Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ginny McMeans
Published:
January 11, 2024
Last Modified:
February 18, 2026
Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole is a favorite for rice-loving children and us big kids, too. Easy to make and a classic recipe all year round.
Have you ever noticed how much children like rice? Of course, it usually has soy sauce on it but this Broccoli Brown Rice Casserole is another favorite for little ones.
It’s such a relief when kids look really happy when they get to the dinner table. Or even before that, when they say, “What’s for dinner?”
The cheese is a mild one. I used a vegan Jack cheese that melts and melds along with the sweet green bell peppers.
Brown rice also makes the dinner seem heartier. It has a unique flavor that stands out as a star.
How Does Brown Rice Become White?
- Rice is a grain; brown and white rice come from the same grain.
- When only the outer layer of the husk is removed, you have brown rice.
- To make white rice, the husk and the bran and germ layers are removed. There you have it – white rice.
Brown Rice sure goes great with broccoli. Simple and flavorful. As you can see in the photo, I served it alongside edamame and crunchy garlic bread.
Man, that makes my stomach growl.
Not only is this a wonderful meal throughout the week, but it is a classic served at all the holidays from Easter to Christmas.
It’s quick, and all ingredients are easy to find, so a last-minute plan is doable.
Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole as Comfort Food
This is an old-timey basic comfort food recipe. There are only 8 ingredients, and that’s counting the salt and pepper. It’s like one of those recipes you would have found in a Betty Crocker cookbook in the 60’s.
Simple casserole cooking is something you need to have in your recipe box. It is family-pleasing and different enough that you don’t feel like you are cooking the same old, same old.
You know when you can’t think of what to cook for dinner? Well, this is a great recipe to build your dinner around.
This vegan broccoli rice casserole can serve 6 as a side, but we often have it as the main dish, and our servings become much larger. Then I would say it serves 4.
Truly, you can have this for lunch, too. It is so satisfying and sticks to your ribs.
Make enough for dinner, and you can heat the leftovers in seconds in the microwave.
Heat for about 30 seconds, stir, then heat another 30 seconds, and there you go. Quick and Simple!
IF FREEZING:
Freeze before baking only.
Please follow any of the directions defined in my article Preparing Food for the Freezer
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
Take it out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator at least 6 to 8 hours before baking (or the day before). Bake, covered at 350° for 20 minutes, uncover and bake for 10 minutes.
Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli – cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced , chopped
- 3 cups brown rice, cooked
- 8 ounces dairy-free jack cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Lightly oil a 9" x 9" baking dish.
- Steam the broccoli florets for 10 minutes only and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion and bell pepper.
- Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Turn off the heat in the skillet.
- Stir in the cooked rice, broccoli, cheese, salt, and pepper. Turn all into the prepared casserole.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
22 responses to “Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole”
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I’m loving all the green on this plate 🙂 Looks delicious!
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That is great Aggie and thanks!
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I love that this can be prepared in advance making dinner even easier
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That is what I am always after. Love it!
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Uncomplicated yet scrumptious side dishes are the only ones that I seek. My boys would devour this casserole!
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Fantastic Kirsten! I hope you get to make it soon.
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I haven’t had broccoli rice casserole in ages, but now that you’ve reminded me of it, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop thinking of it until I make a batch. This sounds delicious!
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It is such a good staple. Thanks so much Heather!
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I love that you use coconut oil. I’ve been using it in some of my dishes for awhile now and love the flavor it adds.
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This looks so good – I think even my picky eater would enjoy this casserole! (And I’d be thrilled that she’s eating broccoli!)
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I’ve been trying to add more brown rice to my diet and this looks like a yummy way to do just that!
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I so wish we had jack cheese here! This casserole looks great. And my eyes wandered over to those apple pie cookies in the sidebar. 😉 They look awesome, too!
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This is the type of casserole you can make a meal out of! Plenty of vegetables, rice and cheese to fill you right up!
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You can never have too many casseroles options!
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This looks so yummy, I almost didn’t realize how many veggies are in there! Great dish!
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Okay this is fabulous. Nothing more comforting than casserole.
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Thanks so much for this recipe. It reminds me of my moms recipe. -
Can you tell what brand cheese you used, or is that wrong to ask? Thanks!
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Not wrong at all Christie. I have used different ones and I’ve even used Chao white cheese that comes in slices – I cut the whole block into cubes and just mixed them in. This place has a lot of beautiful cheeses – https://www.themansionspantry.com/cheeses Tofuttis mozzarella works really well too. So really any white ‘cheese’ that you like will mix in very well.
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Made tonight and it was very good. Added a bit more flavour with subbing in some chicken broth in cooking the rice and some park cheese on top too! This was great for my senior parents and I can see kids will like too! Thanks -
What if you substituted nutritional yeast in place of the cheese? Would that work?
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It won’t be the same but should still taste good. Please let us know how it goes if you decide to give it a try.
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