This cheesy vegan chicken, broccoli and rice casserole is perfect for a family dinner or potluck. It’s delicious, easy to make, and comes together quickly.
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I can’t tell you how many times we’ve turned a side dish into a full on dinner, but this cheesy vegan chicken, broccoli and rice casserole is one of our favs.
Listen, sometimes casseroles get a bad wrap. There are people that will throw just about anything into one and call it a meal. It’s mediocre at best and because of that a lot of people don’t trust them.
Hold onto your britches because this one is not only delicious but it will blow your mind that it is vegan!
If you have never had a cheesy broccoli and rice casserole and you love broccoli, this will likely become one of your favorite dishes.
What ingredients do you need to make cheesy vegan chicken, broccoli and rice casserole?
This is definitely not one of our shorter list of ingredients; however, all of the ingredients come together really easily and you will be so excited.
- fresh broccoli
- vegan chicken strips
- cooked brown rice
- sweet onion
- garlic
- butter beans
- vegetable stock
- nutritional yeast
- vegan butter
- lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
- paprika
- cayenne
- poultry or all purpose seasoning
- vegan parmesan cheese
- unsweetened dairy free milk
- chickpea (garbanzo) flour
- vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- seasoned panko breadcrumbs
Can you make this a Top 8 Allergen Free Vegan Casserole?
There are a few ingredients that you need to be aware of that may contain allergens; however, this dish could be Top 8 Allergen Free.
You want to make sure that you use a soy free butter, like Earth Balance soy free, it comes in a red tub.
For panko breadcrumbs, make sure that you use a gluten free one.
We like oat milk for this recipe so that is already top 8 allergen free.
Then we are left with parmesan cheese and shredded cheddar. For the parmesan you can use our homemade vegan parmesan cheese with sunflowers to make allergen free. Follow Your Heart Vegan Parm Shreds also appear to be top 8 free.
For the shredded vegan cheddar, check out our vegan shredded taste test post to see one that will work with your allergens.
For the vegan chicken, find one that is gluten free or swap with more broccoli, tofu, chickpeas, or mushrooms.
Can I prep this cheesy vegan broccoli casserole ahead of time?
Yes! This dish once cooked can be stored in the fridge with a cover and reheated either in the oven or microwave. It will be good for 5 days in the fridge.
What other vegan side dishes should I make?
There are endless possibilities, but here are some of our favorite vegan side dishes that we think everyone will like:
- The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Cornbread
- Easy Vegan Mashed Potatoes (4 Ways)
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Green Bean Salad
- The Best Vegan Baked Beans
- Vegan Glazed Carrots
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Cheesy Vegan Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice, cooked (white rice would also work)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- ¼ cup sweet onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 ounces vegan chicken strips (could sub for crispy tofu, chickpeas or mushrooms)
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or rub (we make this one)
For the Cheese Sauce
- 15 ounces canned butter beans, drained
- 1 ½ cups dairy free milk
- ½ cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne, optional
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Remaining Ingredients
- 2 cups vegan shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs (ensure dairy free)
Instructions
- To start: If you don't have cooked broccoli and rice, prepare both of those.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a large skillet and saute the onions and garlic together until the onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- To a high powdered blender, add the onions and garlic, along with the cheese sauce ingredients including: butter beans, non-dairy milk, vegetable stock, vegan parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, ¼ cup vegan butter, chickpea flour, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika. Blend for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Remove 1 cup of the cheese sauce from the blender and set aside.
- In the same skillet from your onions, adding more vegan butter if needed, cook your vegan chicken strips according to the package. Chopping into bite size pieces as it cooks if desired. When almost finished, add your poultry seasoning and stir together well. Remove from heat.
- Into your prepared casserole dish, add the cooked vegan chicken, broccoli, rice, the remaining cheese sauce in the blender and 1 ½ cups of the vegan cheddar cheese shreds. Stir together very well until everything is well combined.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of vegan cheddar cheese, ¼ cup of vegan parmesan cheese and the ¼ cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the dish is bubbly around the sides. Pull out of the oven and allow to set and cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Use the reserved cheese sauce to drizzle more on top as desired.
It was Amazing!!! Simply amazing!!!
Thank you!!!!!
I didn’t see where you add the chicken into the casserole.
I agree that was worded weirdly. I’ve updated the directions to be more clear.
What can be subbed for chickpea flour?
almond or all purpose
I just made this recipe and it was awesome! Love your videos.
We’re so happy to hear you liked it! Thanks for taking time out of your day to leave a review. We really appreciate it.
Does anyone know if other white beans will work? Navy? Canolini? This dish is definitely on the menu for this week! Thank you!
Hi Jamie! Great Northern and Cannellini beans have been tested. Both will work. We just love the creaminess of butter beans which is why we prefer those! Enjoy the recipe!
Great recipe! Awesome comfort food and great for meal prepping. Next time I’m going to add mushrooms and asparagus! Thank you guys for the delicious meal! I will continue making this recipe! It would be great for the busy weeks of work and school.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed our recipe. We appreciate you trying it. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
This looks really good. I will be adding it to my recipe book. Do you have any other suggestions apart from Violife for store-bought parmesan? Unfortunately, it isn’t available near my house.
If you can get the Follow Your Heart Parm, you could use that. Or you could use our homemade recipe: https://makeitdairyfree.com/dairy-free-parmesan-cheese/
Thank you!