This Vegan Taco Casserole is the perfect dinner for a family or dish a crowd. This layered vegan taco casserole comes together in just minutes and is ready in under 45 minutes total. Completely customizable, Top 8 Allergen free!
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The key to a great vegan dinner? Versatility.
Versatile in the ingredients, versatile in the way it’s eaten, versatile in the way you can use it.
It’s these type of meals, like this easy taco casserole recipe I’ve been making for a decade that allows you to make simple changes for time, taste, and preferences to always be a hit.
This recipe is a hit for get togethers and crowds, like hosting a football game watch party or your next potluck get together. No matter what the reason, this will constantly be on rotation!
Why You’ll Love Baked Taco Casserole
- Allergen Friendly – The only Top 9 Allergen in the recipe is tofu and that can easily be replace to make this Top 9 Allergen Friendly. That means this is gluten free as written.
- Versatile – You can use so many different ingredients in this to make it your own, be creative with what you have on hand, and so much more.
- Budget Friendly – At the end of the day this recipe is overall using inexpensive ingredients like tofu, beans, and spices. This is a great option for those that need a filling, satisfying meal that doesn’t break that bank.
Jump to:
- Why Youâll Love Baked Taco Casserole
- What ingredients do you need to make a vegetarian taco casserole?
- Tips for how to make taco casserole:
- Other Must Try Versatile Vegan Dinners:
- đ„ł Get the Full Recipe
- Can I make this Top 8 Allergen Friendly Taco Casserole?
- Can I prep this Vegan Taco Casserole ahead of time?
- Frequently Asked Questions about Taco and Rice Casserole:
- đŹ See What People Are Saying
What ingredients do you need to make a vegetarian taco casserole?
Gather your ingredients!
The ingredients you need to make this healthy taco casserole are:
- bell peppers
- yellow onion
- garlic
- extra firm tofu
- black beans
- corn
- refried beans
- cooked cilantro lime rice
- dairy free cheese shreds or vegan nacho cheese sauce
- Optional: cilantro, green onions, avocado, jalapeño, vegan sour cream, black olives, etc
You also may want tortilla chips or taco shells to with serve with the dairy free taco casserole.
Full recipe amounts are written below
Tips for how to make taco casserole:
Rice Layer
You can use any cooked rice that you want. Written below is our cilantro lime rice but you could also just add some taco seasoning or salsa into the rice layer. You could also do a spanish style rice as well.
You just want to make sure you have about 2 œ to 3 cups of cooked rice.
Taco Filling Layer
If you are allergic to tofu you could swap this with seitan, mushrooms, lentils, more beans, vegan meat crumbles or even just omit.
For the beans – you could do kidney, white beans, pinto beans, etc.
Want it spicy? Toss in some jalapenos!
Cheese Layer
I love making our homemade vegan nacho cheese. It adds another texture, is allergy friendly and absolutely delicious. However, you could just use vegan cheese shreds as well.
Other Must Try Versatile Vegan Dinners:
đ„ł Get the Full Recipe
Easy Vegan Taco Casserole
Ingredients
For Cilantro Lime Rice (Can swap with favorite rice)
- 1 cup dried brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- œ teaspoon salt
- œ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- Πcup fresh cilantro, chopped
- zest from œ lime
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- œ tablespoon lemon juice
For the Taco Filling Layer
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 16 ounces extra firm tofu, shredded or smashed
- 6 cloves garlic, mined
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- œ teaspoon salt
- œ teaspoon black pepper
- œ teaspoon smoked paprika
- œ teaspoon oregano
- 15 ounces canned fire roasted tomatoes, NOT drained
- 15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces canned corn, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces vegan refried beans, warmed
Vegan Nacho Cheese
- 15 ounces butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces mild canned diced jalapenos
- 1 cup plant based milk
- œ cup nutritional yeast
- Πcup vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons oat flour
- œ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- œ teaspoon chili powder
- œ teaspoon cumin
- œ teaspoon salt
- Πteaspoon garlic powder
- Πteaspoon smoked paprika
- Πteaspoon turmeric
- â teaspoon cayenne pepper
- â teaspoon onion powder
Optional Ingredients:
- 1 avocado, cubed
- cilantro and/or green onions chopped
- salsa
- vegan sour cream
- black olives
- red onions, chopped
- pickled or fresh jalapenos
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
For the Rice Layer
- Heat pot over medium heat. Add in vegetable stock, rice, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook according to package instructions for length of time. Once rice is done, let it sit, covered for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Add in chopped cilantro, lime zest, and both lime and lemon juices. Stir together and fluff with a fork.
For the Taco Filling Layer
- While rice is cooking, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and saute the peppers and onions until translucent (2-3 minutes). Add tofu, garlic, and spices and stir around until well coated. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and scrape anything off the bottom of the skillet with the juices from the tomatoes with a wooden spatula.
- Add in the black beans and corn. Stir together until combined and heated through. Turn off heat
For the Nacho Cheese Layer (can swap with plant based cheddar cheese shreds)
- Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
To bring the casserole together
- Spread cooked rice evenly across the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Next, carefully spread a can of refried beans, warmed, across the rice.
- Top with the taco filling mixture. Then, the nacho cheese layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with any optional toppings if desired.
- Serve with avocado and additional salsa or toppings. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping or taco shells if desired.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Can I make this Top 8 Allergen Friendly Taco Casserole?
This recipe is already written to be Top 8 Allergen Friendly.
Many dairy free cheeses are Top 8 Free safe; however, you do want to make sure that you double check the ingredients on the package you intend to buy to make sure that it is compatible with your dietary needs.
Can I prep this Vegan Taco Casserole ahead of time?
Yes!
You have two options.
First, you could pre-cook the rice up to 4 days in advance and then just proceed with the recipe as directed.
The other option would be to make the entire dish and then cover it and place in the fridge until ready to serve. It would be good for 4 to 5 days if stored properly.
Then just reheat in the oven or microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions about Taco and Rice Casserole:
This post was originally published on 2/1/19 and updated on 10/18/25.
garlic cloves are listed in ingredients. However I don’t see when you cook them. Is it in step 1 for taco filling?
Ahhh sorry about that, great catch! It is with the taco filling in step 1. I’ve fixed the oversite
If I am using a vegan meat substitute such as beyond meat, do you think I should include all the same spices used for the tofu?
Yes. It’s basically a taco seasoning that I’d use the same way.