?
Thank you so much!!
Hi Sue- For this recipe, the rice and chickpea ingredients do need to be cooked before adding them to this casserole. That would be 3 cups cooked rice (which should be about 1.5 cups before cooked) and 1 cup cooked chickpeas. Since you are using canned chickpeas, they are already cooked and ready to measure out and add.
Just made this today and it is REALLY good. I followed the instructions exactly for both the casserole and the cheese sauce (which is awesome BtW) but I only ended up with a bit over two cups of the sauce, enough for the recipe and a tiny bit to drizzle on the top. I kept reading and re-reading the list of ingredients and I did not leave anything out or under measure so I’m not sure what happened. Next time I’ll double the sauce ingredients. 🤷🏻♀️
Should I salt my rice? Making this right now for Thanksgiving!!
Hi Alex- I don’t specifically salt the rice but do add it to the casserole mix while combining it before baking.
This is probably the best casserole recipe I’ve found. It’s delicious and has a lot of great flavor!
Amazing recipe!! Turned out absolutely phenomenal. The spices and flavors were just great. I found I needed more liquid when blending my cheez sauce (partially because I used more cashews than the recipe called for, cause I didn’t want leftover cashews) but I didn’t have enough cook water from the veggies, so I used store-bought veg stock instead, still tasted great. I also needed more broth to cook the veggies that go in the casserole, but that might be because I used a really big pan and it evaporated fast. I topped it with some Daiya cheddar shreds in the last ~10 minutes of baking for a little extra cheeziness! It’s so good! Mom and I demolished over half the pan for dinner. Thanks for this!
Hi Jack- Thanks so much for the great feedback! This is one of my personal favorites too. 🙂
Can you tell me what a dry steak seasoning is and where to get that?
Hi Tess- It’s a mixture of different dry seasonings that are often used as a steak ruf. It can usually be found as a blend in the spice section of many grocery stores.
Would it work to substitute half of the rice for riced cauliflower, do you think?
Hi Amelia- Though I haven’t tried that sub myself, I do believe it should work just fine. Good luck!