Vegan Tater Tot Green Bean Casserole

You'll love how easy it is to make this vegan twist on classic green bean casserole. This from-scratch tater tot green bean casserole is full of mushrooms and green beans and topped with tater tots, making it the ultimate vegan comfort food. 

Alright, everyone. This is about to be the most niche post to date on Cozy Peach Kitchen: Vegan Tater Tot Green Bean Casserole.

If you stumbled upon this recipe because you too wanted to enjoy a dairy-free version of the ultimate comfort food, I'm so happy I'm not the only one! If you're here and you've never heard of this wonderful casserole, welcome!

If there's one dish that makes me think of childhood, it's this one (well, also chili mac or chili cheese dip). There are some differences between this recipe and the one I grew up with, such as no ground beef and no canned mushroom soup.

Instead, we have loads of chopped and sauteed mushrooms and onions mixed with chopped green beans and a homemade cream sauce. I like to add in Beyond or Impossible ground beef to imitate classic tater tot green bean casserole, but this is optional.

And it's all topped with tater tots, of course. This hot dish is a Midwestern classic made vegan, and I hope that you love it as much as I do! If you're looking for a lighter tater tot casserole, you might like this tater tot casserole with black beans.

Recipe features

• From scratch: Most traditional tater tot casseroles use canned mushroom soup. Since this recipe is dairy-free, we're making a homemade cream of mushroom soup base. It's creamy, flavorful, and tastes just like the classic thing.
• One dish meal: Like any good casserole, this vegan tater tot green bean casserole features vegetables, protein, and carbs. All wrapped up in a creamy homemade mushroom soup-style sauce!
• This recipe also doubles as a vegan green bean casserole. It's literally just like my fresh green bean casserole but made with frozen green beans and with added (optional) meatless beef and tater tots on top.
• This casserole makes a lot of food and is perfect for feeding a family. It also makes great leftovers.

Ingredients

• Tater tots: Also sometimes labeled as potato puffs. Use enough to cover the top of the casserole completely, about ⅔ of a 32 ounce bag. Of course, buy a 21-22 ounce bag if it's available but tater tots usually come in 32-ounce bags.
• Frozen green beans: Canned green beans do work in this recipe and are a traditional ingredient to use in green bean casserole, but I prefer frozen for their flavor and crisp texture. Fresh green beans also work, but I recommend cooking them before adding them to the casserole.
• Non-dairy milk: Unsweetened, unflavored soy milk is my go-to. Almond milk or oat milk also work.
• Mushrooms: The original version of this recipe uses white or button mushrooms, but these days I prefer using baby bella because they are more flavorful.
• Soy sauce and thyme are the main seasonings. This is a super simple dish, flavor-wise, so don't skip these ingredients.
• Meatless beef: This is optional, but it does make the casserole more well-rounded. I use Impossible or Beyond beef (or whatever is on sale).

Step by step instructions

Start by sauteeing roughly chopped mushrooms and diced onions in olive oil until the onions are lightly browned and the mushrooms have released most of their juices. This takes about 8-10 minutes.

Once the mushrooms are softened, add in the Impossible or Beyond meat. Skip this step if you aren't using a meat substitute. Sprinkle with the thyme, pepper, and garlic.

Cook until the meat is browned, just a few minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking, start making the roux. Alternatively, wait for the mushroom filling to finish cooking then empty out the pan. You can use the same pan to make the roux without wiping it clean.

To make a roux, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to combine. This will make a bubbly paste. Cook until the flour is lightly golden, just 1-2 minutes.

New to cooking vegan sauces and gravies? Check out my complete guide on how to make vegan bechamel sauce to learn more about the roux method used in this recipe.

Slowly whisk in the almond milk, or unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice. To avoid a lumpy sauce, make sure to pour in the milk very slowly while whisking the sauce.

Heat the sauce until simmering, then simmer until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon without sliding off. Season with soy sauce and pepper.

Now we layer. Start by spreading the mushrooms and onions on the bottom of an 8x8 glass cooking dish. Cover with the cooked green beans, then season with salt and pepper. Next, pour the creamy garlic roux over the green beans.

Top with a single layer of frozen tater tots. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, until the tater tots are crispy and golden.

Tips and variations

• Baking dish: I wrote the recipe as using 8x8 dish because that is a common size, but you can get away with most dishes. The images above show a 10x10 dish.
• Vegetarian option: If you like, you can use cow's milk instead of non-dairy milk. Really any kind of milk works here, just make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored.
• Gluten-free option: Use tamari in place of soy sauce and a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.
• Serving: This casserole is also delicious topped with cheddar cheese, be it vegan or otherwise. And as always, a little dash of hot sauce takes it to the next level. However you choose to serve this Midwestern classic, I hope you enjoy!

Storage

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Just a note: This recipe was originally shared in November of 2018. I updated the recipe with new photos, a video, and the additional of meatless beef in Feburary of 2023. Otherwise, the recipe remains the exact same.

Recipe