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This veggie-loaded Vegan Cauliflower Casserole is layered with ooey-gooey cheese, topped with buttery breadcrumbs and then baked to perfection. It's easy and delicious!
Autumn is right around the corner and that means it's time for everything warm, comforting and definitely cheesy! Am I right? So, to celebrate, I'm sharing this Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Casserole to kickoff the season.
It will fit right into your weeknight dinner routine, weekends or for your holiday table. It'll be on our Thanksgiving table along with my Meatless Loaf, Sourdough Bread Stuffing, Vegan Greenbean Casserole, and my Sweet Skillet Cornbread Recipe. I can't wait!
This veggie-packed casserole is also kid-friendly. I mean, who wouldn't eat their veggies when they are smothered in a cheesy sauce?
How to Make Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
(full ingredient amounts in recipe card below)
STEP 1
Combine the breadcrumbs, garlic and melted butter together. This will create a buttery and crispy top to your casserole!
Note: You'll need to soften the cashews first for the vegan cheese sauce. To do this, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes until they're softened.
STEP 2
Cover and steam the cauliflower in about 1" of water in a Large Pot. Cover and steam until just tender (about 7-10 minutes). Uncover and remove from heat.
Note: You can also boil the cauliflower until just tender (about 5 minutes). Drain really well before putting in the casserole dish.
STEP 3
Time to make the vegan cheese sauce! To get started, drain and rinse the cashews (discard soaking water). Now place all cheese sauce ingredients in a High-Speed Blender. Blend until cashews have completely broken down and the sauce is smooth.
Note: If you don't have a high-speed blender, the cashews might not completely break down and this could result in a gritty texture. You can try soaking the cashews longer for 12 hours or more.
STEP 4
Now for the stretchy cheesy goodness! Pour blended vegan cheese sauce into a medium skillet/pot over medium heat (I used the same pot for steaming the cauliflower). Cook for 4-5 minutes until it thickens up a lot and becomes slightly stretchy. Stir often to prevent it from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Note: If the cheese sauce is too thick for your taste, you can add a little soy milk or broth to thin it out. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
STEP 5
Pour half of the vegan cheese sauce into the greased casserole dish and spread along the bottom. Now add the cauliflower florets on top in mostly one layer.
STEP 6
Top with more vegan cheese sauce! Pour the remaining cheese sauce on top of the cauliflower and spread out evenly. You can sprinkle the top with fresh-cracked pepper if desired.
STEP 7
Now sprinkle the top with prepared panko breadcrumbs and cover with foil. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until breadcrumbs are light golden brown.
Topping Ideas:
- Fresh-Cut Parsley
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Enjoy!
Tidbits:
- I recently switched to Sari Foods Nutritional Yeast. I like it better because the vitamins and minerals are naturally occurring. They don't add any synthetic vitamins, so it's better for you and it doesn't taste as bitter either. It's a few dollars more than most brands but so worth it. (*It doesn't contain B12, so you'll have to supplement if you depend on nutritional yeast for that)
- If you have Vegan Lactic Acid, you can use that in replace of the lemon juice. It adds a similar tangy flavor that cultured cheese has. I usually add 1 ¼ teaspoons in place of the lemon juice. You'll need to add a few tablespoons of broth or non-dairy milk to make up the liquid portion of the lemon juice.
I'd love to hear from you
If you make this Vegan Cauliflower Casserole, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don't miss it.
Recipe
Cheesy Vegan Cauliflower Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower , cut into bite-size florets (about 2.5 pounds)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (GF if preferred)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter , melted (+ more for greasing dish)
Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked in very hot water
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1 cup vegetable broth , low sodium
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup tapioca flour/starch
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic , (+ a pinch for breadcrumbs)
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt , more to taste
Optional Toppings
- Fresh-cut parsley
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Lightly grease a 3-quart casserole dish and set aside.
- Combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs and a pinch of granulated garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.
- To soak cashews, boil water in a small pot and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes, until softened (*see note).
- While the cashews are soaking, you can steam the cauliflower. Place about 1 " of water into a med/large pot that will fit your steamer basket. Place your basket on the bottom and cover pot with a lid. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to med-low to maintain a low boil and place cauliflower florets into the basket. Cover and steam for 7-10 minutes, until just tender. Uncover and remove from heat.
- Drain and rinse cashews (discard soaking water). Now place all cheese sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until cashews have completely broken down and the sauce is smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour cheese sauce into a medium skillet/pot over medium heat (I used the same pot for steaming the cauliflower). Cook for 4-5 minutes until it thickens up a lot and becomes slightly stretchy. Stir often to prevent burning. If sauce is too thick for your taste, you can add a little soy milk or broth to thin it out. Taste for seasoning, and add more if needed.
- Pour ½ the cheese sauce on the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Now add the cauliflower on top in one layer. Pour the remaining cheese sauce on top of the cauliflower. Now sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs and cover with foil. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is hot and bubbly. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until breadcrumbs are light golden brown. Remove from oven. *Sprinkle with optional fresh-cut parsley and crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Audrey
What is a good substitute for the tapioca flour? I really want to make it but do not have that on hand. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
You can use cornstarch or arrowroot flour, but I would cut the amount in half. They won't yield the same stretchiness that the tapioca yields, but it will still taste the same though! 🙂
Joyce
Directions were easy to follow and my hubby and I love it!!!
Melissa Huggins
So glad you both loved the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Teresa "Terri" Heepe
Cheese is NOT vegan! you can't call this a VEGAN recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Teresa, did you just skip to the comment section? If you looked at the recipe above, you'll see that all the ingredients are indeed vegan. Thank you.
Janette
I love vegan "cheese"!!!!
Donn
I have it in the oven right now..we shall see how it comes out!
Melissa Huggins
Thank you for giving it a try! Let us know how it goes for you 🙂
Amy
My non vegan husband and I devoured this meal, it was delicious and I’ll be making the cheese sauce again for other meals! Tastes better than ‘real cheese’ sauce without the food hang over 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Amy, this is such a nice compliment! I use the cheese sauce for various recipes too. Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Dorothy
1can I make this this the day before, refrigerate it, and bake the next day? Would it be as good?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Dorothy, Yes, fully prepare it up until the baking step and refrigerate without the buttered breadcrumb topping. Then add the breadcrumbs right before baking the next day. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Kaitlin
Hi! Have you tried freezing this? I'm looking for something I can make about a week ahead of time.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kaitlin, Yes, you can freeze this casserole. Prepare up until the baking step and freeze without the breadcrumb topping. Then thaw overnight in the fridge and add breadcrumbs right before baking. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Jennifer
We absolutely love this recipe. I was wondering if I can change out the nuts with beans?
Melissa Huggins
Thank you, Jennifer! I'm so glad to hear this! I haven't tried it with beans, but it may work. I've used white beans before for creamy and cheesy sauces. Silken tofu works well too, but I haven't tried it with this recipe. Id love to hear how it turns out for you if you try it. 🙂
Samantha Velling
Wow this is an amazing recipe! I am a new vegan and have been practicing on cooking more vegan dishes! This is definitely one of my favorite dishes and it’s delicious! Thank you and will definitely be looking out for more amazing recipes!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Samantha, thank you for giving it a try! I'm so glad you liked it! Congratulations on your new vegan journey. 🙂
Joe
Hello! Sounds delicious. Do you think it would work if brocolli was used in place of cauliflower?
Melissa Huggins
Hi Joe, yes, broccoli works perfectly and it’s delicious! . Thank you for stopping by 😀
Ronja Sen
A great recipe! Turned out delicious. Instead of vegan butter we used coconut oil and tapioca starch was replaced with banana leaf flour. The vegan cheese sauce really tasted like cheese! Lovely meal
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you for sharing your feedback and modifications. It's much appreciated 🙂
Sonja Morton
can i omit the nut. I am allergic to nuts
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sonja, you can try unsalted sunflower seeds, white beans or silken tofu to replace the cashews. Will any of those work for you?
Gillian
What is a serving size approximately? I’m calorie counting right now and I want to be as accurate as possible.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Gillian, it's about 1.5 cups 🙂
Andrea
This is a fabulous recipe. Your cheese sauce is genius. I just made this for the 4th time, I’ve learned to double it so I can bring a dish to others to enjoy. This will absolutely be on our Thanksgiving table next fall, thank you so much for posting this.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Andrea, you're so kind! Thank you for giving it a try. I'm so happy it will be on your Thanksgiving table too 🙂
Kelsey Copes
Omg this dish is amazing! I've made it twice this week and both times the pan is licked clean by the next day. Thank you thank you for this recipe!
Melissa Huggins
I'm so happy you liked it! It's a family favorite over here. Thank you 🙂
Lydia
I made it tonight, it was delicious! I did not have tapioca, so I used whole wheat flour; turned out great. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!! Best wishes from Athens, Greece. ❤️🇬🇷❤️
Melissa Huggins
Hi Lydia, I'm glad it worked out with the whole wheat flour. Thank you for making it! Sending best wishes right back ❤️
Jordan
This was so good! Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! Such a comfort food type dish. My omnivorous mother I shared it with is still talking about it a week later and is excited to have it again, haha. Will definitely be making this again. I was really impressed at how good the leftovers were too.
Katie
I love your recipe so much, that I included it in a FBC roundup post that goes live on March 1! The theme is vegetarian recipes using March produce. Your recipes & site are awesome!