Vegan Squash Casserole

Vegan squash casserole a simple, healthier version of a traditional Southern classic dish. Made with summer squash (zucchini or yellow squash), a thick, creamy dairy free sauce and a crunchy cracker topping. This healthy squash casserole is great for weeknight meals or holiday meals.

Wooden spoon and white napkin on the side of the dairy free squash casserole.
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Why you will love this recipe

  • Easy to make– this recipe is simple to assemble, the hardest part is cutting the squash into uniform thickness so it can cook evenly. The squash gets sautéed before adding it to the casserole dish, to ensure that the casserole doesn’t get too watery. The creamy sauce is made in the blender in just 1 minute and could not be easier to make!
  • Simple, healthy ingredients – you likely have all the ingredients you need to make this healthy squash casserole in your pantry/fridge right now, especially if it’s squash season! The secret ingredient to this dairy free creamy sauce is white beans!
  • Great for parties, holidays or get-togethers – this vegan squash casserole can easily be served for dinner with just a side of rice or potatoes but is also great as a side dish for your next holiday meal (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc.). It would also be a great side dish to bring to potlucks, cookouts, or parties.
  • Great make ahead meal – this dairy free squash casserole can be made 1-2 days in advance (just wait to add the cracker toppings) and warmed up in the oven whenever you are ready to serve. This makes this vegan squash casserole recipe perfect for your holiday meals.
Ingredients to make this dish on a marble countertop.

Ingredients

  • Onion – white or yellow onions are best for this recipe, but you could also use red onions or shallots. The onions help to add a deep rich flavor and act as the base for the recipe.
  • Squash (Zucchini or yellow squash) – You can use all zucchini, all yellow squash or a mix of both, depending on what you have on hand. You will want about 10 cups of sliced squash (from 5-6 medium/large squash).
  • Crackers – use your favorite gluten free crackers to make a crunchy topping. Crushed up crackers are the traditional topping on Southern squash casserole. You could also use breadcrumbs, chopped nuts or even crushed up cereal.

Creamy, dairy free sauce:

  • White beans – white beans are the secret ingredient to this vegan squash casserole. They make the sauce thick, creamy and help make the dish super filling. You can use canned white beans or from dried beans (made in the instant pot or on the stove).
  • Vegetable broth – vegetable broth helps to deepen the flavor of the dish without a ton of ingredients. You could also use vegetable stock, chicken broth, chicken stock or bone broth.
  • Tahini (or almond butter) – tahini helps to make the sauce creamy but also keeps it nut free. You could also use almond butter, cashew butter or sunbutter in place of the tahini. You could also use raw cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds in place of the tahini.
  • Spices: Salt, garlic powder, dried thyme, red pepper flakes – these spices help to elevate the flavors of the dish. Garlic powder helps to give the dish umami and a rich flavor. The dried thyme pair so well with the squash, you could also use fresh thyme or italian seasoning in place of the dried thyme. Red pepper flakes are optional but help to give the dish just a little heat.

How to make vegan squash casserole

Start by preheating the oven to 425F.

Slice the squash into ¼ inch slices, trying to keep them a uniform thickness and chop the onion.

Chopped onion, sliced zucchini and sliced yellow squash on wooden cutting board.

Preheat the largest skillet you have over medium heat.

Spray the preheated skillet with olive oil or avocado oil spray and add the onions. Cook 3-4 minutes.

Before and after cooking yellow onion in cast iron skillet.

Add ½ of the squash to the skillet with the onions. Cook 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook off some of the water from the squash. After 7-10 minutes, transfer the onions and squash to a 9X13 casserole dish.

Before and after cooking zucchini rounds in a cast iron skillet.

Spray the skillet and add the rest of the squash, cook 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Before and after cooking yellow squash in cast iron skillet.

While the squash is cooking, rinse and drain the white beans and add them to the blender with the vegetable broth, tahini and spices. Blend on high for 30 seconds – 1 minute until smooth.

Before and after blending the sauce for the vegan squash casserole.

Once the squash in the skillet is done, transfer them to the casserole dish with the rest of the squash and pour the sauce over top. Stir well until all the squash is coated in the white bean sauce. The sauce will look very thin before baking, but it thickens in the oven.

Cooked squash in casserole dish with creamy sauce poured over the top.

Crush the crackers (I like to put them in a bag and crush them with the heel of my palm or a heavy jar). Sprinkle crushed crackers over top of the squash casserole.

Before and after baking the vegan squash casserole in casserole dish.

Bake in a 425F oven for 15 minutes.

Top tips

  • Use any of your favorite summer squash in this recipe for vegan squash casserole. You can use zucchini, yellow summer squash or patty pan squash or a combination of any of these.
  • Be sure to cut the squash to a similar thickness to ensure they cook evenly. You want to cut the squash to about ¼ inch thickness. I don’t recommend a mandoline for this because it will actually cut the squash too thin.
  • Sauté the squash for 7-10 minutes first before assembling the dish, to ensure the casserole doesn’t get watery when cooking. Summer squash and zucchini squash have a lot of water in the squash which if it’s not cooked out in advance, it will seep out in the casserole. Also the casserole will take longer to cook (40-50 minutes, covered) to get the squash soft in the oven.
  • The sauce will look thin when you are mixing up the dish. However, it will thicken as it cooks in the oven.
Fork holding cracker coated zucchini as part of healthy squash casserole dish.

What to serve with healthy squash casserole

Make it a meal: You can make this zucchini and yellow squash casserole into a full meal by serving it along side some jasmine rice, roasted potatoes, sweet potato wedges or quinoa.

Serve it as a side dish! This vegan summer squash casserole would be a great side dish to your holiday meals (especially as a vegan, gluten free, dairy free dish at Thanksgiving or your holiday meals). Serve this squash casserole alongside:

Common questions

Do you have to peel squash before cooking it?

No, the skin on yellow summer squash and zucchini is soft and edible, there is no need to peel it before cooking. However, it’s always important to wash your squash before cutting it into rounds.

Large portion removed from casserole dish.

Can you make this casserole without sauteing the squash first?

I do not recommend you skip sauteing the squash before making this casserole since the squash is full of water which will be released while the squash cooks. If you don’t saute the squash first, the sauce for the casserole will get watery. It will also take longer to cook the casserole since the squash will have to break down in the oven instead of on the stove.

What kind of squash can you use to make summer squash casserole?

  • Zucchini (corgettes)
  • Yellow summer squash
  • Patty pan squash

Can you prep this in advance?

Yes, you can prep this one to two days in advance and add the crackers right before baking in the oven.

You can also make the sauce 1-2 days in advance to help cut down on the steps the day of.

Freeze up to 4 months. Reheat directly from the oven or allow to defrost first. When reheating from the freezer, it will take 30-40 minutes to get hot again in a 350F oven. From defrosted it will be hot and ready to go in a 350F oven in 20 minutes.

What else can you use instead of crackers for topping?

  • Breadcrumbs (panko or regular breadcrumbs)
  • Almond flour breadcrumbs – combine almond flour with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of salt.
  • Crushed up cereal like Chex rice cereal
White plate with zucchini squash casserole, yellow squash in background.

What is the best way to crush crackers for topping?

I have found that crushing the crackers in the bag they come in with something hard like a mug or the heel of you palm to crush the crackers. It’s ok for the cracker crumbs to vary in size.

You can also use a small food processor if you don’t have a bag or crush them by hand a few at a time over a bowl.

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Store leftover summer squash casserole in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can make this up to 2 days in advance (wait to put the cracker topping on until right before serving). Bake in a 425 oven for 20 minutes, cold from the fridge.

Freezer: You can freeze zucchini squash casserole for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap and foil before freezing. Defrost in the fridge overnight or cook through in the oven at 350F for 45-50 minutes until completely warmed through.

White casserole dish filled with dairy free squash casserole.

Substitutions

  • Onion – you can use white onion, yellow onion or even red onions in this recipe. You could also use shallots in place of the onion. If you don’t have onions on hand, you can simply omit them from the recipe.
  • Summer squash – you can use yellow summer squash, zucchini (corgettes) or patty pan squash or a combination of these. You could also make this casserole with steamed broccoli or cauliflower florets in place of the squash.
  • Crackers – crushed up crackers are the crunchy topping that is classic on traditional squash casserole. Use your favorite gluten free cracker (you could even use homemade crackers). If you don’ have crackers, you could also use breadcrumbs, chopped nuts almond flour or even crushed up cereal.
  • White beans – the white beans help to create a thick, creamy sauce. You can use cannellini beans, great northern white beans or navy beans. You could even use chickpeas if needed. If you can’t tolerate beans or don’t have them on hand, you could also use 1 cup of cashews, sunflower seeds or hemp hearts, soaked in boiling hot water for at least 5 minutes before draining off the water.
  • Vegetable broth – the vegetable broth helps to add a depth of flavor to the dish. You can also use vegetable stock, chicken broth, chicken stock, or bone broth. You could also use water if needed.
  • Tahini – tahini is just like almond butter but made from ground up sesame seeds. Tahini has a nutty, earthy flavor and goes really well with sweet and savory dishes. You could also use almond butter, sunbutter, or cashew butter in place of the tahini. If you don’t have any of those on hand, you can also use ¼ cup soaked cashews (soak in boiling water for 5 minutes before draining the water) in place of the tahini.
  • Garlic powder – you can also use onion powder in place of the garlic powder. You could also use 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, sauteed with the onions in place of the garlic powder.
  • Dried thyme – you can use italian seasoning or herbs de provence in place of the dried thyme.
  • Red pepper flakes – replace with cayenne pepper or simply omit them from the recipe.

If you love this recipe, you should try:

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Brussel Sprouts Casserole

Vegan Rice Shawarma

Mexican Vegetables

Greek Vegetables

Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash

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White casserole dish filled with vegan squash casserole.

Vegan Squash Casserole

Healthy squash casserole is so easy to make and so flavorful. This dairy free squash casserole is made with tender squash, rich, creamy sauce and a crunchy cracker topping that is a great side dish for dinner or as a side to your holiday meals.
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy squash casserole, vegan squash casserole, vegan zucchini yellow squash casserole
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 3-4 medium zucchini
  • 3-4 medium yellow summer squash
  • 1/2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 cup gluten free crackers

Dairy Free Sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425F.
  • Chop the onion, slice the squash into 1/4 inch slices.
  • Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with olive oil or avocado oil spray. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes.
  • Add 1/2 of the sliced squash to the skillet with the onions along with 1/4 tsp salt. Stir occasionally, cooking 7-10 minutes.
  • After 7-10 minutes, spoon the vegetables out of the skillet into the 9X13 casserole dish.
  • Spray the skillet with olive oil or avocado oil and add the rest of the squash and 1/4 tsp salt to the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook 7-10 minutes.
  • While the squash is cooking, rinse and drain the white beans. Add the rinsed beans to a high speed blender with the rest of the dairy free sauce. Blend on high 30 seconds – 1 minute.
  • After the squash is done cooking, spoon the rest to the casserole dish. Pour the dairy free sauce over the cooked vegetables and stir well.
  • Crush the crackers and sprinkle them over top of the vegetables.
  • Bake in 425F oven for 15 minutes.

Notes

Top tips
  • Use any of your favorite summer squash in this recipe for vegan squash casserole. You can use zucchini, yellow summer squash or patty pan squash or a combination of any of these.
  • Be sure to cut the squash to a similar thickness to ensure they cook evenly. You want to cut the squash to about ¼ inch thickness. I don’t recommend a mandoline for this because it will actually cut the squash too thin.
  • Sauté the squash for 7-10 minutes first before assembling the dish, to ensure the casserole doesn’t get watery when cooking. Summer squash and zucchini squash have a lot of water in the squash which if it’s not cooked out in advance, it will seep out in the casserole. Also the casserole will take longer to cook (40-50 minutes, covered) to get the squash soft in the oven.
  • The sauce will look thin when you are mixing up the dish. However, it will thicken as it cooks in the oven.
What else can you use instead of crackers for topping?
  • Breadcrumbs (panko or regular breadcrumbs)
  • Almond flour breadcrumbs (1 cup almond flour + 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt)
  • Crushed up cereal like Chex rice cereal
Storing leftovers
  • Fridge: Store leftover summer squash casserole in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can make this up to 2 days in advance (wait to put the cracker topping on until right before serving). Bake in a 425 oven for 20 minutes, cold from the fridge.
  • Freezer: You can freeze zucchini squash casserole for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap and foil before freezing. Defrost in the fridge overnight or cook through in the oven at 350F for 45-50 minutes until completely warmed through.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
282
Fat
 
7
g
Carbohydrates
 
46
g
Fiber
 
7
g
Sugar
 
4
g
Protein
 
9
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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