Vegan Tater Tot Casserole will quickly become a family favorite! Topped with vegan cheese and crispy golden brown tots, it’s an incredibly delicious one-pan holiday side dish or easy weeknight dinner.

metal spoon scooping some baked tater tot casserole out of a white casserole dish.

If you love casseroles as much as I do, make sure to check out my Vegan Enchilada Casserole and Biscuit Topped Pot Pie!

I didn’t think it could be done, but this Vegan Tater Tot Casserole is really giving my Lentil Shepherd’s Pie a run for its money! Crispy tater tots on top of a creamy, savory mix of Impossible Ground Meat, veggies, and vegan cheese make this casserole the ultimate clean-out-your-fridge dinner or the best holiday side dish.

It’s hard to compete with crispy potato wedges or french fries, but there’s something extra special about a tater tot. Pillowy soft potato on the inside and the signature crispy crust on the outside are what dreams are made of. Plus, you can just buy them from a store… so easy!

This vegetarian tater tot casserole is filled with:

  • Vegan ground meat (use your favorite!)
  • Mushrooms
  • Frozen green beans and corn
  • And a creamy homemade gravy (no soup mix needed)

Baked together with a finishing layer of vegan cheese and golden brown tots, every scoop is a delight next to Vegan Ham Roast or Vegan Turkey Roast on special occasions.

rows of baked tater tots in a white casserole dish.

What is a tater tot casserole?

Tater tot casseroles with no meat are made with simple ingredients like frozen veggies, vegan ground meat, and a soupy, savory gravy sauce. To finish, they’re topped with vegan shredded cheese and tater tots before being baked to perfection. These casseroles are almost always budget-friendly, made in one pan, and so easy to make ahead of time.

Plus, kids love this meal!

metal spoon scooping some baked tater tot casserole out of a white casserole dish.

How to make a vegan tater tot casserole

If you’re using vegan ground beef (such as Impossible or Beyond), you’ll need to sauté it in a pan first. When it’s brown and cooked through, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they soften. Stir in the seasonings.

Add the flour to the mix and stir. Next, pour in the coconut milk and Worcestershire sauce, then the green beans and corn. When the mixture is ready, transfer it to a casserole dish.

Sprinkle a layer of shredded vegan cheese over the filling, then arrange the tater tots on top. Bake until the tots are golden brown and crispy. Serve and enjoy!

Do you have to use Impossible Ground Beef?

Nope! You can use any vegan-friendly ground “beef” that you already have at home or love to use (brown lentils would work too!). My favorites besides Impossible are Beyond Meat, Gardein, or even TVP (you’d need to soak them first and probably add more seasonings).

close up on a metal spoon holding a scoop of a baked tater tot casserole.

Tips and substitutions

  • Vegetables – Both frozen and fresh vegetables will work for this recipe. You can even add more if you like!
  • Tater tots – Use any brand you love. Sweet potato tots will even give this casserole some added flare for Thanksgiving.
  • Coconut milk – Any unsweetened, unflavored vegan creamer will work in place of the coconut milk. Even plant milk would work, but the casserole would be less rich and creamy.
  • Cheese – Non-dairy cheddar type cheese pairs best with the flavors (my favorite is Follow Your Heart cheddar shreds).

Can it be made ahead of time?

Prepare the casserole filling and add it to the baking dish. Cover the dish with a lid and store in the fridge for a day or two or freeze it for later. When it’s time to eat, add the cheese and tater tots on top and bake.

Serving suggestions

A one-pan tater tot casserole with veggies works well as a weeknight dinner or holiday side dish. Pair a scoop with some salad, mac and cheese, or asparagus for dinner or next to more holiday sides, like stuffing, sweet potato casserole, or brussels sprouts.

Is your heart set on serving a tater tot casserole for breakfast? The leftover tots would be delicious on top of this filling breakfast casserole!

scoop of baked tater tots, corn, and green beans on a white plate next to a fork.

More savory vegan casserole recipes

metal spoon scooping some baked tater tot casserole out of a white casserole dish.
5 stars (21 ratings)

Vegan Tater Tot Casserole

Vegan Tater Tot Casserole will quickly become a family favorite! Topped with vegan cheese and crispy golden brown tots, it’s an incredibly delicious one-pan holiday side dish or easy weeknight dinner.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 
 

  • 12 ounce package Impossible ground beef*
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced or chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • salt + black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour or gluten free flour
  • 13.5 ounce can light coconut milk*
  • 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn or canned
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen green beans or fresh/canned
  • 2 cups vegan cheddar cheese shreds*
  • 32 ounce bag tater tots

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
  • Cook the Impossible meat in a pan until cooked through over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon as it browns.
  • Now add the sliced mushrooms and sauté, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until they soften.
  • Add the cumin, oregano, plus salt and pepper to taste and stir.
  • Sprinkle in the flour and stir, then slowly stir in the coconut milk and add the Worcestershire sauce, corn and green beans. Stir well and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer mixture to the prepared dish, then layer on vegan cheese. Arrange the tater tots on top.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, until the tots are golden. Serve immediately and enjoy!
  • Leftover tater tot casserole will keep in a covered container, refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warm. It can also be frozen before baking. No need to thaw first, simply place it in the oven and cook until warm.

Notes

  1. I used Impossible brand (my personal favorite!), but you can use any brand of vegan “beef” you like such as Beyond or Gardein, or even TVP (though it would need to be soaked first and probably seasoned more).
  2. I used Follow Your Heart cheddar shreds. Use your favorite non-dairy cheddar type cheese. My stretchy mozzarella cheese would also work.
  3. May substitute unsweetened, unflavored vegan creamer for the coconut milk if needed. Even another plant milk would work, but it would be less rich and creamy.
  4. Substitute sweet potato tots for a fun variation, especially on Thanksgiving as a side dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 8 servings | Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 650mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

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Comments

  1. My grandma used to make this when I was little, so I was so excited for a vegan version! Thank you for this great recipe – I just made it for the second time and I love it! 

  2. Nora, just finished making this delicious meal for the second time with some substitutions: we used frozen peas and cooked one small onion when we did the mushrooms. Then we topped with a bag of frozen hash browns, cooked for 25 minutes and broiled for 5 minutes to brown them. My husband especially liked it with mustard on it.

  3. I gave 5 stars but I haven’t made this (so it wouldn’t be fair to rate lower). My question is about “tater tots”. I have always found them to be grease bombs. I LOVE grease (fried stuff? YUM!) but tater tots, omg, it’s like eating a sponge soaked in oil to me. The “mouthfeel” is OPEC. Does anyone know a tater tot brand that isn’t like that? Ore-Ida? Nope, been there, done that. Yuck.

  4. Hi Nora,
    This is hands down one of the best recipes (besides your desserts) I’ve made. So easy to put together with an amazing result. Thank you for sharing your recipes, I’d be completely lost trying to make my own Vegan recipes. Your amazing and so is The Tater Tot Casserole.

  5. This was absolutely delicious, easy to make, and got raves from the omnivores as well. This will become a comfort food staple in my home! 

    1. Thanks for the great review and comments! I’m so glad you guys love the casserole! It is comfort food around our home for sure! Happy cooking!

  6. Hi there, I couldn’t find the vegan worcestershire sauce, can I substitute soy sauce instead will it make a large impact on the recipe? love your recipes and I am excited to try this tonight!

  7. This recipe is absolutely delicious!! My husband told me to save it and it will be our go to tater tot casserole 🙂 I was unsure about the coconut milk at first but I didn’t taste coconut at all and it made the dish super creamy. Thanks for sharing!!

    1. Hi Kayla. Great to hear you and your husband loved the casserole, and it will be your go to recipe! Thank you! I appreciate you taking your time to share your terrific comments!

  8. Another amazing recipe! My husband just requested this recipe goes into our family favorites…which means it’s good! Thank you for another great dinner staple, Nora!

    1. I’m thrilled you guys loved the casserole, and that it is going onto your family favorites list! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! Happy cooking!

  9. This recipe was a huge success in our house! I did change it up a little bit. I added two bell peppers (they had to be used or frozen ?), a whole onion, a healthy glug of wine (I was having a glass and sharing is caring right?), a few garlic cloves (read 10) and a small can of tomato paste. Truly, this was amazing. Nora is my go-to now for recipes!

  10. This looks delicious and brings me bake to childhood.  Tator tot casserole was staple at my house growing up and I have missed it since going vegan.  Do you think I could use cashew cream for the cream sauce, I’m worried the coconut milk will give it a coconutty flavor and I couldn’t find unsweetened/unflavored coffee creamer.

    1. Yes, you can use an unsweetened/unflavored vegan creamer, or cashews cream, though you might want to water it down some, as it’s so thick compared to coconut milk. You can also just use cashew milk if you want. Hope that helps and you enjoy it!

  11. I made this tonight and subbed out coconut milk for coconut cream and used Trader Joe’s Everything But the Leftovers seasoning. I also skipped the cheese because I didn’t have any and this turned out amazing! I will add it to the regular rotation!

    1. I liked having a green salad with it, or some roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc. Just depends on what you feel like. 🙂

    1. Hi Kayla! I’m so glad the casserole was a hit! That’s awesome! Thanks for taking time to share your great review!

  12. I used this recipe as a guide – and halved it as I needed to make something for dinner and didn’t feel like running to the grocery store. I sautéed three veggie burgers in earth balance (soy free) and broke them up. Seasoned with a little veggie broth – smoked paprika – Italian seasoning – salt and pepper.  Used simply almond unsweetened almond milk and a bag of frozen mixed veggies – and leftover tots. This made a small casserole and was excellent – and easy. Thank you:-) I also made the pumpkin cake bars and am about to frost them:-P 

    1. Hi Cheryl! How fun this is going on your meal rotation! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review ad comments! Glad you love the casserole!

  13. Hmmm, I sort of want to take this and tweak it a bit. Lentils instead of impossible meat and oat milk instead of coconut milk. I will come back and comment if it works out!

  14. I made this this evening as written only I sautéed onion with my incredible meat.  It was amazing!  Thank you!!

    1. You are so welcome! I’m glad that you loved the casserole! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review and comments!

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