Vegan Potato Bake

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This creamy vegan potato bake is the dairy-free casserole you have been looking for all your life! Made with thinly sliced potatoes and diced veggies in a rich and creamy vegan sour cream-based sauce. It's quick and easy to make, plus you can make it a day ahead of time and just pop it in the oven before dinner.

A top view of a vegan potato casserole with chives and bacon bits sprinkled on top.

❤️ Why make this recipe

This vegan potato casserole is like eating loaded baked potatoes in casserole form. It's great for holidays and dinner parties since it can be made ahead of time, plus it's easily made gluten-free so that everyone can enjoy it.

Vegan casseroles make great side dishes and can be prepared a day in advance like vegan squash casserole, cauliflower cheese casserole, vegan corn casserole, or green bean casserole.

🧾 Ingredients and substitutions

Potatoes - Yukon gold potatoes or any other good baking potato will work well.
Olive Oil - or any other neutral flavored oil.
Onion - any type of onion that you like will work well.
Vegetables of choice - you can add any shredded or chopped veggies that you want. I like to use shredded carrots or zucchini, you could also use chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and/or mushrooms.
Garlic - fresh is best, but you can use garlic powder instead.
Vegan Butter - or you can use more oil. (This is mixed with flour to make a roux and thicken the cream sauce.) I like to use my homemade vegan butter.
Flour - to thicken the sauce. To make it gluten-free, you can also use a grain-based gluten-free flour mix.
Plant-Based Milk - I like soy or oat milk for this recipe, but you can use any plain flavored milk that you want. If you use almond milk, choose unsweetened.
Vegan Sour Cream - You can use store-bought sour cream or easily make your own homemade vegan sour cream using my recipe.
Vegan Cheese - you can use any type of vegan cheese that you want that will melt well. I like to use my vegan mozzarella or vegan cheddar cheese recipe. (You can also omit the cheese if you want.)
Salt and Pepper - for flavor. You can also use some red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne for a little spice.
Vegan Bacon Bits - surprisingly most store-bought bacon bits are made from TVP and are vegan. You can easily make homemade vegan bacon bits too. See my guide to vegan bacon bits brands.
Chives - or green onions for garnish. This is optional, but it makes the casserole look prettier and it adds a lot of flavor.

🔪 Helpful tools

Mandoline - to slice the potatoes into uniformly thin slices quickly. It's a great little tool to have in the kitchen, but you can also just slice them with a knife if you don't have one.
Large Wok - or pan to saute and mix the vegetables before adding them to the casserole dish.
Whisk - to stir the roux is helpful.

A vegan baked potato casserole with chives and bacon bits on top.

🥄 How to make vegan potato bake

Preheat the oven to 350° F (176° C). (If you plan on baking it immediately.) Peel 4 large potatoes (or 6 medium potatoes) and set them aside.
Dice the onion into small pieces and saute it in 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok. After 3 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 cloves of minced garlic and continue to cook over low heat for an additional 2 minutes.
While the onions are cooking, chop desired veggies into small pieces. (Or use a grater for carrots, summer squash, or zucchini.)
Stir in shredded carrots (or veggies of choice) and cook for 1 more minute and turn off the heat.
Use a mandolin to slice the potatoes into 3mm thick slices. (I do this overtop of the Wok.) You slice the potatoes by hand on a cutting board with a sharp knife if you don't have a mandolin slicer.

Make the vegan cream sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegan butter or oil in the wok and sprinkle in 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour and stir well with a whisk to make a roux.
Slowly add 1 cup of plain plant-based milk to the roux a few tablespoons at a time stirring well between each to get out all of the lumps. (This will become very thick at first, just keep stirring and adding small amounts of more milk and it will thin out.)
Add 1 1/2 cups of vegan sour cream to the thickened milk along with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

A collage of 4 images showing sauting onions and carrots, adding sliced poatoes, makeing a vegan cream sauce and pouring it over the top of the vegetables.

Pour 2/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes and veggies and mix well.
Transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish.
Pour the remaining 1/3 of the cream sauce over the top of the casserole.
Bake at 350° F (176° C) for 45 minutes then take it out of the oven and top it with 1 1/2 cups vegan cheese and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. (Place a cookie sheet overtop of the casserole for about 10 minutes after adding the cheese to trap some steam and help to melt the cheese.

A collage of 4 images showing mixing sliced potatoes withe sour cream sauce, adding it to a baking dish, adding more sauce to the top and then adding vegan cheese.

Garnish the finished vegan potato casserole with chives or green onions and vegan bacon bits.

👩🏻‍🍳 Pro Tips

Allow the onions to cook until they become translucent. Cooking them slowly will make them sweeter.
Slice the potatoes very thin. This helps them to cook faster. The more evenly you slice the potatoes, the more evenly they will cook in the casserole.
Use my homemade sour cream and omit the cheese for a lower-fat option.
You can add or take away any veggies that you want in this casserole. I find that between 1 and 2 cups of veggies is a good amount.

A vegan potato casserole baked with cheese, bacon bits and chives on top.

❓ Frequently asked questions?

How can I make this potato casserole gluten-free?

All of the ingredients in this potato bake are gluten-free except for the flour used to thicken the roux. You can swap this out with any grain-based gluten-free mix. You can also skip the step of thickening the sauce, you will just have a thinner casserole. Be sure that the bacon bits and vegan cheese that you choose are also gluten-free.

How do I prep potato casserole a day ahead?

This baked potato casserole is perfect for prepping a day or two before a holiday or dinner party. Simply follow all of the steps up until the point of baking. Then cover it with a layer of plastic wrap so that it touches the top of the casserole and squeeze out all of the air pockets and place the casserole in the fridge. You want to cover the casserole so that it is airtight. This way the potatoes don't oxidize and turn brown. About an hour and 15 minutes before you want to eat, take the casserole out of the fridge and put it in the oven. (It will need to be baked for an extra 10-15 minutes since it will be cold from the fridge.)

🥡 Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: This vegan potato casserole will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freeze: You can freeze leftover potato casserole in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: To reheat the casserole, sprinkle it with 1-2 tablespoons of water and reheat in the microwave for about 3 minutes or reheat it by covering the casserole dish and baking it in the oven at 325° F for about 15 minutes until warm.

A serving of vegan potato bake served on a white plate with a fork on the side.

If you love creamy potato recipes, you'll love my recipes for vegan deviled potatoes and vegan twice-baked potatoes too!

🌟 What to serve with vegan potato casserole

📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!