This vegan squash casserole is a classic southern-style casserole made dairy-free. You can use either yellow squash, zucchini, or a combination of both. Mix it with a creamy sauce, top it with breadcrumbs and bake to bubbly perfection.
I hated zucchini and yellow summer squash as a kid, that is until I tasted squash casserole. My oldest son also thought that he hated summer squash until I made this dish - then he had 3 helpings.
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❤️ Why you will love this casserole
- It's a great dish for using up all of the summer squash from the garden at the end of summer.
- You can make it a day or two ahead and bake it when you are ready to eat.
- It makes a great vegan side for Thanksgiving or holiday meals.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Yellow Squash - or zucchini.
- Olive Oil - or any other neutral flavored oil.
- Carrots - optional. I don't see this in most other squash casserole recipes, but my family always added a cup of shredded carrots. I think that it adds a nice color, texture, and a slight sweetness to the casserole.
- Onion - any type of onion that you like will work well. You can use a 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder instead if you don't have fresh
- Garlic - fresh is best, but you can use garlic powder instead.
- Thyme - either fresh or dried thyme will work or swap for oregano.
- Vegan Butter - or you can use more oil. (This is mixed with flour to make a roux and thicken the cream sauce.) I like to use my homemade vegan butter.
- Flour - all-purpose flour to thicken the sauce. To make it gluten-free, you can also use grain-based gluten-free flour or corn starch mixed with cold milk to make it gluten-free.
- Plant-Based Milk - I like soy or oat milk for this recipe, but you can use any plain flavored milk that you want. If you use almond milk, choose unsweetened.
- Vegan Sour Cream - You can use store-bought sour cream or easily make your own homemade vegan sour cream using my recipe.
- Vegan Cheese - you can use any type of vegan cheese that you want that will melt well. I like to use my vegan mozzarella. (You can also omit the cheese if you want.)
- Salt and Pepper - for flavor. You can also use some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne for a little spice.
- Stuffing Mix - for the top layer. You can also use panko bread crumbs or crumbled crackers. I like to use a seasoned stuffing mix for extra flavor. (Pepperidge Farms makes an herbed stuffing mix that is vegan.) You can use crumbled gluten-free crackers or breadcrumbs to make it gluten-free.
🔪 Helpful tools
- Mandoline - to slice the summer squash into uniformly thin slices quickly. It's a great little tool to have in the kitchen, but you can also just slice them with a knife if you don't have one.
- Large Wok - or pan to saute the vegetables before adding them to the casserole dish.
- Whisk - to stir the roux is helpful.
🥄 How to make vegan squash casserole
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 375° F. (If you plan on baking it immediately.)
Step 2 - Dice the onion into small pieces and saute it in 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of thyme, and 2 cloves of minced garlic over low heat for 5 minutes in a large wok.
Step 3 - While the onions are cooking, thinly slice 8 cups of squash into rounds and add them to the onions and stir well and cook for about 10 minutes until the squash has started to soften.
Step 4 - Stir in 1 cup of shredded carrots and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 5 - Transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish.
Step 6 - Heat 1 tablespoon of vegan butter or oil in the wok and sprinkle in 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour and stir well with a whisk to make a roux.
Step 7 - Slowly add 1 cup of plain plant-based milk to the roux a few tablespoons at a time stirring well between each to get out all of the lumps. (This will become very thick at first, just keep stirring and adding small amounts of more milk and it will thin out.)
Step 8 - Add 1 1/2 cups of vegan sour cream to the thickened milk along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. (You can also add some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne for a little spice.)
Step 9 - Add 1 cup of vegan cheese to the cream mixture and stir well.
Step 10 - Pour the cream mixture over the cooked vegetables and stir it around until it is mixed well with the squash.
Step 11 - Sprinkle the top of the casserole with a generous layer of stuffing mix, breadcrumbs, or crumbled crackers.
Step 12 - Drizzle 3 tablespoons of melted vegan butter over the top.
Step 13 - Bake at 375° F for 30 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Allow the onions to cook until they become translucent. Cooking them slowly will make them sweeter.
- Slice the squash very thin. This helps it cook thoroughly and gives the casserole a nice texture.
- Be sure to saute the veggies before adding them to the casserole. Yellow squash can be very firm and will not soften up enough if you don't saute it first.
- If you use zucchini, it will cook a little faster than the yellow squash.
- Use my homemade sour cream and omit the cheese for a lower-fat option.
- This is one of those dishes that always tastes better the next day, so it's great to make it ahead of time and bake it before serving.
🍞 Can I make it gluten-free?
Yes, the only ingredient in the main part of this casserole that is not gluten-free is 1 tablespoon of flour that is used to thicken the creamy sauce. You can easily swap it out with grain-based gluten-free flour. You can also omit the step of making the roux and add 2 teaspoons of corn or potato starch to the cold milk and then mix in the sour cream. You will need to top it with gluten-free crackers or breadcrumbs.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: This squash casserole will keep well covered tightly in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Freeze: This casserole will freeze well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheating: Reheat a serving of the squash casserole in the microwave for about 2 minutes or bake larger amounts at 350° F for about 10 - 15 minutes until warm.
🥘 How to make the casserole ahead of time
This is a great dish to make ahead of time for a holiday or dinner party. (I think that it even tastes better this way!) Simply make up the creamy squash mixture and put it in a large baking dish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it. At this time, top with stuffing, breadcrumbs, or crackers, and drizzle the top with a little butter. Bake it for 35 minutes instead of 30 since it will be cold from the fridge.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan squash casserole recipe
Vegan Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 8 cups yellow squash (or zucchini or a combination of both)
- 1 cup onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (reduce for lower sodium)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup carrots
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter (or oil)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon flour (or grain-based gluten-free flour)
- 1 cup plant-based milk (plain) (I like soy or oat milk - don't use vanilla milk)
- 1 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups stuffing mix (or breadcrumbs or crushed crackers)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. (If you plan on baking it immediately.)
- Dice the onion into small pieces and saute it in 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of thyme, and 2 cloves of minced garlic over low heat for 5 minutes in a large wok.
- While the onions are cooking, thinly slice 8 cups of squash into rounds and add them to the onions and stir well and cook for about 10 minutes until the squash has started to soften.
- Stir in 1 cup of shredded carrots and cook for 1 more minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegan butter or oil in the wok and sprinkle in 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour and stir well with a whisk to make a roux.
- Slowly add 1 cup of plain plant-based milk to the roux a few tablespoons at a time stirring well between each to get out all of the lumps. (This will become very thick at first, just keep stirring and adding small amounts of more milk and it will thin out.)
- Add 1 1/2 cups of vegan sour cream to the thickened milk along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. (You can also add some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne for a little spice.)
- Add 1 cup of vegan cheese to the cream mixture and stir well.
- Pour the cream mixture over the cooked vegetables and stir it around until it is mixed well with the squash.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with a generous layer of stuffing mix, breadcrumbs, or crumbled crackers.
- Drizzle 3 tablespoons of melted vegan butter over the top.
- Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
Notes
- Allow the onions to cook until they become translucent. Cooking them slowly will make them sweeter.
- Slice the squash very thin. This helps it cook thoroughly and gives the casserole a nice texture.
- Be sure to saute the veggies before adding them to the casserole. Yellow squash can be very firm and will not soften up enough if you don't saute it first.
- If you use zucchini, it will cook a little faster than the yellow squash.
- Use my homemade sour cream and omit the cheese for a lower fat option.
- This is one of those dishes that always tastes better the next day, so it's great to make it ahead of time and bake it before serving.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Delicious! I made this for 4 friends as an entrée. My guests raved about this recipe. I used a very large, jumbo zucchini and sliced 1/16 inch on mandolin. The slices were very large so I cut them in half. I shredded the carrot with a food processor to save time. I only used the non dairy sour cream and not vegan cheese. I used the stuffing for topping. It was incredible. I will make this once a week in the fall to use up zucchini. This would be a wonderful Thanksgiving entrée.
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Katie! 🙂
This recipe brought back memories for me! I used bread crumbs and it turned out to be absolutely delicious. I don't think I've had this type of casserole since I went vegan, but it was one of the first things I learned to cook in my college apartment ages ago so having it again was super nostalgic. Thanks for sharing!
It reminds me of being a kid too! Glad that you liked it!
YUM—you’ve veganized my favorite yellow squash recipe! Another topping option is chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts) with butter or mixed with the crackers. Either sauté or microwave until toasty.
I'm so glad that you like it. The addition of nuts sounds yummy! 🙂
Haven't made it yet, but you don't say how many servings. Cooking for 8 - 10 people, so would like to know.
It serves 12 as a side dish. (The number of servings is towards the top of the recipe card. If you click on the red serving number, you can change the serving and it will change the amounts for you on the recipe card.)
I made this over the weekend when my inlaws came over for dinner. It was delicious. I made it on Saturday, then baked it on Sunday! It was so nice to get part of the meal out of the way ahead of time.
I'm so happy that you all liked the casserole, Sara! 🙂