This one pot vegan chili mac and cheese takes just 30 minutes to make! Easy, flavorful, kid-friendly and perfectly cheesy! It will be a hit for all!
Many people know of chili mac as just combining canned chili with a boxed mac and cheese and done. Don’t get us wrong, it hits the spot when needed. However, this one pot vegan chili mac and cheese is ready in just a couple extra minutes and the taste is out of this world.
It’s literally so much better than any box and can combo could be, plus you get to control all the ingredients. It’s a win win!
It’s definitely one of those fall comfort meals that’s kid and omni-friendly, so it’s a hit for everyone!
Also, it’s super cheesy (vegan cheesy, of course) but it’s not on made with any nuts, carrots, or potatoes, etc.,
What ingredients do I need for vegan chili mac and cheese?
- Vegan cheese sauce – we are using our quick and easy vegan cheese sauce recipe that combines ingredients that you probably already have quickly and easily
- vegan meatless crumbles – we are using a frozen meatless crumble (Gardein in the case) for this
- macaroni noodles -since this is a mac and cheese based recipe we are using traditional macaroni noodles
- fire roasted tomatoes – tomatoes are traditionally in chili and we love the additional of flavor that you get from using fire roasted ones in this recipe
- kidney beans – these are traditionally in many chili recipes and we are adding it to this recipe for that classic feel but it also helps stretch the meal and add more nutrients to the dish
- spices – we’ve combined normal chili spices together the most flavorful recipe
Substitutions and Variations:
- Vegan cheese sauce – for a little bit of a spicier version, try our vegan nacho cheese
- onions, peppers, and garlic – these are our aromatics that start the base of the dish with flavor
- vegan meatless crumbles – you can use vegan ground meat or if you want to omit you can use more beans, walnut meat, mushrooms, cauliflower, jackfruit and more depending on your tastes!
- macaroni noodles – any small tubular noodles can be used, as well as gluten free noodles
- fire roasted tomatoes – any diced tomatoes will work. Fresh tomatoes will also work but you should add 21oz of fresh tomatoes so you have more juice
- kidney beans – you can replace with another bean like black beans or pinto beans
- vegan Worcestershire sauce – sometimes it’s hard to find, but you can sub with a steak sauce that’s vegan friendly (like A1) for a similar flavor profile
- liquid smoke – this is optional and just helped when using vegan meats but can be omitted
Frequently Asked Questions:
This recipe will last up to 3 days in the fridge, which means you could prep it that far in advance.
You may need to add a splash or broth when reheating if it needs it.
Yes! This meal can be completely Top 8 Allergen Friendly.
First, make sure your pasta noodles are gluten free.
Then, you want to make sure that you are also choosing a vegan ground crumbles that are allergen friendly too. Some have soy and wheat in them. Try Lightlife ground as an option
WHAT SIDES TO SERVE WITH THIS VEGAN CHILI MAC?
There are endless possibilities but a side salad and some bread are great starting points.
Here’s some bread ideas:
- Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks
- Vegan Italian Cheesy Bread Rolls (photo shown above)
- Vegan Garlic Bread
- Easy Vegan Dinner Rolls
What other vegan dinner ideas should I try?
If you love this easy dairy free dinner recipe, you may be wondering what other dairy free dinner ideas we have. Here are some ideas we have (all are vegan):
- Vegan Tomato, Spinach & Sausage Quinoa Bowls
- Vegan Instant Pot Tex-Mex Rice
- Dairy Free Taco Casserole
- Vegan Cheesy Hamburger Helper
- Dairy Free Pizza
- Vegan Swedish Meatballs
- One Pot Creamy Vegan Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Dairy Free Nachos
Pin this one pot vegan chili mac and cheese for later!
One Pot Vegan Chili Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 recipe vegan cheese sauce (click link for recipe)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz vegan meatless crumbles
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles (other noodles work also)
- 1 15oz can fired roasted tomatoes (not drained)
- 1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano (regular oregano works)
- 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- Make the Vegan Cheese Sauce. Set aside.
- In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add oil over medium heat. Add in onions and peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Add in garlic and meatless crumbles. Stir together. Let cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in 2 1/2 cups of the vegan cheese sauce and all remaining ingredients. Stir around until very well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 8-12 minutes or until pasta has cooked to al dente, stirring every few minutes so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.
- If too saucy at this point, you can leave cover off and let cook for just another minute or not, but do not over cook or the noodles will become mushy. If cheesier pasta is desired, add more of the remaining cheese sauce (or save It for another recipe)
- Serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Let’s see your creations!
Share to Instagram and tag us @makeitdairyfree so we can see and share it!
This recipe is amazing! Everyone should try it – whether they are vegan or not. It is comforting, indulgent, absolutely delicious and quite easy to make. It is perfect as a fall recipe. 🙂 It will be a sure favorite in our family’s recipe rotation.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
The Best comfort food ever for these chilly days. This recipe it’s simple to make and delicious to eat! One of my new favorites!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe!
Absolutely delicious!
This is one of the BEST recipes I have ever made. As soon as I tasted it, I texted the recipe to a bunch of people. It’s so hearty and delicious but not heavy. And it is perfect fall/winter easy meal that will make everyone’s hearts happy. I cannot wait to try more recipes from Make It Dairy Free!!!!
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe. We appreciate you sharing it !
What a great recipe!
Thank you! So happy to hear that
I just made this for my family and WOW everyone was impressed and Me and my brother are the only vegans and the rest aren’t. I love finding recipes that everyone likes and your page does just that! I can’t wait to see what you have in store for next year!
So glad that everyone is enjoying the recipe! We have so much more in store!
I loved this recipe! However I had a problem with it being very soup like after the macaroni was done, to the point of boiling it more uncovered couldn’t save it. I ended up having to drain a lot of liquid out. The flavors are amazing and I would make itagain, but probably start with 2 cups of broth and add more if it needs it.
I’m glad you loved the flavor, but sorry the recipe didn’t come out as desired. Did you drain the beans? And also only add some of the cheese sauce? What type of noodles did you use? Just trying to see if we can help for the future!
I had the same issue with it being a little soupy, but what I did to fix it was add the rest of the cheese sauce like Larisha mentioned and I made an arrowroot slurry (arrowroot and a little water) in the container I had the cheese sauce in and stirred it all in and cut the stove off. I let it sit for like 20 mins and that fixed it. The favors are great though, I would just do 2.5-3 cups of the broth next time.