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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with Kale Casserole

    Published: Dec 8, 2021 · Modified: Jun 15, 2022 by Dianne · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with Kale Casserole with text overlay

    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with Kale is an updated family holiday classic. It's the perfect side dish for Christmas dinner. No one will miss the dairy! This easy recipe is dairy free with a gluten-free option.

    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with Kale Casserole with text overlay

    Creamed Pearl Onions

    Years ago I came across a recipe for Creamed Pearl Onions and Fennel on Epicurious, and I was suddenly reminded of the pearl onions that my mom would make for holidays. There were two dishes that she always made: “My Cornbread Stuffing”, which was a box of Stovetop Stuffing mix with added sausage, and “My Pearl Onions”, which was frozen pearl onions with a powered cream sauce mix. I’m not sure why she added the “my” to the name, because it wasn’t like it was there was recipe she was passing down through the generations. The dishes came from boxes and packages just like everything else most of us ate in the 70s.

    casserole with onions, garlic, cashews, and lemon

    I hated onions when I was young, so I was always kind of grossed out by the idea of creamed pearl onions. I never tried them, and I'm not 100 percent sure how she was making them. It's possible she was buying a package of frozen pearl onions already in cream sauce and heating them on the stove. Or maybe she was combining frozen pearl onions and one of those packages of powdered just-add-milk sauce. Either way, it wasn't for me.

    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with potatoes, green beans, and garlic

    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions

    The recipe on Epicurious piqued my interested though, and it seemed like a great dish to veganize for the holidays. Rather than use fennel, I added kale to the dish, which I find much tastier.

    Creamed pearl onions are usually served simply as a dish of cooked pearled onions with a cream sauce rather than as a casserole, but I enjoy it this way.  It's sort of a take on My Green Bean Casserole, but with pearl onions and kale in the place of green beans and mushrooms.

    kale, onions, almond milk, garlic, lemons, panko breadcrumbs, spices, nutritional yeast, cashews

    How to make Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions

    This recipe is easy to make!

    • First you mix together the cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, and salt in a high-speed blender until it's smooth and creamy. I like to use my Blendtec‘s Twister Jar.
    • Next you heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they've browned to your liking.
    • Now you add the garlic and kale to the pan and stir until the kale is wilted. You may need to add the kale in two bunches, if your pan is on the small side.
    • Then you mix together the panko breadcrumbs with the remaining nutritional yeast, dry mustard powder, pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes.
    • Now you remove the onions and kale from the heat and mix in the cashew cream.
    • Next you pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top it with the breadcrumb mixture.
    • Finally you bake the dish in a 350° oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the casserole is bubbly.
    Making Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions

    Recipe notes

    If you're prepping your dish in advance, keep the vegetables, cashew cream, and breadcrumbs separate and then assemble everything when you're ready to cook.

    I prefer to cook my onions for about 15 minutes before I add the kale to the pan. I prefer them when they've browned nicely and they've lost their bite. You can cook them for a shorter period of time, if you don't like they as well-done as I do.

    You can use peeled, fresh onions instead of frozen ones, if you prefer.

    If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure your panko breadcrumbs are gluten-free.

    spooning out Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions

    Serving Your Dish

    Serve your dish while it's hot. It reheats well, but the cashew cream may thicken a little.

    It's a great side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but you can serve it with any hearty meal.

    casserole with potatoes, green beans, lemons, and garlic
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    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with potatoes, green beans, and garlic square

    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions and Kale

    Dianne
    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with Kale is an updated family holiday classic. It's the perfect side dish for Christmas dinner. No one will miss the dairy! 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 8 servings
    Calories 151 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup raw cashews soaked for 2 hours, drained and rinsed
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast divided
    • 1 ½ cups plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt divided
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 12-ounce bags frozen pearl onions thawed
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 bunch green curly kale destemmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 6 cups
    • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
    • ½ teaspoon mustard powder
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a casserole dish.
    • Mix together the cashews, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, and ½ teaspoon salt in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
    • Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 10-15 minutes, until they've browned, stirring often.
    • Add the garlic and kale to the pan and stir until the kale is wilted. Add a little water if the pan is too dry. You may need to add the kale in two bunches, if your pan is on the small side.
    • While the onions are cooking, mix together the panko breadcrumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, dry mustard powder, the remaining salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
    • Remove the vegetables from the heat and mix in the cashew cream.
    • Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and top with the breadcrumb mixture.
    • Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the casserole is bubbly.
    Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1643IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!
    Vegan Creamed Pearl Onions with potatoes, green beans, and garlic

    Serve this dish alongside:

    • Holiday Kale Salad
    • Festive Garlicky Roasted Vegetables 
    • Scalloped Potatoes
    • Mushroom Wellington

     

    mushroom wellington with roasted brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes, gravy, and garlic
    « Vegan Mushroom Wellington
    Vegan Garlic and Herb Cheese Spread »

    About Dianne

    Dianne Wenz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Plant-Based Diet Nutrition Specialist, and Plant-Based Chef, as well as the author of Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Caitlin

      December 16, 2015 at 8:14 am

      What a fun and original recipe! I've never seen anything like it.

    2. Dianne

      December 16, 2015 at 8:54 am

      Thank you, Caitlin!

    3. Becky

      December 18, 2015 at 12:35 pm

      I am so intrigued by this recipe! I love pearl onions.

    4. Dianne

      December 18, 2015 at 1:10 pm

      Thank you, Becky! I hope you enjoy it if you decide to try it!

    5. Lucie Javorska

      December 18, 2015 at 3:29 pm

      Cashew based creaminess all the way!!! I love the kale addition too, I've never been a huge fennel fan.

    6. Dianne

      December 19, 2015 at 11:12 am

      Thank you, Lucie!

    7. Bethany

      December 19, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      Such a great vegan recipe!

    8. Dianne

      December 20, 2015 at 7:12 pm

      Thank you, Bethany!

    9. Kristina

      December 21, 2015 at 11:51 am

      I LOVE the sound of this... adding to my holiday menu!

    10. Dianne

      December 21, 2015 at 3:43 pm

      Thank you, Kristina! I hope you enjoy it!

    11. Cathy

      October 03, 2019 at 9:34 am

      This is my favorite Thanksgiving recipe. I find it necessary to thin out the cashew cream a bit. But overall - just fantastic.

    12. Dianne

      October 03, 2019 at 11:46 am

      I'm so happy to hear that, Cathy!

    13. Alexandra Colacito

      November 30, 2022 at 3:05 pm

      5 stars
      Can you use fresh pearl onions?

    14. Dianne

      November 30, 2022 at 4:29 pm

      I've only used frozen, but I'm sure fresh would work.

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    Hi! I'm Dianne Wenz, a Board-Certified Health Vegan Health and Lifestyle Coach. I empower my clients to build new habits so they can reach their healthy living goals. I love to show others how easy it is to live a vegan lifestyle as well as how to cook deliciously easy plant-based meals. Contact me today to learn more and to schedule a complimentary breakthrough session!

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