This vegan tamale pie is as cozy as it sounds! A layer of spicy bean chili is smothered by a golden cornbread crust, then topped with vegan cheddar cheese shreds. Tuck in for a delicious comfort-food experience.
One-dish dinners like this cheezy vegan Mexican black bean casserole are my favorites to make and eat. Another meal I make often, especially during the cooler months, is a vegan hot tamale pie.
In the southwestern Tex-Mex tradition of smothering a bean chili with other tasty foods, much like this vegan frito pie or these vegan chili fries, a tamale pie tops a yummy chili with a layer of cornbread.
This is a classic American casserole recipe, the stuff of old school cafeteria lunches and the kind of food you make when you want all the fun of eating a tamale without all the work. And what a fabulous dish it is, with layers of a hearty bean chili, golden cornbread and gooey, melting vegan cheddar cheese.
I add vegan sausage to this recipe along with the beans for an extra bump of protein (largely because I have a teen who's preoccupied with building his muscles), but it's optional and you can make this vegan tamale pie just as delicious with beans alone.
This is a rather easy recipe to pull off and although the hour-long cooking time might make you want to save it for a weekend, you could pull it off for a weeknight with some planning.
Let's get cooking!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Hearty and delicious. This really is comfort food at its best. The contrasting textures of the fluffy cornbread, the meaty chili and the melting but slightly crispy vegan cheese are amazing.
- One-dish meal. You get everything in this recipe--veggies, heart-healthy protein and carbs from the cornbread. No need to make anything else!
- Healthy. There are so many good-for-you ingredients packed into this recipe, including the veggies and beans.
- Suited to all diets. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
Ingredients
- Onions. Use any kind you have on hand, but red is best for flavor.
- Garlic. You can vary the amount of garlic you use depending on how much garlicky flavor you like. I love lots of garlic here.
- Vegetables: zucchini, tomato and tomato paste. You can also use green bell peppers and/or frozen corn instead of zucchini.
- Black beans. You can also use kidney beans or pinto beans. Canned beans are fine and that's what I used, but you can also use beans cooked from scratch.
- Pickled jalapeno peppers. These add a nice hit of spice and flavor. Use less if sensitive to heat.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, ground cumin, chipotle chili in adobo sauce and chili powder.
- Mexican oregano. You can use dried sage or rosemary instead.
- Cornmeal. Use stoneground cornmeal, yellow or white cornmeal are both fine.
- Leavening for cornbread: Baking powder and baking soda.
- Shredded vegan cheddar cheese
How to make vegan tamale pie
.1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and saute until they turn soft.
2. Stir in garlic and saute for a minute.
3. Stir in the zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften.
4. Add the smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, chipotle chili and Mexican oregano. Mix well.
5. Stir in the vegan sausage and saute for a couple of minutes, breaking up any larger pieces with the ladle.
6. Stir in the beans followed by the tomato paste and a cup of water and mix well. Bring to a boil.
7. Stir in the tomato and pickled jalapeno peppers.
8. Bring back to a boil, add salt as needed, then turn off heat.
9. In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
10. Whisk the vegan yogurt with ½ cup water.
11. Add the vegan yogurt to the cornmeal and mix with a spatula.
12. Stir in chopped pickled jalapeno peppers.
13. Ladle the chili into a four-quart casserole dish in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the vegan cheese shreds.
14. Spoon the cornbread batter over the top in an even layer. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese shreds. Bake in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit/190 degree Celsius oven for 40 minutes or until the cornbread is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, and it will be just as delicious. Replace the vegan sausage with one more can of black beans.
Yes, you definitely can. I don't like the cornbread layer too thick but you can make it as thick as you want. Just double the rest of the cornbread ingredients, but keep the baking soda quantity the same -- ½ a teaspoon.
Yes, but be sure to read labels. Jiffy came out with a vegan corn muffin mix and you can certainly use that, but the traditional Jiffy corn muffin mix has lard, or animal fat, in it. Bob's Red Mill also makes a vegan corn muffin mix and there probably are more on the market.
This is a one-dish meal so you don't need anything more, but if you like serve with a fresh salad like a vegan Caesar salad or sliced avocado.
Make-ahead and storage instructions
- Make-ahead: Assemble the pie, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Remove cling wrap and bake an hour before serving. You can also cover the pie in freezer wrap and freeze for up to four months.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze the vegan tamale pie for up to four months.
Helpful tips
- If you have an enameled large cast iron skillet or any skillet that can go from the stove to the oven, you can skip transferring the chili to a baking dish and reduce cleanup.
- If you don't have chili powder, no worries. Double up on the cumin and smoked paprika.
- For a less spicy tamale pie, replace the pickled jalapenos with an equal quantity of sliced, canned black olives.
- If frozen veggies are all you have, that's fine. Use frozen veggies like corn, peas or cauliflower in this recipe instead of zucchini.
- For a pop of fresh flavor, scatter a few chopped scallions or cilantro over the baked vegan tamale pie before serving. You can also top the serving with a dollop of vegan sour cream.
More yummy vegan casserole recipes
If you love this vegan tamale pie recipe, be sure to check out more gluten-free vegan recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Vegan Tamale Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Bowls
- 2-3 quart baking dish
Ingredients
For chili
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (crushed into a paste or minced)
- 2 medium zucchini (diced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 chipotle chili (with 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce)
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (can replace with dried sage or rosemary)
- 16 oz vegan sausage (optional*. Or use any vegan meat crumbles)
- 28 oz black beans (canned or cooked. Drain out all water. Can also use pinto beans.)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 medium tomato (diced)
- ¼ cup pickled, sliced jalapeno peppers (divided. Use less if sensitive to heat)
- Salt to taste
- 6 oz vegan cheese shreds (divided)
For cornbread topping
- 1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegan yogurt (homemade or store bought)
- 2 tablespoons pickled, sliced jalapeno peppers
Instructions
Make chili
- Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and saute until they turn soft.
- Stir in garlic and saute for a minute.
- Stir in the zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften.
- Add the smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, chipotle chili and Mexican oregano. Mix well.
- Stir in the vegan sausage and saute for a couple of minutes, breaking up any larger pieces with the ladle.
- Stir in the beans followed by the tomato paste and a cup of water and mix well. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the tomato and pickled jalapeno peppers.
- Bring the chili back to a boil, add salt as needed, then turn off heat.
Make cornbread
- In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Whisk the vegan yogurt with ½ cup water.
- Add the vegan yogurt to the cornmeal and mix with a spatula.
- Stir in chopped pickled jalapeno peppers.
Assemble the tamale pie
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius.
- Ladle the chili into a baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the vegan cheese shreds.
- Spoon the cornmeal mixture over the top in an even layer. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese shreds. Bake for 40 minutes or until the cornbread is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe notes
- If you skip the vegan sausage, add another 14 oz black beans or pinto beans to the recipe.
- For a thicker cornbread layer, double all cornbread ingredients but keep the baking soda quantity the same -- ½ a teaspoon.
- You can use a readymade cornbread muffin mix for the cornbread layer but be sure to read the ingredient labels. Jiffy came out with a vegan corn muffin mix, but the traditional Jiffy corn muffin mix has lard, or animal fat, in it. Bob's Red Mill also makes a vegan corn muffin mix and there probably are more on the market.
- Make-ahead: Assemble the pie, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to three days. Remove cling wrap and bake an hour before serving. You can also cover the pie in freezer wrap and freeze for up to four months.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze the vegan tamale pie for up to four months.
- If you have an oven-safe enameled cast iron skillet or any skillet that can go from the stove to the oven, you can skip transferring the chili to a baking dish and reduce cleanup.
- If you don't have chili powder, no worries. Double up on the cumin and smoked paprika.
- If frozen veggies are all you have, that's fine. Use frozen veggies like corn, peas or cauliflower in this recipe instead of zucchini.
- For a pop of fresh flavor, scatter a few chopped scallions or cilantro over the baked vegan tamale pie before serving.
Elizabeth
Thank you for this wonderful tamale pie, it was delicious! Will definitely make again!
Vaishali
So happy you loved it, Elizabeth!
Daryl Grant Lindsay
Hi Vaishali . . . Unless I somehow missed something (I read through the entire recipe 3 times), although there are references to "vegan cheese shreds" all throughout the recipe's directions/instructions/notes, the ingredient list does not contain ANY vegan cheese shreds, nor the AMOUNT to be used. Depending on how much cheese is actually used, that could have a SUBSTANTIAL impact on the taste & texture and total FAT content in this dish (and, as well, per individual serving); most vegan cheeses are quite high in regular fat (and/or saturated fat; & sodium content as well!). I just wanted to let you know about what I am sure is an inadvertent omission, before I tried to prepare the recipe. Your recipes are ALWAYS spectacularly scrumptious and well-written/photographed! I'm CERTAIN this one is just as wonderful, so I wanted to immediately alert you to this discrepancy before I, and many others, try it. (Incidentally, my mouth is absolutely WATERING just looking at the photos! SERIOUSLY!! I can't WAIT to sit down and GOBBLE IT UP!!!
Vaishali
Hi Daryl, thanks for pointing out! I have added the cheese shreds and updated nutrition info. Thanks so much for the kind words.
Daryl Grant Lindsay
Oh, you're welcome, Vaishali, and thank YOUUUU!!!!! I've been really hungry lately for Mexican-type food, so I'm gonna make this VERY soon!! (Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy....I can't wait!!! Hahaha!) And I have ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT it's gonna be SPLENDIFOROUSLY SPLENDID (I know....I'm crazy overboard...I just can't help myself!) Ya know, darlin', I'm gonna go ahead and give it FIVE STARS in advance, right now....That way, when I actually make it, I'll give it ANOTHER 5 stars....and that will make 10 stars!!! LOLOLOL.