Easy dairy free taco casserole is layered with rice, refried beans, lots of veggies, black beans, and vegan queso! Super healthy and delicious. Gluten free + vegan.
This dairy free taco casserole is a perfect dinner for busy weeknights! Almost like a layered vegan taco lasagna, it comes together super quickly, is hearty, healthy, and delicious! Packed with veggies, naturally gluten free, and ready in less than an hour. Yum!
Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, and more
Contains: Tomatoes, Nightshades, Corn
This easy taco casserole is perfect for making taco night a little easier, especially for meal prep! The delicious casserole is filled with all of your favorite fillings like rice, beans, and peppers, and there is plenty of cheese on top, dairy free of course! Adding your favorite toppings to customize it means everyone, even a picky eater, gets their favorite things.
In the mood for more Tex Mex recipes? Make sure you check out some of my favorites like Mango Pineapple Salsa, Vegan Enchiladas, Cilantro Aioli Sauce (egg free), or my Dairy Free Chipotle Crema Sauce!
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Why You’ll Love this Taco Casserole
- Super filling and hearty meal
- Totally customizable to your favorite flavors
- Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Soy free, Gluten free
- Plant based recipe with no added oils
Ingredients
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need to make this dairy free taco casserole. For the full ingredient list, complete with measurements, please see the recipe card below. For allergy substitutions and variations, keep reading!
- Rice: You can use brown rice, white rice, leftover rice, or Spanish style rice (which is what I used in these photos). It’s totally up to you! I’ve made this casserole with all kinds of rice combinations and no matter how I make it, it’s always delicious.
- Beans: Both black beans and refried beans are used in this recipe. If you aren’t a fan of black beans, you can swap out the protein for pinto beans, tofu crumbles, lentils, or meat based options like ground beef or shredded chicken.
- Tomatoes + Corn: Mixed together with the beans and some spices to make a delicious veggie fajita type of layer in the casserole. I use frozen corn and never thaw it before adding to this dish.
- Peppers: Red Bell Pepper and pickled jalapenos are my go-to peppers for this recipe.
- Spices: I love to mix up a homemade taco seasoning with spices like cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and chili powder.
- Vegan Cheese Topping (optional): I love to pour over top some dairy free queso. This recipe only takes about 7 minutes to make but is the perfect topping for this casserole. If you want something even easier, I suggest your favorite brand of dairy free cheese. My family loves the brands Dayia and Violife.
Allergy Substitutions
If you are allergic to nuts or tree nuts, make sure that the brand of dairy free cheese you use is nut free. I have two different dairy free and nut free cheese recipes here on the blog! One is made with potatoes and one is made from cannellini beans. Both are amazing!
Variations
- Make it with Meat: This was written with black beans, but you can totally make this with meat! Use lean ground beef, ground chicken, or shredded chicken in place of the beans. Just make sure that you fully cook the ground beef or ground chicken in a large skillet before adding it to the veggie mix.
- Use Dairy free Shredded Cheese in place of Queso: Don't enjoy queso? You can use your favorite dairy free cheddar cheese in place of the queso.
- Turn this into wraps! Use corn tortillas, flour tortillas, gluten free tortillas, or even lettuce wraps! Make the casserole as directed and then have everyone scoop their portion into their own wraps. Top with toppings and enjoy!
Instructions
For the full instructions, complete with recipe measurements, please see the recipe card below.
First up, we need to chat about the size of the casserole dish. I used a 9x11 baking dish, but you could easily fit this into a 9x13. I don’t recommend an 8x10. When first experimenting with this recipe, I tried to squeeze it into an 8x10 and it just overflowed! So, don’t make my mistake and go with the bigger baking dish.
Now, the making of this casserole is really in 3 parts: Making the rice, making the veggie mix, and assembling.
Tip! You can make the rice the day before, or use any leftover rice that you have on hand to make dinner assembly even quicker and easier.
First up, make the rice layer.
You can use brown rice, white rice, or homemade Spanish Rice (like this recipe I made in my rice cooker). The type of rice is totally up to you. Just make sure you have about 3 to 4 cups of cooked rice for this casserole recipe.
Place the rice in the bottom of the casserole dish. Press it gently into place with a spatula or the back of a measuring cup.
Next, add the refried beans layer. I find the beans slightly easier to spread out when they are warmed, so a quick pop in the microwave helps out. Using a spatula or spoon, gently spread the refried beans over top of the rice layer.
Now, in a large bowl, it’s time to mix together the beans and veggies. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained and rinsed black beans with the diced tomatoes (with the juice), frozen corn, and chopped bell peppers. Add in the spices and mix well.
Then, spoon this bean and veggie mix on top of the refried beans.
Finally, pour the dairy free queso cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven, top with desired toppings and serve!
Topping Ideas
- Fresh pico de gallo or mango pineapple salsa
- More dairy free queso!
- Dairy free sour cream, dairy free chipotle crema sauce
- More veggies! Avocado slices, black olives, red onions, green chiles, shredded lettuce
- Hot sauce (sriracha is my favorite here)
What to Serve with Taco Casserole
- Serve these with baked tortilla chips
- Roasted potatoes
- Mexican Street Corn
- Jicama Coleslaw
Top Tip
- Casserole Dish: The casserole dish you see in these photos is a large 9x11 inches but a 9x13 inch casserole dish would also work. Anything smaller would require less filling. You can remove a cup of rice to squeeze this into an 8x10 inch pan, but this recipe was really made for feeding a bunch of people.
How to Store
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
How to Make Ahead: You can make the rice a day in advance to cut down on prep time. This recipe can be made the day before and kept in the fridge until ready to serve the next day.
To reheat: Place either the entire casserole in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also warm a slice on a microwave safe plate, covered with a damp paper towel, and warmed in 30 second increments until warmed.
More Easy Weeknight Meals
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Recipe
Equipment
- Casserole dish
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
Ingredients
- 3 cups rice cooked
- 15 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz refried beans
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup corn can be frozen
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 1 cup dairy free queso or other vegan cheese
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
- Prepare the rice layer. If making fresh rice, make it according to package directions or according to the recipe.
- Mix the beans and veggie layer. In a large mixing bowl, combine drained and rinsed black beans with diced tomatoes (complete with juice), corn, diced bell peppers, and spices. Mix well and set aside.
- Assemble the casserole. First, place down a layer of cooked rice. Next, spread the refried beans over top of the rice. Then, spoon the bean and veggie mix on top. Finally, pour over top the dairy free queso cheese.
- Bake and enjoy! Bake the casserole uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the toppings you like, and enjoy!
Notes
- Variations
- Make it with Meat: This was written with black beans, but you can totally make this with meat! Use lean ground beef, ground chicken, or shredded chicken in place of the beans. Just make sure that you fully cook the ground beef or ground chicken in a large skillet before adding it to the veggie mix.
- Use Dairy free Shredded Cheese in place of Queso: Don't enjoy queso? You can use your favorite dairy free cheddar cheese in place of the queso.
- Turn this into wraps! Use corn tortillas, flour tortillas, gluten free tortillas, or even lettuce wraps!
- How to Store
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- How to Make Ahead: You can make the rice a day in advance to cut down on prep time. This recipe can be made the day before and kept in the fridge until ready to serve the next day.
- To reheat: Place either the entire casserole in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also warm a slice on a microwave safe plate, covered with a damp paper towel, and warmed in 30 second increments until warmed.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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