The Best Vegan Hamburger Helper is easy to make and uses easy-to-find ingredients that you likely already have on hand. Inspired by the cheeseburger flavor, tofu is seasoned and cooked for a beefy-tasting bite, and the pasta is cooked in a cheesy creamy sauce that everyone will love. You won't believe this is vegan!
This dish is comfort food heaven right here! Super cheesy and satisfying, all while being completely dairy-free and meat-free. I found most vegan hamburger helper recipes called for store-bought products such as vegan ground beef and vegan cheese. These products are not only expensive, but they can be difficult to find as not every grocery store carries them, and they are not always the healthiest.
So instead I made my vegan hamburger helper recipe using easy-to-find, affordable ingredients, that you might already have in your kitchen. For the vegan beef, I use extra-firm tofu that is crumbled and seasoned, then dried out in the oven. This makes the tofu super chewy and meaty. For the sauce, it's made using onions, garlic, vegetable broth, plain plant-based milk (such as soy milk or oat milk), nutritional yeast, ketchup, paprika, and salt. You will not believe how cheesy and delicious this sauce is! This recipe takes a little longer to prepare than traditional hamburger helper, but the extra time is just because the tofu needs to bake so it is completely hands-off. This recipe is easy to make and a new fave in my house!
If you are new to making tofu crumbles, you are in for a real treat! This crumbled and baked tofu technique is a fan favorite on my blog. Check out more recipes that use this technique including my Vegan Chorizo Tofu Crumbles, Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles, Vegan Tofu & Beet Ground, Vegan Tofu Bacon Bits, Tofu Bolognese, The Best Ever Vegan Lasagna, The Best Vegan Chili (and there are still even more). Trust me when I say, once you start making tofu crumbles, you will never go back! Hamburger helper has never tasted so good. (And all while saving the animals too)!! Now onto the recipe!
How to Make The Best Vegan Hamburger Helper:
For the Tofu:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan.
Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil together in a large bowl. Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then break off chunks and add them to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the nutritional yeast mix.
Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for about 30 - 35 mins, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. Set aside.
For the Hamburger Helper:
In the meantime, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown.
Add 2 cups veggie broth, the plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, ketchup, paprika, and salt and mix to combine. Add the pasta and stir again. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook covered until the pasta is al dente, stirring as needed, 10 - 15 minutes.
Once the pasta is al dente, add the baked tofu crumbles and stir in.
Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup cold vegetable broth in a small cup. Pour the slurry in with the noodles and tofu and mix. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
If you have leftovers (you won't, haha), allow the pasta to cool then store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently reheat in the microwave.
The best vegan hamburger helper is:
- meaty
- cheesy
- comfort food heaven
- easy to make
What to serve with vegan hamburger helper:
Cheesy Vegan Garlic Bread
Corn Ribs
Garlic Sautéd Green Beans
Quick & Easy Mushroom Bacon
Grilled Butternut Squash
Everything Bagel Cauliflower Steaks
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
The Best Vegan Hamburger Helper
Ingredients
For the Tofu:
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 block (350g/ 12oz) extra-firm tofu
For the Hamburger Helper:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth, divided
- 1 cup plant-based milk, (such as oat or soy)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups uncooked cavatappi pasta (also called scoobi doo), (or other short noodle) (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
For the Tofu:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan.
- Mix nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and olive oil together in a large bowl. Open and drain the tofu (no need to press it), then break off chunks and add them to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the tofu into crumbles. Stir the tofu crumbles well making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated in the nutritional yeast mix.
- Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the pan. Bake for about 30 - 35 mins, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. Set aside.
For the Hamburger Helper:
- In the meantime, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown. Add 2 cups vegetable broth, the plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, ketchup, paprika, and salt and mix to combine. Add the pasta and stir again. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook covered until the pasta is al dente, stirring as needed, 10 - 15 minutes.
- Once the pasta is al dente, add the baked tofu crumbles and stir in.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup cold vegetable broth in a small cup. Pour the slurry in with the noodles and tofu and mix. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
More vegan pasta recipes you might enjoy:
Beth says
Can this be frozen to save for later?
Sam Turnbull says
Pasta usually doesn't freeze super well as it tends to get mushy when thawed again.
Robyn says
Just curious if I could use medium firm tofu for something like this? My other half bought it by accident and needing to use it. Thanks !
Sue says
Do you think mushrooms would be a good substitute for the tofu? If not, what would you suggest? Things like Beyond & Impossible are also a no-go in my house. Thanks so much. I can't wait to try this!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes, mushrooms would be delicious!
Sue says
I thought this was bland. Maybe that's what HH is supposed to be; I never had it. I added some Herbes de Provence and Worcestershire sauce (non vegan 🙁 because that's what was here) to give it a boost. Not sure what I would add if I made it again. Also for the visual, it's CRYING out for something green.
Ashleigh says
Having never had hamburger helper (I don't think it's even a thing here in NZ), I didn't know what to expect, but this is so tasty and easy! I didn't have any tofu on hand so I used plant based mince instead and it turned out great, I'll definitely be making this again!
Thanks, Sam!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Hooray! We're glad you liked it!
Rosemary Y Strobel says
Eggs aren't vegan. Eggs are in pasta, even gluten free.
Eggs hide in "nondairy" foods, too. (especially oat-milk desserts).
Kay says
In the US the majority of boxed pastas, even gluten free, do NOT contain eggs. Only specialty pasta has eggs. I believe, here anyway, it is actually called, "egg pasta, or egg noodles." Vegan Oatmilk desserts should not contain egg. (Sadly they still often contain gluten. grr..)
David says
I can't recall being more excited to try a recipe than this one, it looks so good! And the tofu idea is perfect! Question though, the amount of pasta seems really small. Only a cup and a half? Is that accurate? How many servings does this make? I kind of want to throw the whole box in...
David says
Nevermind on that first comment above. I just had to make this tonight and it was SOOOOO GOOD. I'm keeping this recipe forever. I can't believe how much this recipe really did remind me of my childhood days eating Hamburger Helper (which, of course, I'd never touch now). It's amazing! I will say, from my normal portions, this recipe barely made 2 servings (not 4 as stated). Next time I will at least double the recipe so I can have some leftovers. I didn't want to share with my wife! Haha. So good, thank you!!!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes the recipe is to make 4 servings so if you want to throw that whole box in (I totally get it), just use the + sign on the servings above the ingredients to increase all of the ingredients up to how much uncooked pasta that you use. 🙂