This vegan creamed corn casserole recipe is a 100% plant-based take on the classic, conventional cornbread casserole. Made easy with the help of a crockpot (or another slow cooker), the vegan corn pudding uses blended silken tofu to produce its deliciously creamy texture. It’s a terrific savory side dish with sweet corn undertones to accompany your plant-based meal.
Some holiday food items you really miss! This slow-cooker corn casserole was definitely a special holiday dish my family missed. Luckily, with the invention of vegan-friendly food items, we can transform almost every favorite recipe into a dish not only we as a family can enjoy, but that we can be proud to share with anyone! This creamy tasty vegan side dish is no exception!
Holiday cooking is made easy with a slow cooker!
I love using a slow cooker when I’m preparing a large holiday meal! It totally frees up oven space and helps with mealtime management. In fact, I often have more than one slow cooker on the countertop doing its job while I’m prepping the rest of the holiday dinner. It’s a good idea to have some of your favorite vegan slow cooker recipes handy when cooking a large meal.
For stress-free holiday meal preparations, make a plan to use your slow cooker!
On the day of the big event, I make a plan to start early cooking some of my favorite slow cooker recipes such as this vegan corn pudding, vegan slow cooker carrots, or vegan slow cooker mashed potatoes. I’m then free to prepare my other favorite holiday main courses, sides, and vegan desserts like this delicious carrot cake!
What is corn pudding?
The first time I heard the words “corn pudding” I had been invited to a holiday meal and a friend’s house and thought the whole dish sounded a little bit strange! Corn pudding? I thought my kids were going to hate it! Isn’t corn supposed to be…savory and crunchy – not sweet and creamy like pudding. My friend assured me that my kids would love it and that I should just call it “casserole” to avoid any confusion. And they did. This soon became a favorite holiday side dish.
As it turns out, corn pudding and corn casserole are mostly the same dishes. Both use cornbread as a base along with corn, butter, and sour cream. Corn casserole is a traditionally made southern dish and is a little more savory with added shredded cheese while corn pudding, an Appalachian dish is traditionally known to be a little sweeter with added sugar.
This vegan creamed corn casserole is a happy mix of both with vegan shredded cheese and sweetened cornbread mix.
About the ingredients
This vegan corn casserole uses some special ingredients that help to make it vegan. A traditional corn casserole uses dairy sour cream, butter, cheese, and occasionally eggs. It’s easy to substitute with ingredients that make this plant-based casserole dairy-free and egg-free.
The tofu “sour cream” ingredients
- silken tofu – You will be using eight ounces of silken tofu. Most tofu blocks come in eight or twelve ounces so you will need to cut it down to size. Please see the blog post below for an easy way to measure and cut the tofu. Silken tofu is recommended for this recipe, but if you cannot find silken tofu, then use soft tofu and press and drain well.
- white vinegar and lemon juice – vinegar and lemon juice give the tofu a “sour cream” taste.
- white chia seeds – Chia seeds are blended with the tofu and used instead of eggs to help thicken the casserole. There is no difference in texture, flavor, or function between white and black chia seeds. You can use black chia seeds if that is what you have but the vegan corn pudding will look more pleasing if you use white seeds.
The corn pudding ingredients
- vegan cornbread mix – It’s hard to find cornbread mix without dairy or eggs. Famous Dave’s Cornbread MIx happens to be “accidentally vegan”, meaning there are no animal products used in the mix. I understand that Jiffy cornbread mix (which uses lard in the mix) now has a “vegetarian” mix that does not use lard. Jiffy never used eggs or dairy so that is not a problem. If you use the vegetarian jiffy mix then you will need to use two small boxes. If you can’t find a vegan cornbread mix to use then you can make your own mix. I included a recipe in the note section of the recipe card below.
- vegan butter – Make sure the vegan butter you use has a flavor you love. You might need to experiment with a few brands to find your favorite.
- canned sweet corn – You will need two cans.
- canned cream corn – You will need two cans. And no, creamed corn does not have any actual cream in it! But do read the label to be sure.
- vegan cheddar cheese – Like the butter, make sure the cheese you use is a brand that makes you happy.
- You will also need a slow cooker like my six-quart Crock Pot and a blender.
Optional toppings for your vegan corn casserole
Because everyone’s taste is a little different, I always like to have a few add-on toppings on the table. These are a few of my favorites:
- salt and pepper to taste – I didn’t add any extra salt to this recipe. The canned and boxed goods already have plenty of salt in my opinion. However, please salt to taste.
- fried onions – I use French’s Brand and yes, they are vegan.
- pickled jalapenos – I use the mild version.
- diced green chilis
- smoked paprika
- a little extra vegan cheddar sprinkled on top
Let’s make corn casserole!
The exact ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below along with more concise abbreviated instructions. Read on for more details, tips, and tricks so that you will feel confident making this recipe.
First steps: the tofu
You are first going to need to cut your tofu down to size. Most tofu blocks come in twelve or sixteen-ounce blocks. You only need eight ounces for this recipe.
Cutting the tofu
Open and drain the silken tofu. Do not squeeze silken tofu because it is very soft and you will have nothing left to use in your recipe!
If you have a sixteen-ounce block of tofu then it’s super easy. Simply cut it diagonally in half and you will have exactly eight ounces.
If you want to save the other half to use later, save it in an airtight container and use it within a day or two. You can use it in a smoothie to up the protein, or make vegan mayo or sour cream with it (recipes coming soon!)
If your block of tofu is a twelve-ounce block then it will be a little bit trickier. Cut it into thirds and then discard one-third.
Blending the tofu
Add the tofu, lemon juice, vinegar, and chia seeds to a blender and blend well until everything is nice and creamy. This won’t be as tasty as vegan sour cream because no extra salt has been added and the chia seeds will add an “interesting” flavor. This tofu mixture is perfect for making vegan corn casserole though!
Next steps: Mixing the ingredients together
Drain the corn kernels but NOT the creamed corn. Melt the vegan butter. I melt mine in a microwave-safe dish in the microwave for about 40 seconds.
Add the drained corn, sweet creamed corn, melted butter, vegan cheese shreds, cornbread mix, and tofu mixture to a medium/large bowl. Mix everything together well.
Some cornbread casserole recipes call for optional add-ins (such as the jalapenos or diced chilis) to be mixed in before cooking. I prefer to offer the extras next to my finished dish on the side when serving so that everybody gets to use what they’d like.
Time to cook the slow cooker casserole!
Spritz the bottom and sides of the slow cooker cooking pot with cooking spray. You can also rub a little vegan butter around the sides and bottom if you’d prefer.
Add in the prepared mixture. It will be pretty liquidy at this point but will firm up a bit when cooking and further when cooling.
Set the slow cooker on high and cook for three hours. Every slow cooker cooks differently. If this is the first time you’ve made this recipe then check after about two and a half hours for doneness. I have two slow cookers and know that each one will cook this recipe a little differently. My Ninja slow cooker has it ready to go in two and a half hours and my Crock Pot takes the entire three hours. I check for doneness by lifting the bottom with a big scoop. It should be nicely browned and not burned.
Your finished corn casserole will show some cooked cornbread along the edges, be firmer on top, but still be a little gooey (in a good way) in the middle.
Serving suggestions and storing
This vegan corn pudding is honestly better served on the first or second day. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and warm up before eating.
Because of the tofu used, this recipe does not freeze well. Freezing tofu does something to the structure of tofu and changes its texture. This is a handy little trick for when you make bacon bits tofu crumbles but would be a disaster for this recipe.
Make sure to have your favorite toppings on the table available to use! You can serve this dish right out of the Crock Pot or transfer the cooked casserole to a serving dish. This dish can be scooped up and served on a plate with your main course or served separately on the side.
And now for the recipe:
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Vegan Slow Cooker Creamed Corn Casserole
Equipment
- slow cooker
- blender
Ingredients
Tofu Mixture
- 8 ounces Silken tofu firm
- ½ Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons white chia seeds see notes
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 15-16 ounce vegan cornbread mix such as Famous Daves – see notes
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted (1 stick)
- 2 15.25 ounces canned sweet corn, drained
- 2 14.74 ounces canned creamed corn
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds such as Follow Your Heart
Optional Topping Suggestions
- salt and pepper to taste
- smoked paprika
- extra vegan shredded cheese
- diced green chilis
- pickled jalapenos
- French fried onions
Instructions
Tofu Mixture
- Carefully drain, (not press) the liquid from a 16-ounce block of firm Silken tofu. Cut in in half. You will be using only 8 ounces.
- In a blender, place tofu, vinegar, lemon juice, and chia seeds. Blend together on high until the tofu mixture is smooth and well blended. Set aside.
The rest of the ingredients
- Drain the sweet corn. You will not be draining the creamed corn. Melt the butter.
- Into a med/large bowl, add in all ingredients: two cans of drained sweet corn, two cans of creamed corn, melted vegan butter, tofu mixture, vegan cornbread mix, and vegan shredded cheddar. Stir together until well blended.
- Spray the cooking pot/liner of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour in the mixed ingredients. Set on high for 3 hours or until cooked through. If this is the first time making this recipe, check for doneness at 2 and a half hours. Spoon up some of the bottom to see if it's already browned.
Notes
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- add an extra
Nutrition
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Looks great, can’t wait to make it!
Can the vegan butter be replaced with yogurt or applesauce or anything else that isn’t oil?
Hello, that’s a great question – one which I unfortunately don’t know the answer to. I am not an “oil-free” blogger and so am not the expert on this one. I did google “oil-free vegan corn casserole” and found quite a few that looked interesting. Perhaps you could adapt one of those to the slow cooker. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful on this one. I just wouldn’t want to give you advice that might not work out for your special holiday meal. I do wish you all the best and hope you find what you are looking for! 💚