Vegan Pot Pies

What’s So Wonderful About This Vegan Pot Pie Recipe

• Perfect for making ahead. If you’re making vegetable pot pies as a vegan main dish for Thanksgiving, you can prepare these in advance so they’re ready to pop into the oven on the big day.
• They couldn’t be easier. Aside from the ramekins used for baking, this vegan pot pie is a one-pot deal, which means cleanup is a breeze. Using a pre-made pastry dough for the crust also shaves off your prep time, without sacrificing flavor.
• Comfort food goodness. If you’re craving a comfort food meal, it doesn’t get much more cozy than this vegan pot pie recipe! Just add a side of fluffy vegan dinner rolls.

Notes on Ingredients

This is an overview of what you’ll need to make this homemade pot pie. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for the full printable recipe with amounts.

• Vegan butter – I prefer the rich flavor of a plant-based butter, but you can use olive oil instead if you don’t have butter on hand.
• Onion, carrots, and celery – Essential aromatics that build the flavour in the filling. A yellow or white onion is perfect, or try switching things up by using two shallots. Rainbow carrots can add a fun pop of color to the recipe.
• Sliced mushrooms – Use cremini or white mushrooms.
• Fresh herbs – Minced garlic and fresh thyme. Fresh rosemary or sage can be used instead of or in addition to the thyme.
• Gluten-free flour – Use all-purpose flour if you’re not on a gluten-free diet.
• Vegetable broth – Store-bought or homemade.
• Frozen peas – Not a fan of peas? Omit them or use white beans instead.
• Gluten-free puff pastry – This can be regular phyllo dough, gluten-free phyllo dough (also known as filo dough), or gluten-free vegan pie crust. You can make homemade phyllo if you’re feeling adventurous. Of course, if you’re not on a gluten-free diet, use any type of pastry dough you like.

How to Make Vegan Pot Pie

• Prepare for baking. Preheat your oven to 375ºF and set out three ramekins.
• Sauté the vegetables. Melt the vegan butter in a pan over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and thyme. Cook until onions are translucent and the carrots have softened, which should take about 8 minutes.
• Make the sauce. Add flour and stir to coat the veggies. Keep cooking until the flour has browned a bit, then pour in the broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

• Finish the filling. Add the peas to the filling, stir, and remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste.
• Assemble the pot pies. Pour the filling into the ramekins and top with a piece of phyllo, pie crust, or puff pastry dough cut to size.
• Bake. Bake the pot pies for 30 minutes, keeping a close eye on the tops to make sure they don’t brown too quickly. If they do, cover them with foil.
• Broil the top. Broil the pot pies on low for a few minutes to make the crust crispy and browned. Remove the ramekins from the oven, allow them to cool for a few minutes, then serve.

Make It Ahead

You can make this vegan pot pie recipe up to 3 days in advance to reheat when it’s time to serve. For best results, I recommend making the filling and refrigerating it; then, when you’re ready to bake the pot pies, you can top them with the pastry. This keeps the top from getting soggy.

Recipe Tips

• Add some vents. Use a sharp knife to cut some vents into the pastry topping before you put the pot pies in the oven. This allows steam to escape.
• Deglaze the pan. This is entirely optional, but you can pour a splash of dry white wine into the pan to deglaze it after the flour has browned. The wine itself adds flavor, and it also loosens all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, giving the sauce more depth.
• Place your oven rack in the middle position. This will keep the top crust from burning!

What Else Can I Add to This Pot Pie Recipe?

A classic pot pie is the perfect canvas for your favourite recipe variations! Here are some ideas for switching things up:

• Add different vegetables. Try diced butternut squash, potatoes (sweet or not!), broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, or anything that strikes your fancy.
• Make it cheesy. If you want the sauce to have some cheesy flavor, add nutritional yeast to taste or fold in your favorite meltable plant-based cheese.
• Make it meaty. A plant-based sausage would be an amazing addition to this vegan pot pie recipe. Just crumble it up and fold it in with the peas.

What to Serve With Vegan Pot Pie

Vegan pot pie is a delicious one-dish meal on its own. But, if I do pair it with a side, I love a light vegan Caesar salad with coconut bacon or crunchy kale cabbage slaw.

These mini pot pies are one of my favourite vegan Thanksgiving mains. Serve them with holiday sides like mashed cauliflower, caramelized maple roasted Brussels sprouts, and vegan green bean casserole. Don’t forget a slice of vegan pumpkin pie for dessert!

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerate. Store any leftover vegan pot pie in the refrigerator, covering the top with foil.
• Reheat. I like to remove the crust, reheat the rest of the pie in the microwave, then reheat the crust for the last 10-20 seconds to keep it crispy. Alternatively, you could reheat it in your oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes.
• Freeze. Once they’ve cooled, wrap the pies tightly with a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Pop them in the freezer for up to two months. You can bake the pot pies from frozen at 350ºF for 40-60 minutes.

More Vegan Main Dishes

• Stromboli Recipe
• Vegan Turkey
• Vegan Wellington
• Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
• Vegan Meatloaf (Thanksgiving Main Dish)