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!
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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!
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One Pot Vegan Chili Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 recipe vegan cheese sauce (click link for recipe)
- 1 tablespoon 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 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (regular oregano works)
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon 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 ½ 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!
This was super tasty and comforting. This recipe will definitely be in the rotation for lunches and dinners. The cheese sauce is delicious! Thank you so much!
You’re so welcome Jeni!
So I cook your meals weekly for myself & my mom has enjoyed a lot of the meals but never went crazy over them.. BUT THIS ONE, my non vegan Philippina nanay ate this chili EVERYDAY for a week! She couldn’t get enough of it and even her co-workers had a bit because it always smelled so good whenever she ate it at work 😭 it makes me so happy when my loved ones enjoy what I cook 🥰 thank you for sharing all the goods with us !
SN: I kept the recipe pretty much the same just kicked the pasta shells and added mushrooms & corn also doubled the spices & accidentally doubled the liquid smoke amount. Still came out yum 😋
HAHAH love that you made a happy accident, but more so that your mom loved it that much!
Oh gosh, this was so great, especially on a night it was -5 degrees! I used white kidney beans both for the cheese sauce & in the pot (all I had) and subbed a few tablespoons of coconut amino sauce because nutritional yeast has MSG, but otherwise I followed your recipe exactly after watching your wonderful video. At first I was worried I made chili mac soup, but once the elbow macaroni swelled up, all was good. We made cornbread to go along with this & my husband added hot sauce to his bowl–a 5-star dinner. He also loved the cheese sauce with tortilla chips (as an appetizer), it’s all gone! Once again, thanks for making my transition to veganism easy and super tasty!
I love this so much! So glad you both enjoyed it
This was absolutely delicious!! I’ve tried other chili Mac recipes, but this is by far the best one!! I’ll be making regularly and it was so quick to put together.
yay! I’m so happy to hear that!
I’ve made this so many times, I’ve memorized the recipe! My son (on the spectrum and very picky) absolutely loves it! My boyfriend’s teens went back for seconds. I love cheese so I actually use the entire batch of vegan cheese in mine, lol. So good and I have yet to come across someone that doesn’t absolutely love it. Pairs sooo well with cornbread.
So happy to hear it’s a hit with everyone!
You guys DO NOT MISS on these recipes! Honestly, I can tell my family the recipe is from Make It Dairy Free and everyone is down to enjoy! I am so blown away by this chili mac and cheese… perfect balance of flavors, definitely a make again meal. <3
Well, y’all have done it again- this was so delicious, can’t wait to have it again! Thank you!!
yay! We’re so happy you enjoyed it
Not sure what I did wrong but mine does not look anything like the recipe pictures. Mine looked more like a cheesy Rotel dip! Maybe the cheese sauce wasn’t added yet? Also, I should have trusted my gut and removed the crumbles after cooking and adding them back at the end. Mine always melt away when making dishes like this! The noodles are cooking now and then we will see how it tastes. Hopefully, the kids will still eat it.
I’m a little confused by your comment in terms of helping answer your issue, but hopefully I understand enough. It sounds like you may have added all the cheese sauce (you’re only supposed to add 2 1/2 cups at first). And the pasta is supposed to cook in the same pot with the other ingredients. This will then soak up the liquid and make it thickened. If you cook the pasta separately it’s going to have way too much liquid.