During mitochondrial dysfunction or the accumulation of unfolded proteins within mitochondria, cells employ a transcriptional response known as the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR^mt) to promote cell survival along with the repair and recovery of defective mitochondria. Considerable progress has been made in understanding how cells monitor mitochondrial function and activate the response, as well as in identifying scenarios where the UPR^mt plays a protective role, such as during bacterial infection, hematopoietic stem cell maintenance, or general aging. To date, much of the focus has been on the role of the UPR^mt in maintaining or re-establishing protein homeostasis within mitochondria by transcriptionally inducing mitochondrial molecular chaperone and protease genes. In this review, we focus on the metabolic adaptations or rewiring mediated by the UPR^mt and how this may contribute to the resolution of mitochondrial unfolded protein stress and cell-type-specific physiology.