Vegan Chili Cheese Fries that will win everybody over! These also happen to be super healthy, low-fat and oil-free as a bonus, but the flavors would never reveal that.
VEGAN CHILI CHEESE FRIES
Isn’t that an oxymoron? Chili cheese fries can’t possibly be low-fat, can they? If they are made the the vegan 8 way, they can be. These are comfort food, without the guilt or extra lbs. Potatoes are super filling and good for you and so is every other ingredient. So, go on, eat chili cheese fries happily, no shame. This is basically healthy fast food. It takes a little longer than a drive-thru, but certainly worth the health factor and effort.
Funny little story about that adorable little hand there. I was standing on top of my wobbly ottoman to capture this overhead shot (the things we do as bloggers) and I didn’t even realize my daughter was reaching for the fries. I was focused on centering and just didn’t notice it. I did hear her say beneath me, “oh, these aren’t cooked yet”. Haha. When I was editing my photos, I just beamed when I saw this photo. I swear, something that simple made me so happy. Her beautiful little hand. This is probably one of my favorite photos ever now. I know, I’m a total goober, but I’m just being honest. It was unexpected.
HEALTHY VEGAN FAST FOOD
Big sloppy, messy plate of yumminess right there. This is kind of like a fast food type of chili…simple and few ingredients to meet that craving. If you are wanting a full blown chili recipe, be sure to try my Mexican Chili.
This recipe is made for anybody really, as it is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, grain-free and nut-free and extremely low-fat. Just 8 ingredients (+ salt & water).
This recipe is full of protein. Who the heck says you can’t get enough protein on a vegan diet?? That is the biggest misconception out there, not to mention, there is such a thing as too much protein, which can be harmful to your kidneys. Carbs are full of fiber and vitamins and digest way better than protein. There is protein in every plant based food, naturally. Have you ever heard of anybody being protein deficient? Nope. This amazing recipe clocks in at less than 1 g fat per serving and almost 16 g protein!! Yeehaw.
HOW DO YOU MAKE VEGAN CHILI CHEESE FRIES?
First, bake the potatoes and while they are baking, prepare the incredibly simple chili quickly over the stove and then the cheese.
I decided to get a little creative with the cheese part. After you make this yummy chili mixture, you will take part of it and blend that up with some nutritional yeast and lemon juice and it makes the cheese really flavorful. The finished dish is delicious. I really hope you love these vegan chili cheese fries as much as we do!
More Vegan Potato recipes to try:
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Fluffy Buttermilk Vegan Mashed Potatoes
- Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Chickpea Chili
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Healthy Vegan Chili Cheese Fries
Ingredients
- 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (you'll need about 6 cups chopped 1/2 inch fry wedges)
FOR THE CHILI
- 2 small or 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (184g, you will need 1 3/4 cups chopped)
- 1 cup (160g) finely diced white onion
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (+ 2 more teaspoons towards the end of cooking, see directions)
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- Optional: 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- One 15 oz can low-sodium red kidney beans (or 1 1/2 cups 255g cooked)
FOR THE CHEESE
- 1/2 cup of the above cooked chili mixture
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons (32g) raw cashew butter (optional for a thicker/creamier sauce)
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- Vegan sour cream, green onions, parsley, hot sauce (I only added hot sauce and some parsley)
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking. No oil is needed! Rinse (don't peel) and chop your potatoes into 1/2 inch wedges. Spread them out evenly on the pan, being careful not to overlap them. Salt and pepper very generously and bake for 30-35 minutes until very golden brown. I did mine for 34 minutes. Then, for extra crispiness, turn on your broiler for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely.
- To prepare the chili, add all of the ingredients (except the beans and nutritional yeast) listed under "Chili" to a large pan and stir well. Bring to a boil, once it's boiling, turn to medium heat and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times during. At the end of the ten minutes, all of the water should be gone. Mine took exactly 10 minutes.
- While the veggies are cooking, roughly mash the beans with a fork, leaving some whole. After the 10 minutes is up for the veggies, add the beans and another 1/2 cup of water, 2 teaspoons chili powder and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. Adding these at the 2nd part of cooking enhances the flavor, since you are adding more water. Heat through just until thickened. Turn off the heat. Taste and add any more salt or seasoning. I didn't add anything extra. If you want your chili more soupy, add more water, but you may need more spice then. I like mine chunky.
- To make the cheese, add 1/2 cup of the above chili mixture to a food processor with the remaining "cheese" ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. I didn't add anything else.
- Serve the chili over the fries and drizzle some cheese on top. I then added a bit of parsley on top, although I will do green onions next time. Add vegan sour cream, tomatoes or any other toppings you like. I added some hot sauce and oh boy, it took it over the top!
Ok…I just made these. Please tell me how to stop eating them! THANKYOU SO MUCH!! Yummmmmm…….
Yay! So very happy you loved these, thank you so much for the feedback!
Whoa, these are amazing! I love every single one of your recipes I’ve tried, and I’ve made many of them. Every time I think you’re such a genius for getting everything so perfect, healthy, simple, and just 8 ingredients. I recently made the one pot dirty quinoa and rice and the smoky sweet potato chickpea burgers. Love both of those as well! Thank you for never disappointing! The Vegan 8 is where I always turn to for 99% of what I eat. ❤️
You are so sweet Jessica, thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful feedback! I really appreciate it!
Thank you so much for this recipe! We just started a low fat vegan diet TOGETHER with hubby and he was so impressed with this dish, which says a lot to me! Of course I inhaled it and will keep it on the repeat list weekly. I garnished with tomatoes and scallions and hot sauce like you suggested and it was mouthwatering! Ive said it before and I’ll say it again, your website rocks!
I have celiac and react to nutritional yeast as if it had gluten.
Can you please recommend a substitution?
Hi Tess! Hmm, there isn’t really a substitute for nutritional yeast in this, it is what gives the cheesy flavor and depth of flavor and thickens up the sauce some. It’s going to look and taste completely different without it. I do make a cheese sauce now with apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar and cashews (new recipe), so you could try that instead. I would add some cashew butter, a little apple cider vinegar and maybe some lemon juice and extra salt. You will have to just adjust it to your tastes…really hard to tell you without testing it other than the way it is written. You can easily make the chili part with the nutritional yeast, just maybe add more spice if needed and salt. It would probably be easier to find a cheese sauce without yeast to add on top though. Or use storebought?
AMAZING!!!!!!! I made these tonight and Oh My…..my go to for vegan chili fries for sure…..thank you for these amazing recipes!!
That makes me so happy to hear Debra!! Thank you so much for making them and the wonderful feedback!!
I have recently discovered your recipes and have tried several. This one look delicious! Do you use the liquid from the beans?
This is yet another one of your amazing recipes! Love, love, love it! Making it for the 3rd time in the past couple months tonight
Yay! So happy to hear you loved it Josie, thank you for the review!
The fries were perfectly crispy and so delicious slathered in the chili and cheese–thanks for another fantastic recipe!!
Thank you so much Penny for this amazing review! So happy you loved these!
Wow! All 6 loved it!! That is a tall order in our family!!! Thank you!!!!
Yay!! Thrilled to hear that!!
I can’t believe I haven’t tried these yet they were so delicious, thank you!!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved them!
Whole family loved the chilli cheese fries. I like the simplicity of the recipe. We sprinkled cilantro and chopped green onion on top. We are eating sos free, even with no salt, the recipe is great.
Whole family loved the chili cheese fries. I like the simplicity of the recipe. We sprinkled cilantro and chopped green onion on top. We are eating sos free, even with no salt, the recipe is great.
So awesome to hear that Lori, thank you so much for making them!
Made it without added salt and it was still delicious! Brandi really has a knack for making really creamy sauces with healthy ingredients. The flavor and the texture were incredible. I topped mine with green onions, tomatoes, and hot sauce. Although the raw cashew butter is optional, I decided to buy some and try it with this recipe. I am all for creamy, but raw cashew butter is apparently pretty pricey ($17 for 16 oz jar, compared to regular cashew butter at $9 for 16 oz jar). The recipe didn’t use much, so I still have plenty for future repeats, and raw is healthier than roasted anyway. I’m adding this recipe to my list of favorites which so far is everything I’ve tried from The Vegan 8. Thank you, Brandi!
So very happy to hear you loved these! They looked amazing on IG! Oh, I make my own cashew butter, so much cheaper! Here is the link: https://thevegan8.com/how-to-make-cashew-butter/
Oh I wish I would have seen this sooner…haha. Oh well, for next time! That one does seem wayyyy more affordable and still easy! Thank you 🙂
I LOVE these fries! They don’t taste low fat at all. I subbed tahini because I didn’t have any cashew butter and always have tahini in the fridge. It works great for savory meals! To think before going vegan, I never even tried chili cheese fries…the ‘chili’ never looked appetizing. But now that I love beans, this was a must try and of course, tastes amazing. It is a perfect dinner all on its own!