This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate healthy comfort food dish! It’s made with hearty mushrooms and lentils, then topped with a layer of garlicky mashed potatoes.

Serving of Vegan Shepherd's Pie on white plate with fork

Say hello to a brilliant main dish, perfect for Thanksgiving, perfect for Christmas, and perfect for an everyday dinner. Make this Shepherd’s Pie for a crowd or make it for a weeknight meal, but whatever you do, don’t expect many leftovers! I mean, it’s topped with creamy mashed potatoes that are browned and crisped to perfection—how could you not help yourself to seconds?!

I should also mention that this recipe is ridiculously easy to make. You’ll cook everything down at the same time for the filling, pour it into the dish, top it with garlicky mashed potatoes, then bake it to crispy-edged perfection.

Of course, no one’s too concerned about nutrition when it comes to the holidays, but this is one of those rare dishes that manages to tick all those comfort food boxes while also packing in a lot of nutrition. Protein galore, beta carotene, and fibre (extra if you use coconut flour/quinoa flour).

Basically what I’m saying is, you need to make this.

Overhead shot of Vegan Shepherd's Pie ingredients

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 or olive oil – Here’s how to make your own vegan butter.
  • Mushrooms – You can use your standard white mushrooms, cremini, or portobellos for more meatiness.
  • Carrots
  • Garlic
  • Onion – A yellow or white onion will work.
  • Celery
  • Fresh thyme – Or use a smaller amount of dried thyme.
  • Gluten-free flour – Swap in all-purpose flour if you’re not on a gluten-free diet.
  • Vegetable broth – Here’s how to make your own.
  • Fresh or frozen peas – Not a big fan of peas? You can omit them!
  • Cooked lentils – You can use brown lentils, but a puy lentil holds up especially well in a casserole if you can find them.
  • Sea salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Best Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes

How to Make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

If you’re making this for Thanksgiving it’s pretty ideal: make the lentils in advance (or use canned lentils), then make a double batch of mashed potatoes and use the extra batch to top your Shepherd’s Pie.

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 400ºF/200ºF. Have the lentils and mashed potatoes cooked and ready to use.

  • Overhead shot of vegetables in Dutch oven before cooking
  • Overhead shot of vegetables being cooked in Dutch oven

Start the vegetable filling. Heat the vegan butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, onion, celery and thyme, then give them all a good stir. Cook until the onion is translucent and veggies are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  • Stirring flour into Shepherd's Pie filling in Dutch oven
  • Pouring stock into Vegan Shepherd's Pie filling in Dutch oven
  • Overhead shot of Shepherd's Pie filling being cooked in large Dutch oven with wooden spoon
  • Overhead shot of Shepherd's Pie ingredients in large Dutch oven

Finish the vegetable filling. Add the flour to the skillet, and stir to coat all the vegetables evenly. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat, or until the mixture thickens a bit. Remove the skillet from the stovetop and fold in the lentils and peas. Season to taste, again, with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

  • Overhead shot of Vegan Shepherd's Pie filling in dish
  • Overhead shot of Shepherd's Pie before baking with gold spoon and thyme sprigs in background

Assemble. Pour the vegetable filling into a casserole dish and spread the mashed potatoes over the top. If you want to gussy it up, you can use the tines of a fork to make swirls and designs in the potatoes, or pipe the potatoes over the veggies.

Overhead view of Shepherd's Pie in dish before serving with plates, forks, and garnishes

Cook. Bake the Shepherd’s Pie for 15 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil on low until the topping is golden brown. Cool slightly, then serve.

Tips for Success

Here’s how to make sure this recipe turns out perfect every time.

  • Smooth mashed potatoes are key. The thing that makes Shepherd’s Pie such a delight is the contrast in textures. Lumpy mashed potatoes just won’t cut it! They need to be smooth and ethereal; perfectly spreadable!
  • Cook the lentils a little less than you think. Brown lentils have a tendency to break down if they’re over-cooked, so keep a close eye on them. As soon as they’re tender enough to eat, remove them from the heat and drain them.
  • Make it your own. You can use mashed sweet potatoes or mashed cauliflower as a topping, add green beans, replace the lentils with crumbled tempeh—the world is your oyster! Shepherd’s Pie is pretty versatile.
Shepherd's Pie in serving dish with a portion removed to show filling

How to Store Leftovers

Store any extra Shepherd’s Pie wrapped in the baking dish if you have a lot of leftovers (that’s doubtful!), or transfer the leftovers to an airtight storage container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can reheat leftovers in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC (the amount of time will vary depending on how much you’re warming up) or in the microwave until warmed through.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Yes, this is a recipe that freezes quite well! You can freeze the entire casserole for later, or freeze your leftovers. Wrap the Shepherd’s Pie tightly or transfer it to an airtight container, then freeze for up to 2 months.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie in dish with one serving removed and plated

Enjoy friends! If you make this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, 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!

P.S. Here are some of the items I used to make this recipe if you’d like to use them too:

| WHAT YOU’LL NEED // SHOP MY FAVORITE INGREDIENTS & PREP PRODUCTS |

MORE AMAZING VEGAN THANKSGIVING RECIPES

Best Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Caramelised Onions

Vegan Meatloaf (with Chickpeas & Lentils)

Overhead view of Vegan Shepherd's Pie in serving dish with serving spoon

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 32 mins
Total Time: 42 mins
This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate healthy comfort dish! It’s made with mushrooms and lentils, is very filling and is so incredibly easy to make!
5 (from 9 ratings)
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Ingredients

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil
  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
  • ½ cup carrots, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon gluten free flour
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 cup to 1 ½ cups cooked lentils, add the extra half if you want more filling
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt & ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
  • To Top, Best Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Instructions 

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

  • Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
  • Make a batch of Vegan Mashed Potatoes. Set aside.
  • In a pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegan butter or olive oil.
  • Add the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, onion, celery and thyme. Stir together and allow to cook until onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant, and veggies are cooked down, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir, and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add the flour, and stir to coat, then pour in the vegetable broth. Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes on medium heat for the mixture to thicken slightly. If you want a thicker filling, add in more flour by the tablespoon. Remove from heat and add in the cooked lentils and peas and stir, allowing the mixture to heat through the frozen peas. Add more salt and pepper if needed here after tasting.
  • Pour into a casserole dish and spread the mashed potatoes over the top, covering completely. You can shape it into a little design if you’d like.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then broil on low until the mashed potatoes top is golden brown.
  • Allow to cool slightly, then serve. Enjoy!

Notes

*This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
  • To store in fridge: You can store this in its original container with a lid, or transfer to an airtight tupperware container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • To reheat: Simply microwave, or reheat in oven at 350 degrees until warm (about 10 minutes) to keep top crispy.
  • Freezing: You can freeze the entire casserole for later, or freeze your leftovers. Wrap the Shepherd’s Pie tightly or transfer it to an airtight container, then freeze for up to 2 months.

Tips for Success

Here’s how to make sure this recipe turns out perfect every time.
  • Smooth mashed potatoes are key. The thing that makes Shepherd’s Pie such a delight is the contrast in textures. Lumpy mashed potatoes just won’t cut it! They need to be smooth and ethereal; perfectly spreadable!
  • Cook the lentils a little less than you think. Brown lentils have a tendency to break down if they’re over-cooked, so keep a close eye on them. As soon as they’re tender enough to eat, remove them from the heat and drain them.
  • Make it your own. You can use mashed sweet potatoes or mashed cauliflower as a topping, add green beans, replace the lentils with crumbled tempeh—the world is your oyster! Shepherd’s Pie is pretty versatile.
Calories: 123kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 365mg, Potassium: 467mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1974IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 2mg

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.

Cuisine: American, british
Course: Dinner
Author: Jessica Hylton