Vegan Pot Pies
These Vegan Pot Pies are hearty, filling, and packed with loads of veggies. Comfort food goodness in less than an hour!
Plant-based Thanksgiving recipes aren’t easy to come by, but this Vegan Pot Pie is the perfect entree for all the vegans and vegetarians at the table. They’re also easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dinner, so you can enjoy hearty vegetable pot pies all year long! Since they can be customized with your favorite vegetables and add-ins (more on that below!), everyone is guaranteed to love them.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Pot Pies
- 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.
- Easy to make. Aside from the ramekins used for baking, this Vegan Pot Pie recipe 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!
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
- 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 – A yellow or white onion is perfect, or try switching things up by using two shallots.
- Carrots – Rainbow carrots can add a fun pop of color to the recipe.
- Celery
- Sliced mushrooms – Use cremini or white mushrooms.
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme – Fresh rosemary or sage can be used instead 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.
- Salt & pepper
- Frozen peas – Not a pea fan? You can use white beans instead.
- Regular phyllo dough or gluten free phyllo dough (also known as filo dough), gluten free vegan pie crust, or gluten free puff pastry – You can buy gluten free phyllo or you can make 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.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE HOW IT’S MADE:
How to Make Vegan Pot Pie
- Prepare. 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 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.
Can I Make This in Advance?
Yes, you can make Vegan Pot Pies up to 3 days in advance, then reheat them. 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.
Tips for Success
- 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!
Add-In Ideas
Use this Vegan Pot Pie recipe as a template for comfort food deliciousness! 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 these Vegan Pot Pies. Just crumble it up and fold it in with the peas.
Serving Suggestions
The fabulous thing about Vegan Pot Pies is that they’re pretty much a one-dish meal! If you want to pair them with a side, I suggest a light salad: Vegan Caesar with Coconut Bacon or Kale Cabbage Slaw would be perfect.
Making Vegan Pot Pies for Thanksgiving? Serve them with Vegan Mashed Cauliflower, Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Vegan Green Bean Casserole. Don’t forget Vegan Pumpkin Pie for dessert!
How to Store and Reheat Pot Pie
Store Vegan Pot Pies in the refrigerator, covering the tops with foil. 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.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes, Vegan Pot Pies can be frozen. Once they’ve cooled, wrap them tightly with a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Pop them in the freezer for up to two months. To reheat, thaw the pies in the refrigerator, then bake them at 350ºF for 10 minutes, or until warmed through, or bake them for 40 to 60 minutes if they’re still frozen.
More Vegan Main Dishes
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan pot pie recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Pot Pies
Ingredients
Vegan Pot Pies
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 small onion
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 stalks fresh thyme
- ¼ cup flour, or gluten free flour
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
To Top
- Phyllo dough, or if gluten free, Gluten free Fillo dough, gluten free vegan pie crust or gluten free puff pastry
Instructions
Vegan Pot Pies
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Set aside 3 ramekins.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt vegan butter.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic and thyme and stir. Allow to sauté until onions are translucent and carrots have softened a bit about 8 minutes.
- Add in the flour and mix to coat veggies. I like to set mine set about 2 minutes to brown a bit.
- Add the vegetable broth and salt and pepper to taste (just a pinch, taste test later on).
- Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for about 5 minutes to soften the rest of the vegetables. Add in the frozen peas, stir and remove from heat. Taste test and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Pour mixture into medium sized ramekins and top with filo or dough.
- Bake for 30 minutes, watching tops to see if burning. If starting to brown, cover with foil.
- Broil on low for a few minutes to brown topping. Remove, allow to cool slightly, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Here’s a recipe for gluten free filo dough
- You can store these by placing them in the fridge, covered or uncovered with foil. You can reheat by removing topping, microwaving, and them putting on topping and microwaving that for 10-20 seconds. Alternatively, you can reheat in the oven at 350°F/180°C for 10 minutes.
- You can make Vegan Pot Pies up to 3 days in advance, then reheat them. 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.
- These pot pies can also be frozen. Once they’ve cooled, wrap them tightly with a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of foil. Pop them in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw the pies in the refrigerator, then bake them at 350ºF for 10 minutes, or until warmed through, or bake them for 40 to 60 minutes if they’re still frozen.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I made these for Thanksgiving along with another main and these were a hit!!! I didn’t change anything and used organic vegan pie dough. Was the bomb! Thank you so much. So easy to make so this will be a staple item for this household. Thanks, Jessica.
When do you put the filo on top?
Hi Lindsey,
Right before baking!!
Just had this, my wife and I prepped it together and ate it together. Was super simple and tasted amazing. Only changes we made was dropping the shrooms and adding asparagus, leeks and turnip. Thanks a million for putting this online you rock!!!
I like my pot pies with a crust. Do you think prebaking your pie crust recipe in a few small anchor hawking dishes would work? Then add the filling and top with more dough would work? Or maybe using the pie crust like a pastie?
Hi Jenn!
oh that sounds yummy! I think that could work since the crust is meant for a heavy weight. Just ensure you don’t make it too thin! I would definitely pre-bake first, then add filling, then top with more dough, then bake!
I see they food you make becoming a vegan is hard at times making cream without the milk .
Hi Cynthia,
Do you mean the roux? It would’ve been the same process even if we weren’t vegan! Being vegan isn’t hard at times with this at all! If you want to use a cream substitute, you can use coconut milk!
Hi Caroline,
It’s vegetable broth like in a carton! I hope that helps and that your son’s girlfriend enjoys!! I’m always here if you need more help.
I’ve made these twice now. They are soooo good and easy to make. My boyfriend loves them. The second time I made these, I used your pie crust recipe instead of filo dough (they were all out at the store), and it was magical. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Aww I am SO happy to hear that Samantha! You’re so welcome, and thanks so much for your comment!
Love this recipe! Easy and flavourful. Any tips for adding some extra protein? Thanks. Love your blog/instagram! You were a big part of me getting excited about vegan food.
Hi Emile! Thanks so much adding cooked Lentils is a great way to add more protein. Even shredded soy curls.
How big are these ramekins?
Hi Jill,
Anywhere between 8oz and 14 oz works!