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    You are here: Home / Entrees / Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie

    LAST UPDATED: January 28, 2022 • FIRST PUBLISHED: December 15, 2015

    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This vegan tamale pie is made with a mixture of chickpeas, pinto beans and red beans simmered in a spicy tomato sauce and baked up with a crumbly cornbread crust.

    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie

    So, what do vegans eat on Christmas? What does anybody eat on Christmas, for that matter? I think the traditional thing is ham, but does anybody actually eat ham? Growing up in an omnivorous household we never had ham over the holidays, but then again I can't really recall what we did have.

    I've been wondering about this quite a bit lately. I feel like I've got a pretty good grasp on Thanksgiving, and I think that's why Christmas confuses me. It's kind of like, what's left?

    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie

    I've come to the conclusion that any type of hot and cozy food for a crowd works for end-of-year celebrations in my book, and so I made this massive vegan tamale pie.

    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie

    Whether you make this for the holidays or not, you should just make it, because it's really, really good. I've never had a traditional tamale pie, but from what I gather, the base is similar to chili, a cornbread crust is baked on top, and somewhere in there is a bunch of cheese. I initially figured I'd have to load my vegan version up with toppings to make up for the lack of cheese, but that turned out to be totally unnecessary. If you are inclined, feel free to throw on some avocado slices, salsa, guacamole, whatever you're into, but I  didn't feel the need to do that, and I'm normally all about the toppings.

    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie
    Hand with Fork Digging into a Slice of Vegan Tamale Pie on a Plate
    5 from 3 votes
    Print

    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie

    This vegan tamale pie is made with a mixture of chickpeas, pinto beans and red beans simmered in a spicy tomato sauce and baked up with a crumbly cornbread crust.
    Course Entree
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes
    Servings 8
    Calories 474 kcal
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    For the Spicy Three Bean Base

    • 1 tbsp. olive oil
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
    • 1-14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
    • 1-14 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1-14 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1-14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
    • 1 tbsp. ground cumin
    • 2 tsp. ancho chili powder
    • salt and pepper to taste

    For the Cornbread Crust

    • 1 cup cornmeal
    • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
    • 2 tbsp. ground flax seeds
    • 2 tsp. baking powder
    • ¼ tsp. salt
    • 1 ¼ cups unflavored soy or almond milk
    • ⅓ cup olive oil
    • 2-3 scallions chopped

    Instructions

    Make the Spicy Three Bean Base

    1. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil (use a 12 inch oven-safe skillet if you have one) and place over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook another minute.
    2. Add diced and crushed tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, corn, cumin and ancho chili powder. Bring to a simmer and lower heat. Allow to simmer until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    3. If your skillet is not oven safe, lightly oil a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan and transfer mixture to pan. Otherwise, leave the mixture in the skillet for baking.

    Make the Cornbread Crust

    1. When bean mixture is almost finished cooking, preheat oven to 375°.
    2. Stir cornmeal, flour, flax, baking powder and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add milk, olive oil and scallions. Stir just until fully blended. Fold in scallions.
    3. Carefully spread cornbread batter in a thin layer overtop of bean mixture using a large spoon or rubber scraper.
    4. Bake until cornbread crust is firm and bean mixture is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
    Nutrition Facts
    Three Bean Vegan Tamale Pie
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 474 Calories from Fat 174
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 19.3g30%
    Saturated Fat 2.7g14%
    Sodium 737mg31%
    Potassium 764mg22%
    Carbohydrates 65.1g22%
    Fiber 14.2g57%
    Sugar 7.5g8%
    Protein 13.9g28%
    Calcium 170mg17%
    Iron 5.4mg30%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Maca Cookies
    Cranberry Cheesecake & Pistachio Stuffed Vegan French Toast »

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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emma {Emma's Little Kitchen} says

      December 15, 2015 at 5:38 pm

      I'm craving this so much right now, I love tamale pie! We used to make it for an easy and bolstering Christmas eve dinner- it really is a perfect crowd pleaser!

      Reply
    2. Amelia says

      December 16, 2015 at 7:24 am

      Looks so hearty and delicious!

      Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger

      Reply
    3. Rachel @ Fit Foodie Files says

      December 16, 2015 at 8:16 am

      This looks amazing! I'm a long-time follower of your blog (even before I was vegan!) but first-time commenter.
      Any idea how to make this without olive oil? I'm eating a mostly oil-free diet these days, but would still love to try this!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        December 17, 2015 at 8:51 pm

        Thank you! For the base, you could probably skip the initial sauteeing step and just throw everything into the skillet at once. The cornbread might be tricky because it's one of those things that tends to dry out easily. Your best bet might be to work with a recipe that's designed to be oil free. Here's one that I have bookmarked (this site has lots more good oil free recipe too). You might need to increase the batch size by a quarter or so, as it looks like it was designed for a smaller skillet. I'd love to hear how it works if you do give it a try! :)

        Reply
        • Rachel @ Fit Foodie Files says

          December 18, 2015 at 11:02 am

          Thanks so much! I'll definitely give this a try.

          Reply
    4. Susan L. Grant says

      December 20, 2015 at 4:50 pm

      what can I use instead of wheat flour. Have some gluten free folks !!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        December 22, 2015 at 2:46 pm

        I haven't tried this with anything other than wheat flour, but Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten free blend has never done me wrong, so I think that would be a safe bet. Please let me know how it works out if you try it. :)

        Reply
      • Ava Bradley says

        January 07, 2018 at 8:22 am

        5 stars
        I used almond and coconut flours. It turned out delicious.

        Reply
        • Alissa Saenz says

          January 07, 2018 at 8:59 pm

          I'm glad to hear that!!

          Reply
    5. Kirstie says

      December 22, 2015 at 3:21 pm

      Oops! I can see that you already answered this question. Thanks!

      Reply
    6. Desiree McGunagle says

      March 24, 2016 at 9:26 pm

      I just made this using Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour in place of the Wheat Flour and it came out wonderfully! So delicious. I would def recommend that this recipe can be altered to cater to gluten free folks with this simple substitution =)

      Reply
    7. Corey says

      October 25, 2016 at 2:54 pm

      Hi, what can I use instead of ground flaxseed?

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        October 30, 2016 at 5:27 pm

        If you're able to find ground chia, that would work. Otherwise, you could probably get away with omitting it - the cornbread will probably just be a bit on the crumbly side.

        Reply
        • Corey says

          November 02, 2016 at 2:55 pm

          Thanks for the response. I actually ended up using some hemp hearts and it was fantastic. Great recipe, will definitely make again!!

          Reply
          • Alissa Saenz says

            November 03, 2016 at 10:44 pm

            Yay! Glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by to let me know. :)

            Reply
    8. Sharon says

      November 13, 2019 at 4:50 am

      5 stars
      This delicious dish is my go-to for my Thanksgiving dinner. I was going to skip it this year, but my daughter-in-law requested it. I am happy to keep it in permanent rotation!!

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        November 14, 2019 at 8:51 am

        I'm so glad it's a hit! Thanks Sharon, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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