“Chicken” Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole is ultra cheesy, creamy and comforting. Ready in about 30 minutes and made in 1 pan!
Casseroles are the perfect weeknight meal and this cheesy broccoli rice casserole with vegan “chicken” is my absolute favorite. It’s kid-approved, flavorful, creamy and full of broccoli! No one would guess it’s vegan.
I love the combination of broccoli and cheese, as you can see from this Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup or Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Twice Baked Potatoes.
This meal is so easy and quick to make. It only takes about 30 minutes to prepare, and is made with simple ingredients. I have used my Vegan Chicken, but you can substitute chickpeas or use store-bought vegan chikn (Tofurky brand is good).
Want more Vegan Casseroles?
- Vegan Enchilada Casserole
- Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Baked Ziti
- Vegan Lasagna
- Biscuit Topped Chickpea Pot Pie
Chicken Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole
"Chicken" Broccoli Rice Vegan Casserole is ultra cheesy, creamy and comforting. Ready in about 30 minutes and made in 1 pan!
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced small
- 8 ounces vegan chicken, chopped small homemade OR tofurky, see Notes for more options
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups white rice, long grain preferred
- 3-4 cups vegetable broth
- 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups non-dairy cheddar style vegan cheese, optional
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pot (I used my 12-inch cast iron skillet), sauté the onion and chopped vegan chicken pieces in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Now add the rice, 3 cups of vegetable broth and coconut milk. Stir, and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- Add the broccoli florets once the rice is tender, and an additional 1/2-1 cup more of vegetable broth if the mixture is getting dry. Stir in the vegan cheese as well at this time, if using. Stir, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes until the broccoli softens a bit.
- Season with salt, to taste. Enjoy immediately, or sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs and place under the broiler for a few minutes.
Notes
- You can use my homemade seitan Vegan Chicken (you will only need about 1/2 the recipe), or a package of Tofurky brand chikn, OR sub with a can of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed.
- To sub brown rice for white: It will take a lot longer to cook the rice, about 40 minutes. Add more vegetable broth or water as needed, you will probably need 4-5 cups of broth.
- I used daiya cheddar for this, but you can leave it out or use my shreddable vegan mozzzarella instead.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 671mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 628IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
This is such a great recipe. Both my young children like it and it comes together quickly. I use Nora’s chick’n seitan recipe and oat milk instead of coconut. Thanks!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I used the Whole Foods 365 btmrand of shredded vegan Cheddar, my own homemade chick’n seitan, doubled the garlic, and added lots of black pepper and 3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning. It was so creamy and tasty, and makes a great comfort food meal. I will definitely be adding this to my rotation. Thanks, Nora! Every single one of recipes I’ve used from your site has been wonderful, I appreciate you. ❤️
Thank you for your wonderful words of encouragement, Michelle! It is such a reward to know you are loving my recipes! I appreciate you using my recipes, and taking time to share!
Absolutely delicious, have made it many times and family loves it.
Thank you,
Sylvia Ice
You are welcome, Sylvia! Thank YOU for your wonderful review!
Seriously the best chicken rice casserole ever. Our toddler loved it. Definitely going to make this again and again
I’m thrilled the casserole is a hit with your toddler! Thanks for your wonderful review! Happy cooking!
This recipe sounds delicious, Nora. Can I make it a couple of days ahead and keep it refrigerated, and can the leftovers be frozen in single serving sizes? Although I’m not vegan, I’ve made several of your recipes for my vegan guest and she enjoyed everyone of them, without exception. Thank you.
I’m happy to hear your vegan guest has enjoyed the recipes you’ve made, and how kind of you to prepare delicious food for her. Yes, you can make it a few days ahead of time, perhaps 2 or 3 days ahead. And the leftovers can be frozen into single serving sizes.
Excellent recipe! I cut it in half for the 2 of us and used 3 pieces of Beyond Chicken tenders that I cut into smallish pieces, and VioLife Cheddar. I cooked the whole thing in my 2 quart covered Lodge Cast Iron casserole dish. It was the perfect size. It made 2 generous helpings, and because of that, I’m going to reduce the rice to 1/2 cup and up the broccoli a bit (to save calories). Do you think lite coconut milk would work? (In an effort to cut a few more calories.) Thanks much for this recipe!!
Hi Suzy. I’m thrilled you liked the casserole! Yes, I think lite coconut milk should be fine. The consistency might thin a bit and won’t be as rich but it will still be tasty. Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback!
Could I use this if I just want a Broccoli & Rice Casserole? How much Broccoli should I add to
replace the chicken? Will I need to increase the amount of broth?
You can simply leave out the vegan chicken. No need to make other adjustments. If you want to add a little more broccoli you could, but it’s not necessary.
Nora you are amazing!
Your vegan recipes have been down to earth tried and tested and they NEVER fail.
Love from Australia. You are appreciated for your simplicity, experience (obvious) 😁… and the way you just make everything seem easy and feel good in your recipes.
This recipe is loved by my 80+ parents as well as kids randomly at our table.
I always return to your recipes ❤️
Hi Petra. Your comments are so inspiring! Easy and delicious food is my goal! Thank you for sharing your comments! I am thrilled you are loving my recipes – thank you for using them! Happy cooking in Australia!
Delicious as always! Do you think it would work to use a homemade vegan cheese sauce, like your vegan nacho cheese or something similar instead of the bag of vegan cheese? I try to minimize the processed cheeses with my toddler. thank you!!
Yes, I think a homemade cheese sauce should work well, although it hasn’t been tested. Use a little less cheese sauce (1/2 to 3/4 cup) to prevent too much liquid from being in the casserole.
Yum!!! What I like about this casserole is that it’s ONE pot, quick, easy and totally delish. I put the cheese in it and bread crumbs on top. It was even BETTER the next day.
Thanks Nora!
Is there a way to make this ahead?
You could make it ahead of time, perhaps 2 days before, then keep in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, warm it up in the oven (or microwave I guess).
I haven’t made this yet but am thinking of including it in my holiday menu. The holiday will include my parents too though, and my stepdad doesn’t like his meals to be sweet. This was his reason for not liking curry, which is coconut milk based, but I don’t want to use plant milk if it will make it too soupy, so I had the thought of using silken tofu? I won’t add the meat substitutes either, unless I use chickpeas, because this will be a side dish. Just wondering what your thoughts or suggestions would be on this idea?
The coconut milk makes this dish rich and creamy, not sweet. Still, you can definitely try it with blended silken tofu or unsweetened non-dairy milk. It might not be as creamy, but it shouldn’t be soupy.
Made this with Soy Curls as the “Chicken” and it came out SO GOOD. Thank you!
You are welcome, David! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
David did you just cook them like normal then add to the mix?
This is so delicious! Creamy, hearty and SO flavourful. I used black beans and it tasted amazing as well. I also added nutritional yeast for added flavour and nutrition.
Hi Serra. Your casserole sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your baking experience for this recipe, and your fabulous review!
The recipe itself was tasty, but I don’t know how big your cast iron is, because mine was nowhere big enough. I ended up having to transfer to a pot and made a huge mess.
Hi Kris. I noted in the recipe instructions that I made the casserole in a 12-inch cast iron skillet, and that a large pot could be used instead. Still, I’m glad you liked the flavor!
I had this same problem! I took out my 12in cast iron pan and it wasn’t big enough either. Ended up transferring to my dutch oven. Still a good recipe
I’m glad it all worked out and you loved the casserole! Thank you for sharing, Chloe!
Delicious, and my dairy/egg free toddler loved it! We subbed real chicken (rotisserie), and it worked perfectly. Is this a recipe that would be safe to freeze in small portions and reheat?
Yes, it freezes well. Glad you enjoyed it!
How soupy should this be?
It should not be soupy but it shouldn’t be dry either. Sometimes I have to add more broth if my heat was a bit too high. If it’s really soupy, try turning the heat up a bit.
This was so good! I had some cooked brown rice on hand so I used that instead of cooking new rice. I also used broth soaked soy curls for the chicken and added some chicken seasoning into the soy curls. Even my picky kids enjoyed it. Thank you!
You are welcome, Hannah! How fantastic that you guys enjoyed the casserole! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review!
Thanks for posting your results Hannah! I really wanted to know about using soy curls and brown rice. Thanks for Sharing. Thanks to you Nora for posting this recipe!
This is one of the first vegan recipes my husband and I ever tried!
Now we use this recipe often. I also now use your chicken and your cheddar cheese. Soooo good! Both my girls, 2.5 & 4.5, love it!
Very good. Used soy curls reconstituted with “no-chicken” broth.
So glad you liked it Lauren! Thank you for sharing your terrific feedback!
We aren’t vegan so we subbed chicken, but we have a lot of allergies and can’t use dairy, egg or nuts. This was great for my allergy kids. I was able to make this with ingredients we had at home which was great.
Hi Amy. I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed the casserole! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback!