The Best Vegan Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Casserole With Easy Cream Of Mushroom Soup
This Vegan Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Casserole is an instant classic. It plays on the creamy, crispy, savory perfection of America’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish, but brings a whole lot more to the table with the addition of perfectly caramelized Brussels sprouts and homemade vegan cream of mushroom soup.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here, and guess that everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish is the Green Bean Casserole. I mean, I get it. It’s one of my favorites, too.
What’s not to love? Tender-crisp green beans, decadent cream of mushroom soup, crunchy and salty French Fried Onions. The dish does it all! It feels indulgent, yet kinda healthy.
When coming up with recipes to veganize and feature in my Thanksgiving side dish roundup, I didn’t want to just give everyone the recipes that people would expect to find. I wanted to give people foods that they were sure to love, that felt like the foods they grew up eating, but with a slight twist on the ordinary.
Green Bean Casserole is perfect exactly how it is (aside from the fact that it’s not normally vegan), but what could I do to it to maybe turn things up a bit?
Brussels sprouts are in season this time of year, so what better vegetable to feature in a holiday side dish? The thing about sprouts, though, is that they can be quite divisive. Many people love them, but for most, they’re still the poster-child for disgusting veggies.
Like most vegetables that people hate, it’s not the vegetable that they are repulsed by, but the way in which they were cooked. Sprouts need to be fresh, not frozen or canned, and they are always better when a bit charred or blackened instead of steamed or boiled. If your experience with Brussels sprouts is based on the overcooked canned variety that your mom would force upon you, then you owe it to yourself, and to the world of cruciferous vegetable to give this casserole a shot.
For this recipe, I call for you to saute the sprouts in a bit of oil until they are perfectly caramelized, slightly crispy, and just “al dente” enough for you to go back in for a second taste. Before they get too tender, you’ll bathed in a thick cashew-based Cream of Mushroom Soup base that will erase any memory of the canned variety that you grew up eating.
And speaking of that Easy Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup Base, what could be better than caramelize mushrooms and onions contributing their delicious fond to a complex and deeply savory cream soup base. If you absolutely refuse to eat Bussels sprouts, then you can still enjoy this tasty side dish with green beans, if you must. The Easy Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup Base doesn’t care what you put it on, because it knows that you’ll love it any way you serve it.
More Delicious Vegan Holiday Side Dishes:
- Vegan Funeral Potatoes (Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole)
- Vegan Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Stuffing
- Vegan Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Salad
- Vegan “Oyster” Stuffing (Scalloped Mushrooms)
- Caramelized Brussels Sprout Casserole
Vegan Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Casserole
The perfect holiday casserole with all of the nostalgia of a green bean casserole, but made vegan, and with Brussels sprouts.
- 16 to 20 ounces fresh Brussels sprouts, the smaller the better
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 batch Easy Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup Base (recipe below)
- 1 cup French Fried Onions
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove any brown, or tough ends from your sprouts. Cut them in half, or into quarters, depending on their size.
- Heat an 8-inch oven-safe skillet to medium heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the sprouts, and allow the sprouts to cook and to caramelize before turning, and continuing to cook and to caramelize. Allow the sprouts to cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are browned throughout, and they are just soft enough to eat.
- Pour on the Cream of Mushroom Soup Base, and stir to coat. Using a spatula, even out the surface of the casserole, and top with french fried onions.
- Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. If they top browns too quickly, top with a lid or foil for the reminder of the cooking time.
- Serve warm.
The sprouts can be cooked in a different pan than you plan on cooking your casserole. This recipe makes enough for an 8×8 pan, but could easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. In these directions, I cook the sprouts and bake the casserole in an 8” cast iron skillet.
Easy Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup Base
Quick and easy vegan version of everyone's favorite canned cream of mushrooms soup base.
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 5 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, chopped in to 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a few hours or overnight
- 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons Mushroom Broth Powder OR 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
Add a bit of oil to a medium-sized pot. Chop onions and mushrooms, and add them to the oil. Allow the mushrooms and onions to cook together until quite browned and caramelized, about 8 to 10 minutes.
In a high-speed blender, combine the water or broth, soaked cashews, Liquid Aminos, and tapioca starch. Blend until there are no bits of cashew, and the mixture is very creamy. Set aside.
When the mushrooms and onions are caramelized, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or vegan butter along with 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour to the pot. Stir to combine, and then continue to cook for another minute. Slowly add the cashew cream, stirring constantly to remove the fond from the bottom of the pot. Continue to stir to prevent the starches from clumping. As soon as the mixture is thickened, turn off the heat and set aside.
Made this yesterday for our Christmas dinner and it was so good. Thanks for the recipe and merry Christmas.
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Just made this today, the taste was really good, but I made it too thick somehow. I didn’t use cashews, but soy milk and water, overall I loved it!
The “soup” base is pretty thick since it’s trying to be similar to a concentrated soup, but definitely thin it out with a bit more water if you make it again. Thanks!
I reallllly enjoyed this and so did my boyfriend. Watching the video on youtube really helped too, I will totally make this again, it’s very simple and tastes great. Thank you!
I reallllly enjoyed this and so did my boyfriend. Watching the video on youtube really helped too, I will totally make this again, it’s very simple and tastes great. I used almond milk instead of cashews and water just because I didn’t have any cashews and it still was very creamy. Thank you!
Thanks! I’m actually putting out another video/recipe today or tomorrow for a Creamy Cauliflower Casserole. I mention that substitution as well. It’s a bit less “rich”, but still super tasty.
Hi! Looks delicious. We were going to use your cream of mushroom base for our green bean casserole would we just need to thin it out with a little bit of milk like regular canned version and follow our recipe from there – I’m assuming? Also, what brand of mushroom broth powder do you use (there are quite a few!) or do you just blend up dried mushrooms? Thank you for all of your help 🙂
The recipe for my base makes the equivalent of 2 cans of condensed soup, so if your recipe calls for it to be thinned, then definitely do the same with this. The brand I buy is this once (affiliate link): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IA2D78/?ref=exp_monsonmadethis_dp_vv_d
Beautiful. Loved it. The only problem with it is that because it is so delicious, there is no leftovers. Regardless of how much I make, it gets finished in a heart beat. followed the recipe and would not change a thing. Thank you for this deliciousness 😉
Been making this for several years for Thanksgiving for my non-vegan family and it’s one of their absolute favorites. SOOOO delicious- I can’t praise this recipe enough!!!!
This makes me so happy to hear! So glad you and your family enjoyed it!