My vegan tamale pie features a hearty, Southwestern-spiced three-bean filling topped with a golden, crumbly cornbread crust. It’s the ultimate all-in-one comfort food and perfect for feeding a crowd!
One of my favorite comfort food meals is a big bowl of vegan chili with a side of vegan cornbread. Or maybe vegan corn muffins. Either way, it’s hard to beat that combo. So I was pretty delighted to discover a dish that basically combines chili and cornbread into one delicious, comforting casserole. Friends, let me introduce you to tamale pie.
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Tamale pie is a skillet casserole made with a base of chili (or something very close to it) topped with a golden cornbread crust. It’s baked up all in one pan to create the ultimate cozy, hearty meal. Traditional tamale pie, as you might guess, is made with meat-based chili. But that's totally not necessary! Beans do the job just as well. With that in mind, I created an absolutely killer vegan tamale pie. And this meal is so hearty and satisfying, I’m convinced it’ll be just as big a hit with omnivores as it is with the vegans.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. You can use another neutral high-heat oil if you'd like.
- Onion.
- Red bell pepper.
- Garlic.
- Spices. We're using chili powder, ground cumin, and ancho chile powder. Most stores carry them all in the spice aisle.
- Beans. You'll need three cans of beans. The recipe calls for black beans, chickpeas, and red kidney beans. You could really use whatever beans you have on hand, though, even if it's three cans of the same variety. Pinto beans, lentils, butter beans, and cannellini beans are all great options.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Canned tomato sauce.
- Frozen corn.
- Salt and pepper.
- All-purpose flour. I've also successfully made the crust with whole wheat pastry flour, so use that if you'd like.
- Cornmeal.
- Sugar. We're using organic granulated sugar, since we know it's vegan. Non-organic sugar is often bleached using animal bone char.
- Baking powder.
- Non-dairy milk. Soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk are all fine options, among others. Read my guide to dairy-free milks if you need help choosing.
- Toppings. I like to top my pie with some chopped fresh cilantro, scallions, and cashew cream. Other options include hot sauce, salsa, vegan sour cream, or sliced avocado.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Cook the onion and pepper. Heat your olive oil in a skillet, then add the onion and pepper. Cook them for a few minutes, to get them softened up.
Add garlic and spices. Stir in minced garlic, along with all of your spices. Cook the mixture briefly, stirring the whole time to prevent burning.
Tip: If you have a large oven-safe skillet, use it. This will allow you to go straight from the stovetop to the oven. If not, just transfer your filling to a baking dish when it's done.
Simmer the filling. Add your beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Let the filling simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit.
Finish the filling. Take the skillet off the heat, stir in the corn, then season it with some salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: To easily thaw your frozen corn, place it in a bowl and add hot water. Let it sit while the filling cooks, then drain it before adding it.
Preheat the oven. Set it to 375°F to let it start heating up while you make the crust.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk your flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the wet ingredients. Stir in the milk and oil, just until the batter is thoroughly mixed. Don't overdo it!
Finish and bake. Spread the batter in an even layer over the filling. Pop the pie into the oven and bake it until the filling is bubbly and the crust is set.
Serve. Let the pie sit for a few minutes. It'll cool and finish setting while it rests. Then you can divide it onto plates and dig in!
Variations
- Cheesy vegan tamale pie. Sprinkle a layer of shredded vegan cheese over the filling before topping it with the cornbread batter.
- Corny cornbread crust. Stir some fresh or frozen corn kernels into the crust batter.
- High-protein option. Replace one or two cans of beans with some crumbled tofu, tempeh, minced seitan, or store-bought meatless crumbles.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven't tried, but I think you could replace the flour with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
It's flavorful, but in terms of heat, pretty mild. If you'd like a spicier version, add some cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce.
If you're comfortable leaving it in the original baking vessel, do that, cover it in plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to three days. I do this — my cast iron skillet is very well seasoned! Otherwise, transfer individual portions to airtight containers and store them in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Three-Bean Tamale Pie
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Cornbread Crust
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- â…“ cup olive oil
For Serving
- Vegan sour cream or cashew cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped scallions
Instructions
Make the Spicy Three Bean Base
- Coat the bottom of a large (about 12-inch) skillet with the olive oil and place it over medium heat (Note 1). Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook them while stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and ancho chile powder. Cook the mixture while stirring constantly for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Stir in the black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, until thickened slightly.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the corn, then season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the Cornbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk and oil, then stir just until the batter is completely mixed.
Assemble and Bake
- Carefully spread the cornbread batter in a thin layer over the bean mixture using a large spoon or spatula.
- Bake until the cornbread crust is firm and the bean mixture is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and allow the tamale pie to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- Divide onto plates or into bowls and serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
- If you don't have a large oven-safe skillet, make the filling in any large skillet. Transfer it to a 3-quart baking dish when it's finished, before topping it with the cornbread batter. A 9 x 13 inch pan works great.
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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!!
I'm so glad it's a hit! Thanks Sharon, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi, what can I use instead of ground flaxseed?
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.
Thanks for the response. I actually ended up using some hemp hearts and it was fantastic. Great recipe, will definitely make again!!
Yay! Glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by to let me know. :)
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 =)
Oops! I can see that you already answered this question. Thanks!
what can I use instead of wheat flour. Have some gluten free folks !!
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. :)
I used almond and coconut flours. It turned out delicious.
I'm glad to hear that!!
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!
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! :)
Thanks so much! I'll definitely give this a try.
Looks so hearty and delicious!
Nourishing Amelia | Food, Health and Lifestyle Blogger
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!