When you're looking for a hearty meal that satisfies, this vegan chili mac is the perfect dish. Packed with protein and fiber, it's a filling meal that everyone will love. And best of all, it can be made in an Instant Pot for quick and easy prep.

This easy vegan chili mac is adapted from our most popular chili recipe. With just a few simple tweaks including the addition of macaroni pasta and vegan cheese, it's a delicious and satisfying meal that will please even the pickiest of eaters.

A serving of chunky vegan chili mac topped with shredded cheese.

Vegan Chili Mac 2 Ways

Choose between an extra rich, omnivore-friendly version using store-bought vegan "beef" or lighten it up with crumbled tofu for a whole-food version. Also, choose between store-bought vegan cheese or the oil-free cheesy sauce included in the recipe.

Vegan chili mac can be cooked on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot for a truly easy meal that can be made both gluten free and oil free.

Why You'll Love It

We're BIG chili fans in our house, and this 45-Minute Lentil Chili is our go-to. It's quickly becoming a go-to for many of you, too, which makes me so happy!

Because it's so popular I wanted to use the basic chili recipe and adapt it to make into another great recipe your whole family will love.

To do that we're taking those delicious chili seasonings and adding:

pasta (yes, please!)
a beefy element, either store-bought vegan beef or crumbled tofu...
OR try this homemade plant-based ground beef made with soy curls (WFPB)!
and cheese, either store-bought shredded vegan cheese or a homemade cheesy sauce!

This recipe makes a large amount making it a great choice to serve to a crowd or to use as yummy leftovers all week long. Just like chili, the flavors develop and are even better the next day.

There are also two ways you can cook this dish. For you Instant Pot users out there, you'll love this hands off, "dump-and-go" recipe.

close up of beefy chili mac and cheese in a bowl.

Ingredients and Equipment

This is a summary to help you get started; scroll down for the full recipe.

First, decide which version to make, tofu or beefy. Next, decide on a cheesy element, whole-food cheesy sauce or store-bought vegan cheese.

Gather up your ingredients and equipment. If you own an Instant Pot I recommend using it for this chili mac because it's soooo easy! Otherwise, locate a heavy-bottomed stock pot.

If making the cheesy sauce you'll also need a blender.

ingredients laid out on a large baking sheet.

How to Make Vegan Chili Mac

Instant Pot Instructions

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My all-time favorite Instant Pot recipes are the dump-and-go style, like this red lentil curry and millet with soy curls. And that's exactly what we're doing for today's recipe!

Simply chop the veggies, measure out the spices, and crumble the tofu or vegan beef (see photo below for tofu example). Put everything except the beans and cheese/cheese sauce in the Instant Pot, and give it a good stir.
Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
If you're making the cheesy sauce, blend that while the IP is doing its thing.
After carefully removing the lid, stir in the cheesy sauce (or shredded cheese) and the beans. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve.

tofu crumbled into Instant Pot. — Crumble the tofu into fairly small pieces. If using vegan beef, break it into chunks about the diameter of a quarter or smaller.

adding all chili mac ingredients to the Instant Pot.

Stovetop Instructions

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeño and mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Crumble the tofu or vegan beef into the pot, and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spices and seasonings to the pot - chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, tamari, salt, black pepper - and give it a good stir.
Immediately add the tomatoes, broth, and beans, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes.
If making the blended cheese sauce, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. When the chili mac is done, stir in the cheesy sauce (or shredded cheese). Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

close up of chunky and meaty vegetarian chili mac in a white bowl.

Serving Suggestions

Even though this vegan chili mac is basically a full meal on its own, that never stopped me from wanting cornbread! Here are a few delicious options:

Chili mac also tastes great topped with diced avocado, sliced black olives, or vegan yogurt or sour cream.

For a fresh element a simple side salad or creamy kale salad pairs perfectly.

A few more vegan serving ideas for your chili mac include:

Add a scoop to the top of your taco salad to make it extra hearty and filling.
Serve over a bed of rice, quinoa, or roasted potatoes.
Spoon some chili mac on top of a baked sweet potato.
Use it as a dip for corn chips, veggie sticks, or crackers.

The options are endless! I hope you enjoy this hearty vegan chili mac recipe. If you make it, let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment and rating below.

Storage

Stove leftover chili mac and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Freezing is not recommended.

More Vegan Comfort Food

Interested in a super cheesy vegan hamburger helper type of dish?

Add your vegan meat of choice to this award-winning vegan mac and cheese or this nut-free vegan mac and cheese.

Recipe

thick chili mac in a white bowl topped with shredded vegan cheese

Vegan Chili Mac (Instant Pot Option)

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Super meaty and flavorful vegan chili mac is easy to prepare and so versatile! Try it with tofu for a whole-food version or with store-bought vegan "beef" for an ultimate, beefy chili mac that will please even hardcore meat eaters. Vegan with gluten-free and oil-free options.

5 from 9 votes

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

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Equipment

pasta/soup pot - optional
6-quart instant pot - optional
high-speed blender - optional

Ingredients

For the chili:

1 large onion, chopped
2 large jalapenos (remove seeds for mild spice level), diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced or roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces super firm tofu (oil-free option) OR vegan "beef" such as Beyond or Impossible
3 tablespoons chili powder - the spice blend, not pure chile pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
½ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - Use more for tofu version, less for Beyond/Impossible version as they are already salted.
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28 oz.) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth or "beef" flavored vegan broth
1 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
8 ounces dry macaroni pasta (half of a standard package) - Sub whole-grain or gluten-free, if desired. See Notes.
1 (15 oz.) can cooked kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz.) can cooked black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ to 2 cups shredded vegan cheese, optional - For oil-free option, omit and use cheesy sauce listed below.

Optional cheesy sauce:

½ cup raw walnuts or cashews
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons white or chickpea miso - If can't find miso, sub salt, to taste.
⅔ cup water

Instructions

Instant Pot instructions:

Using a 6 quart or larger Instant Pot, add everything EXCEPT the beans and cheese/cheese sauce to the Instant Pot. Stir very well.
Lock on the lid and set to sealing (if applicable for your IP model). Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure because of the large volume of food.
If making the cheesy sauce, combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
After the 4 minutes of high pressure cooking are done, carefully quick release the pressure. Remove the lid, stir in the cheesy sauce (or shredded cheese) and the beans. Let stand for a few minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.

Stovetop instructions:

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapeño and mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Crumble the tofu or vegan beef into the pot (beef chunks can be about the size of a nickel or quarter; tofu should be slightly smaller; see photo in post for reference). Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the spices and seasonings - chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, tamari, salt (1 teaspoon for tofu, about ½ teaspoon for pre-seasoned vegan beef), and black pepper. Stir well, then add tomatoes, broth, liquid smoke, if using, and beans. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and stir. Return to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes.
If making the cheese sauce, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. When the chili mac is done, stir in the cheesy sauce or shredded vegan cheese. Remove pot from heat, let stand 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Notes

Cook time for various pastas in the Instant Pot:

Regular macaroni noodles cook in the Instant Pot in the specified time, but if using a whole-grain or special gluten-free pasta that takes longer to cook, you may want to increase Instant Pot cook time by 1 minute.

Gluten-Free:

Use your favorite GF pasta and be sure to check labels to ensure gluten-free for the following ingredients: tamari, miso, and vegan beef and cheese. *Beyond Beef is gluten-free, as is Miso Masters white miso.

Storage:

Stove leftover chili mac in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Freezing not recommended because of the pasta.