Hearty vegan potato casserole is fully loaded with all of my favorite baked potato toppings -- like broccoli, cheese, and bacon -- in creamy vegan sour cream sauce.
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If you listen to my podcast, Talkin' Tofu, you know that my family loves a baked potato. This vegan potato casserole was me trying to mix things up a bit while still pandering to our obsession.
This dish has all of the toppings you love on a baked potato, but in comforting casserole form. The potatoes are tossed with your favorite baked potato toppings -- like broccoli and bacon -- in a cheesy, vegan sour cream sauce. Then, you top it with gooey vegan cheddar and bake.
It's a warm-you-up meal that you are going to love!
Vegan potato casserole is just an amazing combination of flavors and textures that makes such a satisfying dinner.
Ingredients and substitutions
- diced potatoes - Use any sort of potatoes you like! I like to make this casserole with thin-skinned potatoes, like Yukon gold. If you use russet/Idaho potatoes, just peel them first.
- broccoli - Make sure you cut the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces for the best results. You can use other veggies of choice, like spinach or even frozen veggies. Or omit the veggies!
- cashews - Cashew cream sauce is the base for the cheesy, vegan sour cream sauce. You can use raw pumpkin seeds instead for a nut-free version. Soak them in hot water for 15 minutes, while you prep everything else.
- garlic - To season the sauce. You can use a teaspoon of garlic powder instead, if needed.
- miso and nutritional yeast - Together, these give the sauce a mild, cheesy flavor.
- lemon juice - Adds acidity to the sour cream sauce.
- tomato - Adds moisture and umami to the casserole. Do not omit, because the tomato is a topping but also part of the sauce.
- olive oil - To sauté the vegan bacon.
- vegan bacon - Choose one that you love! You can also use my shiitake bacon for a more plant-forward version of this dish.
- green onion - Adds more umami to the potato casserole.
- vegan cheddar - Or use your favorite non-dairy shreds. You can also use homemade vegan cheese sauce instead, if you prefer.
How to make vegan potato casserole
Preheat the oven to 375° F, and start your cashews soaking, if you haven't already. Prep the veggies while the cashews soak.
Bring a three to four quart pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, you have plenty of time to make the cheesy sour cream sauce and cook the bacon.
Combine all of the cream sauce ingredients in your blender and blend until completely smooth.
Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegan bacon and cook until it's crispy. Set aside.
Place the chopped broccoli into your colander, and drain the potatoes over the broccoli. Use a large spoon to gently toss everything together in the colander. The heat from the potatoes will steam the small pieces of broccoli.
Transfer this potato-broccoli mixture to a greased 9x13" baking pan.
Pour the sour cream sauce over the potato-broccoli mixture, and add the tomato along with ⅔ of the bacon and ⅔ of the green onions. Toss gently to incorporate everything, then taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
Even out the top, and sprinkle on the remaining green onions and bacon, then sprinkle the the vegan cheddar.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, then let it sit for five to 10 minutes before serving.
Helpful tips
- You can save a lot of time in this recipe by overlapping steps. Prep all of the veggies while the cashews soak, and make the cream sauce and cook the bacon while the potatoes are on the stove.
- When you're making the cashew cream, make sure that you blend until it's completely smooth. You don't want any graininess! If needed, let the mixture rest for a few minutes after blending, then blend again just before adding it to the baking pan.
How to store and reheat
If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container, or, if your baking pan has a lid, just cover it up and stick the whole thing into the fridge. Everything will keep for around three days in the refrigerator.
Reheat in the oven at 350° F or in the microwave just until heated through.
More vegan potato recipes
📖 Recipe
Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
Ingredients
For the potatoes and broccoli
- 4 cups diced potatoes - cut into 1" pieces
- 2 cups chopped broccoli - bite-sized pieces
For the sour cream sauce
- ¾ cup cashews - soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, then drained
- ½ cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon miso - Any sort you like!
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Mix-ins and toppings
- 1 to 1 ¼ cups diced tomato
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 ounces vegan bacon - chopped
- 3 green onions - chopped, divided
- 1 to 1 ½ cups vegan cheddar shreds - or mozzarella or pepper jack
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Make the potatoes and broccoli.
- Bring a 3 to 4 quart pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Place the chopped broccoli into your colander, and drain the potatoes over the broccoli. Use a large spoon to gently toss everything together in the colander. The heat from the potatoes will steam the small pieces of broccoli.
- Transfer this potato-broccoli mixture to a greased 9x13" baking pan.
Make the sour cream sauce while the potatoes cook.
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in your blender and blend until completely smooth.
Also prepare the bacon while the potatoes cook.
- Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the vegan bacon and cook until it's crispy. Set aside.
Assemble the casserole.
- Pour the sour cream sauce over the potato-broccoli mixture, and add the tomato along with ⅔ of the bacon and ⅔ of the green onions. Toss gently to incorporate everything, then taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Even out the top, and sprinkle on the remaining green onions and bacon, then sprinkle the the vegan cheddar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted, then let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!