Vegan Broccoli Casserole
This vegan broccoli casserole is rich, creamy, and packed with flavor, making it a perfect comfort dish that’s also healthy and plant-based. Loaded with fresh broccoli and a homemade dairy-free cheese sauce, it’s a satisfying and nutritious meal everyone will love.
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 have more delicious broccoli recipes on this website like my dairy-free broccoli cheddar soup, this vegan broccoli salad, and our tofu broccoli oil-free teriyaki stir-fry.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Rich and creamy – This vegan broccoli casserole delivers a satisfying, cheesy flavor without any dairy.
- Loaded with veggies – Packed with fresh broccoli, it’s a delicious way to get your greens.
- Perfect for meal prep – This vegan casserole stores well and is ideal for leftovers or make-ahead meals.
Ingredients you will need
- Broccoli- Adds a nutritious, fiber-rich base packed with vitamins like C and K. Its firm texture holds up well during baking, and its mild flavor pairs wonderfully with creamy sauces and seasonings, making it a delicious and healthy ingredient for casseroles.
- Veggies- Red bell pepper, onions, garlic, and celery add texture, flavor, and nutrients to this veggie-packed casserole.
- Rice- Adding brown rice to broccoli casserole boosts its nutritional value by providing fiber, protein, and essential minerals like magnesium. It also adds a hearty texture and helps make the dish more filling and satisfying, turning it into a complete meal that’s both healthy and delicious.
- Chickpeas- Enhances its protein and fiber content, making the dish more filling and nutritious. Chickpeas also add a slightly nutty flavor and a hearty texture that complements the broccoli and other ingredients, creating a well-rounded and satisfying meal.
- Seasonings- Thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and smoked paprika create a robust flavor profile for this casserole.
- Cheese sauce- Using my homemade vegan cheese sauce to make this casserole enhances the flavor and texture, providing a rich, creamy, and cheesy taste without dairy. It allows you to control the ingredients and customize the sauce to your taste preferences, ensuring a smooth, satisfying consistency.
Tips & Suggestions
- 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.
How to make vegan broccoli casserole
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
You will want to make the 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 vegan bean nachos, hash brown casserole, and dairy-free scalloped potatoes.
STEP #1: Making the cheese sauce is as simple as boiling a pot of potatoes, onions, and carrots, adding them to a blender with spices, and blending 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 leftovers to try with other recipes. Once the cheese sauce is complete, set it to the side.
STEP #2: Fully cook the brown rice according to the package instructions. You can use your rice cooker or stovetop, but I have a terrific recipe for flawless Instant Pot brown rice that is quick and ideal for this casserole.
You will also need to go ahead and drain and rinse the chickpeas. I do this by pouring them into a colander in my sink and running cool water over them.
I also have a recipe for Instant Pot chickpeas if you would like to cook your own from dry. They don’t even need to be soaked before cooking.
STEP #3: 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.
STEP #4: 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.
STEP #5: 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.
STEP #6: Pour the 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.
STEP #7: Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes. If making in a slow cooker, set it to low and allow it to cook for approximately 1-1/2 hours.
STEP #8: Once completely cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. Serve warm and enjoy!
*Originally published November 29, 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use brown rice for added fiber and nutrients, or white rice for a lighter texture. Quinoa or other grains can also be used as alternatives.
es, you can prepare the casserole up to 24 hours in advance. Assemble it, cover, and refrigerate. Bake it before serving, adding a few extra minutes to the cooking time if needed.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
Yes, you can freeze vegan broccoli casserole with rice. Allow it to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
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!
If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from EatPlant-Based
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 25 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.
Video
Notes
- Rice- Use brown rice for added fiber and nutrients, or white rice for a lighter texture. Quinoa or other grains can also be used as alternatives.
- 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.
- Freezing- Allow it to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
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 Marian- I haven’t made this in an Instant Pot before, so I can’t say for sure. Would love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try.
Hi Terri, So glad I stumbled upon your site. I am enjoying trying your recipes. Your BBQ Lil Smokies are in the Crock Pot as I write this.
I was wondering if you have you ever tried freezing this recipe for later use. I wanted to make ahead of time for a trip we are planning. I will have an oven button all the other items I would need. Thanks so much.
Hi Robyn- I’m so glad you stumbled upon my site as well. Welcome! Though I haven’t tried freezing the lil smokey carrots, I don’t see any reason that would be a problem. I would love to hear how they turn out if you give it a try.
I love this recipe!! The cheese sauce is so good and easy – it can be used for so many different things! I love mushrooms so I added 1lb of mushrooms and cut the rice to 2 cups
Although everyone will probably say that there are never any leftovers, I was wondering if anyone had experience with freezing the leftovers? Thanks.
I was looking for a new and different recipe to try than the regular rotation I’ve been making during the stay-at-home coronavirus time. This was excellent! It is a multiple step recipe with cooking rice, making sauce, cooking vegetables, and baking the casserole, but worth the effort in the end.
Hi Nan- I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi Terri,
Our family just started plant-based eating a few weeks ago. I had a third-world supply of broccoli and stumbled upon your recipe. Delicious! I made it per the directions and my husband and boys could not believe how filling and yummy it tasted. Even my 15 year-old, who doesn’t normally enjoy broccoli, had another helping. This recipe is a keeper. The cheese sauce is the star!
Hi Michelle- How wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for the great feedback. Also, since you have SO much broccoli, maybe your family will enjoy some of my other broccoli recipes found here. –> https://eatplant-based.com/broccoli-recipes/
Hi Terri!
I have been plant based for over 2 years. I do prepare many of your recipes as every single one is wonderful! I do have to say though that this Vegan Broccoli Casserole is by far my favorite recipe of any I make….out of all your recipes and all vegan sites!!! It is both a healthy and comforting casserole at the same time. Thank you for another out of the ballpark recipe!!!
Judy
Hi Judy- Thank you so much! This broccoli casserole is a favorite of mine as well. I think it’s the cheese sauce combined with the broccoli that I love so much. I really appreciate you letting me know how much you enjoy it!
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON USING FROZEN VEGGIES INSTEAD OF FRESH? I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT THE NIGHT BEFORE AND POP IT IN THE OVEN THE NEXT DAY. AND IF SO WHEN SHOULD I ADD THE CHEESE? JUST PRE-PLANNING HERE!! THANK YOU.
I think frozen veggies would work just fine. I would suggest assembling the whole casserole at one time–adding the cheese and all–then pop it in the oven the next day if desired. Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! The vegan cheez sauce is clearly the star of the show here! It’s evident you’ve worked to really perfect it and I appreciate that! I made both the sauce and casserole exactly as written, except I omitted the slivers almonds as I didn’t have any. We all loved the cheez sauce, especially my 8 year old who is dairy free for medical reasons. I had issues with it making enough. I only got a 2 cup yield vs a quart and I made it twice following the directions and still only got 2 cups each time I made it. The flavor and texture were perfect though, I ended up adding veggie stock the first go round to thin it out to make sure I had enough for the casserole recipe. The second time I made the sauce, I cut the salt in half and doubled the garlic powder, to me that was better, next time I will try to cut the salt further and add some dijion mustard to give it a sharper taste. The casserole itself was good but not suited to my personal tastes. It definitely would have benefited from the almonds, so I’ll keep that in mind for the future. Next time I will increase the veggies, maybe do corn, broccoli, mushrooms amd carrots, and try different seasoning combos. I love chick peas, but I didn’t love them in this, not sure why…maybe cause I used canned? Next time I’ll probably skip them or cook my own. Overall this was a solid recipe that my family enjoyed and I appreciate having a great starting point to customize to my own family’s preferences. Thank you again for sharing!?
Thank you for such a thorough review, and I love the additions you included. So glad that you enjoyed the cheese sauce and found a winner for your daughter too. 😀
Hi ! I’m making this for tomorrow and have everything in the casserole .when I bake it tomorrow doI bake it covered or uncovered for the 30 minutes? Thanks so much!
Hi Amy, I bake mine uncovered, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t dry out too much. Hope you love it!
Is there another option for the vegan cheese sauce? I’m allergic to cashews and have acid reflux and am unable to eat any type of potatoes. I’m new to changing my way of eating and am still learning.
Hi Cynthia! This is a recipe for another cheese sauce that is nut and potato-free. https://avirtualvegan.com/easy-vegan-cheese-sauce/#wprm-recipe-container-16479
This really looks yummy! Do you add any spices or nutritional yeast to the “cheese” sauce?
Yes, there are a number of spices added including paprika and nutritional yeast. The full recipe with ingredients, measurements, instructions, and print card can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
This looks really delicious and healthy! I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Do you mean that I should cook 1 cup of dry chickpeas and cook 3 cups of brown rice? Or do you mean 1 cup cooked chickpeas an 3 cups cooked brown rice?
Hi Janet,
Yes, both the chickpeas and rice should be cooked before adding to this recipe. You can use canned chickpeas that are already cooked, if you like. If you are like me, I oftentimes have cooked chickpeas and rice leftovers in the refrigerator already. The measurements should be after they are cooked. Hope you enjoy the casserole!
I made this for dinner tonight and both my husband and I really liked it. I left out the chickpeas because he doesn’t like them. He is suspicious of many vegan recipes and I was careful to tell him it was a broccoli rice casserole. After dinner, he said again that he like it. Thanks for the recipe.
I LOVE hearing that! So glad that you both enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting us know.