Broccoli rice casserole is a great side dish that's especially popular for the holidays. Broccoli pieces, tender rice and a creamy cheesy sauce all come together in a delicious bake that's topped with crunchy cracker bits - it's the ultimate in comfort food!
This rendition of a Southern broccoli rice bake is made completely from scratch, without canned soups or processed cheese products. It's a gluten free side dish that's perfect any time of year and it will make a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving table.
If you're looking for more delicious holiday side dish recipes your whole family
will love, you should check out my cornbread stuffing with savory sausage, these easy gluten free scalloped potatoes, or my favorite Southern-style sweet potato casserole.
Ingredient Notes
This easy casserole recipe is made with simple ingredients and doesn't use any canned soup. Plus, it's both gluten free and dairy free as written, and can easily be made vegan by using vegan crackers.
- Cooked Rice - I use long grain white rice that has been cooked to barely done, al dente if you will. 😉 I find if you cook the rice too long, it becomes very mushy during baking. This broccoli rice casserole recipe is also a great way to use up leftover rice.
- Broccoli - I prefer fresh broccoli which has been chopped into small pieces. You could also use frozen broccoli here. If you do go the frozen broccoli route, your finished casserole will be a little looser from the extra moisture.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend - Any gluten free flour blend will work fine in this recipe, just avoid single flours like, almond flour, as they won't work to thicken the cheese sauce. If you don't have gluten free flour, you can substitute corn starch at half the measurement (so 3 tablespoons). If you're not gluten free, use all-purpose flour in the same measure.
- Nutritional Yeast - This ingredient is what helps to give the cheese sauce it's cheesy flavor. It is available in most grocery stores and can also be ordered from Amazon.
- Gluten Free Crackers - For a gluten free Ritz cracker, I like the Schar entertainment crackers which are both gluten free and dairy free. Fit Joy is another good brand, which makes a grain free cracker that's a little more savory. If you can eat dairy, Lance makes the best gluten free Ritz cracker, although they can sometimes be hard to find. Of course, if you're not gluten free use regular Ritz crackers or Townhouse crackers instead.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - use dairy butter, milk and cheese in place of the dairy free ingredients. The measurements will be the same.
- Not Gluten Free - Use all purpose flour in place of the gluten free flour and Ritz crackers (or your favorite brand) in place of the gluten free crackers. The measurement will be the same.
- No Gluten Free Flour - You can swap the flour with 3 Tablespoons of corn starch or tapioca starch.
- Use Frozen Broccoli - You can certainly swap the fresh broccoli for frozen broccoli florets. Your casserole will come out a little looser, which some people prefer.
How to Make Broccoli and Rice Casserole without Canned Soup
This is a very easy side dish to prepare. Because we aren't using canned soups for the sauce, there is a little extra work in cooking the cheese sauce, but it will be worth it!
STEP 1: Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until a paste forms. Then continue to whisk and cook for 2 minutes.
STEP 2: Pour 2 cups of milk into the roux while whisking. It will thicken up like gravy.
STEP 3: Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika and dry mustard to the sauce and whisk together. Remove the pan from heat.
STEP 4: Combine the cooked rice, broccoli, cheese sauce and remaining milk in a mixing bowl. Stir together.
Note: You can also mix it right in your casserole dish to save washing a bowl.
STEP 5: Spread the broccoli rice mixture into a 2-quart baking dish (or a 10-inch over safe skillet).
STEP 6: Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the casserole. Then stir the crushed crackers with the melted butter and sprinkle the cracker pieces over the top of the casserole. Now you're ready to bake.
Storage
Because of the crackers, this dish is best eaten the same day it's baked. The crackers will naturally lose their crunch during storage, but the casserole portion is still delicious reheated.
Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More holiday side dishes to try:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Equipment
- 2-quart Baking Dish or 10-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Cooked Rice
- 1 pound Broccoli about 4 cups chopped
- 4 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- 6 Tablespoons Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend or all purpose flour if not gf
- 2 ½ Cups Non Dairy Milk divided
- ¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 2 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon Dry Mustard
- ½ Cup Vegan Shredded Cheese
- 1 Cup Gluten Free Crackers About 25 crackers crumbled
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a 2-quart baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add rice and broccoli to a large mixing bowl.3 Cups Cooked Rice, 1 pound Broccoli
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.4 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- Add the gluten free flour, whisking well until a thick paste forms. Cook for 2 more minutes, while whisking.6 Tablespoons Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend
- Continue whisking while slowly adding 2 cups of milk. A gravy will form.2 ½ Cups Non Dairy Milk
- Add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, paprika and mustard powder. Whisk to combine. Remove from heat.¼ Cup Nutritional Yeast, 1 ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice, 2 teaspoons Onion Powder, 1 ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ¼ teaspoon Paprika, ⅛ teaspoon Dry Mustard
- Pour the cheese sauce over the rice and broccoli. Add the remaining ½ cup milk and mix well. Spread the rice mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with the shredded cheese.½ Cup Vegan Shredded Cheese
- Combine the cracker pieces with the melted butter. Then sprinkle the crackers over the casserole.1 Cup Gluten Free Crackers, 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
- Bake for 35 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.
Notes
- Not Dairy Free - use dairy butter, milk and cheese in place of the dairy free ingredients. The measurements will be the same.
- Not Gluten Free - Use all purpose flour in place of the gluten free flour and Ritz crackers (or your favorite brand) in place of the gluten free crackers. The measurement will be the same.
- No Gluten Free Flour - You can swap the flour with 3 Tablespoons of corn starch or tapioca starch.
- Use Frozen Broccoli - You can certainly swap the fresh broccoli for frozen broccoli florets. Your casserole will come out a little looser, which some people prefer.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Penny says
For this recipe (broccoli-rice-cheese casserole), which vegan cheese do you like to use? I'm still trying out DF cheeses, and having problems finding one that tastes acceptable and melts.
I usually use violife cheese. I don’t really like any of the vegan cheeses so I try to use them sparingly. None have the right cheese texture for me (too oily maybe). But I have found the key to melting is steam. So if you can cover a casserole with foil or have a burger in a pan with a lid just for a minute or two, the cheese will melt nicely.
Hope you enjoy the recipe ◡̈