This creamy, cheesy broccoli rice casserole is vegan, dairy-free, and made with whole food ingredients! It’s also incredibly easy to make—just dump and bake! Perfect for meal prep or busy weeknights and a recipe the whole family will love!
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Why this recipe works
If you love the classic cheesy broccoli rice casserole, you’re going to love this vegan version! It’s made with whole food ingredients so you can feel good about it and it’s good for you!
The cheesy flavor comes from nutritional yeast without needing to use mock cheeses. If you prefer the gooey texture, feel free to use a store-bought vegan cheese.
I prefer to cook oil-free so if you want a healthier cheese option, you can also make this creamy vegan cheese sauce. Leave out the smoked paprika if you want a more traditional cheesy flavor.
If you’d like to keep it simple but can’t find nutritional yeast, here’s a list of substitutes you can use instead. For this recipe, cashews would probably work best.
You’re going to love this dairy-free broccoli rice casserole. It makes the perfect side dish to accompany any protein, or serve it on its own!
It’s so easy to make—just dump and bake (no need to cook rice ahead of time)! And even picky eaters love it!
Ingredient notes
This vegan casserole only requires 9 easy to find ingredients (including salt!). Short and sweet! Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements.
Basmati rice—cooks quickly making this perfect for dump-and-bake style recipes (no pre-cooking required!).
Want to make this whole food plant-based? Use brown basmati rice instead and allow it to cook for 45-50 minutes until the rice is soft.
Nutritional yeast—gives this casserole that delicious “cheesy” flavor without the need for dairy or mock cheeses! Can use chopped cashews instead.
Coconut milk—provides the creaminess. Make sure to use coconut milk from a can, not a carton.
How to make
This step by step walk-through shows the process of making this cheesy vegan broccoli rice casserole recipe. Exact times and temperatures are available in the recipe card at the bottom.
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large casserole dish, combine rice with seasonings and mix well to evenly distribute. Then flatten out the rice mixture into an even layer.
2. Top with an even layer of broccoli.
3. Heat broth until just boiling, then immediately pour oven the broccoli rice. This helps to speed up the cooking time in the oven.
Then pour oven the coconut milk.
4. Mix together the breadcrumb ingredients in a small bowl, then evenly distribute over the top of the broccoli rice casserole.
5. Cover with foil and bake on the center rack in the oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes until the rice is soft and has absorbed all the liquid.
Optional: When the casserole is done baking, move it to the top rack in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown (keep a close eye on it to avoid burning).
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.
Best enjoyed immediately but can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in the oven or in single servings in the microwave.
Expert tips
Make sure you’re using Basmati rice which cooks faster than other rice varieties. If you would like to use another rice, you may need to add an additional 10-15 minutes to the bake time depending on the type.
Use boiling broth to help speed up the cook time. If you forget to heat your broth beforehand, no worries—you’ll just need to leave the casserole in the oven a little longer to make sure all the liquid is absorbed.
How to store
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat single servings in a microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through. You can also reheat the dish in an oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes if needing to reheat multiple servings.
This vegan casserole also freezes well. You can store the entire dish in the freezer and allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Or store individual servings in the freezer and reheat in the microwave as needed.
What to serve with this vegan broccoli rice casserole
This casserole makes a great side or main dish!
To make it a more filling main dish, add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas before adding the breadcrumbs and baking.
As a side dish, it goes great with this Vegan Lentil Loaf, Vegan Corned Beef, or Chili Sin Carne or really anything! It’s a crowd-pleaser and goes great with lots of different dishes!
More vegan casseroles
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Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole
Method
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice or brown basmati rice, see notes for adjusted cooking time
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder optional for color
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth boiling
- 13.5 oz canned coconut milk
Breadcrumb topping:
- 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp paprika optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a large casserole dish, combine rice with seasonings and mix well to evenly distribute. Then flatten out the rice mixture into an even layer.1 cup basmati rice, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper
- Top with an even layer of broccoli.6 cups broccoli florets
- Heat broth in microwave for 1-2 minutes until just boiling, or on stove. Then immediately pour over the broccoli rice. This helps to speed up the cooking time in the oven.2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- Then pour oven the coconut milk. Shake the can vigorously before opening if it feels like some of the milk has solidified before pouring it over.13.5 oz canned coconut milk
- Mix together the breadcrumb ingredients in a small bowl, then evenly distribute over the top of the broccoli rice casserole.1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs, 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp paprika
- Cover with foil and bake on the center rack in the oven for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes. Optional: Once done cooking, move casserole to the top rack in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown (keep a close eye on it to avoid burning). Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving .
- Best enjoyed immediately but can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in the oven or in single servings in the microwave.
Have you made this with an alternative to coconut milk? I would like to reduce or eliminate the saturated fat content of coconut milks, both whole fat and low fat varieties. Were I to substitute cashew cream, what adjustments should I make to the recipe?
You can make this with any non-dairy milk. Since cashew cream is a bit thicker, I would thin it first to coconut milk consistency before using. Let me know how you end up liking it!
I am loving this casserole! We just made it the other night and the family gobbled it up so I’m making another one tonight. We used basmati rice as stated and it was perfectly cooked. I’m too scared to experiment with anything just yet but I’d love to try it with brown rice someday. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
So happy to hear you liked it! It works well with brown basmati rice, just remember to increase the cooking time 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe, I made it tonight and it came out so came good!! I followed the directions exactly and the rice was perfectly cooked and the flavor was so so delicious. The whole family gobbled it up!
Thank you for the review, April! I’m so glad it came out great and your family enjoyed it 🙂
HI! Super excited to try this recipe! Do you you think using frozen broccoli would work just as well? Thanks!
Hi Emily, yes frozen broccoli should work, you’ll just need to increase the cooking time since the frozen broccoli will cause the rice to take a bit longer. Enjoy!
I followed the directions but found the rice slightly undercooked. Still very yummy! I think I may add some asparagus to go with the broccoli.
Hi Kim, thanks so much for the feedback! I’m glad you still enjoyed it! A couple things that can help make sure the rice fully cooks is to make sure you’re using basmati rice as it cooks faster than other rice and bring the broth to a boil before adding it to the casserole dish. Also, every oven is a little different so it could be that yours just needed a little more time. Asparagus sounds like a great addition for next time, yum!
If I used precooked rice, do you think I should leave out the broth and just add the coconut milk?
Hi Angie! Yes, leave out the broth and reduce the cooking time as needed. You’ll want the coconut milk to absorb into the casserole but not get too dried out so I would check on it after 15 minutes and 5 minute increments after that until it’s done. Enjoy! 🙂