Vegan Frito Pie

This vegan Frito pie recipe is super easy to make and full of flavor. You start this with an easy chili recipe for your base, add vegan cheese and Fritos, bake, and serve. 

Why you'll love this recipe

• This makes a great game day snack or any day dinner
• It's an easy recipe
• You can customize it how you want
• It's great for busy weeknights
• This is a great dish to bring camping for a walking taco.

Ingredients and substitutions

Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

• Onion- I prefer to use white onion or sweet onion, but you can use red onion if you prefer. I love the flavor sauteed onions add, but if you hate onions, feel free to remove them, or in a pinch, you can use onion powder.

• Oil- (olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.) you can use whichever type of oil you like; here, you just need a little bit to cook the onions up; if you don't want to add extra oils, you can just use water.

• Fresh garlic- if you're out of fresh garlic, you can use garlic powder, but I prefer using fresh garlic.

• Impossible burger patties- You can use whatever vegan ground beef you like or vegetable crumbles. If you want something other than faux meat, go ahead and use extra chili beans.

• Cumin gives a nice Mexican flavor; if you're out of it, you can use ground coriander.

• Chili Powder- this is essential for the recipe. I wouldn't sub this out except for maybe taco seasoning.

• Smoked paprika- this brings a very slight smoked flavor to the recipe; if you're out of smoked paprika, you can you regular paprika.

• Cayenne pepper- you can adjust the amount based on how spicy you want this to be. I only like a touch because I have kids that don't love spice.

• Chili beans in sauce- these help with the flavor of the Frito chili pie; I wouldn't sub these out but make sure they are vegan.

• Black beans rinsed- You can add any beans you like here, pinto beans, refried beans, kidney beans, or stick with black beans.

• Corn- I use canned corn for this, but you can use freshly cooked corn if you'd prefer. You can also leave it out if corn isn't your thing, but having a little sweet crunch in the casserole is delicious.

• Tomato sauce- this adds a tomato base to make it chili.

Topping

• Bag of Fritos- Frito chips are basically really thick corn chips; use these over the tortilla chips.

• Vegan cheddar cheese- amounts will vary on how cheesy you want it. You can also use vegan nacho cheese if you rather.

Optional topping-

You can put on a variety of toppings for an extra punch of flavor or eat it as is.

• Guacamole- with anything Mexican, guacamole is a must!

• Vegan sour cream- this tastes great paired with this.

• Salsa- totally optional if you want to add a little kick.

• Green onions- optional topping

• Black olives- olives and Mexican food go hand in hand in my book. But totally optional.

• Squeeze of lime- some people love a little lime wedge with their Mexican food.

• Jalapeno Rings- if you like it spicey.

How to make

Step 1-

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Get a 9x13 casserole dish, grease it with cooking spray, and set aside.

Step 2-

Take a large pan or medium-sized pot on medium-high heat and add some oil and your diced onion; cook, occasionally stirring, for about 5 minutes or until cooked. Then add your garlic and stir, cooking for about 30 seconds.

Step 3-

Add your remaining ingredients except for the Fritos and stir; cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Step 4-

Take your prepared 9x13 pan and place the bean mixture in an even layer, then top with vegan cheese and Fritos covering the top.

Step 5-

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve with toppings if desired.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Only reheat in the oven or air fryer to crisp the Frito chips up again, or use fresh chips.
• You can also cook this up like a bowl of chili without the chips and then just add the chips to each serving.

How to Serve-

This is best served fresh and warm with various toppings listed above.

How to store and freeze

Storing-

Let this cool to room temperature, then place it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

When you want to reheat it, it tastes best in the oven because the Fritos crisp up, but you can microwave it also and add some new chips after microwaving. 

Freezing-

You can freeze the bean mixture but pick the chips off. They will get soggy. To freeze, remove the Fritos, then place the mixture in a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

When you want to cook it, add the bean mixture to a baking dish, place new Fritos on the top, and bake. 

Variations and Ad-ons

• You can also use leftover chili and add Fritos and vegan cheese to it
• Make these "walking tacos" by adding this mixture to an individual-size bag of Fritos.
• You can make a vegan Frito pie dog by taking a vegan hot dog, adding the bean mixture, then crumbling Fritos on it.
• If you like red pepper or any peppers, you can add them and cook them with the onion.

Recipes you may like

• Vegan Taco Pie
• Easy Vegan Tamale Pie
• Vegan Chili
• Vegan Refried Bean Dip

If you loved this recipe, then give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment! I love to chat with you all. Please feel free to share on social media and tag #courtneyshomestead. I would love to see you over on Instagram or Facebook.