This dump-and-bake Chickpea & Rice Casserole is easy AND delicious! Made from only 10 plant-based ingredients, it delivers big flavor with minimal effort.
Dump and bake casseroles have pretty much become a staple for From My Bowl. I love to make them almost as much as you love to eat them!
But really though – what’s not to love about throwing everything in a casserole dish, covering it, and then baking it in the oven?! You get maximum flavor with minimal prep-time, hands-on time, and kitchen cleanup.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKPEA RICE CASSEROLE
This casserole is made from only 10 plant-based ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry! Here are some of the key components:
- White Rice: for fragrant flavor and fluffiness, I’d recommend jasmine or basmati rice. White rice has a different cooking time than other grains, so if you’d like to use brown rice please see the recipe notes!
- Chickpeas: for plant-based protein and fiber. If you’re using canned beans, make sure to drain and rinse them first!
- Broth and Coconut Milk: to add flavor and creaminess to our casserole, I found it best to use a combination of vegan chicken-flavored stock and coconut milk.
- Flavorful Veggies: a.k.a. onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms!
This casserole is essentially a riff off of the classic Chicken & Rice Casserole, which is normally made with chicken, rice, and a few different cans of pre-made soup. The broth, coconut milk, and vegetables combine to replace the soup cans, which aren’t traditionally vegan. Swap the animal protein for some chickpeas and we’re good to go!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKPEA RICE CASSEROLE
- Add the broth, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast to a pot and bring to a boil
- Layer the rice, chickpeas, and vegetables in a casserole dish
- Pour the boiling liquid into the casserole dish, then
- Cover and bake until the rice is fluffy!
Not only is this a totally hands-off cook time, but the rice and chickpeas get infused with extra flavor while everthing bakes away in the oven! Once the rice has cooked for 45 minutes, remove the dish from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
I love this Chickpea & Rice Casserole because it’s the perfect comfort food – it’s creamy, cozy, and also packed with veggies. I like to top mine with a little freshly ground black pepper, but it would also be good with some extra dairy-free cheese or maybe even a drizzle of Vegan Ranch.
If you’re looking for more dump-and-bake casserole recipes, you’ll also love this Buffalo Cauliflower Casserole, this Southwestern Black Bean Casserole, and this Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
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Vegan Chickpea & Rice Casserole
Prep Time: 10 Minutes- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Category: Main
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
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This dump-and-bake Chickpea & Rice Casserole is easy AND delicious! Made from only 10 plant-based ingredients, it delivers big flavor with minimal effort.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) vegan chicken-flavored stock (or sub vegetable broth)
- 3/4 cup (174 ml) full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 cup (185 g) uncooked white jasmine rice
- 2 cups (400 g) chickpeas, cooked
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 rib of celery, finely diced
- 5 oz cremini mushrooms (about 5 medium)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and set a 9×13″ or similar pan.
- Add the stock, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast to a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. While the liquid heats, add the rice, chickpeas, onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms to the casserole dish. Mix them around and spread evenly across the bottom of the casserole with a spatula.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the casserole and cover with a layer of parchment paper (optional) followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then uncover. Top with parsley and serve warm; leftovers will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Brown Rice: if you wish to use brown rice instead of white, preheat the oven to 400F instead and bake for 60 minutes instead of 45. I have not tested this recipe with any other grain substitutions
84 comments
Hi, have you tried adding any other kinds of veggies to it? Just curious; maybe sweet potatoes? Green Beans? Broccoli? It looks so wonderful but not sure it has enough ‘umph’ or ‘oomph’ for my partner, who likes a good ‘bite’ of something…
We didn’t add anything else but it seems like you could definitely add some broccoli!
Can I cook this in a baking tray?
This looks so amazing and simple! <3
Some sort of casserole dish would definitely be preferable because of the liquid!
Hi Caitlin!
Can’t wait to make this recipe— chicken and rice casserole was a huge comfort dish for me growing up. I have a question— I have some fresh broccoli and asparagus I want to use up. Could I add those to this casserole?
Thanks!
I think you could! Bake time should be around the same amount of time.
I didn’t have any mushrooms, , red onion Instead of yellow onion, frozen kabocha l had leftover. It added a creamy sweetness to the dish. I like the dump and bake recipes. I made the Black Bean Southwestern dump too. Both were very good and I will make them both again. Thank you.
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So happy to hear that everyone’s been loving the dump and bake recipes! Thanks for making!
Omg, this is the perfect stay-at-home comfort food meal!!!
Yay! Thank you so much!
I’ve made this several times and it is so delicious. If I have some cashew cream made I like to drizzle it over too as well. I also like to eat with sauteed kale either placed right on top of my bowl or eaten alongside.
Yesterday decided to try with Right Rice instead of regular white rice to mix things up and it was SO good! I shortened the cook time to 25 minutes and the texture of the “rice” was good, maybe could have even stood to bake for just a few minutes less. I think even longer than 25 min will yield mushy RR. Just make sure to slice your onion and celery extra fine so they aren’t still crunchy at the end. I used the garlic and herb flavored RR and loved the flavor it added.
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That’s cool that you tried it with right rice! And it’s true, the right rice seems to cook a bit quicker than typical rice.
[…] Chickpea Rice Casserole […]
This was delicious! Thank you for sharing. I ended up using canned mushrooms because that was what I had on hand and added a finely diced cherry pepper and thinly sliced carrots. We ate ours with some broccoli and the flavors worked well together. Everyone in our family thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sounds great! Glad everyone enjoyed it!
Hi Caitlin! I love your content and all your recipes! I am in the process of setting up a food blog myself and I was wondering how you created your content slider on your homepage? are you using a plugin?
Other than that stay safe and healthy in times of the corona virus.
All the best,
Anna
Hey Anna! Thanks for the well wishes, hope you’re healthy as well. The slider is a combination of what is built into the theme and some custom coding.
Love these Dump & Bake recipes! Making a casserole that can be used over several days (or frozen for later enjoyment) is such a time-saver. Cheers!
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So glad everyone has been loving the dump and bake! Thanks so much!
Loved this! I added chopped spinach and a couple of tablespoons of Franks hot sauce. Delicious and an easy dump and bake dinner.
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Thank you! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
[…] Vegan Chickpea & Rice Casserole (Dump and Bake) […]
I don’t have the yeast. Will it still be ok?
The nutritional yeast does add to the flavor with that sort of cheesy flavor. If you don’t have it you could leave it out in a pinch.
How do you think this would work with wild rice? It looks amazing!
Wild rice would work well – I think! If you give it a shot let us know how it turns out!
This turned out so creamy and delicious!! The coconut milk makes all the difference. I used plain vegetable broth since I didn’t have any vegan chicken flavored broth. Next time I make this (because I am DEFINITELY making this again), I would probably add some chicken-y spices to the liquid mix if using plain veggie broth.
Thanks for all that you do, Caitlin! You never disappoint 🙂
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Yay! Love hearing when some on the fly changes work out. Thanks so much for making it and all the kind words!
This looks great I want to confirm you aren’t putting pre cooked rice in dish first. Thanks
Uncooked rice! It’ll get cooked as it bakes.
Making this for the second time tonight! But tonight we are doubling it. Our family of 6 all loved it! Made exactly as written except I added some of the Trader Joe’s Vegan chicken less seasoning salt! So good!!
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So happy to hear the whole family loved it! Thanks for making it!
We are loving the casserole recipes – keep them coming. I am making this again tonight but adding frozen cauliflower and broccoli. We are trying to get as many veggies in as we can during these crazy times in the world. I have recommended this site to so many of my vegan friends. Thank you!
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Noted! So happy you have been getting all the veggies!
Hi Caitlin, I would like to half this recipe. If I use brown rice and an 8×8 dish, would it take 60 minutes to cook still? Also, I don’t have mushrooms right now, could you recommend a substitute? I was thinking more celery, but I’m open to your suggestion…
Thanks!
If you’re halving it, that size dish sounds about right. It might not take 60 minutes, mostly you just want the rice to be cooked. I would check it around the 30-40 minute mark. As for the mushroom, extra celery would be fine!
Thanks!
SO COMFORTING and delicious! With how stressful things are in the moment it was so nice to make something warm, comforting, without too much labor involved. Thank you for sharing and can’t wait to try out the others!
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So happy to hear you found comfort in the recipe! It’s important. Thanks so much for making it!
This was delicious. I would totally make this again!
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Awesome! Glad you liked it!
This recipe is easy and so delicious! I like to add in carrots too!
I hardly ever re-make recipes, but I’ve re-made this twice and making it again tonight.
Thank you!!
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Thanks so much!
I’ve made this several times and we love it but am out of full fat coconut milk. Will light coconut milk work?
You may be missing some of the creaminess in the final result, but I think it would still work!
This was sooo good and easy! I didn’t use onion or garlic, I love both of those but my stomach is unpredictable as to if it’ll be ok with those and it was still so flavourful! I added zucchini and squash and I baked for 30 minutes and it was just so perfect. I can’t wait to try other veggies in it and make it for my family and friends!
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When you added zucchini, how small did you chop it? I hate soggy zucchini, but have some and am thinking of adding it in!
[…] Vegan Chickpea and Rice Casserole by From My Bowl […]
[…] you’re looking for more dump-and-bake recipes, you’ll also love this Chickpea & Rice Casserole, this Southwestern Black Bean Casserole, and this Buffalo Cauliflower & Chickpea […]
I made this for dinner after watching one of your Youtube videos and it was really good! I’ll definitely make it again! Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Love from Portugal
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So happy to hear it! Thank you and hope all is well in Portugal!
Hi Caitlin, Love your dump and bake recipes! So far I’ve made the southwestern bake, and the artichoke bake, and both were big hits with my family. I’m planning on making this one next, and I’m wondering if I can use a whole can of coconut milk and then decrease the amount of broth? Would that work? Just wondering if you ever tried it that way. I always like using full cans of coconut milk because I don’t use it for anything else. Thank you!!
Love that you’ve been trying out all the dump and bake recipes! For the coconut milk; do you have a store that sells the smaller cans of the coconut milk? They’re smaller than the traditional can size – 5.46 ounces (161 ml) vs the typical 13.5 ounces (400 ml) large cans. I wouldn’t recommend using too much coconut milk as it could make things a little too rich. But if you’re able to find one of those smaller cans they’re the perfect size, a lot of Asian markets carry them too!
Thanks for the tips! I made the recipe this weekend using the exact amount of coconut milk. It turned out great. And I think you’re right, any more coconut milk than that would have made it too rich. I ended up making chia pudding with the rest of the can of coconut milk, so it did not go to waste and made for a yummy dessert. Thank you again, and keep the dump and bake recipes coming! 🙂
No problem! Coconut milk in desserts is awesome and a great way to use up any leftovers you may end up with! We’re excited about the dump and bake recipes!
This is really good! I did change it up a little. I used white rice but not jasmine because I’m not a fan of the smell/taste of jasmine rice. Added broccoli and carrots. Used veggie broth. I also just dumped all ingredients in the baking dish and mixed because I’m too lazy to dirty more than one pan. It still turned out really well without adjusting the cook time.
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Glad it worked just as well with your modifications!
I’m a chickpea lover so when looking for a new recipe to try on a weekday night – this one sounded perfect. It was a dump and bake – giving me 30 minutes to work out.
I did a half recipe. Followed recipe, but also added chopped up zucchini and broccoli sprouts. Left out celery since not a fan of cooked celery. Baked for 40 minutes. Rice came out nice and fluffy. The coconut gives it a great creamy taste. I gave it a sprinkle of cashew parmesan. Tasted awesome. Next time I think I will add some freshly grounded pepper prior to pouring the milk mixture on.
Thank you for a delicious meal.
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Thanks for making it! Glad you were able to put your own touches on it (and get some work out time in while it was cooking)!
Very easy and yummy! I also made the nut free ranch…soooooo good! Next I’m going to try the buffalo dump and bake casserole. Thanks for creating these great recipes!
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Let us know how you like the buffalo one!
[…] – Vegan chickpea and rice casserole from From My […]
Absolutely delicious! I added some broccoli that I needed to use up and it was so tasty. I’m loving working my way through your dump and bake dishes. Thanks Caitlin 🙂
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Hope you’re enjoying the whole dump and bake series of dishes!
I’m shocked by this recipe! I made it and it tasted great, but the shocking part was my kids even liked it ???? My 5 year old said the chickpeas were his favorite part ????. We’ll definitely make this again! Thanks!!!
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Aw that’s so awesome! Thanks so much for sharing, super happy to hear it was a hit!
Made this and really enjoyed it. Decided to take the foil off at the end and grill for a bit of extra golden crispiness. So easy and satisfying.
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Sounds great! Thanks for making it!
I could not be happier with this recipe!! So delicious and truly easy to do! I had never heard of a “dump and bake” casserole like this but I am now so excited about them!! I can’t wait to try your other recipes. Thank you!
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So glad you tried it and like it! We have a few other dump and bake recipes as well!
So easy and delicious! I substituted artichoke hearts for the mushrooms and added in some peas. This is definitely a new staple for my family.
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Love to hear when a recipe becomes a staple! Thanks so much!
Absolute perfection! Your recommendation for brown rice was perfect (400 for 1 hr). I will absolutely make this again and can’t wait to try your other casseroles!
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Thanks so much for the kind words! Hope you enjoy the other casseroles as well!
This is easy and good. It’s also easy to modify to add veggies on hand. We made it mostly as is but I did add some salt to it. I make my own vegetable stock and I never salt it because as it cooks down it would get too salty. I suppose if someone is using store-bought stock that has salt already added they could omit adding any. We also didn’t have cremini mushrooms so just used white mushrooms. Also, we only had lite coconut milk on hand so that is what was used. It would probably be better with the full-fat coconut milk but even the lite still had plenty of fat in it. I used 5 ounces as the recipe states but should have put in the whole 8 oz pack. We’ll make this again and it’s good if short on time or dinner ideas. A simple green salad is a good side.
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Thanks for making it and glad you could improvise using what you had on hand!
YUM!!!! Looks delicious! Do you happen to know the basic nutritional facts? I have to watch my diet.
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Hey there! Out of personal philosophy we don’t calculate calories and nutritional info but you can use Cronometer to get that info about pretty much anything!
Hi Caitlin! Just here to say..what a tasty casserole and oh, what a lovely smell! It was delicious, the combination ingredients and aroma. Definitely I will make it again and highly recommended!
Thank you, stay safe:)
Thanks for stopping by to say that! Thank you!
I forgot to rate..here you are!
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Love the dump and bake recipes!! Made this one for my parents with brown rice and a little more broth and they said it tastes like risotto… we all loved it! Thank you????
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Made this tonight and really liked it but was wondering if something could be substituted for the coconut milk? Not a huge fan of the smell of coconut in a savory dish. Otherwise everything else was great!
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You could use another creamy milk, such as full-fat oat milk or homemade cashew milk