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Somewhere in Texas, decades ago, somebody looked at a bag of Fritos, a pot of chili, and a pile of cheese and said "these should all be 1 thing." That person was correct and deserves a high-five. But then we took this vegan Frito pie recipe across the finish line turning it into a crowd-pleasing casserole, ready to blow up the spot at the next potluck or game-day chill out sesh.
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
Fill it with my instead of my usual chili, which is built on seitan. That one swap is all it takes.
Store-bought cheese sauce plus leftover chili turns this into a dump-and-bake. Freeze extras up to 2 months, minus the garnishes.
Make the quick pickled onions and jalapeños yourself. Vinegar, sugar and salt cost next to nothing compared to a jar.
Pile on the fresh stuff at the end, avocado, pickled onions, cilantro and lime, and go lighter on the cheddar shreds.
Store-bought dairy-free cheese sauce is a totally fine shortcut for the queso, and canned green chiles cover for the hatch ones.
Use a spoonable, not soupy chili so the chips stay crispy.
If the base recipe isn't spicy enough for you, drizzle habanero salsa or chile de arbol salsa over the top right before serving.
Always finish with avocado, cilantro, pickles, and lime after baking so they stay bright and don't lose their flavor in the oven heat.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
The most iconic, albeit mayyyybe trashiest way to eat it is the "walking taco." You split a single-serve Fritos bag right down the middle and eat the whole thing straight from the bag with a fork. No plate. No manners. Just you (a monster), some chili, and a bag of corn chips that is also your bowl.
But hear me out.
Doing the vegan walking tacos thing robs you of what you get from doing this as a casserole- the melty cheese/corn vibe and crispy edges of pure comfort food glory. It's real.
Quick-pickled jalapeño pepper and red onions, fire-roasted hatch chiles, nacho cheese, and vegan cheddar all layered on top of Frito chips and bubbling vegan chili. Serve this up with vegan chiles rellenos, vegan jalapeño poppers, and some calabacitas, and you have an absurdly rad time on your hands, even if sports bore you to death and that was the reason you threw this meal together!
This is SO good and so easy! Even with making the vegan queso! My slightly picky daughter went back for seconds! Definitely will be in our regular rotation.
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this vegan frito pie casserole recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Stop upsetting yourself with food that you are allergic to. This is one of my gluten-free vegan recipes you'll keep coming back to (as long as you don't use chili with seitan in it).
🏈 Picky Non-Vegan Buttheads Love This Too: This casserole serves a crowd without you having to do any math or have a little cry in the kitchen. Bring it to a game day, a potluck, or just share it with the most closed-minded non-veg people (aka your whole family) and watch them instantly turn into nature-loving hippies whose favorite sport is living in a tree and eating mad granola.
Tested and Approved Worldwide: Over 1,000+ home cooks from around the world make my vegan recipes before I post them and not a single one sent me a strongly worded letter. In this economy, that counts as a standing ovation.
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🥧 Vegan Frito Pie Casserole Ingredients
The Chili
I have a crowd favorite vegan chili recipe that happens to normally be served in a hat.
You think I am joking. But I am not the joking type of goose.
The thing is, that recipe has seitan in it. So if making this gluten-free matters to you, you can 100% use my pinto bean chili, or tofu chili instead.
Make the chili from scratch if you can. Grab store-bought if you can't. Either way this casserole is gonna slap.
The Cheese
You can either make this with my vegan nacho cheese sauce or vegan queso. Use either one here, or grab a store-bought dairy-free cheese sauce if you need a shortcut.
Corn
Grab frozen corn, grab fresh corn, do whatever you want with your life. If you're using fresh, cut the kernels off the cob, pop them in a bowl, and massage by hand to break up any connected pieces and remove any husk strings that snuck through. Done. Moving on.
Fire Roasted Hatch Chiles
The small cans from Trader Joe's are exactly what I use here and they are lowkey one of the most useful things in my pantry. They make some fast hatch chile salsa and are great for leveling up your vegan refried beans. Roasted poblanos or canned green chiles work if TJ's isn't an option.
Vegan Cheddar Shreds
The cheddar from my plant-based cheese school is my top pick here and if you know, now you know. If you don't have time to make your own, grab Daiya or any store-bought vegan cheddar shreds you like. As long as it melts we are absolutely in business.
Corn Chips
The Frito Lay Fritos are the OG thing to use in this, but, by golly, they are SO much saltier than they really need to be. I prefer more natural brands like RW Garcia, Snack Day, or Nature's Promise. That's my 2 cents.
Vegan Sour Cream
Please use my vegan sour cream recipe here. It takes barely any time, requires very few simple ingredients, and it is so much better than store-bought options. If you need a shortcut though, Tofutti, Kite Hill, and Forager are the brands I'd recommend for your lazy butt.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make vegan frito pie casserole make
Before you dump an entire bag of Fritos into a baking dish and call it a day, run through these step-by-step instructions so the whole thing actually comes out right. Or skip to the whole recipe card below. You're an adult. I trust you. (Mostly.)
Step One
Brineded by the Light:
In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, garlic, mustard seeds, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved.
Step Two
Pickle Me Elmo:
Add the sliced red onions and jalapeño to the boiling pot of brine. Press them down, making sure the vegetables are completely submerged.
Once the pot returns to a boil, cover it and turn off the heat, letting the pickles steam as they cool in the brine.
Step Three
Big Frito- Queen of the Bounce:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly oil a 12 x 7.5-inch (32 x 19 cm) baking dish. Spread half the Fritos across the bottom in an even layer.
Step Four
Netflix and Chili:
Spread the vegan chili over the chips.
Step Five
Corn to be Wild:
In a medium bowl, stir together the nacho cheese, corn kernels, hatch chiles, and shredded Mexican cheese until combined.
Step Six
Frito Corleone:
Scatter the remaining Fritos over the casserole, spread the cheese and corn mixture evenly on top, then add the diced tomatoes.
Step Seven
Bake to the Future:
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the casserole is heated through and bubbling around the edges.
Step Eight
Are You a Frito the Dark:
Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with the pickled onions and jalapeños, vegan sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
👉Top tips
- Keep Your Chili Thick: Use a spoonable, not soupy chili so the chips stay crispy. Anything like vegan taco soup isn't the right move here (though is is crazy yummy NOT in this setting).
- Kick Up the Heat If You Want: If the base recipe isn't spicy enough for you, drizzle habanero salsa or chile de arbol salsa over the top right before serving. You can also stir a small amount of minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce directly into the hearty chili before layering it in.
- Add Fresh Variety of Toppings at the End: Always finish with avocado, cilantro, pickles, and lime after baking so they stay bright and don't lose their flavor in the oven heat. Some freshness really perks things up flavor, color, and texture-wise.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, original Fritos are vegan. The full ingredient list is corn, corn oil, and salt- like a friggin MOUNTAIN of salt. That's why I tend to make this with natural/organic Frito knock offs from other brands so its not like eating a dang salt lamp.
🧊 Refrigerating: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Keep in mind the Fritos will soften as they sit, so add fresh chips on top when reheating if you want the crunch back at the dinner table.
❄️ Freezing: Let the casserole cool completely, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Freeze for up to 2 months without the garnishes.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating: Add a portion to a skillet over medium-low heat with a small splash of vegetable broth, cover with a lid, and heat until warmed through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
♨️ Oven Reheating: Transfer a portion to an oven-safe dish and reheat at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until warmed through.
✌️You'll love these vegan casseroles too:
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Vegan Frito Pie Casserole Recipe
Equipment
- 12 x 7.5 inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the Pickled Onions & Jalapeños:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup red onions thinly sliced
- 1 large jalapeño thinly sliced
For the Frito Pie Casserole:
- 9.25 ounce bag Fritos corn chips
- 3 cups vegan chili
- 1 cup vegan nacho cheese or vegan queso
- 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 4 oz. canned fire roasted hatch chiles
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds
- ½ cup tomatoes diced
Optional Garnishes:
- 1 cup vegan sour cream
- 1 avocado sliced
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, garlic, mustard seeds, sugar, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Add the sliced red onions and jalapeño to the boiling pot of brine. Press them down, making sure the vegetables are completely submerged. Once the pot returns to a boil, cover it and turn off the heat, letting the pickles steam as they cool in the brine.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly oil a 12 x 7.5-inch (32 x 19 cm.) baking dish. Spread half of the Fritos into the vegan chili over the bottom of the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Spoon the chili over the chips.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the nacho cheese, corn kernels, hatch chiles, and shredded Mexican cheese.
- Add the remaining Fritos and the vegan cheese corn topping to the casserole and scatter the diced tomatoes on top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until heated through and bubbling around the edges.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with the pickled onions and jalapeños, vegan sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Notes
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Tabitha says
This is SO good and so easy! Even with making the vegan queso! My slightly picky daughter went back for seconds! Definitely will be in our regular rotation.
Cathy says
Love a great vegan Haystack that reminds me of Fall Festival and birthday parties.