This Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole is complex in flavor and has a classic green bean casserole taste. It's made with homemade fried onions, which will leave your guests raving about it!
These fried onions are cooked in the air fryer and you would never guess by the looks, taste, and texture!
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📝Ingredient Notes
- Mushrooms: You can use white or Baby Bella mushrooms. I like to use baby Bella because they have a more earthy flavor.
- Almond milk: I recommend using homemade almond milk, or my easy homemade cashew milk. Homemade almond/cashew milk tastes so much better in savory recipes.
- Cashews: These are used to make a cashew cream, which will make this casserole look like it has real cream in it! If you're new to cashew cream, don't worry. It's delicious.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice adds a bright flavor to the cashew cream, which helps mimic real dairy flavors. It won't taste like there's lemon in your casserole!
- Apple cider vinegar: I mix the vinegar and the almond milk because it's how you make a buttermilk alternative. People use real milk and vinegar all the time when they don't have any buttermilk on hand.
🍞Substitutions
- Flour: If you want to make this a gluten and dairy-free green bean casserole, you can swap out the wheat flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour. I like to use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Mushrooms: There isn't really another flavor you could swap the mushrooms for, so if you don't like them, you can make the green bean casserole without mushrooms.
- Chicken broth: If you are vegan or vegetarian, you can swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- Milk: You can also make this recipe with coconut milk (from the carton, not canned) or even oat milk, as long as it's unsweetened/unflavored and you enjoy the taste of it in savory recipes.
- White pepper: Black pepper can also be used.
- Green beans: You don't have to use fresh green beans. This recipe tastes amazing with canned green beans too!
🔪Equipment
- Mandolin slicer or chefs knife
- High speed blender
- Food processor: This is for chopping the mushrooms.
- Air fryer: I use the Ninja Foodie.
📝How to Make Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole
- In a pot, bring the cashews and chicken broth to a boil, cover, and turn down the heat to about medium heat for about 15 minutes. Then, let them cool down before blending.
2. While the cashews are boiling, prepare the onions. Slice off the end opposite to the root end, and peel off the skins. With a mandolin slicer, slice very thin strips of onion. If you don't have a mandolin, you can use a knife. Just make sure they are very thin rings.
3. Mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, then let sit for a minute. Stir before tossing the onions in.
4. Mix the flour and spices.
5. Toss the onions in the milk mixture, then coat well with the flour.
6. Spray the basket or tray of your air fryer, then add some of the onions in a single layer (do not overcrowd). Spray the onions with olive oil and mix it around until they are well coated, and no onion pieces remain with dry flour.
7. Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes. If you place the second and third batches straight into a HOT air fryer, they may take a little less than 8 minutes. Just check on them that last minute so they don't get too crispy or burn.
8. Next, wash the fresh green beans, then slice them in half, and steam them until tender.
9. Wash the mushrooms, then chop them in a food processor into fine pieces. Toss them on a skillet with some oil and let cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. If water is released from the mushrooms, drain it.
10. In a high-speed blender, add the cashews, broth, spices, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Then toss in the cooked mushrooms and lightly process to mix.
11. If the mixture is thin, transfer it to a small pot over the stove and bring it to a light boil. Maintain the heat level to a light boil while you constantly stir. This could take around 5 minutes or so. It will thicken up like a gravy/condensed soup consistency.
12. Place the green beans in the bottom of a casserole dish, pour over the creamy mushroom mixture, and mix well. The mixture should be warm. Then add the warm, crispy onions on top.Enjoy!
🧊Storing
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
⏱Make ahead of time
You can prepare the creamy mushroom mixture and green beans in a casserole dish, cover and refrigerate the night before, then prepare the crispy onions the morning of. You can even slice the onions the night before. Just store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bread them the next day.
Warm up the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 to 30 minutes, then top with the crispy onions! I would wait to put the onions on the casserole until ready to serve just so they stay crispy and don't get soggy!
✅Pro Tips
- Crisp the onions just before serving.
- If you want less onions, use 1 medium-sized yellow onion. If you have extra onions, serve them on the side so guests can add more if they want to.
- Make sure the cashew and mushroom mixture is thick and creamy!
- Prep the night before: This dish has a lot of steps. Make it easier on yourself by prepping some of the steps in advance. I recommend making the mushroom mixture and green beans in advance.
🍽Other Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Sides
- Dairy and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Creamed Corn
- Creamy Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes
- Healthier Apple Crisp
- Dairy-Free Brown Gravy
- Dairy-Free Cornbread
- Sweet Potato Casserole without Marshmallows
⭐️Before you go! If you enjoyed this recipe for my Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole, leave a review and share it with me! I love to hear from you.
📖 Recipe
The Best Dairy-Free Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- Air-Fryer
- High speed blender
- Food processor
- Mandolin slicer or chefs knife
Ingredients
Creamy Mushroom Mixture
- 1 cup cashews unsalted
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 8 ounces mushrooms white or Baby Bella, processed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or to taste, see notes
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 24 ounces fresh green beans
Fried Onions
- 2 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt see notes
- pinch of white pepper
- olive oil for coating the onions in the air fryer
Instructions
- In a pot, bring the cashews and chicken broth to a boil, cover, and turn down the heat to about medium heat for about 15 minutes. Then, let them cool down before blending.1 cup cashews2 cups chicken broth
Preparing the Fried Onions
- While the cashews are boiling, prepare the onions. Slice off the end opposite to the root end, and peel off the skins. With a mandolin slicer, slice very thin strips of onion. If you don't have a mandolin, you can use a knife. Just make sure they are very thin rings. 2 yellow onions
- Mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, then let sit for a minute. Stir before tossing the onions in.1 cup unsweetened almond milk1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Mix the flour and spices.1 cup whole wheat flour½ teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon saltpinch of white pepper
- Toss the onions in the milk mixture, then coat well with the flour.
- Spray the basket or tray of your air fryer, then add some of the onions in a single layer (do not overcrowd). Spray the onions with olive oil and mix it around until they are well coated, and no onion pieces remain with dry flour.
- Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes. If you place the second and third batches straight into a HOT air fryer, they may take a little less than 8 minutes. Just check on them that last minute so they don't get too crispy or burn.
- Next, wash the fresh green beans, then slice them in half, and steam them until tender. 24 ounces green beans
The Creamy Mushroom Mixture
- Wash the mushrooms, then chop them in a food processor into fine pieces. Toss them on a skillet with some oil and let cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. If water is released from the mushrooms, drain it.1 tablespoon olive oil8 ounces of mushrooms
- In a high-speed blender, add the cashews, broth, spices, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Then toss in the cooked mushrooms and lightly process to mix.2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon onion powder½ teaspoon garlic powder½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt¼ teaspoon white pepper
- If the mixture is thin, transfer it to a small pot over the stove and bring it to a light boil. Maintain the heat level to a light boil while you constantly stir. This could take around 5 minutes or so. It will thicken up like a gravy/condensed soup consistency.
- Place the green beans in the bottom of a casserole dish, pour over the creamy mushroom mixture, and mix well. The mixture should be warm.
- Add the warm, crispy onions on top, and enjoy!
Notes
- Coarse kosher salt does not measure the same as fine table salt. If you aren't using a coarse salt, use less and add to taste.
- If you want less crispy onions, use 1 medium yellow onion. If you end up with extra, just serve it on the side so guests can add more as desired.
- You can substitute fresh green beans for canned green beans.
- If you need this to be gluten-free, use gluten-free all-purpose flour. I like to use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
Nutrition
Note: The nutrition label is just an estimate. Amounts may vary.
The nutrition label does not include oil for spraying the onions.
210 calories per serving.
Kristina says
This recipe is phenomenal! This was by far the best green bean casserole I’ve ever had!
Kayla says
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Ashley says
By far the BEST green bean casserole I have ever had! I’ll be making this dish every year at thanksgiving and a few other times!
Kayla says
That makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!!