This cozy vegan pot pie is made with tender veggies simmered in savory herbed sauce and baked up under a flaky pastry crust. Tastes just like classic chicken pot pie, but this one is totally meatless and dairy-free!
When my husband and I first began dating, he was really interested in my cooking and made frequent requests, usually for vegan versions of his old, non-vegan favorite dishes. This is actually a big part of what got me started blogging. (Thanks hubs!)
Some things I tackled right away. I was all about the Reuben sandwich, so much that I've blogged four versions of it. Others took a bit longer. I was never a big fan of meatloaf, but eventually figured out that I love it when it's vegan.
The idea of making a vegan chicken pot pie took a little while for me to warm up to. I think I only actually ate chicken pot pie once when I was kid, and I guess I wasn't that impressed, because I did give up meat and all by the time I was thirteen.
Finally, after six years of blogging, I decided to give it a go. And I think I did a damn fine job!
So, pot pie! There's a lot of directions you can take when putting together a vegan chicken pot pie, but with this version I opted to stay as true to form as possible, and instead of creating a fun vegan chicken pot pie with a twist, I simply veganized classic vegan chicken pot pie.
Veggies, herbs, creamy gravy and vegan chicken, in the form of mushrooms + seitan, all baked up under a flaky crust go into this pot pie, which, my husband tells me actually tastes better than the pot pies he used to eat before giving up meat.
How to Make a Vegan Pot Pie Filling
It all starts with the filling, and the filling starts with mushrooms.
The mushrooms should be sautéed by themselves in a bit of oil. You can either do this in a separate skillet, allowing them to cook while you get started on the veggies, or you can cook your mushrooms first and then remove them from the pot before you start your veggies. Save dishes or save time — it's up to you!
Next sweat some onions, carrots and celery in a pot with a bit of oil. Once they begin to soften up, add some garlic, then add you seitan and return the mushrooms to the pot.
Sprinkle in some flour. This is your thickener. Make sure to add it slowly and stir everything in the pot to distribute the flour. Give it a minute to cook, and then add some white wine. Bring the wine to a simmer — it should thicken up very quickly and coat the veggies. Let it cook just a bit to reduce, then add your broth, non-dairy milk, herbs, and seasonings.
Let everything simmer until the veggies are soft, and then stir in some thawed out frozen peas.
Assembling the Pie
Ladle the filling into a large pie dish or casserole dish. Arrange a pie crust on top and pinch it around the edges of the dish to form a seal, then cut some slits in the top for ventilation.
Bake the pie until your crust is golden. You'll probably see some filling bubbling up around the edges by the time it's done!
Dig in!
Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Pot Pie
- Not a fan of mushrooms? Feel free to substitute extra seitan.
- Don't like seitan? Leave it out and use extra mushrooms.
- Use your favorite pie crust for this recipe. I love my coconut oil pie crust, made using refined coconut oil (so you don't taste the coconut) for this, but you can also use a store-bought crust if you prefer — just check the ingredients to ensure it's vegan!
- Make ahead option: Prepare the filling up to two days in advance, then assemble and bake the pie on the day of serving.
- Double crust option: Feel free to place a layer of crust on the bottom of the dish as well as the top. Just ensure that you've got enough room in your dish. I recommend using a 2 quart (9 x 9 inch) casserole dish for a double crust.
- I used a deep 10-inch pie plate for the pie shown in the photos, and had just enough room for everything. If your pie is a tight squeeze like mine, make sure to place something under it, like a cookie sheet, during baking. There will be drips!
- Looking for more savory vegan pie recipes? Check out my vegan cheese & onion pie, vegan shepherd's pie, or vegan quiche!
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Vegan Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 10 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cups diced carrots, about 2 medium carrots
- 1 cups diced celery, about 2 medium stalks
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces seitan, finely diced (half a batch if using my recipe)
- ½ cup whole wheat flour, all-purpose works too
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes, use more if you'd like
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 vegan pie crust
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with 2 tablespoons of oil and place it over medium heat.
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When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms in an even layer and cook them for about 5 minutes, until browned on the bottoms. Flip and cook for about 5 minutes more.
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Remove the mushrooms from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
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Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot, and give it a minute to heat up.
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Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping occasionally with a spatula, just until the veggies begin to soften and onions become translucent.
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Return the mushrooms to the pot and add seitan, along with any juice in the package.
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Sprinkle in the flour, a bit at a time, stirring frequently to form a thick paste that coats the veggies.
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Stir in the wine and bring it to a simmer. The liquid should thicken up very quickly. Allow it to cook for about a minute, stirring frequently.
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Stir in the broth, milk, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme and sage. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.
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Lower the heat and allow the mixture to cook at a low simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender and the sauce has thickened up a bit.
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Stir in the peas.
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Remove the pot from heat, taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings as desired.
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Preheat the oven to 375° and gather a large (deep 10-inch diameter or larger) pie dish or a 2 quart casserole dish.
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Use a rolling pin to roll the pie crust so that it's large enough to fully cover the top of the dish.
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Transfer the vegetable stew into the dish, then drape crust overtop, trimming any low hanging edges. Cut a few slits in the top of dough.
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Bake until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 40 minutes.
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Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
If you don't like seitan, leave it out and double the mushrooms. If you don't like mushrooms, leave them out (skip steps 1-3 of the recipe) and double the seitan.
I can't wait to try this! Thank you! One question though - what is a good white wine substitute to avoid using alcohol?
Thanks!
Hi Brandy! You could just substitute with extra vegetable broth - it might need a bit more time to thicken up fully. I hope you enjoy it!
This was one of the best recipes I have ever tried and I cook all the time! I tweaked it only in using some different veggies I had in my fridge and veggie sausage and it was incredible. Flavorful, decadent, comforting, while still being packed with good nutrition and food that makes my body happy!
Any chance I can get the Nutrition fact on this? I am Diabetic and need to know the carbs TY
It would really depend on what type of crust you go with. If you want to take that into account and figure out the nutrition info, this is a great tool to use.
Such a lovely winter favourite....veganised! Thanks for sharing :)
Kathryn | nimblenote.blogspot.com
Just made this and it taste great!!! I didn't make a crust. I made vegan biscuits to put on top and bake in a dish. I am also going to freeze this in individual portions with a biscuit on top of each one and see how it turns out. Will being using this recipe again , for sure !!!
Thanks!
I'm so glad to hear it! And I love the idea of using biscuits as a topper. Thanks so much Frankie!
We made this last night and OH MY GOD. I have not had a good pot pie - vegan or before - in so long. This one blows all the other recipes I've tried out of the water! I bet it will be even better in the colder months.
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, this is one of my favorites during the cooler months. :)
Just one thing, make sure the wine is also vegan as most of them are not!
Thanks for the tip!
HI! I finally got around to trying this recipe and it turned out great. I used a regular old store bought crust and double mushrooms, and I realized too late I was out of peas so I used a can of green beans. It ended up having a slight green-bean-casserole vibe to it by accident. Every recipe of yours I've tried has been a hit!
Oh, I bet green beans were awesome in this! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much Dianne!!
Can you put crust dough under the stew as well? This is how I remember the ones I had before becoming vegan
Yup! Just double up on the pie crust, use half to line the bottom of the dish, and pinch the edges together tightly!
I make my own seitan do I need to add more broth since recipe states to add seitan with liquid
I would recommend that. I think an additional 3 or 4 tablespoons of broth should do it!
I
Can this be made a day ahead ?
The crust might soften up a bit, but I always have leftovers when I make this and they're great. Another option is to assemble the pie a day ahead and bake it when you're ready. Enjoy!!
I was skeptical about the liquid smoke but decided to have faith and girl, you are a genius! I could not stop eating it by the spoonful straight out of the pan! I ladeled it into 3 smaller pie dishes and covered them w/ cut out dough hearts đź’• for Valentines Day. Thanks Alissa!
Yay! What an awesome Valentine's Day meal! Thanks so much Mardy!
I've made this 3 times since I discovered it a couple of months ago. It's that good. The first time, I didn't have any seitan so decided to give TVP rehydrated in vegetable broth a try. We loved it. The second time I made it with seitan and, though my husband thought it was okay, I really didn't like the rubbery texture and we both preferred the TVP. So, recently, I went back to that and...yummm. I use my own whole wheat pie crust, only on top, as suggested, to save on calories but, overall, the calorie count on this isn't bad. We think you're a genius for figuring out how to create these wonderful, homey flavors.
I have only one quibble...the 15 minute Prep Time is much too low as you can see just by looking at the recipe: cooking the mushrooms for 10 minutes, cooking the veggies for 10 minutes, simmering for another 10 minutes. I'm retired so have a lot of time to spend cooking so didn't mind that this was a fairly labor intensive dish. For anyone who's wondering, it is definitely worth whatever time it takes to make it (and, sorry, I can't give you a more accurate time because I know I'm quite a bit slower than many cooks as I'm always trying to do too many other things while I'm cooking).
Now, on to some of your other recipes....
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm actually due to remake and rephotograph this one, so I'll make note of the prep time. I appreciate the feedback! :)
This is almost identical to my own recipe for pot pie except I don’t use seitan and I also add 1/4 c nutritional yeast. My family Ioves it too! We also like a lot of your recipes.
Great minds think alike! I'm glad you're enjoying the recipes! Thanks Elizabeth!
Ok, I made the chicken pot pie (chickenless!!)
The recipe made loads! Although if I keep going back to the kitchen it will be a serving for one!! I double up on the mushrooms. Really enjoyed this one!
Tomorrow’s hit Parade?!! The Chickpea Loaf.
Delighted! Thank you :)
I’ll keep you posted!
Yay! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks so much Jackie!!
I love this recipe! Have made it four times! It is my daughter’s favorite meal. I have added cream sherry, a little poultry seasoning and “no chicken” vegan bouillon cubes to it and any additional veggies as well. I freeze the filling in small batches. When we want a delicious, quick meal, I pull out a couple of Pepperidge farm puff pastry shells(also vegan) from the freezer, bake them, heat the frozen filling in the microwave and have s perfect meal in about 20 minutes (the length of time to bake the shells.) Yummy!!
Awesome! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I discovered that Pepperidge farm puff pastry is accidentally vegan as well and have used it for a quick and easy pot pie. :) Thanks so much Lori!
Loved it! I didn’t have seitan, so I heated and chopped 3 Morningstar Farms vegan chick patties. That made it a little too dry, so I added an extra 1/2 cup veg broth with the flour addition. I also used two vegan store-bought crusts. Very tasty! So nice to finally have a good pot pie recipe!!
Great idea! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Melanie!
Made this today for Valentine's Day. It's in the oven now and looks delicious. I'm going to check out more of your recipes. Thanks!
If I add crust on the bottom as well is everything the same with cooking time? Do I need to cook the bottom at all first before I fill it?
I'd keep the same cook time - that's what I've done with other pie recipes and it always seems to work!
Can I use sherry instead of wine in this recipe?
Thanks ...
I think so, though I haven't tried it myself. I'd probably cut the amount in half if you give it a try.