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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Whether you’ve been dairy free/vegan for a few days or years, one thing always happens. You have no idea what to make for dinner. This delicious vegan taco casserole is one of the best dinner recipes to have in your cookbook!
Whether you are cooking for one person or a whole family, there’s only so many ideas you can come up with.
Scouring on Pinterest sometimes leads to good results and if you found your way from there to this recipe, I’m going to let you know that you found a winner.
This easy taco casserole 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 dairy free taco casserole should be on rotation in your house.
This easy taco casserole recipe is:
- dairy free
- vegan
- plant based
- gluten free
- Top 8 Allergen Friendly
What’s even more amazing about this dairy free taco casserole recipe is completely customizable.
While the recipe calls for a specific set of ingredients listed below in the recipe, if there’s something that you don’t like, you can simply omit that part of this layered taco casserole.
And of course, if there is a specific ingredient that goes along with Spanish/Mexican cuisine that isn’t included, you can totally add that into the recipe too!
It’s a win/win for everyone.
What ingredients do you need to make a dairy free taco casserole?
Listen, casseroles sometimes get a bad wrap.
They are notoriously known for just a bunch of seemingly random ingredients, some of which may or may not seem to go together, but this….this amazing dairy free taco casserole recipe..it’s all makes perfect sense.
The ingredients you need to make this healthy taco casserole are:
- green pepper
- red onion
- garlic
- homemade taco seasoning
- black beans
- corn
- refried beans
- cooked rice
- dairy free cheese
- salsa
- Optional: cilantro, green onions, avocado, jalapeño, vegan sour cream, etc
You also may want tortilla chips or taco shells to with serve with the dairy free taco casserole.
How do you make a vegan taco casserole?
This dairy free casserole takes under 45 mins to get on the table, but it can be even quicker than that.
The first step is to cook your rice.
You can use brown rice or white rice, Spanish style or plain. It’s completely up to you. We often switch up how we’ve made this dairy free taco casserole, but either way it’s a hit.
You want between 2-3 cups of cooked rice for this easy taco casserole recipe. If you need it to go further, add the full 3 cups.
One way to make this recipe cook quicker is to prep the rice earlier in the week and that way it’s ready to go.
Our go to is 1 cup of uncooked rice to 2 cups of vegetable stock mixed with 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning and then cooked according to the package.
While you wait for the rice to cook, heat up some olive oil in a large skillet.
Add to it the peppers, onions and garlic until translucent. Then, add in the black beans, corn, taco seasoning and salsa.
Stir together until combined and heated through. Turn off heat.
One you have your cooked rice, spread it evenly across the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Next, carefully spread a can of refried beans, warmed, across the rice. Then top with the bean mixture. Lastly, spread dairy free cheese across the top.
Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 20 minutes or until dairy free cheese on top has melted.
Remove from oven. Top with cilantro if desired. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve with avocado and additional salsa on the side. Serve this dairy free taco casserole with tortilla chips for dipping.
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.
WHAT OTHER VEGAN DINNER IDEAS SHOULD I TRY?
If you love this easy dairy free dinner recipe, you may be wondering what other dairy free dinner ideas we have. Here are some ideas we have (all are vegan):
- Vegan Tomato, Spinach & Sausage Quinoa Bowls
- Vegan Instant Pot Tex-Mex Rice
- Easy Vegan Cheesy Hamburger Helper
- Dairy Free Pizza
- Vegan Italian Meatballs
- Dairy Free Alfredo
- Dairy Free Nachos
- Easy Dairy Free Spinach & Walnut Pesto
๐ฅณ Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried rice (or 2-3 cups ready or cooked rice)
- 1 can vegan refried beans, warmed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, mined
- 1 ยฝ tablespoon homemade taco seasoning (can substitute for taco seasoning packet)
- 1 can black beans
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 can corn
- 1 cup dairy free cheese
Optional Ingredients:
- 1 avocado, cubed
- cilantro or green onions chopped
- salsa
- vegan sour cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Cook your rice according to package. *See tips in post above about types of rice to use and how we cook it.
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While rice is cooking, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and saute the peppers, onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent (2-3 minutes).
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Add in the black beans, corn, taco seasoning and salsa. Stir together until combined and heated through. Turn off heat
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Spread cooked rice evenly across the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
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Next, carefully spread a can of refried beans, warmed, across the rice.
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Top with the bean mixture.
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Sprinkle dairy free cheese evenly across the top.
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Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 20 minutes or until dairy free cheese on top has melted.
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Remove from oven.
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Top with any optional toppings if desired.
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Let cool for 10 minutes and serve with avocado and additional salsa on the side.
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Serve with tortilla chips for dipping or taco shells if desired.
Video
Notes
*Nutritional values do not include optional toppings and sides.
Nutrition
Pin this dairy free taco casserole recipe for later:
This post was originally published on 2/1/19 and updated on 10/21/19.
Vegan_hen
I happened to on this recipe and decided to try it. Maybe it was reposted on Instagram I donโt remember how I got it. Just made it tonight. Super easy to put together and really really great tasting. I topped with fresh tomato and diced lettuce, and served it with Corn Chips. definitely going to put this in my rotation.
Larisha Bernard
so glad you enjoyed it!
Nicole
I regularly make all of these ingredients separately each week. This just took it up a notch in flavor and just one dish! I omit the cheese and add crushed chips and avocado. Or put it in a tortilla to make a burrito. Yum!
Larisha Bernard
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed
Andrea
Quick and easy weeknight recipe. Kids weren’t so hot on the black beans but ate everything. Definitely one for meal plan rotation.
LarishaBernard
So glad that everyone enjoyed it!
Latasha
So delicious! It was easy and tasted so good! I used vegan mozzarella cheese so I was worried it wouldn’t taste good but it was a nice addition. Thanks for this recipe ๐
LarishaBernard
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! ๐ We appreciate you taking time to leave your thoughts!
Dana M Szalay
This dish is easy and delicious! My family loves it, and it’s now part of our meal rotation.
LarishaBernard
The best kinds of meals! When everyone likes it! Glad to hear it’s a win for your family! We really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! Have a great day!
Alexis
Loved the recipe!!!
LarishaBernard
We’re so excited that you loved the recipe! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment, we appreciate that so much!
Laura
This recipe is great. Very easy tp prep, bake, serve. I served on a bed of lettuce and made some vegan sour cream to put on top. I really missed having a similar non vegan version of this so it really made my day to make this vegan version. Our household is mixed and the vegan and non vegan both loved the dish. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
LarishaBernard
So happy to hear that and so glad you liked it!
Nicole
This has become a weekly staple for me! I omit the processed cheese and prefer cashew cheese sauce or just avocado. Make it!
Larisha Bernard
love it!
Brooke Moran
Is this freezable? Iโm wondering about making this for a mom with a new baby.
LarishaBernard
Yes!
katie burns
I have made this several times. I usually make extra of everything on taco night so the next day I can make this casserole. I have even added impossible taco meat to it but it’s amazing without it too. Serve it in the casserole dish on the table and everyone dips their chips in it or scoops some in a flour tortilla. Great dinner that everyone enjoys.
LarishaBernard
So happy to hear this! Thank you for leaving the review!
Leslie Stewart
I just made this minus the peppers because I didn’t have them. So good and easy! Will definitely make again. I just bought for the first time and used Miyoko’s cultured vegan farmhouse cheddar. It was very tasty but even in the oven for 20 min at 350 it didn’t really melt very well. Next time I will leave the cheese out and have it get to room temp for better melting.
Cathi
Afterc cooking canthese be simmered I Sauce?
LarishaCampbell
Hi Cathi, I’m not sure I understand your question.
Michelle S
I TOTALLY Give this recipe a FIVE star rating and here is why :
1. My kids and hubby loved it! My family devoured It AND the kids friend came over (who is NOT vegan) and loved it too!
2. Easy to make
3. Plant Based!
4. Makes enough for left overs
5. It’s one of those recipes you can make your own! I added corn chips on top (for fun) and also topped with chopped green onions AND cilantro. In place of vegan cheese I topped with Nutritional yeast b/c I had no vegan cheese.
I Just LOVE THIS! It was so so good! It will now be in my rotation!
LarishaCampbell
We are so so happy that you loved it! Thank you so much for your very kind review!
Angela Fitton
Beautiful and easy to make. We all enjoyed it. Next time I will make them individually as when I served it out, it got messy! My son suggested how nice it would be as a Burrito so I made it again the next night and did exactly that! YUM!
LarishaCampbell
Thank you so much for your kind words and your review ! We are so happy that you loved it!
Michelle
Do you think this is something that could be made ahead of time? Like maybe a day or so?
LarishaCampbell
Absolutely! It would be good 3-4 days in advance! Great for meal prepping
Ktie
HI,
I was wondering how much salsa you are adding into the bean and pepper mixture? I don’t see it listed in the ingredients!
Thank you ๐ Can’t wait to try this out tonight!
LarishaCampbell
Wow, good catch. So sorry for that error. I’ve updated the post. It’s 1 cup.