Vegan Cheesy Broccoli and Rice
This vegan “cheesy” broccoli and rice casserole is the ultimate plant-based comfort food! The cheese sauce is unbelievably creamy but it’s made with vegetables!
Being from the Midwest, broccoli and cheese go hand in hand. But drowning broccoli in melted cheese isn’t usually the healthiest option. When I found myself licking the spoon while stirring my vegan macaroni and cheese sauce, it occurred to me that this sauce shouldn’t be limited to just pasta! So I adapted my vegan macaroni and cheese recipe into another midwestern comfort food staple!
This vegan cheesy broccoli and rice is super easy and you can make it on the stovetop with just one pan. (Ok two pans if you want to cook the rice at the same time!)
The key to this recipe is the vegan cheese sauce, so here are my tips to make sure you end up with a velvety, smooth cheese sauce. If you love this vegan cheesy rice, be sure to try my vegan broccoli soup!
Tips for the Perfect Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Be sure to boil the vegetables until completely soft. The potatoes should practically fall apart when poked with a fork.
- Blend the cashews, oil, mustard, and garlic with the cooking water before adding the vegetables.
- If you don’t have a high powered blender, soak the cashews in water for a few hours. Drain the water before adding the cashews to the blender. This will help them blend into a smooth consistency.
- Once you add the vegetables, blend blend blend! You may need to blend for up to 3 minutes to get it completely smooth. This works best with a high powered blender but it should get creamy with a regular blender, eventually.
You can speed up this recipe by cooking the rice in a separate pot while preparing the rest of the vegetables. If you have a rice cooker, this is a great hands-off way to prepare this dish a bit faster.
You can make this recipe with white or brown rice. I prefer brown because it has more protein and fiber. This is comfort food you can feel good about!
Make sure you cut your broccoli into similar-sized pieces so that it cooks evenly. You’ll cook the broccoli until it’s bright green.
How to make this recipe in advance
The cheese sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to three days, so you can prepare the sauce ahead of time if you like. This recipe also reheats well. Just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes and stir every 30 seconds until it’s heated through. This makes a great lunch!
How to Store Leftovers
These leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the cheese sauce separately, if you want to make a double batch and save some for later! Store in a a glass container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, thaw it in the microwave and stir. It may separate slightly while thawing, but you can easily stir it together.
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Vegan Cheesy Broccoli and Rice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This vegan “cheesy” broccoli and rice casserole is the ultimate plant-based comfort food! The cheese sauce is unbelievably creamy but it’s made with vegetables!
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice, dry
- 2 broccoli crowns, chopped into 1” pieces
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1” cubes
- 2/3 cup chopped carrots
- 2 cups cooking water, reserved
- 2/3 cup cashews
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
Instructions
- In a wide, lidded saucepan, cook 2 cups of brown rice according to package directions. Fluff with a fork, remove from the pan and set aside.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the broccoli to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Empty the pot, then add the onion, potatoes, and carrots and cover with 2 inches of water.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the vegetables, 1 cup of cooking water, cashews, salt, garlic, dijon, black pepper, and nutritional yeast, to a blender.
- Be sure to allow steam to escape from the top of the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Add the broccoli and rice back into the skillet. Cover with cheese sauce and stir until combined.
If you want more broccoli recipes, try these Broccoli Cheddar Egg Bites.
Looking for other ways to use this cheese sauce? With a few tweaks, you can turn it into a delicious vegan queso!
Or try this creamy vegan macaroni and cheese!
My kids 2 and 6 loved it. I added lemon and a little honey during the blending process. Thank you for this recipe!
Is there any other way to make the cheese sauce and not use cashews (or any tree nuts for that matter?) Our son is allergic to tree nuts, dairy and sesame. Thanks!
I use butter beans.
Just wondering- I have my own way of making vegan cheese sauce, and it has never let me down. About how many cups would you say you used of your cheesy sauce? I would love to adapt this recipe and use my own sauce, but I want to make sure the ratio of sauce to rice and broccoli is correct.
Thanks! 🙂
Kaylee
My first time trying a recipe of yours! This makes SO much food, but excited to have leftovers. I ended up adding extra mustard, red pepper flakes, more salt and pepper and some lemon juice to make the cheese sauce a bit more flavorful but the potato/carrot/onion + cashews made for a very creamy sauce. Still ended up with too much sauce for the rice & broccoli, but excited I can make Mac and cheese with it or drizzle on top of a baked potato. I ended up topping it with some vegan shredded cheddar and toasted panko breadcrumbs. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
So good! Made the cheese sauce and rice ahead of time so that when we wanted to eat I just heated everything up, steamed the broccoli, and tossed. I have enough cheese sauce left over that I can use for Mac & cheese later in the week too! This is going in the weeknight rotation for sure.
This was a lot of work! The sauce was bland and while it tasted good, it did not taste like cheese. I used 2 large russet potatoes (big enough to have been 2 large baked potatoes) and I think they were too big so the ratio was off. I was confused by “cover with 2 inches of water.” I had to use more water to cover the ingredients in my pot. Also, I used basmati rice, which I think fell apart too much while stirring in the cheese sauce. :-/
Hi Ruth! I think you’re right- the extra large potato size probably threw off the texture 🙁 I’ve never tried it with basmati rice, but brown rice definitely holds up better!
Will there be an impact if I do not use the oil when making the sauce – we’re WFPB no-oil people.
Debbie, I used zero oil to make the dish and it turned out great. I don’t actually think oil is part of the recipe.
I’m always looking for new ways to add veggies into our daily diets! This is going to go over so well with the family!
I’m thinking about making this as a Christmas side dish and was wondering if it can be made in an instant pot? Looks delish!!
Really delicious! Makes a great weeknight dinner!
It was too bland for my taste.