Vegan broccoli rice casserole is creamy, “cheesy” and oozing with delicious flavour. Rice and broccoli florets are smothered in a rich and velvety vegan cheese sauce and baked to bubbly perfection. There’s no better way to use up your leftover rice!
This recipe was originally published in June 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
This casserole is a simple one to prepare and an absolutely incredible recipe for leftover rice. But if you don’t have leftover rice, no worries. You can make some as you prepare the other ingredients.
Why you’ll love this dish!
- It’s super cheesy! It’s melty, it’s stretchy, and it’s absolutely addictive!
- A vegan and vegetarian-friendly casserole that’s naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and oil-free too. (There’s a nut-free option too, if needed.)
- Made using wholesome, nutrient-dense ingredients, like brown rice, broccoli florets, raw cashews and nutritional yeast.
- This vegan broccoli rice casserole is also kid-friendly and omnivore-approved! I mean, who doesn’t like a dreamy, stretchy, cheesy plate of deliciousness?
How to make it
(This is a summary with step-by-step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Preheat your oven and gather your ingredients. If you don’t already have cooked rice, get that going in your rice cooker or on the stove top.
To make the vegan cheese sauce, add all its ingredients to a high-speed blender and process until smooth. (photos 1-2)
The sauce will be very runny, but don’t worry, it will thicken in the oven.
NOTE: If you do not have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in boiling hot water for 30 minutes, then drain and add to your blender. This will soften them up, making it easier for your blender to process.
Now, put the cooked rice and raw broccoli florets into an oven-safe dish. (Mine is 9×13, but any similar size will work.) Then pour the cheese sauce you just made on top. (photos 3-4)
Mix well to evenly coat and distribute the sauce between your broccoli and rice. (photo 5)
Then bake your casserole for 20 minutes and remove it from the oven. (photo 6)
Optional: Broil the top for a couple of minutes for a crusty, bubbly texture, if desired.
If you skip the broiling step, the broccoli casserole will be a little more creamy and gooey in texture.
If you want a firmer, bubbly top, return to the oven on broil for a few minutes.
Garnish your vegan broccoli rice casserole with parmesan cheese, chilli flakes, or just enjoy as is. This dish is best enjoyed when freshly made, as the “cheese” will thicken and harden as it sits and cools.
To return it to its creamy state, just pop it back in the oven and reheat.
For more ways to use leftover rice, try these zucchini burrito boats, or these incredible vegan chicken burgers.
How long does it keep?
Your vegan broccoli rice casserole tastes best when freshly made. However, you may store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Remember, you’re using leftover rice here, so the storing time will also depend on when you first made your rice.
How to reheat
To reheat your leftovers, pop your dish back into the oven to return the cheese to a melty state. It will harden as it cools, so just heat it until soft and creamy again.
Can I make any substitutions?
For nut-free, you may substitute the cashews with sunflower seeds, with similar results. I find cashews a little richer here, so unless you can’t eat cashews, I don’t recommend making the switch.
That said, if you CAN have almonds, but not cashews, blanched almonds make a great sub here as well.
If you don’t have fresh broccoli, you may substitute frozen.
Adjust the seasoning to your taste; use more or less onion and garlic powder if preferred.
Expert tips for success
- If you do not have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews in boiling hot water for 30 minutes before making your cheese sauce. Then drain them and add them to your blender with the remaining ingredients. This quick soak method will allow the cashews to expand and soften, making them easier to break down.
- If you still have loose bits of cashews once blended, you may strain them using a nut milk bag. (Affiliate link.) However, bits of cashews won’t affect the overall flavour of your broccoli casserole, so don’t stress.
- As your dish is baking, if the cheese gets too thick, you may thin it out with a splash or two of nut milk and mix it together.
- Once cooled, the cheese will harden, but you can return your vegan broccoli rice casserole to its stretchy, gooey consistency by reheating, so just pop it back in the oven to heat through.
If you tried this recipe, please let me know in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don't forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube to see more delicious food.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover cooked brown rice if you don't have cooked rice, start cooking as you prepare the remaining ingredients
- 3.5-4 cups broccoli florets approx 1 small head of broccoli cut into bite size florets
For the Cheese
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ⅓ cup tapioca starch also known as tapioca flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup unsweetened cashew milk or almond milk
- 1.5 cup water
- 1.5 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder for flavour, not heat
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add all the cheese ingredients to a high speed blender and process until smooth. It will be very runny.
- Place the cooked rice and broccoli florets in an oven safe dish, measuring 8×12, or similar. Then pour the cheese sauce over the rice and broccoli, and mix well to evenly coat and distribute.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, mixing at the halfway point. Add a touch more milk if your cheese sauce gets too thick.
- Optional but recommended: Broil your casserole for 2-3 minutes to brown the top.
Lucie says
This was a hit for dinner tonight. First time we had no leftovers in a long time!
Also, cooking the rice while prepping the broccoli and cheese sauce allowed me to make extra rice for my picky eater.
Rosa says
Fantastic! So glad everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Lucie says
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for quite some time now, and I don’t know why I didn’t make this sooner – it is so easy to make! I did not have rice ready so I set some in the rice cooker while I washed and chopped the broccoli into florets. The rest of the dish came together smoothly, as per your recipe. I will let you know how this goes for dinner tonight.
PS: I love the features on your website for choosing “cook mode” so the screen doesn’t go dark, and the checkboxes make it so much easier to make sure I don’t miss any ingredients 🙂
Rosa says
Thanks for sharing Lucie! 🙂
Kathy Alexander says
I expected this to be good, as all your recipes I have tried have been delicious. I tasted this fresh from the oven and my husband caught me standing at the stove, eating this from the pan. It is so good.
Rosa says
Thanks so much for the fantastic review, Kathy. 🙂
Bob Dunkelberg says
This was excellent. I added a can of chickpeas to make it meatier and more of a meal in itself. That seemed to be a good combination with the rest of the ingredients. I will try this again and use Brussel sprouts to see how that turns out.
Rosa says
So glad you enjoyed it Bob!
Lucie says
Yum what a great idea – can’t wait to try it with Brussels sprouts next time 😋
Heather says
Made this for dinner tonight. Soooooo good. One of the best tasting cheese sauce we have tried. Will definitely make again.
Rosa says
Completely thrilled you enjoyed Heather. Thanks so much for leaving a review. 🙂
Maureen says
Easy, scrumptious!
Rosa says
Thanks Maureen!
P K says
Just made this. Husband and I ate the whole thing in one sitting. This is definitely a recipe to keep. It was so delicious. Thank you for it.
P K says
I forgot to add that we only had almond or oat milk. I used oat milk. I would think any plant based milk would work.
Rosa says
Thrilled you both enjoyed, thank you so much for the kind review. 🙂
Maureen says
SCRUMPTIOUS! And easy to prepare!
Rosa says
Thanks Maureen! 🙂
Grace says
Hi, would this recipe turn out okay if I used canned white beans in place of the cashews for the cheese sauce? I have never made cheese sauce before
thanks
Rosa says
Hi Grace, that might work, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you give that a try. Enjoy!
Dee says
This dish was excellent!!
Rosa says
Glad you enjoyed Dee, thanks for sharing!
Jody says
Do you have to use the tapioca, or can you use corn starch?
Rosa says
Hi Jody, I haven’t tried with corn starch but it should work to thicken. However, tapioca is a unique ingredient in that it will make the cheesy sauce stretchy. Let me know if you try it with the corn starch.