gluten-free | dairy-free
This green bean casserole is gluten-free and dairy-free—and fully rebuilt from scratch: a creamy mushroom béchamel (Earth Balance, GF flour, cashew milk) stands in for the can of cream-of-mushroom soup, and crispy house-fried onions replace the can on top. With bacon folded through. Victoria mourned this dish for years of GF/DF Thanksgivings; this version is, in their opinion, better than the original.
I don’t think I ever experienced a Thanksgiving while growing up without Green Bean Casserole. I always loved it, and when I had to go gluten- and dairy-free, I mourned the loss of this delicious holiday side dish. A few years after Green Bean Casserole-less Thanksgivings, I decided to make my own version, dairy- and gluten-free, from scratch.
Over the years, the recipe has been perfected as I worked on the mushroom sauce and Rich worked on perfecting the fried onions. Our gluten-free, dairy-free green bean casserole recipe, in our opinion, is so much better than the original version.
Fresh ingredients, a scratch-made sauce, and fried onions combine for a green bean casserole with a terrific depth of flavor that more than satisfies our childhood Thanksgiving food memories.
Recipe Notes
- Find the Cooking Flour Blend recipe HERE
- The fried onions can be made a day before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- You will have more fried onions than you need for the casserole, which means, yes, you can snack on some while you are making this dish.
- If you would like the sauce to be more liquid, add about ¼ to ½ cup of additional cashew milk.
- I love to add a very small dash of Fish Sauce to the sauce for an added touch of Umami flavor. This is completely optional.
- For the beans, you can use fresh beans; however, you will want to blanch them before using them in the casserole. I prefer the more tender texture of frozen beans. Go figure.
Now, go eat something amazing!
Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
Suggested Tools
The Ingredients
The Fried Onions
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced, 1/8 inch wide
- 2 cups cashew milk, unsweetened
- 1 cup gf explorers cooking flour blend
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups Healthy Harvest Sunflower Oil, or canola oil
- kosher salt for sprinkling after fried
The Sauce
- 3 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- 3 tbsp gf explorers cooking flour blend
- 2 cups Cashew milk, unsweetened, or your favorite dairy-free milk
- 1 1/2 tsp Tamari Sauce, gluten-free
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
The Mushrooms
- 10 oz mushrooms, chopped fine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Sunflower oil
The Green Beans and Bacon
- 24 oz Green Beans, frozen, Italian, cut, or your favorite
- 6 slices bacon
The Process
The Fried Onions
- Slice the onion (about 1/8 inch thick) and add to the cashew milk, making sure the milk coats all the onions. Let sit for at least one hour.
- Heat 2 inches (about 2 cups) of sunflower oil in a medium pan or dutch oven on medium-high. The temperature goal is 350 degrees.
- Measure out the flour into a shallow bowl and add the onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper.
- Once the oil is at temp (350 degrees) add some of the onions to the flour and coat well. Shake off the excess and add to the oil using a spider strainer. Do not overcrowd the pan. During the frying process, make sure to stir the onions a few times to keep them from sticking together. After about 3-4 minutes, the onions will start to float to the top, and when they do and have also achieved a golden color, remove them from the pan with the spider strainer and place on a cooling rack lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt while they are still hot.
- Repeat the above procedure for the rest of the onions. Remember to check the temp of your oil frequently. The temperature will fluctuate throughout this process so you may need to reduce or increase the heat level. Set all onions aside to cool.
Mise en Place
- After the onions are complete, gather all your ingredients for the rest of the recipe. Add the frozen beans to the casserole or dutch oven you baking in, allowing them to thaw while you work. Slice the bacon into lardons, chop the mushroom finely. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the bacon
- Add the bacon and some sunflower oil to a small skillet and cook until much of the fat is rendered. Drain to a paper towel-line bowl and set aside.
Saute the Mushrooms
- In a larger skillet, heat about a tablespoon of sunflower oil on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, kosher salt and pepper to taste, and cook until mushrooms are softened. Reduce to low and let simmer.
Heat the Milk
- Right after you start cooking the mushrooms, add the milk to a small saucepan and heat on medium, just until warm. You will see bubbles start to form around the edges and that will let you know it is warm enough. Transfer the warm milk to a measuring cup.
Make the Sauce
- In a small saucepan, melt the Earth Balance over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk briskly until combined and begins to thicken. Slowly add the warm milk and keep whisking until all the milk is combined and the sauce begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to low.
- Add the Tamari, onion powder, garlic powder to the sauce and whisk to combine. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Add about a tablespoon of the bacon to the sauce and blend to combine.
- Add the sauce to the mushrooms and mix well. Remove from heat.
Make the Casserole
- Add the mushroom mixture, bacon, and 2 small handfuls of the fried onions to the beans and mix gently to combine. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Top the casserole with fried onions and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy!